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Recent Posts
- Sitka Sound Science Center hosts Salmon Release Party on Friday, May 26
- Sitka Sprouts session on Tuesday is all about volcano fun
- Sitka Sprouts session on Tuesday is all about planets and stars
- Sitka Sprouts session on Tuesday is all about costumes for the Parade of the Species
- Parade of Species costumed walk set for Thursday, April 27
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This website has been updated and maintained on a volunteer basis for the past decade by Charles Bingham. Click the image below if you want to help keep this website operating.
Blogroll
- AK on the Go blog by Erin Kirkland (family fun in the 49th state)
- Alaska's Kids blog
- Dirt World blog by Rick Van Noy, author of "A Natural Sense of Wonder: Connecting Kids and Nature Through the Seasons"
- Kids In The Valley, Adventuring! (KIVA) blog (a free family nature club from the Roanoke Valley, Va., blog has lots of great ideas)
- Life on the Outer Coast/Natural History Sitka blog (unknown author)
- Lost Frenchman blog (nature blog by Sitka resident Paul Norwood)
- Old Duffer's Natural World (Sitka, Alaska, video blog)
- Sitka Gardening blog (local blog by unknown writer using the handle "Natural History of Sitka Sound")
- Sitka Nature blog (by Sitka resident Matt Goff)
- Skedaddle Kids blog: activities, giveaways and reviews to help your child get outside rain, sun or snow (Anchorage-based blog)
Sitka outdoors and recreation links
- "Encounters: Experiences in the North" site for radio show hosted by Sitka resident Richard Nelson
- Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA)
- Alaska Raptor Center
- Baranof Barracuda Swim Club
- Castle Hill Archaeological Project (Sitka project by Alaska Office of History and Archaeology)
- City and Borough of Sitka Parks and Recreation Department (includes links to maps in PDF format)
- Fortress of the Bear (bear sanctuary that also has a small farm with pigs and chickens)
- Girls On The Run (running program for girls sponsored by Sitkans Against Family Violence)
- Hames Athletic and Wellness Center
- Island Fever Diving and Adventures/Sitka Bike and Hike (equipment sales, rentals)
- Kayaaní Commission (Sitka Tribe of Alaska group that focuses on the traditional use of plants)
- List of geocache sites in Sitka
- Running of the Boots (annual fundraiser for Sitka Local Foods Network)
- Sea Mountain Golf Course
- Sitka Adventure Racing (home of the Sitka Sound Ocean Adventure Race for kayaks, canoes and rowboats)
- Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition
- Sitka Community Resource Guide (compiled by Legislative Information Office, opens as PDF file)
- Sitka Community Schools
- Sitka Conservation Society (offers education programs)
- Sitka Cub Scout Pack No. 26, Boy Scouts of America
- Sitka Little League baseball and softball
- Sitka Local Foods Network (community gardens, Sitka Farmers Market, etc.)
- Sitka Mountain Rescue blog
- Sitka National Historical Park (totem trails, Sitka Cultural Center, etc.)
