The Kachemak Bay Birders’ next trip will be Saturday, May 26 on the Bay Crest Trail for a walk in the forest to listen for and observe our local songbirds. Meet at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center at 6:45 a.m. to carpool or at the trailhead on Roger’s Loop Road at 7 a.m.

The trail will be muddy so please wear rubber boots and bring binoculars and field guide if you have one.

All Kachemak Bay Birding trips are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. All trips are free and everyone is welcome to attend. The leader for this trip is George Matz, 235-9344.

Hospice of Homer is holding its annual “Holes Fore Hospice” fund-raising event from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 9 at Tips Golf Course on East End Road.

Individuals or teams are welcome to register now at the Hospice website: HospiceofHomer.org or register at Tips at 9 a.m. the day of the event. There will be food for everyone and awards for winners.

All proceeds go to help hospice carry out its mission of “Compassion in Action” for the community. For more information, call Mike Hawfield at 299-0290 with any questions.

There will be a Homer Native Plant Society Field Trip at 1 p.m. May 20. With local ethnobatanists, learn how to harvest nettles, where to look for them, and how to use this amazing wild plant for food and medicine.

Wear rubber boots and bring light plastic gloves. Meet at Kachemak Bay Research Reserve Parking lot, across from Homer Air on Kachemak Drive. For details, contact: jwoodring50@gmail.com.

The society will also host a Microalgae Field Trip in Seldovia, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 16.

With Tania Spurkland, we will explore the biodiversity of Seldovia’s macroalgae on a minus 5.1 foot tide.

Participants will board Red Mountain Marine’s Beowulf for Jakolof Bay, explore some other beaches, and leave Jakolof Bay at 4:30 p.m. for a 5 p.m. arrival in Homer.

Dress in layers and wear rain pants over your highest rubber boots. Bring water, a sack lunch, scissors, ziplock bags, a permanent marker, heavy duty rubber gloves, and a bucket. The cost is $59.50 plus $5 to support gas for our road transport in Seldovia.

Room for 15 people. For reservations by May 31, email jwoodring50@gmail.com.

Central Peninsula Landfill and Transfer Facilities and Sites are open on Sundays. All facilities will be open seven days per week. For more information, call the Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste Department at (907) 262-9667.

Kachemak Crane Watch asks that residents report sandhill crane sightings to the organization at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org.

Date, time, location, behavior, and number of cranes is helpful. Leave a name and number in case the group needs more details.

The Central Peninsula Garden Club is hosting a variety of gardening workshops in May.

Workshops registration is available online through the CPGC website at www.cenpengardenclub.org (May Workshops Registration page). All workshops have a nominal fee of $5; some workshops have additional supply fees. Attendance limits apply, so please register early. May workshops offered are:

May 26 – Growing in a High Tunnel; The Basics of Root Cellars; Composting &Local Amendments Equals Healthy Growing Soil; Basics of Landscape Design: From Plan to Planting; Building High Tunnels, Low Tunnels, Cold Frames and Installing Drip Irrigation

Questions? Contact Donna (907) 420-0480, natmed3@ymail.com.

Anchor Point Senior Citizens

The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Road is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-noon Friday. The center serves Thursday night dinners starting at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Bingo is at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. on Friday nights. The Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exercise sessions are at 10 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For information, call 235-7786.

Friendship Center

Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations. Programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. Call 235-4556.

Homer Senior Citizens

The Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center conference room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The menu for this week is: Thursday, roast beef; Friday, seafood linguini; Monday is closed for Memorial Day; Tuesday, rosemary Cornish game hens; Wednesday, beef stroganoff; next Thursday, roast pork.

Strong Women classes are 1:30-2:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center. Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center.

Tai chi classes are Thursdays at 3 p.m. Duplicate Bridge meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Duplicate Bridge is $3 for members and $5 for non-members. Strong Women, Zumba and Tai Chi are $5 for members and $7 for non-members.

Pratt Museum

Galleries are open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ongoing activities: Fish Feedings have resumed from 4-5 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays in the Marine Gallery. Fish Feeding is fun and all are welcome.

Kachemak Bay Campus

Registration for all fall credit courses is now open at https://uaonline.alaska.edu/banprod/owa/bwck2sch.p_disp_dyn_sched. Sign-up now, pay later.

Degree-seeking students: Call 235-7743 for an advising appointment.

KBC offers free GED, ESL, college preparation and life skills courses and individual assistance. Call 235-7743.

General registration for the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference is open until June 7. Go to http://writersconference.homer.alaska.edu to see program schedule and registration information.

Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference Festival of Literary Readings: June 9 at 8 p.m. with Anthony Doerr at the Homer High School Mariner Theater; June 10 at Alice’s and June 11 at Land’s End, 7 p.m.: visiting poets, essayists, novelists.

Registration is open for special July art workshops: “Crash Course in Oils” with David Pettibone costs $85 (July 14, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and “Mug Making” with David Kaufmann costs $125 (July 21, 22 and 28). Information and advanced registration at: www.kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com. Call 235-7743.

South Peninsula Hospital

South Peninsula Hospital announces Homer Steps Up 2018, a steps-based community challenge to promote wellness and fun by motivating participants to walk. Cosponsored by SPARC, SVT Health and Wellness, City of Homer, South Peninsula Hospital and South Peninsula Behavioral Health, the goal is to reach 100 million steps as the southern Kenai Peninsula in the month of May.

Participants must enroll in the event online at www.sphosp.org or at upcoming enrollment sessions later in April.

Steps can be tracked by pedometer or other step trackers and entered into the challenge website, or automatically through smartphone and android applications.

Various Homer organizations and businesses will be participating as Teams, competing against each other for the traveling trophy and “bragging rights.” In its second year, the challenge awarded the trophy to the City of Homer, and the trophy remains on display there through the end of May.

New this year is the addition of an individual category, which allows everyone to participate in the challenge which runs through May 31.

Great prizes include: Grand Prize Winner: $500

Second Place Winner: $250

Third Place Winner: $100

Highest Stepper Winner: $500

Weekly prize drawings include: Individuals with a weekly step total of 35,000 – 69,999 steps

Individuals with a weekly step total of 70,000 – 99,999 steps

Individuals with a weekly step total of 100,000 – 139,999 steps

Individuals with a weekly step total of 140,000 or more.