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Bird Creek Campground to see improvements

The Bird Creek Campground fee payment station as seen on January 9th, 2026, while the campground is closed for winter. Read the entire story below. ( Photo by Chase Berenson) )

The Turnagain News staff would like to wish our readers a Happy New Year. Thank you to those supporters who believe in local journalism and have donated in our NewsMatch campaign enabling us to tell your stories and report the news in 2026. We make our news available for free to our local community—no pay walls. You can even signup for the edition to be sent directly to your email at the NewsBlast tab above or below the Community Event Calendar. If you are able to contribute, click the button below. Alternatively, you can send a check to Turnagain News Inc. at P.O. Box 38, Girdwood, AK 99587.

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Improvements planned for Bird Creek Campground
Improvements planned for Bird Creek Campground

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

Chugach State Park is looking to invest in improvements to the Bird Creek Campground, the only campground located on the waterfront of the north shore of Turnagain Arm.  Chugach State Park is one of the four largest state parks in the United States, and it stretches from the Anchorage Bowl on the west side deep into the Chugach Mountains on the east side.  Much of the park’s southern border is the Turnagain Arm.  The park has multiple campgrounds, including the Bird Creek Campground.  Bird Creek Campground is known for its views of Turnagain Arm with its bore tides and beluga whales.  It is primarily located on the south side of the Seward Highway, but it also includes an overflow camping area on the north side of the Highway.

The campground improvements project has two key focus points, one which will be more visible to campground users and one which will improve campground operations.  Campers will see new signage throughout the campground which will update aging and outdating signage in the park.  However, the larger project work will be happening in a less visible context.

Campground users are typically familiar with the concept of a campground host who helps operate and manage the campground.  In Alaska State Park campgrounds, the campground host is a volunteer role for someone who will typically stay the entire summer season at the campground.  At Bird Creek, the campground host’s job duties include tasks such as interacting with campers, ensuring campers are following campground rules, performing janitorial services, and performing minor maintenance such as grass mowing.  Campground hosts are important volunteer roles to ensure that campgrounds are functioning correctly.

Chugach State Park has struggled in the past to fill Bird Creek Campground’s campground host role, and one cause is that there are no sites in the campground that feature the full combination of water, sewer, and power hook-ups for the volunteer’s RV.  The campground host role is particularly important for Bird Creek Campground, due to its proximity to the population center of the Anchorage Bowl and the campground’s high usage on holiday weekends and at prime fishing times on Bird Creek.  The current campground host location is in the campground’s overflow area on the north side of the highway because that is the only part of the campground with any utility service.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/improvements-planned-for-bird-creek-campground

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ARTICLES
Turnagain Community Health: Don’t Give Up On Accessing Health Care

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

 The deadline to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance (also widely called “Obamacare”) is just days away- Thursday, January 15. I spoke to Turnagain Community Health Patient Assistance Program Coordinator Linda Mankoff on January 9 to learn more about options for health insurance in 2026.

 Free appointments for help understanding your options are available at Turnagain Community Health. Call 783-1355, choose option 1, and ask to be scheduled with a Community Health Worker.   The best times to call are Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You do not have to be a patient to receive help.

 Congressional wrangling over extending pandemic-era insurance subsidies has been all over national news. Mankoff feels there has been confusion about what Congress is actually fighting about. In 2021, extra subsidies were added to the already existing ACA program. In particular, substantial subsidies were extended to people making over $75,000 per year. Those extra subsidies expired December 31. Extending them was what Congress is fighting about.

 “We could not get people in here on the first of November [when the enrollment period started]. The way it came out in the media, it sounded like Obamacare was gone.” She felt people who were making $30,000 or $40,000 per year didn’t understand they could still be eligible for premium tax credits and lower premiums.  

 What if you earn more than $75,000? Mankoff said she has worked with Girdwood small business owners who initially thought, “I’m never going to be able to afford the marketplace.” However, she continued, “The Marketplace counts net profits for small business owners.” “I tell owners, if you made a big profit, but then you reinvested in the business, what did you actually see at the end of the day? You could be eligible.”

 There are people who will see a huge jump in premiums if the extra subsidies end. “If you are in a certain category, you may have paid $400 last year for insurance but it could be as much as $1500-1800 per month this year,” said Mankoff.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/turnagain-community-health-dont-give-up-on-accessing-health-care

In Final Hearing, Anchorage Commission Rejects Girdwood's Housing Concerns On ‘Holtan Hills’

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Saying its hands were bound by the Assembly, an Anchorage commission denied recommendations by Girdwood officials to modify development plans for the controversial "Holtan Hills" project. 

Community members on Monday told the Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission 

that the new homes will be too expensive for local residents and warned of significant environmental impacts should the project move forward as designed. 