- Sitka Outdoor Kids (group that hosts Tuesday playground time and Friday hikes for kids and parents, Facebook group)
- Sitka page for Alaska State Parks
- Sitka Ranger District Tongass National Forest
- Sitka recreation links from Sitka Economic Development Association
- Sitka Running Routes from RunThePlanet.com
- Sitka Softball Association
- Sitka Sound Ocean Adventures (kayak tours, rental kayaks)
- Sitka Sound Science Center
- Sitka Sustainable Outdoor Recreation Action Plan
- Sitka Through Four Seasons (links to walking maps page from local travel guide)
- Sitka Trail Works (non-profit trail construction group in Sitka)
- Sitka Trails (site by Sitka resident Matt Goff, trails section has details about local trails, blog section has details and photos of his hikes)
- Southeast Alaska Swim Team (Sitka-based team)
- Tongass Clearinghouse (Sitka-based links page with lots of information on the Tongass National Forest)
- Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop (bike, skateboard sales)
Southeast outdoors and recreation links
- Association for the Education of Young Children-Southeast Alaska (AEYC-SEA)
- Discovery Southeast (Juneau-based outdoor discovery program for kids)
- Discovery Southeast blog (outdoors program for kids)
- Juneau Children Outdoors Community Coalition
- Ketchikan Outdoor Recreation and Trails Coalition
- Outdoor Recreation and Community Access (ORCA, recreation program of SAIL for disabled people)
- SEATrails (Southeast Alaska Trail System)
- Southeast Alaska Guidance Association (SAGA)
- Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL)/Outdoor Recreation and Community Access (ORCA) combined site
- Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL, a group helping disabled residents live active lives)
- Southeast Families (resources for parents of children ages 0-8)
- Trail Mix Inc. (Juneau trails maintenance and construction group)
Statewide outdoors and recreation links
- Alaska Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
- Alaska Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance
- Alaska Boater Kids (boat safety page from State of Alaska)
- Alaska Coast magazine (free outdoors magazine from Anchorage)
- Alaska Injury Prevention Center
- Alaska Kids page from State of Alaska
- Alaska Natural Resource and Outdoor Education (ANROE)
- Alaska Safe Routes To School page
- Alaska Sea Grant College Program (University of Alaska Fairbanks, bookstore has guidebooks for fishing and beachcombing)
- Alaska State 4-H program (run by University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service)
- Alaska's Kids: where parents connect for all things kid-friendly in Alaska
- Alaskan Kids and Nature (article from Alaska Fish and Wildlife News)
- Anchorage Park Foundation
- Arctic Family Outdoor Coalition (Kotzebue group trying to get kids outdoors)
- Arctic Orienteering Club (Anchorage-based club)
- Babes In The Woods (book by Jennifer Aist of Anchorage about taking young kids outdoors)
- Bears and You (bear safety page from State of Alaska)
- Children's Forest project at Chugach National Forest
- Geocache Alaska
- Get Outdoors Anchorage!
- Girl Scouts of Alaska
- Great Alaska Council, Boy Scouts of America (note, Sitka is in Maritime District)
- International Year of the Forest site for Tongass and Chugach National Forests
- Kids Don't Float program (statewide boating safety for kids program)
- Kids Hooked On Fishing Alaska (includes new Sitka chapter)
- Nature Rocks Homer
- Recess At 20 Below (book by PE teacher Cindy Lou Aillaud of Delta Junction about how to get kids ready for outside play in cold weather)
- Taiga Trekkers hiking group for parents of young children (Anchorage)
- The Children in Nature Collaborative of Alaska (Get Outdoors! Alaska)
- Trailside Discovery — Environmental education camps and school outreach programs from the Alaska Center for the Environment
- University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service
- Youth Employment In Parks program (Anchorage)
U.S. outdoors and recreation links
- Adventure Tykes resources for hiking with your little tyke (for parents of young kids)
- America's Great Outdoors Initiative from the U.S. Department of Interior and President Obama
- American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
- American Trails resources for kids
- Become a Junior Forest Ranger (U.S. Forest Service program for kids)
- Children and Nature Network (national program to reconnect children with nature)
- Children, Nature and You (adding awe and wonder to children's lives)
- Discover the Forest — Our Forests & Parks: Where the other you lives
- Earthplay: Creating outdoor play environments for the soul
- Geocaching — the official global GPS cache hunt site (type in Sitka's zip code in the search bar and you'll get a two-page list of geocache sites in Sitka)
- Get Outdoors USA!
