Mat Su Gazette October 2015

MAT-SU GAZETTE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2015 PAGE 1

2015 Matsu school borough presentsissue 1 : volume 2

Valley TrailsBuilding

Proudly underwritten by

MAT-SU GAZETTE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2015PAGE 2

What is the MAT-SU GAZETTE? Th e Mat-Su Gazette is a forum for student news, opinion, and

expression for all Mat-Su Schools. It is published quarterly during the school year in partnership with the Mat Su Valley Frontiers-man. Editorial content is in control of the students with guidance by their advisors.

Shane Aragon and Samantha Cranshaw - WASILLA HIGH

On any average day in high school, students shuffl e to classes, sit at their desks to take notes, and try to stay awake. Th is was not the case on September 21st however, when 38 students banded togeth-er at the Government Peak Rec-reation Area. Journalism classes from Wasilla, Burchell, and Colo-ny High Schools met and greeted each other for the fi rst time during a joint fi eld trip to trail systems in the Valley.

Each student on this trip came to work on the Mat-Su Gazette. Th e Gazette is a collaborative newspaper built by journalism students across the Valley. Last year was the fi rst year for the Ga-zette. Th e paper is printed by the Frontiersman four times a year, once per quarter. Each Gazette is-sue is built around a theme. Th e theme for October’s issue is about the building trails around the Val-ley.

Th e students rode together to Government Peak Recreation Area and the Mat-Su Greenbelt’s

30 miles of trails. Th ey fi rst met and interviewed Ed Strable of the Mat-Su Ski Club and George Ho-den of the Mat-Su Borough, fol-lowed by a tour.

Th e group learned that the GPRA trails were primarily made by volunteer work. Splitting the integrated group of students into two, half of the students hiked up the trail Blueberry Knoll. Th e others traveled the Pioneer Loop which is set aside for hikers with dogs and children alike. Both trails are part of an intricate path system in GPRA, off ering four trails for biking, hiking, horses, and skiing, with plans for more underway.

Colony High School jour-nalism teacher Brian Mead said he was very excited for the expe-rience, “I think it is really amaz-ing to have all of us here fi nally. Being able to come together and meet new, young journalists all working together on this project is really awesome.”

Wasilla High junior Bayley Belgarde said, “Th is was a really

Advisors

Brian Mead, Colony HighEmily Forstner, Wasilla High

Sabrina Johns, Burchell HighJesse Carnahan, Mat-Su Central

STAFF

WasillaShane AragonBayley BelgardePhoebe ChristiansenAlanna ChristiansonSamantha CranshawAnsley FrayStephan GergilevichZach Griffi nAndrew HardisonSarah KinmonEddie LaitilaAlice LeeShyanne MassieBrandon NietoEvie Prys

Genai RobisonKayla SchierholtAnna WelchJanee WilsonEli IckesOlivia VincentErin Buehring

ColonyIsaac BaklanovEllis BarnettConnor CristMichael EverettLuc FielderAndrew Gittlein

Taylor HenkeDevin HouserMadeline KoJose LopezAubrey MitchellKayla OlhausenLilyan OverlandJuliana RiveraNathan SandidgeWill SandidgeCarter SantTaya BlaricumStewart VanVlietSydney ZuyusAaron Hall

contributers

Rivals Work Together for The Community

Th e Mat-Su Gazette is made possible by our underwriters, who, with a special partnership with the Fron-tiersman, cover the cost of printing. For less than a full page ad, your business can underwrite the next issue of the Mat-Su Gazette and be recognized three times in the publication: on the front cover, right here, and with a half page advertisement.

Email [email protected] for more information.

Cyrus Kinne - Burchell High Mat-Su Central Journalism

Thank you MEA

continued on page16


OP EDhelp schools, buy local

Eli Ickes - WASILLA HIGH

Wasilla High School works hard. Football, cross-country running and skiing, volleyball, JROTC, baseball, basketball, hockey, journalism, teen leader-ship ...the list goes on. We all work hard, hard to win, and hard for the money. Th ese programs at WHS, and at each individual high school, need more money than the school district can aff ord to dish out. And that’s where local businesses and mom and pop owned stores come into play with their hard-earned money. For teams and groups to survive, they need money. It’s called fund-raising. So groups go around to local businesses knock-ing on doors asking for donations. Or better yet, ask them to buy something they don’t need from a company they don’t know so the school group can get a small cut of the pie. Or in journalism’s case, we ask them to buy an ad. Th e money goes towards pay-ing for away trips, hoodies, uni-forms, helping out locals in the valley, or even printing the very paper you are holding in your hand. All of this helps students achieve their full high school ex-perience. We, as a class, and as a school district, are extremely

