Tanglewood Park Boardwalk

Working on the Boardwalk 9/22 & 9/25/10

2010-09-26T17:33:00.007-08:00

This week was a huge work week on the boardwalk.

Two crews worked nearly 4 hours Wednesday night, one in the cage building sections and the other installing sections in the bog. Both sessions brought together volunteers from Bowman community and Scouts helping Terrance Smith with this Eagle Scout project.

Wednesday night crews, 9/22/10
We marveled at the lovely sunset and suddenly the moonrise. A full moon on Equinox came up just as the sun went down. How special is that!?

Saturday, 9/25/10, was a long day. Crews started at 9 in the morning and called it a day about 5 or thereabouts. We finished building the last 3 sections needed to take Terrance's leg to the south turn. Once the straight path nears the turn, we can put in the right angles to make the final sections meet smoothly.

Then Terrance's crew of family and friends, plus a few Bowman community volunteers, moved the sections down the hill. Thanks again to Dave Owmby at Tag-Along-Trailers for supplying the right trailer for the job.

Sections also were loaded onto a Lowe's lumber cart that could be wheeled down the boardwalk to the active installation.

One group of volunteers worked on adding toe rails, to help guard against stepping or rolling off the edge.

The crew installing sections cleared brush, knocked down high spots and connected the sections in a straight line along a string stretched toward the ultimate end.

August / September 2010 Progress

2010-09-18T21:48:00.006-08:00

The boardwalk continues growing!

Volunteers come together almost every week to work on the boardwalk. Wednesday nights drew the most people during summer, and now with school in session, Saturday mornings are a better bet for most volunteers.

Terrance continues to draw helpers from the Scouting community and is making steady progress on his project leg through the native bog. Most recently, his group completed the platform/gathering area and has started installing the sections that will eventually reach the leg along the park's south boundary.

One Saturday, his crew moved 17 sections from the construction site in the Bowman parking lot down into the park using a trailer from Tag-Along-Trailers and a 4-wheeler from Whalen Construction.

Dave Owmby at Tag-Along has consistently and graciously responded to our requests to borrow his trailers. He delivers each one and picks it up at the end of our work session.

We could not accomplish this project without our business partners, such as Dave. Our partners are listed on the right of our blog page.

Thanks to McKinley Fencing, we've had a secure cage for 3 years to hold all the construction materials. The fencing loaned for what we thought would be a single season has been on site now in our 3rd season of project work. We certainly appreciate McKinley Fencing!

Likewise, Lowe's has helped tremendously. We started this project with grants from the national Lowe's education foundation and the south Anchorage store, which is a business partner with our school, provided additional grants and discounts on materials. Most recently, Lowe's allowed us several exchanges of construction materials. Our best estimates at the start of this project in 2008 are now coming down to real and final figures. We've needed more of one item and fewer of others. Lowe's has made those exchanges and delivered for free as an in-kind donation that counts toward our Rasmuson Challenge Grant from the Anchorage Parks Foundation.

Another business partner that has provide in-kind donations has been Treeline Construction. We've been able to level our boardwalk sections, in the uneven bog, thanks to surplus Trex materials that Treeline provided.

Then all the volunteers! More than 100 individuals have given time, energy and expertise to this project since we started. A number of them have been regulars, at practically every work party. This is a total community effort.

Yippee! Growing on Wednesday 8/4/10

2010-08-06T08:20:00.006-08:00

Rain poured throughout most of the day, but the sun broke through at 6 p.m. as our crews arrived. We worked in sun — and it did get hot, thank you summer sun — until we were done at 9.

Our last pallet of building materials from Lowe's south Anchorage store was delivered in the rain earlier in the day by John, who showed expert skill at maneuvering the forklift. Thanks to Lowe's South store manager Alvin Gamboa and our project contact Sydney Schellinger, for all their support in making these materials affordable and available to the project.

Terrance Smith and his volunteer Scout crew continued work on the west leg. His next step will be building the gathering platform with a great view of the original, undisturbed bog.

Looking into the bog from the west leg. Terrance and his volunteer crew of Boy Scouts.

Meanwhile, the volunteers from our Bowman school community continued transporting and connecting sections along the south leg. We also reached the spot where a gathering platform will be built, with views of the forest.

The evening's community crew working on the south leg.

When finished, the boardwalk will go through three distinct habitats in the park: restored wetlands, undisturbed bog wetlands, and forest. Large platforms built along the paths in the middle of these habitats will give people a viewing stop.

Moving sections on the cart to the south leg, threading a narrow corridor through trees
and turning a tight corner by the fence, that separates the park from the neighboring golf course.

ANIMALS of Tanglewood Park

2010-08-02T12:29:00.034-08:00

Moose takes to the water, see story below; frog marvels

Duck or grebe?

Dragonflies like this clear-wing help control mosquitoes.

Tanglewood Park is rich in animals, large and small.

