Photo courtesy of Heidi Schultz
Brianna Burkhard, Shelbe Holben, Tiffany List, and Pastor Corey Grunklee rest by the sign at Helen Rhode Memorial Park after clearing trees and brush growing along the highway.
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Photo courtesy of Heidi Schultz |
By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times
Cooper Landing Correspondent
“Welcome to Cooper Landing” sign now visible
Helen Rhode Memorial Park, above the Kenai River Bridge near Mile 48, had a facelift recently. Pastor Corey Grunklee and his vacation Bible school team from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bay City, MI took on the park as their community service project. Tiffany List, Brianna Burkhard, Steven Headings, and Heidi Schultz (with help from Malcolm and Ladonna Herbert, Deb Carlson, and Shelbe Holben) cut down overgrown cottonwoods, birch, and willow along the highway so the Cooper Landing welcome sign is again visible. Three pickup loads were taken to the organic dump. Malcolm mowed the lawn and George Anderson and Shirley Wilmoth will keep the lawn trimmed. George and Shirley also donated a new picnic table with benches and set it in place. Deb volunteered to keep a park maintenance schedule, so call her at 595-1455 or email her at carlsons@arctic.net if you can help. In 1993, friends of Helen Rhode, a longtime resident who died the previous year, started the park as both a tribute to Helen (who enjoyed welcoming newcomers) and as a beautification project. Helen’s son David Rhode was an active volunteer and helped design the park layout. Caroll Jones made the sign, which features silhouettes of the Dall sheep often seen on the south-facing mountains above the community. Jim and Pinkie Richardson helped lay out the beds of indigenous wildflowers.
Michigan Bible school team works and plays
The five-day vacation Bible school, held at the community hall and coordinated by Ladonna Herbert for the Community Church, featured many activities for kids from three years old to the 6th grade. Pastor Grunklee and his team from Michigan were among 700 Lutheran Church volunteers who came to Alaska this summer to hold Bible schools and participate in community service projects. These volunteers earn their own travel funds and bring special equipment and supplies. They gave the community hall a thorough cleaning at the end of the week and then had a couple days for some fun activities. Gary Galbraith of Alaska Rivers Co. donated a Kenai River raft trip, and the team were guests of Kenai Fjords Tours for a sea cruise. Ron and Marilyn Gravenhorst and Bob and Brearley Wilson enjoyed hosting dinner for the Michigan visitors.
Cooper Landing Museum garage sale
The Cooper Landing Museum’s annual garage sale is July 5 and 6 at the museum during regular hours from noon to 5 p.m. The storage building is full of everything from exercise equipment to furniture, craft materials to light fixtures. It will all be priced to sell quickly. While you’re at the museum, check out the recent donations of a commercially tanned moose hide and several Jim Beam commemorative bottles thanks to the Mitchells and the Brittons.
Trails are in pretty good shape
Local U.S. Forest Service trails are clear of fallen trees, for the most part. The upper end of the Russian Lakes Trail is under contract for brushwork this summer. As of mid to late June, Carter Lake was still snow covered, but the trail to Crescent Lake is finally snow free. A couple from Wyoming visiting the Cooper Landing Museum last week said they had just hiked the Resurrection Trail from Hope to Cooper Landing and found the trail in pretty good shape. They saw porcupines and moose, but no bears.
Stream Watch on the Russian River
Bob Wilson, Gary and Jan Mitchell, and Ron Gravenhorst are Stream Watch Program volunteers on the Russian River. They help keep the river and banks clean and encourage the visitors and anglers to fish legally and act responsibly regarding bear awareness. It can be a challenge when black and brown bears, with and without cubs, are in close proximity to people fishing. Ron had his bear spray at the ready as he worked to keep a respectful distance between humans and bruins. More than 150,000 Alaskans and visitors come to the Kenai and Russian River areas every year, according to Stream Watch information from Stream Watch Supervisor and Russian River Interagency Coordinator Bobbie Jo Skibo.