grateful for all the support. But it begs this question: Why do all the small, local businesses get targeted for sales and not the chain or big league companies? Put simply- time and hoops. Asking for a contribution from Target has more hoops to jump through than a looking for scholarships. First, a student needs an offi cial letterhead from the school secretary. Th en, a tax ID number. Next, we need a detailed letter of what the class would like and what we are trying to achieve. Aft er all of that, there is the long wait for the check, along with an-other string of hoops. Th e same goes for Fred Meyer, Walmart, and McDonalds. Th ey all need as much paperwork as it takes to ap-ply for college when all we wanted was a uniform. For high schoolers the bu-reaucracy is a daunting task. To go in, fi ll paperwork out, bring it back, wait weeks for a decision to be made, then the follow up, and to get the money back to the team for a small donation, makes the whole process almost seem like it’s not worth it. Whereas when a student goes to a locally owned shop or one of the Valley’s coops, MTA, MEA, MVFCU, a student can normal-ly walk out with a check or at the least a polite answer within a day

or two. WHS journalism class is one of these groups who need ex-tra cash to make their program work. We learn the principles of journalistic style for publications such as the Mat-Su Gazette, Fron-tiersman’s School Page and Wasil-la High’s very own Warrior Word. One of these principles is adver-tising. To publish and print the WHS Warrior Word, depending on the number of pages, costs between $350 and $550 dollars every issue. Ad sales pay for the printing. For that to be possible each student is required to go out on their own time and sell an ad to a business. But, not a single corporate or chain business in the Valley can purchase one without a far away manager - one who has no ties to our schools - making the decision. So this is my opinion: when you’re out and about, think of where you’re going to shop. Kra-zy Moose Subs or Subway? Active Soles or Famous Footwear? Th e Barber or Great Clips? Because when you shop locally, you may be unknowingly profi ting more than just that business. Your new shoes might have helped teach a student how to run, volley, ski, or write, too. Senior Eli Ickes is a Journalism II student.

Bernadette Hartley - SU VALLEY HIGH

Th e fi rst quarter of my senior year is done, and I am amazed by how fast the time fl ies. I am for-tunate to have attended Susitna Valley Junior/Senior High School all six years. It is a 2A school, sixth through twelft h grades, with 192 students. Going to a school with so few students gave me the op-portunity to shine. I play four varsity sports a year, something rare at a larger school. I have been a class offi cer for many years, and am now the student body president. I enjoyed all facets of high school, but my real passion has been cross country running. Susitna Valley High has the best trails in the district. Our trail sys-tem is extremely benefi cial for both students and community members. Th e Borough provides funding to maintain our trails for cross country running and skiing.

Built in 1986, our trail was laid out to refl ect the best of the scenery. Th e trail follows along the shore of a beautiful lake, up and down hills with glimpses of Denali. It never gets muddy, or deeply rutted and is an easy fast course. In the summer it is framed by a green canopy of leaves. In au-tumn as the leaves fall, the trail is covered with a beautiful array of yellows and oranges. “I do know

su-valley trails reflect pride

Continued on page 5


NEWS media programs to take flight

Taya VanBlaricum - COLONY HIGH

The possibility of adding

drones to the digital media pro-grams at both Colony High School and Wasilla High School could be in the near future.

Colony has had a functioning media program for the last four years. Over the course of the four years, students have obtained the skills of streaming a variety of dif-ferent extracurricular events from football games to drama produc-tions alongside learning the tricks of the trade of film and audio pro-duction. This CTE program how-ever, has just started at Wasilla, introducing the first class of In-troduction to Career Communi-cations to the curriculum

Approximately $70,000 dol-lars in funding has been put forth for just WHS alone to get the digital media program started. However, adding the possibility of drone usage for streaming events could be a new frontier for these programs should the district get the kinks worked out.

Ray DePriest, Director of the Career and Technology pathways programs for the Mat-Su School District brought up the possibil-

ities of using helicopter drones to further make the streaming of high school sports more three di-mensional for viewers. The audio/visual classes are looking to take to the skies to further develop the digital media programs in the dis-trict as these state-of-the-art trails are being blazed for the future of media.

The drones would comply with all Federal Aviation Admin-istration’s requirements for pos-

session and use within controlled environments and ultimately re-specting privacy and usage pol-icies legally set forth. This new expansion to the digital media program would produce a unique perspective to the streaming of live sporting events.

DePriest recognized that, “granted these drones wouldn’t be used indoors because that would be a safety hazard, but for out-door events like football games

these would give a new feel to the event.”

A challenge to this next step in the program is the fact that Alaska Sports Athletics Asso-ciation does not sanction using drones at this time, and the rules and regulations are still in the works.

Capturing the footage pro-vided by this cutting edge tech-nology would be accomplished by using GoPro’s attached to the drones and flown around to take aerial shots that can’t be caught using merely a tripod and sta-tionary camera.

Recently, at Colony High School during their homecoming game on September 25th, media teacher Brian Mead and his dig-ital audio/visual students from Colony did a collaborative stream with Wasilla’s John Nodestine, and his class, a new learning curb for both schools.

“It was definitely a learning experience, however, it was very interesting to see what the future of this program could be,” Mead said.

Nonetheless, the possibility of using these high flying pieces of technology sound appealing to the students of Colony’s digital media classes and add yet another interesting aspect to this growing industrial program.