Here are a few pictures of animals seen during summer 2010 work parties. The sand hill cranes (shown on the main page at right) migrate through the park during spring and fall.

Wood frog in the grass; Oh froggy, I love you so!

Emergent frog with tail remnant; holding mature frog correctly for a brief closer look

Story of the Moose

Last Saturday morning, a man walking his dog in Tanglewood Park told us to watch out for a moose nearby. Soon we saw a young moose heading our way, munching as it came, stripping leaves from the branches in that non-stop feeding frenzy of summer.

The moose continued eating...

...until it came in full view near the south end of the Tanglewood Park boardwalk construction zone.

The moose looked at the us. Some of us were working on the turn by the bridge. Others were carrying materials here and there. Three boys were catching frogs and their parents pulled them close to avoid the moose.
We watched it.
We marveled at its strong muscles and glossy coat. We watched it devour leaves as it moved closer and closer. Its ears flicked back and forth at times, but it didn't seem to mind too much that we were in its dining room.

The moose ate its way closer. It was a little curious about the wagon of tools, but it avoided walking on the planks. It ate a while longer at the trees by the bridge. In the meantime, the volunteers backed off their tasks and gave the moose plenty of room. It moved on...

...along the path by the lake, and then cut through the bushes to the water's edge where it cooled its feet and drank.

After a bit, the moose started moving back up the hill, when suddenly, the noise of children running along the path spooked it.

It jumped into the lake with a splash ...

...and swam to the other side.

We heard the moose plunge into the water. We talked about having never seen a moose swim, although we knew they do. The water was deep and covered its head for a few seconds. It grunted loudly. Maybe this was its swim. Maybe it was scared. But the moose swam well.
It was almost to the other side before his feet touched bottom, and it safely emerged.

Saturday 7/31/10 Eagle Scout Project, West Side of Boardwalk, Underway

2010-08-02T10:29:00.016-08:00

New energy came to the boardwalk project on Saturday with Terrance Smith, his crew of Boy Scouts, and help from the Anchorage Park Foundation's YEP crew.

Terrance Smith, YEP crew member James Amundsen, & crew leader John Hill

Terrance is working on his Eagle Scout rank and is taking on construction and installation of the west side of the boardwalk. This will be about a 700-foot section with a gathering platform.

In the meantime on Saturday, long-time community volunteer/biologist Mark Schroeder, who has been involved with this project since its inception three years ago, worked on installing sections to make the turn at the south bridge.

Having this turn in place will make getting the sections to the south leg soooo much easier, as any of the 7/28/10 crew can attest, after wrestling the cart around the turn on uneven, soft ground!

We also had LOTS of animal sightings Saturday. And the sun came out!

The three boys, who came with their parents to the work party, turned the day into nature explorations. Wood frogs seemed to be hopping in all directions through the grass, when you started looking, which the boys did! They also found young, emergent frogs still with the last of their tails. Dragonflies were flitting about, and a young moose ate its way through our work site, then jumped in the lake and swam across.

See the Tanglewood Park Animals post for more pictures.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the pictures!

Thanks to our business partner Lowe's South Anchorage store for the loan of the lumber cart. Works GREAT to wheel completed sections to the end, and eliminates many steps of heavy carrying!

Pizza and cookies for lunch, a welcome break in a 7-hour work day.

July 28, 2010, Work Party

2010-07-29T22:44:00.002-08:00

Our goal this night was to move and join sections of boardwalk along the south side of our proposed loop. This involved wheeling sections along a dry upland path to where the bog started in earnest on the south side of the park.

This stretch will meet up with the west leg, from the northern bridge through the bog. The west leg has been adopted by Terrance Smith, who is organizing crews to install sections in this part of the boardwalk as his Eagle Scout project.

Volunteers during this Wednesday night work party included five former Bowman students — Maria, Rose, Emma, Grace, and Molly — all now in high school, and their good nature and singing helped the work go quickly. We also grabbed Ivan, a South High student who was waiting on the Bowman playground for a friend to play ball, to help move sections during the early part of the evening. He agreed and with his help, the work session got off to a great start. Andie Link provided delicious, buttery chocolate chip cookies and drinks. The cookies were gobbled up before a picture could be made!

Moving Party, July 21, 2010

2010-07-22T10:21:00.014-08:00

Fabulous turnout for Tanglewood boardwalk work party on this night -- 16 volunteers who lifted, carried, avoided injury, and enjoyed the wildlife ... plus fans who stopped by to appreciate the boardwalk's progress and volunteer stamina. We moved 41 sections of the boardwalk.

Our business support included the loan of an off-road trailer from Tag-Along-Trailer (Dave Owmby, owner) and an ATV from Whalen Construction (Pat Whalen, owner).

Terrance Smith brought a crew of Scouts to help, as he launched work on the second leg of the boardwalk for an Eagle Scout project.