Mike Edgington, a co-chair of Girdwood's Board of Supervisor, brought four recommendations from the community, including one asking for the commission to stipulate owner occupancy requirements. The Anchorage panel brushed off that concern, however, siding with city planners who promoted the "Holtan Hills" project and saying they were legally bound by an Anchorage ordinance passed two years ago.

"Girdwood needs housing at all income levels," said Daniel McKenna-Foster, a senior planner and contributor to Girdwood's Comprehensive Plan, alluding to a cost "rainbow" of housing desired in the valley. He cited the recently-updated area plan, which includes housing tracts behind the school, as justification for the "Holtan Hills" development. 

But Girdwood needs homes for people who work in the community, Edgington said, and "Holtan Hills" will supply "less than a dozen" given local housing market trends.

"The original sin of this whole project is that it never considered the need for occupied housing in Girdwood and made the mistake that private development solves that problem," Edgington said. 

He said later though the meeting was the last opportunity for public comment, GBOS can offer remarks on the project as a service area board. The commission and planners deflected demands for short-term rental restrictions and the offer of two lots for community housing to later decisions of a homeowners association.

"My frustration is that there were several aspects of details we were told by legal department that nothing could be changed. We can't do it now, we can't do it later. It seems a little like a bait and switch," Edgington said.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/in-final-hearing-anchorage-commission-rejects-girdwoods-housing-concerns-on-holtan-hills

Protestors Brave Cold and Slush in Saturday Demonstration

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

At the edge of Alyeska Highway Saturday afternoon a man inside a truck jutted his head from the window and yelled, "F***k immigrants" at a group of a dozen protesters. 

One of a long line of vehicles heading toward the Alyeska mountain Saturday, the man's invective was not lost on demonstrator Indavady Sopraseuth, who wore a thin, lace white headscarf above a fleece jacket.

"I'm a direct product of U.S. imperialism," Sopraseuth said as cars passed, many honking support. She said her parents are refugees from Laos who fled to the United States to escape nearly continual bombing during the Vietnam War.

"Before the conflict started, the US was bombing every day, 24-seven," said Sopraseuth who moved recently to Girdwood from Utah. "Two million tons of ordinance was dropped on Laos before and after the war. Thirty percent of unexploded ordinance is still in the ground."

Her father left his country for Thailand before immigrating to the United States. Her mother was born in a refugee camp.

Saturday's rally was organized by Emma Kramer, who said she was in Zoom meetings with nationwide organizers "pacing my cabin, wondering what to do."

"I was going to quit when others said they were going," Kramer said. With winds whipping fresh slush over ice, Kramer drove the unmaintained, perilous Crow Creek Road to hold a sign, "Defund ICE".

Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/protestors-brave-cold-and-slush-in-saturday-demonstration

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ARTICLES
A New Year's Tale With A Tail-Wagging Ending
A New Year's Tale With A Tail-Wagging Ending

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Waking up in a small, remote Nicaraguan village, Miriam Herz found a distressing message on her phone.

Otis was missing.

A friend told her Otis, a year-and-a-half old Bernese Mountain Dog, had escaped during his hand off to a friend's house in Girdwood. 

To make matters worse, Herz had no cell phone service. "I was at the whims of wi-fi," she said. 

"I saw he ran off. and they were going to give me an update and I never got one," she said during a phone interview. 

Little did she know, the 3 a.m. text (Alaska time) would start a 12-day mission to locate Otis and end with his rescue from a ravine beneath Chair 4 at Alyeska Resort. 

Meanwhile, her friend, Elle, awake at 3:30 a.m., frantically searched the community for the missing dog to no avail. They reported she and others would resume the search at 7 a.m. the next day.

"He didn't make it inside before he bolted," Herz, 27, said. "He doesn't do great with change and this is the longest I've been away from him."

Otis has never liked men, she said. "Our theory is that Elle's partner scared him."

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/a-new-years-tale-with-a-tail-wagging-ending

Food Pantry Met Increased Need in 2025 — Local Help Was Key
Food Pantry Met Increased Need in 2025 — Local Help Was Key

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

The Girdwood Food Pantry could have had a tough year in 2025. According to figures provided by director Terry Sherwood, the Food Pantry has seen the highest demand for food since 2020.

Meanwhile, deliveries of non-perishable foods from the Federal Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which normally provides about one quarter of Girdwood Food Pantry food, have been “short.” Shelves at the Food Bank of Alaska Anchorage location, where Girdwood Food Pantry volunteers have often collected food, have been “empty.”

Even with these challenges, an increase in local donations enabled the Food Pantry to serve everyone who came through the door this year. “Girdwood residents have been generous,” said Sherwood, “It’s neighbors helping neighbors.”

In 2025, as of December 16, the Girdwood Food Pantry provided approximately 3370 food services. That figure comprises both one-time visitors and the sum of multiple visits by the same individual. Sherwood estimates 332 unique people from 195 households were served in 2025, as of December 16.

