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Post by Andy Schroeder on Feb 9, 2007 14:37:31 GMT -5
These are ITN's comments to Alaska State Parks draft 10-year strategic plan, dated November 3rd, 2006
Dear Ms. Alvarez, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Alaska State Parks draft Ten-Year Strategic Plan. I represent the Island Trails Network, a newly established non-profit organization dedicated to promoting trail use in Kodiak. We have reviewed the elements of your plan with board members of Alaska Trails and would like to briefly echo some of their comments as well as provide some of our own. 1. We applaud you for having the foresight to engage in a strategic planning process. 2. We encourage you to fully develop a sustainable trail planning process, and dedicate additional resources and personnel to this end, if possible. 3. Alaska Trails is developing state-wide trail classification standards for the purposes of measuring trail conditions, estimating maintenance & improvement costs, and faciliating the exchange of information between partner organizations. They are also teaching principles of trail sustainability. We encourage you to fully adopt these standards and principles as well. 4. At ITN, our organizational scope includes motorized and non-motorized users as well as users of “water trails”. We would like to see Alaska State Parks continue to administer boating and ORV safety programs. 5. We believe the Alaska State Parks system is important for the physical and mental well-being of Alaskans, and encourage you to embrace that role in your strategic plan! Thank you for considering our comments, and good luck as you enter the final stages of your planning process. Sincerely, Andy Schroeder, Executive Director Island Trails Network
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Post by Andy Schroeder on May 25, 2007 15:31:59 GMT -5
New research outlines the top 10 factors that encourage people to be physically active
Newswise — A new comprehensive study by Saint Louis University researchers that flags the top 10 features of activity-friendly communities is a blueprint for improving public health, the author of the research says.
“We wrote the book on identifying the range of different influences that gets people engaging in physical activity not just for recreation but as part of their everyday life activities,” says Laura Brennan Ramirez, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health.
“We outlined what needs to happen and what is most feasible. It’s going to require a commitment toward health and social wellbeing.”
While regular moderate physical activity can prevent many diseases and prolong life, most Americans don’t move around enough to stay healthy, earlier studies have shown.
The Saint Louis University research builds on a growing body of evidence that shows a link between how our cities are designed and built and how much activity we get.
Many of the study’s recommendations focused on wrestling us away from our cars, says Brennan Ramirez, who also directs Transtria, a public health research and consulting company.
“The number of hours we spend in our car everyday detracts from our physical, social and mental health,” she says. “People are increasingly becoming aware of it. Our dependence on the car is overwhelming.”
Brennan Ramirez and her colleagues sifted through academic literature, reports and websites to cull a list of 230 indicators of communities that encourage activity. Then they convened two panels of experts to boil that list down to the top 10 factors that influence our activity levels. Their findings were published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The research was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Among the significant factors:
• Land use: A mix of commercial and residential development in a community increases a person’s desire to be more active. Hiking and biking trails and crosswalks do work to promote walking and bike use.
• Transportation: Sidewalks and mass transit support physical activity because they get people out of cars and encourage a more active lifestyle.
• Aesthetics: Monuments and historic attractions also encourage people to move about. In addition people are more inclined to walk in communities that are well maintained and have pleasant things to see.
• Institutional and organizational policies: Encouraging physical education programs at schools, flextime on the job, and having showers and gyms in the workplace promote an active lifestyle.
• Promotions: Campaigns and media messages build awareness of the importance of seizing opportunities for activity, which increases movement.
• Public policies: Appropriating highway funds to create bike lanes and city funds to improve parks and recreation facilities give the necessary financial muscle to build an activity-friendly infrastructure.
• Travel patterns: People are more likely to bike or take mass transit to work when they see other people doing the same thing.
Brennan Ramirez says the findings that highlight the best way to design an activity-friendly community are particularly important for the very old and very young.
“We haven’t really designed our communities well for older adults, particularly once they get to the point that they can’t drive,” she says. “In addition, given concerns about the soaring childhood obesity rates, not having schools located within the neighborhood is a major problem.”
Saint Louis University School of Public Health is one of only 37 fully accredited schools of public health in the United States and the nation’s only School of Public Health sponsored by a Jesuit university. It offers masters degrees (MPH, MHA and MS) and doctoral programs (Ph.D.) in six public health disciplines and joint degrees with the Doisy College of Health Sciences and Schools of Business, Law, Medicine and Social Service. It is home to seven nationally recognized research centers and laboratories with funding sources that include the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the American Cancer Society, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the World Health Organization.
© 2006 Newswise. All Rights Reserved.
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Post by Andy Schroeder on May 25, 2007 15:33:16 GMT -5
The following testimony was provided to the Borough Assembly by Executive Director Andy Schroeder with President Erin Whipple on 2/15/07.
Good evening members of the Assembly, my name is Andy Schroeder and I’m here tonight to introduce a new organization called Island Trails Network. We came together back in October for the purpose of developing, maintaining and promoting wilderness recreation throughout the borough. With me here tonight is one of the founding members and president, Erin Whipple. Other board members include Rob Lachowsky, Patrick Saltonstall, Pam Foreman, Paul Shaw, and Ken Hansen.
