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

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

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

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

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.