The 2025 figure is a 38% increase from 2024, during which 2442 individual services were provided.

Services include bimonthly deliveries to 28 families in Whittier and non-perishable food boxes for 48 Alyeska Resort employees.  

In a phone interview, Sherwood stated that not only were more people seeking food, but there seemed to be more anxiety about whether it would be available. “For the first time ever in Food Pantry history, we’ve had a line at the door before we’ve opened. That’s never happened before. People are starting to worry and get here early.”

Recently, the State of Alaska provided some additional funding to the Food Bank of Alaska. This provided statewide pantrieswith additional non-perishable food. This week, food from the Girdwood School canned goods drive lined pantry shelves. Other local agencies and individuals have held drives, contributed money, and donated food.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/food-pantry-met-increased-need-in-2025-local-help-was-key

Girdwood celebrates Solstice on the ski trails
Girdwood celebrates Solstice on the ski trails

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

Despite temperatures below 0oF, the 2025 Solstice Ski organized by the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club brought a large crowd of Girdwood residents out to the trail kiosk on the 5K trail loop.  This annual celebration of the winter and of the return to the sun brings Girdwood residents out into the night to celebrate together.

 To help battle the darkness of winter’s longest night, the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club installed over 2,500 lights along the 2K trail and the trail kiosk, which is the home of the party for the evening.  At the epicenter of the Solstice gathering at the kiosk, participants found the bonfire plus hot chocolate and soup donated by The Bake Shop to keep everyone warm inside and out.  This was also where the music was playing, and most participants were gathered to talk and spend time together commemorating the 5K trail network and celebrating the return of the sunlight that comes after Winter Solstice.

 It wouldn’t be a Nordic Ski Club event without Nordic skiing, and most participants took some time to ski at least one lap of the lit trails.  Prior to the event, twenty GSNC volunteers spent approximately a week getting the lights ready and positioned on the course.  The hard work paid off, as the colorful and flashing lights augmented the experience.  Some of the lights moved constantly around the top of the trees, illuminating the foliage and creating tricks of the eye with the stars of the clear night.  Meanwhile other lights danced across the trail’s surface itself.  Girdwood resident and event participant Amanda Tuttle described the last segment of trail as like, “skiing on Rainbow Road from Mario Kart” while passing through the multicolor, flashing lights.  

 Deb Essex, the President of the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club, said that the Solstice Ski, “is definitely our biggest event” and is something they always look forward to.  The event is free for participants, but even without a financial draw Essex says, “it is a benefit to the Club by celebrating where we live andcelebrating the only uplands winter trail loop in Glacier Valley.”  

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-celebrates-solstice-on-the-ski-trails

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Draft plans for Girdwood’s parks displayed at Parks Plan Workshop
Draft plans for Girdwood’s parks displayed at Parks Plan Workshop

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

On Tuesday, December 16th, Girdwood Parks and Recreation hosted the second Girdwood Parks Plan workshop.  The Girdwood Parks Plan project is a year-long project to generate a Parks Master Plan that can provide guidance on improvements to Girdwood’s existing park spaces and the potential creation of new parks in the future.  The project is spearheaded by Kyle Kelly, Girdwood Service Area Manager, and Bri Keifer, landscape architect with Huddle AK, a consulting firm brought on to help the project.

The project began with a park user survey in the fall, followed by a workshop in September which presented the results of the survey and collected Girdwood residents’ thoughts and opinions on existing park locations and infrastructure.  Huddle AK worked with Parks and Rec to interpret the survey results and feedback, and the second workshop allowed them to present their draft plans for Girdwood Park, Lions Club Park, Town Square Park, Moose Meadows, and the new concept Glacier Creek Park.  Huddle AK used this workshop as an opportunity to collect feedback about the draft plans presented.  The workshop was open-house style, with various exhibits set up around the Community Room that focused on each of the different parks.

Girdwood Park would see some improvements but would likely not look dramatically different than it does today.  There were several comments about the inadequacy of the playground, so there are plans or new play equipment for 2-5 year-olds and 5-12 year-olds.  Additionally, there are plans for an elevated plaza with amphitheater-style seating that is facing the playground and skate park; the plaza idea was spurred by comments from parents that it can be difficult to keep an eye on children playing, especially if there are multiple children using different areas of the park.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/draft-plans-for-girdwoods-parks-displayed-at-parks-plan-workshop

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The “Cozmic Culvert” lights up the darkest time of year
The “Cozmic Culvert” lights up the darkest time of year

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

As people drive or walk Timberline Drive, they may notice the Cozmic Culver, a new artistic and scientific installation in front of Riley Bennett and Max Vockner’s home at 540 Timberline.  The section of 9-foot culvert installed by the roadside with a hanging bench inside is much more than just a spot for weary walkers making their way up the road.  Once someone sits inside the culvert and sees the mural curving around two-thirds of the inner wall, then the true art and soul of the piece becomesvisible.

