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Photo: Fayrene Sherritt/Turnagain Times Whittier basketball coach Jeremy Lancaster tells his team the game plan during their recent Regional II Peninsula Conference match up. |
By Fayrene Sherritt
Turnagain Times Hope Correspondent
Subsistence Information Sharing Meeting
Chugach National Forest subsistence staff would like to meet with interested rural residents to explain subsistence regulations and to answer questions related to the federal subsistence application process.
Topics that will be covered will include: What does the “rural designation” meant to you? What is the subsistence program and how does it relate to ANILCA. How to be involved in the Federal Subsistence Board Regulation process? How to make changes to the Federal Subsistence Regulations to provide for subsistence hunting and fishing opportunities around Hope and Sunrise. And motorized use for accessing subsistence activities.
The meeting will be held Friday March 27 in the Hope Social Hall between 5-7 p.m. For more information call Bobbie Jo Skibo at 907 288-7739 or email at bskibo@fs.fed.us.
Hope School’s Spring Auction a huge success
The Hope School Auction night, held March 7, rose over $3,200 for the school. About 40 to 50 people attended and participated in four different kinds of auction. Everyone enjoyed cake, punch and fellowship. Thanks to everyone who donated prizes, volunteers, and everyone who came and participated. One little girl won a $75 gift certificate to Double Musky but did not want to pop her balloon to get it out!
Special thanks to Angie Motoyama for her work organizing the auction and thanks, for the large donations, go to the Alaska Railroad, Angle 45, Chugach Outdoor Center, Shoreside propane, and Suburban for fuel and to Dennis Sammut for his $500 donation which was used to buy gift cards and other items for the auctions. At the last moment, Bianca Durrant was not able to be the auctioneer due to illness and Pam Skogstad slipped right in and did a great job filling her shoes. Gina Motoyama was so cute racing around the room gathering the $1 bills in the Dollar auction.
Dissecting Owl Pellets
The big question of the day was: “Why do owls have feathers on their feet?” The Hope students traveled to Cooper Landing School, March 12, to find the answer to that question. Answering questions about owls and their habitat was Katie Toth-Stauble, education specialist for the Chugach Forest Service. Ms. Stauble provided an interesting class to the students of both schools in an informal setting that was interesting, challenging and included a laboratory assignment of dissecting owl pellets!
Students found bits of bone, teeth and even some whole skulls inside the pellets. Principal Jim Dawson found a web site that had lots of different owl sounds and the students had fun listening to that as well. Everyone had a good time and always enjoy getting to spend time with their Cooper Landing peers.
Oh, yes, Owls have feathers on their feet because it keeps them from making any sound as they fly along, making it easier to sneak up on their pray including our pet cats! Students also learned that owls have no natural predator, and turn their heads almost 360 degrees, their eyes are stationary and have double lenses. Thanks to Chugach Forest and Ms. Toth-Stauble for an interesting class.
Coach Jeremy Lancaster and the Whittier Eagles
The Whittier Eagles finished the basketball season with the Region II Peninsula Conference, March 4-7. Eight schools, ten teams, met at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage for the exciting event. Hope’s Clayton Davidson and Stephen Finger joined Whittier teammates Nick Swain, Wayne Shern, Justin Lipscomb, Andrew Ladd, Cody Philips, Alex Philips and Jeff Earnest to put forth a great effort. Nick won an All Conference Award and an All Tournament Team Award. Wayne received an Academic Award. Everyone enjoyed spending time with other small school students and made many friends.
Hope Library Board to meet March 28
Saturday, March 28 at 3 p.m., the Hope Community Library will hold a board meeting at the Hope Library. There will be a discussion on finishing the grant projects, the Library’s needs for the next year and how to fund them, plus a request for summer volunteers and a discussion on how to raise funds to help cover expenses for the purchase of new books and other media materials. There will also be an election of officers. It is the hope of the Library Board that there are enough volunteers for the Library, the gift shop and book shed so they can be open seven days a week this summer. Anyone available for a day of the week or for a few hours on one day, please contact either Lisa Simono or Susan Anderson.
Hope’s Quilt on display in Library
Hope’s finished copy of the quilt panel, submitted for the 50-year Statehood quilt, is now hanging in the Hope Library. If you have not yet seen the finished quilt, drop by for a visit. The dates for Hope’s display of the nine quilt panels is July 18 and 19 during the Wagon Trail weekend. The published booklet showing all the quilt panels is available at the Library.
Food Bank and Community Breakfast
The doors open at 8 a.m. each Wednesday morning and breakfast is served until 10 a.m. All are welcome to come. Following the free breakfast, the Hope Christian Church Food Bank is open Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Any residents needing to take advantage of the food pantry, outside the regular hours, please contact Burgins at 782-1002.