Taya VanBlaricum, a senior at Colony High, a part of the Knight-ly News team, a yearbook market-er, media assistant and music en-thusiast.

drones a Possibility for media expansion in the msbsd

Colony Media student Taya VanBlaricum teaches Charity Sisco camera techniques at a Colony home football game. Media students learn hands-on as they produce multiple camera live streams of sporting and other school events.


su-valley trailsthat all the schools love to race our trail,” said Su-Valley’s head cross country coach, Lisa Drumm. “It is fast, spectator friendly, and beau-tiful. Th e main benefi t is that we don’t have to travel to train for races. We can just run out of our back door.” And run we do. We average four miles a day, fi ve days a week, from July to October. And it is exhilarating. We race 5K ev-ery Saturday, and Su-Valley has been known for our great teams.

Our trail is not limited to run-ning; it is a marvelous ski trail. We host district races on our trail for skiing too. “Our location is a lit-tle sweet spot,” said Su-Valley’s ski coach, Marne Gunderson. “Th e best thing is that we have good

snow because it stays cold so we can keep skiing all season. Our trails are available to other schools in the Lower Valley.”

Not only students use our trails. Many community mem-bers use our trails year round for skiing and running. During our Su-Valley Invitational, we host races from preschool through high school. I’ve been racing here my entire life. It is a great way for promoting a healthy lifestyle for all family members. We are so for-tunate to have this facility, I have made great memories here and plan to use this trail system aft er I graduate.

Continued from page 3

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money grows on trees and trailsAnsley Fray, Shyanne Massie, and Evie Prys - WASILLA HIGH

More than 140 million Amer-icans make outdoor recreation, including trail sports, a priority in their daily lives while putting $646 billion of their hard-earned dollars toward outdoor fun. This influx of spending directly re-sults in highly sought-after jobs for 6.1 million Americans. While the number of trails are increas-ing throughout the Mat-Su, these economic advantages are no dif-ferent for the Mat- Su Borough.

Charity MacDonald, owner and appraiser for Summit Ap-praisal, said, “Proximity to and availability of trails contribute positively to the market value and demand of homes in the area.”

A study from the Nation-al Association of Homebuilders supports MacDonald’s opinion. It found that trails are the sec-ond most important community amenity that potential home-owners cite when choosing a new community. They even ranked higher than public parks. Trails and Greenways were cited by 57 percent of prospective buyers in a 2004 survey by the association. Additionally, the study found that “trail availability” outranked 16 other options including security, ball fields, golf courses, parks, and access to shopping or business centers.

Furthermore, USDA Forest

Service Southern Research Sta-tion has confirmed that trails are an economic boom. They report that in southwestern Virginia, the 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail generated approximately $2.5 million annually from locals, as well as from visitors. Addition-ally, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Office of Greenways & Trails estimates

an economic benefit of $2.2 mil-lion annually from the 16-mile St. Marks Trail.

Ed Strabel for Mat-Su Ski Club said the trails attract more than just the locals.

“You would be surprised where some of the people that come up here are from.Europeans you see up here quite often. They are all just fascinated with the

beauty of Alaska.”Mat-Su is investing heavily

in trails. If 34 miles of Virginia trails can produce that much cash, the borough is banking that the sought out beauty of Palmer, AK can do as much.

Ansley Fray, Shyanne Massie, and Evie Prys are sophomores at Wasil-la High.

The Government Peak Recreation Area overlooks the Mat-Su Borough in September. The borough is investing in creating new and sustainable trails throughout the Valley with the hopes of generating income as well as quality of life.


hatcher pass waits for ski liftBayley Belgarde - WASILLA HIGH

Matanuska-Susitna Borough is looking for a responsible par-ty for land management of ski lift on Government Peak in Hatcher Pass. Th e Borough is ready for de-velopment, but lacks a private or nonprofi t to aid in development and land management.

A ski lift at Hatcher Pass would lead to community profi t, both economical and health re-lated. WHS sophomore Shyanne Massie and potential ski lift user said“I think it would be very posi-tive...to our environment.’

Th ere have been several plans to build a ski resort in Hatcher Pass: fi rst by the Mitsui Corpo-ration of Tokyo in 1988, next in 1992 by Idaho businessman Fred Rogers, JL properties of Anchor-age in 2002, and fi nally in 2007 by the Mat-Su Borough.

In 2007 the Borough decided to give the community develop-er, Ron Swanson, a $50,000 grant to come up with a master project plan. His plan was completed and

proposed in March of 2008 to the Borough Assembly. It was ap-proved, but as of today Swanson’s plan has gone unexecuted due to fi nancial and responsibility issues

Th e borough is working now to create the project by a pub-lic-private relationship. Land has also been set aside and claimed to be a village to allow commercial development.

Whatever group that decides to adopt the ski area project would also receive publicity. Th e bor-ough envisions a non-profi t vol-unteer run organization similar to the Anchorage Ski Club man-agement of Alpenglow Ski Area in Anchorage.