Enjoy the rest of these pictures...

Work Party June 30, 2010

2010-07-20T19:37:00.004-08:00

Moving Sections by Garden Cart!

Here are a few pictures from our Garden Cart Moving Party...

We did fine...

...until the cart broke. Those sections ARE heavy, 300+ pounds.

But all can be repaired, by replacing lost bolts.

This cart will be perfect for moving sections along the boardwalk. We'll use Dave's TagAlong Trailer for the next big move, as we did last year.

June 2010

2010-06-25T08:23:00.022-08:00

We've started work again this season on the boardwalk. In three work parties this June, we completed 32 sections.

We'll be moving them down into the bog soon to start the next legs.

Great news -- The path, platform and bridges that we completed last fall came through the winter in excellent condition!!

Our volunteers are terrific and we have fun working together on this project. There's always room for more helpers.

Please join us!!
Just send at email from link at top of page.

Pizza for the crew.

Work Party 10-24-09

2009-10-30T17:53:00.023-08:00

BOARD BY BOARD
... the boardwalk comes together...

The most recent Saturday work party — and probably the last for '09 — finished a significant length of boardwalk. Everything laid in place since June, when we had the first trailer transport of sections into the park, is now connected with toe rails.

Picture at right shows the completed section from the gathering platform looking south.

The photo above shows the start of the boardwalk from the southern end looking north toward the gathering area. Sections piled to the side are ready for work to start again next spring.

Elevating the toe rails with spacers allowed us to keep the walkway as wide as possible and maintain the height of the side rails needed to meet federal regulations for handicapped accessibility.

Attaching toe rails required multiple hands, feet and sometimes C-clamps to hold the boards tight for screwing into place.

Fun with tools!

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this season so successful!

Please use the email link at the top of the page
if you would like to be added to the mailing list of volunteers.

2009-10-17T14:20:00.023-08:00

We completed the first length of boardwalk during a sunny Saturday work party, Oct. 17. A group of 10 volunteers worked with saws, drills and creative thinking to attach toe rails along a curving path from the first gathering area to the stream crossing (picture on left).

We thought this might be the last work session for the season, but the unusually warm fall leads to optimistic hope of yet another work party next weekend.

If you're interested in helping in this Bowman Elementary / Tanglewood Park project, please email using the link at the bottom of the page.

Attaching toe rails to the boardwalk sections requires on-the-go sawing to make the fit.

We spotted field miters galore during this work session. Wetland creatures or angle cut wizardy? You decide!

October 3, 2009

2009-10-08T21:40:00.007-08:00

Here are pictures from our Oct. 3rd work party on the boardwalk. A crew of 17 — adults and kids — worked all morning joining sections, leveling and attaching toe rails. Rain threatened in the morning, but held off and we enjoyed a lovely crisp fall day.

Boardwalk work party 9-19-09

2009-09-20T14:34:00.020-08:00

Thanks to the great volunteer crew who came out Saturday morning, Sept. 19, and put in four hours of work. In total, 12 adults and four students were involved in this work party, including those who made and served a delicious homemade lunch. Here are a few of those volunteers in an after-lunch photo.

Now we have one segment totally completed – leveled AND with toe rails — plus the first gathering place all put together in place, and another section in place and ready to tie together. This was terrific progress. Here are some photos from our work party.

A section headed north at the start of the morning.

The same section, below, at the end of the morning. You can see 2 segments finished with toe rails, off the first gathering area.

Volunteers in the photos below at work in all sorts of ways: placing sections, measuring, leveling, sawing, screwing planks to join sections, discussing the next moves.

9-12-09 work party

2009-09-19T17:23:00.007-08:00

Volunteers at the first work session in September connected sections between the north stream crossing and the first gathering area. A second stream crossing was also installed during this session.

A total of 11 adults and four students participated in more than three hours of work with a wonderful lunch afterward, prepared and served by a Bowman family.

June 2009 Trailer Transport

2009-06-30T18:42:00.000-08:00

MOVING DAY, June 29

Throughout fall 2008 and early spring 2009, volunteers built several dozen 12-15 foot sections in the parking lot behind the school. This flat area allowed us to use the template built by Peter Howlett, Bowman parent and owner of Alaska Control Excavating.

Then came summer and the question: how in the world would we get those sections down the hill, around the lake and into the bog to the boardwalk site. The narrow path from the school to the park would not support truck traffic. The sections, at about 300 pounds each, were too heavy for volunteers to carry that far.

But then we found Tag-Along-Trailers, a company owned by former Bowman parent Dave Owmby who makes specialty trailers designed f0r off-road hauling. Dave's trailer, hooked to a four-wheeler expertly driven by Bowman parent Pat Whalen, along with a willing crew of mighty lifters, enabled us to move enough boardwalk sections into the park to accomplish what you see in the later October posts.

Loading the trailer

Unloading the trailer

Moving sections into place