To describe who we are and what we hope to do, I’d like to speak to the three elements of our name.
First word - Island: Our founding members all inhabitants of this island. We work here, live here, and play here. When we say “island”, we mean all the islands in the borough, and the waterways connecting them.
Second word - Trails: As residents of an island community, we define trails very broadly as any route over land or water used for recreation. So, our works will involve traditional hiking trails, but also paved multi-purpose pathways, ATV trails, and water routes connecting us to those remote bays and beaches that we’ll never forget seeing for the first time and long to return.
Third word - Network: When we say “Network” we mean linking trails together—we believe that for both recreation and transportation, a network of trails serves our community far better than a series of discrete, unconnected trails. But we also mean connecting people through organized events, forums, and outreach campaigns related to outdoor recreation. Perhaps most importantly, when we say “network” we mean connecting people with the great outdoors for their health and well-being.
Our group is non-profit, and we are seeking charter membership from the community. We hope you’ll all be hearing about us in the local media in the coming months, and we look forward to hearing from you. We’re on the web at islandtrails.org.
Before I go, I wanted to let you know of our first project, to take place at Pillar Creek. On May 12th, a group of ITN volunteers will spend a day cleaning up the beach area around Pillar Creek. This project is made possible thanks to a grant from the NOAA Community-based Marine Debris Clean-up and Prevention Program. Through the Pillar creek project we hope to improve the quality of experience for recreational users, restore a site of recreational and cultural value, and promote awareness of marine debris while building volunteer experience for later projects. The highlight of the day will be in the afternoon, when a boom truck will remove a burned and abandoned car from the riverbank.
So as I introduce you to Island Trails Network, in the same breath I’m here to ask for something. I request the borough waive all solid waste disposal fees for Island Trails Network on May 12th, so that we might dispose at the landfill what we cannot recycle, including the derelict vehicle.
I hope you will work with us to keep Kodiak a safe and enjoyable place to play outside, and thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.
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Post by Andy Schroeder on May 25, 2007 15:35:00 GMT -5
This past fall, at the Opening Plenary Session of the 18th National Trails Symposium in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa, the membership of American Trails (over 550 trail advocates and professionals) met and thoughtfully crafted a list of recommendations for the future of trails and greenways in America. This compilation has been forwarded to the Members of the 110th Congress, the White House, key agency heads and leaders in the trails community, and the national news media.
10 Steps to Help Save Our Outdoors
1. Promote Connections In Our Communities – Trail and greenway infrastructure that connects people and places in our neighborhoods, towns, cities and regions readily accessible within 15 minutes walking distance of every American. 2. Create a National Trails Network/System – An integrated trails network at all levels: linking cities, states, and regions of the United States and North America, as well as trails accessing National Parks, National Forests and other public lands. 3. Commit Sustainable Funding – Ongoing, sustainable revenue stream to fund and offer incentives to create trails and greenways. Includes federal funds & programs: Transportation Enhancements, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program, The Recreational Trails Program, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) programs, Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), Safe Routes to School, and Complete Streets. 4. Expand Environmental Education – Environmental education an integral part of a national and local school curricula at every level. 5. Associate Trails with Health and Fitness – Trails are, and should be, a significant part of community health and fitness programs. 6. Encourage All Americans to Participate – Opportunities for the American People to give back—helping to plan, fund and work on trails in our neighborhoods, parks, as well as on state and federal lands. 7. Promote Sustainable Transportation – Alternative modes of travel that lessen dependence on foreign oil and reduce CO2 emissions contributing to climate change. 8. Engage, Motivate Youth – Promote stewardship with youth conservation/trail building corps. 9. Promote Access and Accessibility – An accessible, safe system for all abilities within easy reach of all homes and places of employment. 10. Build Trail and Greenway Partnerships – Trails and greenways created as vital infrastructure; working with homebuilders and developers, transportation, utility, flood and fire control agencies and others with mutual benefit.
In an era of diminishing wild spaces, American Trails is striving to create a legacy of places of outdoor recreation and solace readily accessible to all Americans. We thank all of those who participated in this heartfelt and creative effort, including the offices of Senators Obama and Huckabee. We encourage the vigorous pursuit of this vision for this and future generations.
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Post by Andy Schroeder on May 25, 2007 15:35:42 GMT -5
As you know, the Borough has been working with contractors to finish the comprehensive plan which will guide the Planning and Zoning Commission in land use decisions for the next 15 to 20 years. Next Wednesday there is an important meeting where the public will have an opportunity to see and comment on draft land use maps for the communities and urban areas of the Borough. Please mark your calendars for 7:30pm on Wednesday, March 7th. The open house style meeting will be in the Borough Assembly Chambers.
Below is the note from the Borough's Comp Plan website (www.kibcompplan.com): The KIB Planning and Zoning Commission is sponsoring an open house to review draft future land use maps for the Kodiak urban area and other communities in the Borough. These maps indicate general land use designations for communities throughout the Borough and reflect comments from participants in the comprehensive planning process, results of other previous planning processes, and in many cases, assumptions that current uses will continue to be similar in the future. In some cases, the maps identify possible alternative uses for specific areas. The open house will be an important opportunity to review and comment on these draft recommended maps. Please pass this message on to others who might be interested. I hope to see you there.
