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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 2017
Sitka National Historical Park switches to summer hours on Sunday, April 30
Beginning Sunday, April 30, Sitka National Historical Park will transition to its summer hours of operation. The park’s visitor center will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ranger-led interpretive programs will be held daily, with topics focusing on … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Alaska, Battle of 1804, discovery and exploration, education, encouragement, fresh air, Get Out Sitka!, Have you been outdoors today?, healthy physical activity, hiking, natural and cultural history, Outdoor programming, programs, Ranger-led programs, recreation opportunities, Russian Bishop's House, sea otter ecology, Sitka National Historical Park, Southeast Alaska, summer hours, too much time indoors, totem poles, trails
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Scenes from the 16th annual Parade of the Species through downtown Sitka
There were lions, bears, and jellyfish galore during the 16th annual Parade of the Species, held Friday, April 21, through downtown Sitka as part of Earth Day and Earth Week activities hosted by the Sitka Conservation Society. This event also … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Center for Community, City and Borough of Sitka Public Works Department, Earth Day, Earth Week, Everyone Can Compost, gardening classes, Growing Potatoes in Sitka, Jennifer Carter, Michelle Putz, Molly Johnson, Parade of Species, Sawmill Cove Scrap Yard, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka Local Foods Network, Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, spring clean-up events, the RIDE public transit, youth eco-challenge
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Sitka National Historical Park is now fee-free throughout the park
The National Park Service has approved Sitka National Historical Park’s request that it be a fully fee-free park. The change is effective immediately. For many years the park has charged a $4 per-person fee for Ranger-led tours of the second … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Alaska, Alaska Natives, Angie Richman, David Elkowitz, discovery and exploration, education, encouragement, National Park Service, Russian America, Russian Bishop's House, Russian Orthodox, Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Southeast Alaska
Comments Off on Sitka National Historical Park is now fee-free throughout the park
Earth Week activities include the Parade of the Species, a youth eco-challenge, gardening class, free bus rides, and more
Earth Day is on Friday, April 22, and Earth Week this year is April 16-22. Sitka will host a variety of activities for Earth Week, including a couple of spring clean-up events, a gardening class, free bus rides, a bear aware canvassing campaign, … Continue reading
Posted in Kids and nature, Outdoor events, Outdoor programs
Tagged Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Alaska Way of Life, Center for Community, City and Borough of Sitka, City and Borough of Sitka Public Works Department, Earth Day, Earth Week, Extending Your Garden Season, gardening classes, Jennifer Carter, John Stein, Julia Tawney, Kerry MacLane, Parade of Species, Pauline Duncan, Rotary Club of Sitka, Sawmill Cove Scrap Yard, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka Local Foods Network, Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H program, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, spring clean-up events, the RIDE public transit, youth eco-challenge
Comments Off on Earth Week activities include the Parade of the Species, a youth eco-challenge, gardening class, free bus rides, and more
Get Out, Sitka! 