Anna Welch, a potential ski lift user, can see the opportunities. “[NGOs/non-profi ts] would be dumb not to build it.”

It’s a dream that many stu-dents are anxious to take advan-tage of. WHS senior Andrew Hardison said, “I would use it ev-ery day.”

Bayley Belgarde is a junior at Wasilla High School.


Volunteers Maintain Valley TrailsAubrey Mitchell - COLONY HIGH

Government Peak Recreation Area in Hatcher Pass was built through the support of volunteers and is main-tained by several non-profit organizations. The Mat-Su Ski club, Mat-Su Health foundation, Backcountry Horsemen of Alaska, and the Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers As-sociation all help maintain the trails.

The first and most popular trails are the nordic ski trails. One of the most active organizations is the Mat-Su Ski Club, headed up by club president Ed Strabel.

The club is a big factor of the building and maintenance of the ski trails year round. “The users of the trail must be the ones who maintain them.” said Strabel.

The Mat-Su Ski Club has many volunteer days, the most recent was October 4th where volunteers prepped the trails for the oncoming winter. They also hold several races where profits go toward trail maintenance.

The newest addition to the Government Peak trail sys-tem, completed just this summer, is the mountain biking trail. The Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers Association has countless fundraisers and volunteers to help maintain and build the hiking trails as well.

The Backcountry Horsemen of Alaska’s mission state-ment is to work “with other groups to ensure that area and backcountry trails remain open to the public, and that our relationship with these groups remains user-friendly.” The group works to have its own horse trail and special parking for horse trailers at GPRA. The five mile trail is equestri-enne only and meets up with the Carle Wagon Road.

Thanks to the Mat-Su Health Foundation’s grant of $390,000, the Mat-Su Borough will install LED lighting along the main ski trails, thus improving safety and the useage of the trails after the sun has gone down.

In 2006 the Mat Su Borough granted permission to build a ski area at Government Peak. The development co-incided with Anchorage’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olym-pics. Since then over a million dollars in grants have been attributed to the development of GPRA. All of the Non-profit organizations have websites and facebook pages with contact information and volunteer updates.

Aubrey Mitchell is a senior at Colony High who plays mellophone in Thee Northern Sound Marching Band. Devin Houser, Ellis Barnett, and Juli-ana Rivera contributed to this article.

Hikers Kayla Olhausen and Sydney Zuyus of Colony High take advantage of fall colors at the Government Peak Recreation Area. Both girls were on a joint field trip with Wasilla and Burchell journalism students preparing for this issue of the Mat-Su Gazette.


Hikers Kayla Olhausen and Sydney Zuyus of Colony High take advantage of fall colors at the Government Peak Recreation Area. Both girls were on a joint fi eld trip with Wasilla and Burchell journalism students preparing for this issue of the Mat-Su Gazette.

gpra grows from local effortsStephan Gergilevich - WASILLA HIGH

GPRA is a commonly heard word among the avid skiers and hikers of Alaska. Although this acronym sounds simple, it holds a compli-cated and expensive history that led to creation of the eight miles of pristine trails in the Mat-Su Valley: Government Peak Recreation Area.

In 1987, avid skier, volunteer, and president of the Board of Di-rectors for the Mat-Su Ski Club, Ed Strabel brought forth the idea to construct a system of public trails available to people of all skill level and ages. It was in 1987 when Nate Goodhue from the Dept. of Natural Resources fi rst had the image of these trails on the south side of Gov-ernment Peak, just outside of Hatcher Pass.

Avid skier and president of the Mat-Su Ski Club Board Ed Strabel followed with drive, volunteers, and persistence. However, the long process of planning and collaboration kept construction at bay until 2010. Today, with the recent completion of a full size chalet, GPRA is a complete playground for the outdoorsman.

“Th is isn’t for me, it’s for the community” Strabel said.Originally the GPRA trails unoffi cially started when Colony High

Maintained Borough and State trails have paid parking. Passes are $5 for daily use or $40 for an annual State Park or Borough parking pass. Volunteers logging eight hours or more earn a free borough annual pass through the Dept of Community Development. All of the money goes toward maintaining access to the trails and building new ones.

Continued on page 12

by Zach Griffi n and Janee Wilson - WASILLA HIGH

With hard labor and determination, volunteers helped sculpt the land and build the trails. On the Government Peak Recreation Area Th e Matsu Ski Club, Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers, and Backcountry Horsemen tackled not-so-easy tasks to help build and maintain miles of trails by leaps and bounds.

Mat Su Ski Club president Ed Strabel is a big supporter of the trails. “Th e trail construction fi rst started fi ft een years ago in 2000, but the original idea for the recreation area began 13 years earlier,” he said.

Th e proposal for the trails came fi rst from local skier Nate Good-hue in 1987. It was a slow start but eventually the construction for the

natural sculptors build the way

continued on page 9


Anna Welch with Phoebe Chris-tianson and Addie Mesick -WASILLA HIGH

It was Chicago’s loss and Mat Su’s gain when Ed Strabel made the Valley his home.

