There will be a regular meeting of the Kachemak Bay Birders at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. Everyone is welcome and it is free. For more information, call Lani Raymond at 235-9477 or George Matz at 235-9344.
The 10th Annual Cooperative Weed Management Area’s Workshop and Invasive Species Identification Training is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. The workshop is 9 a.m. to noon and the training session is 1 to 5 p.m. Free lunch is available. Learn how to identify land, fresh water and marine invasive species, protocols for minimizing spread of invasive species, response protocols and how to receive certification. To register and for more information, visit kpinvasives-homer.eventbrite.com. The workshop is free and open to the public.
The sandhill cranes have started arriving. A report of 200 in two big wings was reported flying overhead on Monday, most likely high flyers headed north. Some local pairs also have been reported seen. Please report sandhill crane sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch at 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org. Kachemak Crane Watch is especially interested in information about nesting pairs for its third year of the nesting ecology study. Please leave names and phone numbers in case more information is needed.
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic is looking for committed volunteers to help organize this year’s Breast Cancer Run, to be held Aug. 18. Call 235-3436 for more information on how to join the event planning committee.
The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center’s annual Clean Up Day is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, with a barbecue held by the Homer Lions Club. Trash bags can be picked up in advance at the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, Fritz Creek General Store, the Homer Volunteer Fire Department and the Homer Brewing Company. Trash and recycling drop off will begin at 11 a.m. May 4 in the chamber parking lot. There will be prizes for most bags collected in various age and group categories. Four youth bikes also will be raffled. Please bring recyclable trash in separate bags.
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Big Brothers Big Sisters also has a clothing drive of gently used adult and children’s clothing the same day. Bring clothing to the chamber parking lot. A $50 gift card is awarded to the person donating the most bags of clothing. For more information, call 235-7740 or email info@homeralaska.org.
Registration has started for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival to be held May 8-12. This year’s keynote speaker is Jeffrey Gordon. For a list of events and presentations with registration information, see the shorebird festival schedule available at the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center or visit www.kachemakbayshorebirdfestival.org. For more information, email shorebird@homeralaska.org or call the chamber at 235-7740.
The Homer Fish and Game Advisory Committee meets at 6 p.m. May 14 at the NERRs building on Kachemak Drive. The committee will prepare comments on the Joint Board proposals. For more information, contact Dave Lyon at 399-2340.
Anchor Point Senior Center
The Anchor Point Senior Center is open at 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday for coffee. Enjoy coffee and conversation. The senior center also is open 7-9 p.m. Tuesday nights for game night. Enjoy cards, chess, dominoes, cribbage, checkers and pool. Regular hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-noon Friday. For more 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.
Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and their guests and is served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: Thursday, roast pork loin; Friday, oven fried shrimp; Monday, beef stroganoff; Tuesday, baked chicken; Wednesday, to be announced.
Strong Women classes at Homer Senior Citizens Recreation Room are 2-3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class.
Tai Chi classes are Thursday at 3 p.m. Cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class. For more information, call Daniel at 235-7655.
Kachemak Bay Campus
Registration is being held for a watercolor workshop with artist Jan Peyton. It meets May 31, June 1 and 3. Register by May 27. Registration also is open for a special personal narrative workshop from May 3-5 with visiting memoirist Debra Gwartney, finalist for the National Book Critics Award. The deadline to register is April 30. A master naturalist volunteer training workshop is 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. June 3-6 with a $45 fee. Sign up early. For a list of all courses, visit www.kpc.alaska.edu/kbc. Call 235-7743 for information.
At 5 p.m. Friday is the opening reception of the Student Art Showcase.
KBC commencement is 7 p.m. May 8 at the Mariner Theatre.
Kachemak Bay Campus is currently searching for host families for Kachemak Bay Campus’s international exchange college students (through the Youth for Understanding program). Families are needed to host a student for a semester of the 2013/14 school year or for the entire year. Participating families will receive a monthly stipend of $200. Call 235-7743 for more information.
The Kachemak Bay Campus Community Advisory Board seeks new members. For more information, call 235-1656 or send a letter of interest to KBC, 533 E. Pioneer Ave., Homer, AK 99603.
Registration has started for the 2013 Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, to be held June 14-18 at Land’s End Resort. Poet Naomi Shihab Nye is the keynote presenter. The early registration fee is $375, space available, with a special student rate. Early registration ends 5 p.m. May 4, with the fee increasing after that. For program and registration information, visit writersconference.homer.alaska.edu.
Pratt Museum
Regular hours are Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. “Encounters: Whales in Our Waters” is on exhibit until July 21. In association with the exhibit and as part of the “Whale Tales” series, Craig Matkin and Eva Saulitis present “Heart Meets Mind” at 5 p.m. Friday. Their talk deals with the emotions of whale encounters and the science of whale research. There is no charge for the Whale Tales presentations.
The museum seeks people to volunteer time and energy this summer. People of all ages can offer their volunteer services to enhance the quality of experience visitors have at the museum. If you enjoy interacting with people and have two to four hours a week to spare, the museum invites you to join its team of volunteers. Contact Jennie Engebretsen at 435-3326 to learn more about volunteering. Volunteer orientation sessions will be 11 a.m. to noon and 3 to 4 p.m. May 13 at the museum. Volunteers also are needed to help clean aquarium tanks 10-11 a.m. every Thursday and to help with grounds keeping and work in the botanical garden. If interested, contact Art at 435-3323 or building@prattmuseum.org.
R.E.C. Room
The R.E.C. Room (Resource and Enrichment Co-op) is a multipurpose space for youth ages 12-18 as a safe environment to hang out with friends. Hours are 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday in the lower level of the Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic outreach building on Nielsen Circle. Visit www.recroom.kbfpc.org or call Anna at 235-OPEN (6736).
The R.E.C. Room is getting ready for its busy summer season and encourages organizations serving youth to share information on programs and services. Adult and peer youth educators make frequent referrals to other programs. The R.E.C. Room also has a monthly calendar promoting local programming for youth. Tours of the R.E.C. Room can be scheduled.
Seldovia Village Tribe Health & Wellness Center
The SVT Health & Wellness Center offers a series of classes covering all aspects of wellness every Thursday at 6 p.m. Today’s class is “Healthy Fats: Not Just an Oxymoron,” with Jenifer Dickson, certified nutritional therapist. Learn why healthy fats are important, which fats are good for you and how to incorporate them into your diet.
Next week, Rob Downey, M.D., and Hillery Daily, N.D., present “Natural Medicine Free For All.” Learn about vitamins, minerals and supplements, with a question-and-answer session.
The SVT Health & Wellness Center is located at 880 East End Road. The classes are open to the public. For more information or to suggest topics for future classes, call Amy Rattenbury at 226-2228, ext. 660.
South Peninsula Hospital
South Peninsula Hospital offers these upcoming American Heart Association classes:
• Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers on April 26 and May 10, both at 8 a.m. for $75.
• Heartsaver CPR/AED on at 1 p.m. April 26 for $50.
Pre-registration is required via the SPH Education Department at 235-0258.
In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, South Peninsula Hospital is offering reduced rate screening colonoscopies. Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in America, and more importantly, colon cancer can often be cured and even prevented. Colonoscopy is the preferred screening method for colon cancer, as it allows physicians to look directly at the entire colon and to identify suspicious growths. South Peninsula Hospital offers $500 off screening colonoscopies scheduled in April.
For more information on these offerings, visit the hospital website at www.sphosp.org or contact 235-0310.