- Great Outdoors America page for the America's Great Outdoors Initiative
- Green Hour (National Wildlife Federation program to get kids outdoors for an hour a day)
- Head Start Body Start (activity resources for early childhood from the National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play)
- Hooked on Nature (reuniting people and nature)
- Izaak Walton League of America "How-To" page with info on how to build different projects
- Izaak Walton League of America main page
- Just for Kids page from U.S. Forest Service
- KaBOOM! (we help neighborhoods build playgrounds, note Juneau is only Alaska community on group's Playful City USA listings)
- Kids Gardening (helping young minds grow)
- Kids Outdoors e-zine
- Leave No Trace site from Center for Outdoor Ethics about how to enjoy the outdoors without damaging it
- Let's Go Outside page from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Let's Go Outside Revolution (join us on April 8)
- Let's Move Outside page from Michelle Obama's Let's Move program
- Make The Move (site about implementing the 2010-11 U.S. Physical Activity Plan, includes a lot of info about getting kids outdoors)
- Moving Outdoors In Nature Act (bill introduced in U.S. House by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., to get more kids outside)
- National Environmental Education Foundation
- National Geographic for Kids
- National Parks Conservation Association (protecting our national parks for future generations)
- National Wildlife Federation Be Out There page
- National Wildlife Federation kids page (includes Ranger Rick magazine)
- National Wildlife Federation Nature Find page (national database of locations and events)
- Natural Learning Initiative
- Nature Circles (discussion cards for kids to take on the trails)
- Nature Rocks, for happier, healthier, smarter kids and families
- No Child Left Inside Coalition
- Outdoor Baby (news for families who enjoy the outdoors)
- Outdoor Foundation mentor toolkit to help leaders connect kids with the outdoors
- Outdoor Nation (has Outdoor Ambassadors ages 13-30 to help get people outdoors)
- Outdoor Recreation in America (American Recreation Coalition)
- Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK)
- Pathways for Play (venture of Natural Learning Initiative and PlayCore to create trails with pockets of play)
- Play Again movie site from Bullfrog Films
- Play Again movie site from Ground Productions (film follows six screen-addicted teens on their first wilderness adventure)
- Playborhood (let your kids go outside and play)
- Project Learning Tree (environmental education program from American Forest Foundation)
- REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) family adventure program
- Richard Louv's resources for getting children in nature
- Richard Louv's site (author of "Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder")
- Rick Van Noy's site (author of "A Natural Sense of Wonder: Connecting Kids and Nature Through the Seasons")
- Robert Bateman Get To Know Your Wild Neighbours program for kids in Canada and the U.S.
- Sharing Nature With Children, Dawn Publications page for the 20th anniversary of the classic nature education book by Joseph Cornell
- Sharing Nature With Children, Dawn Publications Squidoo page (has videos of author Joseph Cornell teaching games to children and an interview)
- Sharing Nature Worldwide (site of nature educator Joseph Cornell, author of "Sharing Nature With Children, Volumes 1 and 2")
- Sierra Club Trails
- Where Do The Children Play? (one-hour documentary from Michigan public television)
- Winter Feels Good site (has lots of info on winter play for kids)
- Winter Trails Day link from SnowLink site (info on winter play with kids)
- YMCA's BOLD program (Boys Outdoors Leadership Development)
- YMCA's BOLD program for girls
- Youth In The Great Outdoors page from the U.S. Department of the Interior
Meta
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Girls On The Run closes out school year with One in a Million 5K run on May 2
The Sitka Girls On The Run program will host celebrate the end of the season with the 2015 One in a Million five-kilometer run from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 2, with the start-finish line at the Sitka Sea … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged 2015 One in a Million 5K, Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE), Crescent Harbor shelter, Elena Gustafson, fresh air, get more kids outdoors, Get Out, Get Out Sitka!, Girls On The Run, Have you been outdoors today?, healthy exercise, healthy physical activity, Julia Smith, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School, Outdoor programming, programs, recreation opportunities, Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka Sea Walk, Sitka!, Sitkans Against Family Violence (SAFV), Southeast Alaska, totem trails, Women In Safe Homes (WISH)
Comments Off on Girls On The Run closes out school year with One in a Million 5K run on May 2
Sitka Bike Rodeo, National Bike to School Day, classroom events put spotlight on kids’ cycling and safety
As the temperatures warm up, two events this week will highlight kids’ cycling and safety in Sitka — the Sitka Bike Rodeo on Saturday, May 2, and the second annual National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 6. These two … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Alaska, Bicycle Friendly Community, bicycling, bike helmets, Bike safety, Daily Sitka Sentinel, Girl Scouts of Alaska Troop 4140, James Poulson, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School, League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month, National Bike to School Day, Shannon Haugland, Sharon Bergman, Sitka Bike Rodeo, Sitka Community Hospital, Sitka Community Hospital Injury Prevention Program, Sitka Police Department, Sitka Rotary Club, Sitka School District's Live-Well Program, Sitka!, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), U.S. Coast Guard-Air Station Sitka, University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka Campus, Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop
Comments Off on Sitka Bike Rodeo, National Bike to School Day, classroom events put spotlight on kids’ cycling and safety
Sitka Sound Science Center offers free admission on Thursday, April 23, as part of Earth Week
The Sitka Sound Science Center will have free admission on Thursday, April 23, in celebration of Earth Week. Thursday will also be the grand opening of our new living stream exhibit, which was designed and built by local middle school students … Continue reading
Sitka National Historical Park spill preparedness exercise to include federal, state, and local agencies
On Thursday, April 23, a multi-agency oil spill response field exercise will be carried out from about 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the mouth of the Indian River in Sitka National Historical Park. The effort is part of an ongoing commitment by … Continue reading
Posted in Outdoor events, Outdoor programs, Training
Tagged Alaska, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, education, encouragement, geographic response strategy, Harrigan Centennial Hall, impacts of an oil spill, Indian River, National Park Service, Pirate Cove, Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka!, Southeast Alaska Petroleum Response Organization (SeaPro), U.S. Coast Guard, valued habitat
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Sitka Sound Science Center offers a variety of one-week summer camps for kids
Registration for the 2015 summer camps hosted by the Sitka Sound Science Center now is open. There are five camps available this summer for children from grades 1-8. Check out the summer camp portion of center’s website for more information and to … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs, Training
Tagged discovery and exploration, fresh air, get more kids outdoors, Get Out Sitka!, Have you been outdoors today?, programs, recreation opportunities, Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka!, summer camps, too much time indoors
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Next Discovery Days program at Sitka Sound Science Center to be about maritime skills
The Discovery Days program will focus on maritime skills when it meets from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 18, at the Sitka Sound Science Center. The free program is for annual pass holders and takes place on various Saturdays. “Stop by … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Alaska, Alaska Raptor Center, amphibians, animal tracks, Ashley Bolwerk, birds, brains, discovery and exploration, Discovery Days, education, encouragement, Family Science Day, fossils, Get Out Sitka!, Harrigan Centennial Hall, hearts, herring, ice, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School, kitchen chemistry, Molly O. Ahlgren Aquarium, overnight aquarium sleepover, Parade of the Species, plankton, plant kingdom, plants, Scientists In Residency Fellowships (SIRF), Sheldon Jackson Hatchery, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka High School National Honor Society, Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka Sprouts, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka!, structures, tracks, U.S. Forest Service
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Winter Film Series to highlight bowhead and killer whales in April
The Arctic Ocean is home to numerous species of whales that rely on its nutrient rich waters for sustenance. Bowhead and killer whales will be the focus of two documentary films during the April installment of the Winter Film Series, … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Alaska, Arctic Currents: A Year in the Life of a Bowhead Whale, bowhead whales, discovery and exploration, education, encouragement, Get Out, Invasion of the Killer Whales, killer whales, orcas, PBS, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka!, Winter Film Series
Comments Off on Winter Film Series to highlight bowhead and killer whales in April
Earth Week activities include the Parade of the Species, a youth eco-challenge, a garden work party, and more
Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22, and Earth Week is April 19-25. Sitka will host a variety of activities for Earth Week, including two volunteer days at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, a recycled costume-making class, a garden work party, a discussion … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged City and Borough of Sitka Public Works Department, Earth Day, Earth Week, gardening classes, Mary Wood, Natural History Seminar Series, Parade of Species, Sawmill Cove Scrap Yard, Sitka Community Ride, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka's "the RIDE", spring clean-up events, University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka Campus, youth eco-challenge
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Junior Ranger Day fun activities offered at Sitka National Historical Park on April 19
Looking for a way to get the kids out of the house and enjoy some quality family fun? The Sitka National Historical Park will offer a fun-filled afternoon of Junior Ranger activities from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, at the … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Alaska, discovery and exploration, education, encouragement, Find Your Park, get more kids outdoors, Get Out Sitka!, Have you been outdoors today?, Junior Ranger, National Park Service, recreation opportunities, Sitka National Historical Park
Comments Off on Junior Ranger Day fun activities offered at Sitka National Historical Park on April 19
Get Out, Sitka! 