Born in 1945 Strabel was raised as an outdoorsmen which eventually led him to the great state of Alaska.

Strabel was always an active kid who enjoyed running. He re-members chasing down rabbits

by the railroad tracks in Chicago. On a lark he entered a foot race in high school and discovered he not only could chase rabbits, he could run faster than most.

After high school, Strabel joined the Army and served in Vietnam for two and a half years. After his tour of duty, he taught physical education at West Point. Strabel then started work as the Deputy Director of the Associate Professor. He retired in 1986 and studied education at UAA.

With an BA in Education un-der his belt and a steady plan for the future, Strabel went to work at East High School in Anchor-age and taught the JROTC team. Soon after Strabel joined the Col-ony High School staff and started the first JROTC program in the Valley. He ran the JROTC pro-gram there until he retired from Colony in 2005.

During Strabel’s time at CHS, he was instrumental in building the CHS Ski Trails.

“It was our first real attempt at trail making and looking back we made a few mistakes. But, that’s what happens when you’re in new territory. Not satisfied with com-plete retirement and still wanting to make a difference Strabel be-came involved with the Mat-Su Ski Club. During his time with the Mat-Su Ski Club, the GPRA ski trails have been built along with the Junior Nordic Ski Club.

“The first year we had the Junior Nordic, there were about 20 kids. Now there are 300. We have four nights a week where the whole place is filled with kids. It’s great.”

Strabel can be seen almost ev-ery day of the week doing some-thing around the trails at GPRA. He gets excited when he talks about building a competitive ski trail system above the trails in place now, and an amphitheater beyond the parking lot, “ I can’t wait to hear Bruce Springsteen right here.”

It motivates Strabel to see people have healthy and active lives. He can’t help it.

“I enjoy it… I love seeing peo-ple sweat”.

The outdoors isn’t the only thing Strabel enjoys however. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and their two sons Mark and Eric. The sons also coach skiing, Mark at Colony High and Eric at APU.

Anna Welch and Phoebe Chris-tiansen are sophomores at WHS. Addie Mesick is a senior.

ed strabel gpra fixture

President of the Mat Su Ski Club Ed Strabel at GPRA volunteers as carpenter on an outbuilding at the GPRA parking lot.. Before he was in charge of the trails, Strabel was the JROTC instructor at Colony High School and ski coach Strabel has also been a responsible figure for other trail systems in the Valley, Crevasse Moraine Trails, and CHS Ski Trails. Photo by Brian Mead.


Fashion on the trail

Erin Buehring - WASILLA HIGH

It’s understood that hiking, running, or just walking on trails is a healthy habit, but all too often trail fashion is left out of the conversa-tion. You’re not going to show up at prom with sweatpants on, or wear a Colony sweatshirt to a Wasilla pep rally. It isn’t done. Fashion sense matters everywhere, and nowhere more than outside.

Hiking has evolved tremendously. It’s not just about hiking moun-tains and having to stay overnight in a tent just to get to the top. Now you can hike an hour or two up trails and valleys everyday of the week right in your own backyard. This increases your chances of a good workout and also the chance of seeing people and being seen. No one in the Mat-Su should be under-dressed in the great outdoors.

Where to shop in the ValleySportsman’s Warehouse is located next to Red Robin off the Parks

Highway. Sportsmans is great for finding different types and styles of hiking needs from boots to backpacks. They specialize in The North Face, Patagonia, and Carhartt. Bottom line: if you’re looking for hiking boots in the Valley, Sportsmen’s is the best place to go.

All Seasons Clothing Co. is a new store in Wasilla specializing in all things outdoors. The store hours are Monday-Saturday 9am-7pm and Sunday 10am-6pm. They are located at 1400 Wasilla Shops Circle #1. All seasons is the Costco of outdoorsy clothes. Their clothes are no less than the best quality though. Some of the brands they carry are Carhartt, Columbia, The North Face, and Mountain Hard Wear. So if you’re looking for a store that’s convenient and has numerous choices then you should head on into All seasons Clothing co.

Active Soles is a small shop in Palmer that specializes in hiking shoes. They are located at 642 South Alaska St. Some the shoe brands they have are Keen, New Balance, Merrell, and Brooks. Active Soles is the place to go for quality shoes in the Valley. Active Soles is owned by the physical therapy Body and Balance, so they should know what they are doing about your feet looking good and feeling good.

Whether you decide to take your dog walks on the trails, or sum-mit Denali, you’ll want to look the part. Know exactly where to shop for any type of weather condition so you can look like you know what you are doing, even if you don’t. Trail wisdom: if you can’t be fit, at least look fit. Erin Buehring is a senior at WHS. She specializes in fashion sense. She prefers toeless sandals on the trail.

lookin’ good in the great


gpra grows from local effortsSchool ski team came up to Ed Strabel’s house located on the west side of GPRA made their own single loop trail around the Edgerton Park property. Later, the State donated land to the Mat-Su Borough with the full intention and expectation of the land being used for public recreation trails. Over the years, many organiza-tions, such as Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers and Mat-Su Ski Club, and private companies have also contributed to the area by donating funds for bridges to be built through the trails.