 Vockner, a concrete worker, salvaged the section of culvert and brought it home years ago to start this piece.  The piece was a team effort of many Girdwood locals working together, and it serves as a memorial to Michael Bennett, Riley Bennett’s father, who passed away around Winter Solstice in 2023.

 The mural shows a stylized version of the night sky over Girdwood, with some specific scientific details to reference the Winter Solstice.  While sitting on the bench, the “sky” directly overhead is a fantasy version of a night sky. Tommy O’Malley, one of the artists on the project and perhaps better known in Girdwood as Tommy Salami, said that there are not many constellations overhead in the northern skies, which left them “free to have some fun” with that part of the sky.  The swirling artistic vision of the stars was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, as well as the misty night sky that O’Malley witnessed on a trip to the Pyrenees in France.

Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/the-cozmic-culvert-lights-up-the-darkest-time-of-year

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David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ comes to the shore of Turnagain Arm
David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ comes to the shore of Turnagain Arm

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

On Tuesday, December 16th, Alpenglow Coffeehouse hosted a showing of the movie “Ocean with David Attenborough” for a full house of Girdwood residents.  The film is a documentary that showcases the importance of the world’s oceans and documents some of the environmental threats they face in today’s world.  The movie showing was in collaboration with the organizations SalmonState and Oceana, who have hosted several showings and presentations in the past few weeks around Alaska.

Due to the size constraints of Alpenglow’s main room, the showing was limited to 30 people who signed up for free tickets in advance.  The movie was preceded by a brief introduction by Ryan Astalos of SalmonSate, Lauren Hynes of Oceana, and Justin Shoffner of Alpenglow, and then the movie showing began.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/david-attenboroughs-ocean-comes-to-the-shore-of-turnagain-arm

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Local Nordic Racer Adds Cross-Country Skiing to Girdwood Sports Fame
Local Nordic Racer Adds Cross-Country Skiing to Girdwood Sports Fame

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

In a small town with rainy winters, with only five kilometers of groomed trail and with few, if any, local races, how unlikely is it that Girdwood is home to a rising national Nordic skiing talent?

Despite the odds, Mia Stiassny, 17, is crushing the field in cross-country skiing—in Anchorage, in Alaska, in the United States, and, recently, even in Europe. 

And that her success began in Girdwood—with Mt. Alyeska looming above and the town's share of medal-winning skiers and snowboarders—is merely a situational happenstance, says Stiassny, who wore a black puffy plastered with sponsors during an interview at a local coffee house. 

Making her achievements even more notable is that Stiassny has had to do so much of her training—whether hurtling around the 5K loop, bagging local mountains or clocking miles on "roller skis"—alone.

"There are only like eight other girls in my class all through [school], so, in a way [we're] all really close, but if you want to do something different, like Nordic ski, you're the only one," she says.

To reach her goals, she's had to make the long commute to Anchorage, endure an unrelenting 13-hour school-sports schedule, and learn technique through practice.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/local-nordic-racer-adds-cross-country-skiing-to-girdwood-sports-fame

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GBOS Co-Chair Attacked for His Position as Head of Anchorage Council
GBOS Co-Chair Attacked for His Position as Head of Anchorage Council

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

A co-chair of Girdwood's Board of Supervisors has come under fire in social media posts and in local meetings for a position he accepted as chair of Anchorage's Federation of Community Council. 

Mike Edgington, who was elected as chair of the FCC a year ago, was not chosen by Girdwood residents to lead the group on the community's behalf, critics charge. Others are critical of bylaw changes the council is seeking under Edgington's helm.

The FCC is a non-profit that administers Anchorage's 37 community councils, including GBOS. A temporary officer was elected to run a Board of Delegates special meeting Wednesday night.

In an interview last week, Mike Edgington denied accusations against him as baseless, saying his position as chair of the FCC is to help manage the nonprofit and that the board doesn't make policy decisions.

"I think some of it is originally a misunderstanding, but it's been explained to these people and they don't care. They're going with conspiracy theories and lies," Edgington said. "And you know, with most things, what you do is, first of all, you try and attack the people, then you attack the process, then you actually look at the substance."

Edgington said he fell into the position of treasurer for the nonprofit as he had experience with organizing spreadsheets, and, when the position of chair opened after a resignation, he "was asked to do it" when no one else volunteered. 

He called the position a "time sink" which hasn't benefited him personally. 

Complaints about Edgington's position at a Land Use meeting led the committee to vote for Brice Wilbanks, vice-chair of the Land Use Committee, to serve as Girdwood's delegate to the FCC.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/gbos-co-chair-attacked-for-his-position-as-head-of-anchorage-council

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