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Post by Andy Schroeder on May 25, 2007 15:36:55 GMT -5
The following vision statement was put forward by the Parks & Recreation Committee for inclusion into the forthcoming Comprehensive Plan. It was created by Parks & Rec in 2004
Kodiak, a vibrant, thriving community for all ages, is where we work and play. The community is cooperative and mutually respectful of all its residents and their choices of recreational activity. Healthy partnerships has been initiated to enhance recreational opportunities. We are proud of our rich and varied cultural and historical past. Kodiak's residents have embraced a healthy, active lifestyle, through a diversity of active recreational opportunities. Trails, walkways, bicycle paths, parks, and open space interconnect the urban community. Kodiak has a public transportation system linked to a strategic system of urban trails. The scenic quality of its mountain vistas and waterways are preserved for all future generations. Unspoiled open space still exists along its coasts and backcountry. Public lands and waters are accessible in 2034 as they are today.
The remote road system is left undeveloped to provide public access for Kodiak's urban residents to reach these unspoiled lands, waters, and our world-class trail system. Kodiak's great open spaces are left untouched for future generations to enjoy, with hunting, fishing, and remote hiking opportunities preserved. To enhance the enjoyment of unspoiled nature along its trails and routes, a few well-placed shelters and cabins are developed. Kodiak is the mecca of coastal Alaska providing opportunities for discerning outdoorsmen and naturalists. We are the New Zealand of the North.
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Post by Andy Schroeder on May 25, 2007 18:01:28 GMT -5
New trail group hits the beach for cleanup of Pillar Creek area By Scott Christiansen, Kodiak Daily Mirror Friday, May 11, 2007
A local off-road driving club and a freshly-minted nonprofit with a mission to maintain trails and water routes of the Kodiak Archipelago are coming together Saturday to clean a stretch of beach near the mouth of Pillar Creek off Monaskha Bay Road.
Most Kodiakans probably haven't heard of Island Trails Network, and may not have heard of Emerald Isle Offroad, either, but ITN executive director Andy Schroeder wants to change that.
Schroeder has been networking with better-known organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, Kodiak Morning Rotary, and the local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary to draw people to the beach-cleaning event. The off-road enthusiasts and the trails group also have their eye on a discarded automobile at the beach, which they hope to use as an attention-grabber during the Crab Festival Parade.
"We are going to parade that car through Crab Fest, and somehow try to send a message," Schroeder said. "We don't know how we're going to phrase it. We don't want to be mean, but we are going to say, "Don't leave your (garbage) in our playground."
The beach cleanup is also meant to make Kodiakans more aware of the global problem of marine debris, which washes up on local shores with every tide.
"There is not any coastline on any island in the world that is not touched by marine debris," Schroeder said, adding that too often coastal people overlook the problem.
"We train ourselves to look past it in order to see the beauty," he said.
At times it can be frustrating. Schroeder, who markets his guide service as ecologically sensitive, once found an intact computer monitor while taking clients on a sea kayaking trip.
"I scouted the beach at Pillar Creek and I found a bottle of dish soap from Korea. We are worldwide, right here at Pillar Creek," he said.
The trails group secured a $1,500 grant from the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies for the Pillar Creek Cleanup. The grant is another first for ITN.
In his presentations to other local groups, Schroeder describes the marine debris problem in detail. One of the slides depicts plastic debris spread out for the camera--six-pack rings, cigarrette lighters, bottle caps and hundreds of unrecognizable bits of manmade detritus--all taken from the belly of a dead albatross. The collection makes a circle about three feet in diameter.
Diving seabirds spot the objects from the air, and often the objects are the size, shape or color of the prey fish or plants the birds crave. Once a seabird has eaten too much, it dies.
"They literally starve to death with full bellies," Schroeder said.
The trails group plans to attack more than marine debris. They want to establish sustainable trails, designed to shed water quickly so they don't erode into slippery hillside gulches or muddy quaqmires that turn wet, grassy areas to mud. They also have discussed in-town projects, becoming active in a plan for the Kodiak Island Borough to create safer walking routes around North Star Elementary School.
The local government is also involved in Saturday's work at Pillar Creek. Borough Manager Rick Gifford waived all landfill fees for ITN on Saturday, Schroeder said, and the group plans to to deliver all recyclable material they find to Threshold Recycling, the nonprofit recycling company that provides jobs for people with developmental disabilities.
When ITN and the offroad vehicle group are through using it to promote their cause, the derelict vehicle from Pillar Creek will be recycled, too, courtesy of Nick's Auto Salvage.
"Nick Troxell is going to take the metal, and waive his fee fo the car. But we do not want to make it sound like we are in the business of removing old cars," Schroeder said.
"Abandoning derelict vehicles is a problem here--you know that. It is just an unacceptable practice."
The Pillar Creek cleanup will be Saturday, May 12, beginning at 10 a.m.
The group will first meet at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center for a brief orientation and to carpool to the beach.
Mirror writer Scott Christiansen can be reached via e-mail at schristiansen@kodiakdailymirror.com.
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