In 2013 the Borough hired a contractor to begin the large proj-ect. At a cost of about $300,000, the contractors began excavating the rough layout of the trail sys-tem. After completion of the ex-cavation, volunteers from all over the Valley began the tedious work of hand-clearing and fine- tun-ing the trails. This manual labor shaped and built the 10 km of at-tractive trails currently in place. The last step required over 3000 pounds of grass seed to be distrib-uted along the trail system.

The cost of keeping the GPRA trails in good condition and groomed is relatively cheap thanks to the Mat Su Ski-club and The Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers Club (VMBAH). The Mat Su Ski Club is in charge of orga-

nizing events, grooming trails, and organizing the building of new trails or amenities. VMBAH contributes hours of volunteer ef-fort along the new intermediate bike trail that winds 6 km around the ski trails.

George Hoden, a land man-agement specialist for the Bor-ough, said, “ Volunteer work is es-sential for keeping GPRA as nice as it is. The Borough alone would have a very tough time managing the trails without them.” In one winter season alone, volunteer work accounted for up to 6000 miles combined of trail grooming.

Although the current finan-cial situation is unknown, GPRA organizers still look forward to the future with expansion plans. In the upcoming summer of 2016, there are plans of LED light posts being placed throughout the trail system so that during the dark winter hours the trails will be il-luminated. Construction of a am-phitheater is also planned, but awaits approval and funds. The biggest plan for the future how-ever, is the construction of a sys-tem of Olympic class racing trails which would add an additional 8 km to the GPRA system.

Stephan Gergilevich is a senior at WHS. This is his first year in Jour-nalism.

trail’s took off with a partnership between Mat-Su Borough and Ski Club. Ron Swanson of the Mat-Su Community Development Dept. was instrumental in getting the first trails designed by Olympic skier and engineer Bill Spencer.

“First ,the Colony High School Ski team built a loop up behind my house. But then in 2013 the Borough went ahead and hired a contractor to build the trails” Strabel said.

Building these trails on Hatchers Pass has definitely been a cost. Each of the bridges were $20,000. One of the higher costs was the environmental impact statement that cost $1 million to check for endangered species and

wetlands along the trails.The bird nesting season

also impacted the recreation ar-ea’s progress. Between May and August, trees could not be cut to make way for the competi-tion-quality trails because of mi-grating bird habits.

Often times there were was money was short and barriers in the way, and some progress couldn’t be made. But with 500-600 members of the Mat Su Ski Club, the work was accomplished and GPRA built.

One of the first steps of the trail construction was the cutting of trees. Nine experienced tree fellers cut all the trees along the

natural sculptorscontinued from page 9

continued from page 9

Student journalists from Colony, Wasilla, and Burchell High Schools explore Government Peak Recreation Area on a joint field trip featuring Valley trails. Students experienced the new bike trails and lower ski trails.

next page


trial route. Club members along with cross country runners and skiers from Colony, Wasilla, and Palmer helped fill in mud holes, clear the trail of roots and rocks once the contractor was finished. This amount of work took any-where from 500 to 1000 hours.

The Wasilla Warrior ski team, though the smallest of the teams, have the greatest number of volunteer hours per member. The WHS and CHS ski teams, through thousands of document-ed hours of volunteer time, each have bridges in their names along the trails.

Not just ski teams, but peo-ple from out of state and out of the country flock to the GPRA trails. Mark Stigar, member of the Board of Directors for the Mat Su Ski Club said, “I ran into a gentle-man from New Zealand and he had some dogs that he was bor-rowing. He was down here trying them out. He said it was one of the prettiest and best venues he’d ever seen.”

This was only possible by the work of volunteer, contractors working together to create the trails you see today on the south side of Government Peak.

Zach Griffin and Janee Wilson are both sophomores at WHS. Zach enjoys hiking. Janee prefers the view.

sculptorscontinued

Cyrus Kinne - BURCHELL HIGH The Alaskan outdoors is a

marvelous place and the envy of many people around the world. Yet a lot of the people in this great state don't even realize what they have right outside their front door.

After interviewing five people at a local Laundromat on Saturday October 3rd, I found a lot of sim-ilarities in their responses. People in Alaska don’t have just one fa-vorite part about Alaskan wildlife; whether it's the moose or just how unique the wildlife is in general.

One thing that many people agreed on was that going on a hike or nature walk made them feel good in one way or another. To put it into the words of local resident, Bonnie Kinne, “It makes me feel wonderful and stress free.”

In the same breath howev-er, most of the interviewees also said that they don't get out often, even though they wished that they spent more time outside.

Most of the interviewees said that they think that Alaskan na-ture and wildlife is not appreci-ated as much as it should be and that the public access trails needed to be more advertised and better broadcasted in general. Because most people don't necessarily have enough time or maybe ener-gy in a day to get out visiting the public trails, it tends to be much more convenient to just go for a

walk around their neighborhood or backyard.

It was because of a lack of knowing the trails that when asked if any of them had a favorite trail or hiking spot that 60% couldn’t even come up with a name of one of the public trails in their area.

When it came down to it however, most people felt that the public trails are a good thing for the community with very few drawbacks.

Cyrus is a junior at Burchell High School and enjoys video games.

Community Responds to Alaskan Trails

Infosigns like this one direct hikers through the Greenbelt’s 30 miles of trails. The trails loop and wind through land squeezed between Palmer-Wasilla Highway, Glenn Highway, Parks Highway, and Trunk Road. The area is non-motorized and open year round to hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrian.

MAT-SU GAZETTE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2015PAGE 14 MAT-SU GAZETTE OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2015

BACKGROUND

Th e legalization of marijuana has been a controversial topic in America for many years. Th e use of hemp dates to at least 8000 B.C. However, it was not until 1973 that Oregon became the fi rst state in the United States to take a step towards the legalization of marijua-na by decriminalizing its use. Over the years, support for the legalization of marijuana has steadily increased. According to a Pewre-search.org gallup poll, 53% of Americans sup-port the legalization of marijuana while 44% do not. Support for the legalization of marijua-na increased 11 points between 2010 and 2013 and today 23 states allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Four states: Alaska, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, allow the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. However, marijuana remains illegal under the federal law as a Schedule I narcotic.

Alaska has always been on the forefront of the legalization of marijuana. For 40 years, the ongoing battle to legalize marijuana has per-sisted. However, this push has been like a roll-ercoaster ride, with wins and losses constantly driving the issue up and down.

Alaska was one of the fi rst states to decrim-inalize marijuana in 1975, when government offi cials exchanged jail time with a $100 fi ne. Only eleven days later, the fi ne was dropped, obliterating any punishment if you were found in possession of marijuana. In 1990, voters ap-proved the Alaska Marijuana Criminalization Act by 54% to 46%. Th is act recriminalized marijuana and made the possession of any amount punishable by up to a $1,000 fi ne and 90 days in jail.Th e medicinal use of marijuana was legalized in 1998. Alaskan voters signed off the citizens initiative with 69% in favor of the legalization. Yet again, thirteen years aft er the Alaska Marijuana Criminalization Act was put into place, it was repealed in 2003. By 2014, only 51% of Alaskans were for the full legaliza-tion of recreational marijuana. A tight margin, with many Alaskans still viewing marijuana as a harmful substance and against legalizing it.

Many supporters for the legalization of recreational marijuana believe that legaliza-tion will boost revenue in state and local gov-ernments through taxation. For example, a the Colorado Department of Revenue reported that by May 2015 another state with legalized

marijuana use, Colorado, had received more than $88 million in tax revenue since its legal-ization. Similarly, According to the Drug Pol-icy Alliance, in 2014 Denver’s violent crime rate has gone down 2.2% and traffi c fatalities have gone down 3%. Property crimes reduced by 8.9% and burglaries by 9.5%. Also, a recent Cato Institute study states that nationwide le-galization would save governments $8.7 bil-lion each year.

Along with a reduction in crime, safety in the buying and selling of marijuana as a con-trolled substance has likely increased. When a person buys illegal marijuana off the street, he or she has no idea how it was processed and what was put into it. Medicinal use of marijuana has been used in more than a doz-en states for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and many other health conditions. Med-ical marijuana use would likely increase with the legalization of marijuana, as perceptions shift toward acceptance of legal marijuana use. Th e argument, then, is that more tempered perceptions increased revenue, and higher safety standards make legalizing marijuana a reasonable action.

However, though there are clear benefi ts to legalizing marijuana, there are also many drawbacks. Concerns of the marijuana’s ad-dictive nature include: its high potential to be

raven’s call looks

at marijuana lawsA special report from Mat-Su Central School’s Raven’s Call news team

ARGUMENTS:

FOR AND AGAINST


a gateway drug, its increased availability lead-ing to health and safety costs, and its negative eff ects on people’s health.

Another legalized substance, alcohol, is estimated to cost society 15 times more than the amount of revenue it generates, according to the U.S. Offi ce of National Drug Control Policy. Although it is not as addictive as other drugs, research shows that almost ten percent of marijuana users will become dependent over time. Another major concern with legal-izing marijuana is that it will become a gate-way drug to harder drugs. Increased availabil-ity may result in more cases of people looking for harder drugs.

Th ose who are for marijuana legalization like to point out that tobacco, which is very harmful, is legal, yet marijuana is not. Simi-larly, just as tobacco use pumps carcinogens into the user’s lungs, so does marijuana. While there are confl icting studies concerning this is-sue, higher estimates are very disturbing. Sim-ilarly, the NDCP states that Marijuana use also negatively aff ects the user’s heart, boosting the risk of heart palpitations, arrhythmias, and heart attacks. So, while there are some benefi ts to marijuana legalization, people should also be aware that the drug may introduce many personal and societal problems.

OTHER STATES

As noted above, several states have already legalized marijuana for medical purposes, and a few have legalized the drug for recreation under regulation. What has occurred in these states has direct impact on the unfolding legal-ization and subsequent legalization in Alaska.

California was the fi rst state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in 1996. Th e proposition in California removed state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession, and cultivation of marijuana by patients who pos-sess a “written or oral recommendation” from

their physician. Colorado initiated a ballot amendment in 2001 much like the California Proposition. However, Colorado’s initiative went further. In 2012 voters amended the Col-orado State Constitution so that residents 21 or older could legally possess one ounce of THC. With this, Colorado was the fi rst state in the country to legalize marijuana for recreational use, albeit with the caveat that it remains ille-gal to consume publicly. Th is is seen as a suc-cess, with supporters claiming “$100 million is going to licensed, taxpaying businesses and creating jobs.”

Th e biggest blow to the Colorado marijua-na users is that Cannabis Clubs are still unlaw-ful due to ventilation regulations.

Alaska’s future of

marijuana

While recreational marijuana use is now technically legal in the state of Alaska, there are still a lot of steps to rolling this legislation out completely.

Th e Alaska State Legislature has authority to create a marijuana control board, similar to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC Board). Th e board has nine months to make the regulations surrounding marijuana dis-tribution establishments. Th e board will then begin accepting business applications in Feb-ruary of 2016, and business licenses are set to be issued no later than May 2016.

Consumption of marijuana in public will remain illegal and punishable by a $100 fi ne, though regulators are still working to defi ne what “public” means. Th e Alaska Marijuana Control Board was created to develop regula-tions surrounding marijuana use. While these regulations are being written, issues such as driving under the infl uence of any mind-alter-ing substance, remain illegal.

Ballot Measure 2 clearly states employers

will keep the right to implement their own policies about marijuana use. Companies who currently prohibit cannabis use will be able to continue those practices if they choose; however, enforcement can be a diffi cult issue as nothing prohibits marijuana use outside of work hours. Conversely, marijuana can be detected by common drug testing methods, sometimes days or weeks aft er consumption. Further, employers that either receive federal funds or contract with the federal government are mandated to abide by the 1988 Drug-Free Workplace Act, meaning those employees will be restricted from using marijuana.

Public opinion surrounding the estab-lishment of recreational marijuana businesses is generally opposed to the idea, with a small percentage remaining undecided. An initia-tive to ban recreational marijuana businesses was not put on the ballot for voters in the Mat-Su Borough on October 6, 2015, but some are hoping to put the initiative on next year’s bal-lot. Th is measure would prohibit the operation of any recreational marijuana business within the unincorporated areas of the Mat-Su Bor-ough. For Palmer and Houston, the selling of marijuana within those city limits was voted down in the most recent elections, while in Wasilla the vote was not able to be put on the ballot for the city.

FOLLOW UP

Mat-Su Central Journalism students plan to follow up on this story, reporting on issues raised as regulations are implemented. We plan to also include community stakeholders in the conversation to see how this legislation aff ects them in real ways.

a gateway drug, its increased availability lead-ing to health and safety costs, and its negative eff ects on people’s health.

Another legalized substance, alcohol, is estimated to cost society 15 times more than the amount of revenue it generates, according to the U.S. Offi ce of National Drug Control Policy. Although it is not as addictive as other drugs, research shows that almost ten percent of marijuana users will become dependent over time. Another major concern with legal-izing marijuana is that it will become a gate-way drug to harder drugs. Increased availabil-ity may result in more cases of people looking for harder drugs.

Th ose who are for marijuana legalization like to point out that tobacco, which is very

amendment in 2001 much like the California Proposition. However, Colorado’s initiative went further. In 2012 voters amended the Col-orado State Constitution so that residents 21 or older could legally possess one ounce of THC. With this, Colorado was the fi rst state in the country to legalize marijuana for recreational use, albeit with the caveat that it remains ille-gal to consume publicly. Th is is seen as a suc-cess, with supporters claiming “$100 million is going to licensed, taxpaying businesses and creating jobs.”

Th e biggest blow to the Colorado marijua-na users is that Cannabis Clubs are still unlaw-ful due to ventilation regulations.

heart attacks. So, while there are some benefi ts to marijuana legalization, people should also be aware that the drug may introduce many

OTHER STATES

As noted above, several states have already legalized marijuana for medical purposes, and a few have legalized the drug for recreation

out completely.Th e Alaska State Legislature has authority

to create a marijuana control board, similar to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC Board). Th e board has nine months to make the regulations surrounding marijuana dis-tribution establishments. Th e board will then begin accepting business applications in Feb-ruary of 2016, and business licenses are set to be issued no later than May 2016.

Consumption of marijuana in public will remain illegal and punishable by a $100 fi ne,

Alaska’s future of

funds or contract with the federal government are mandated to abide by the 1988 Drug-Free Workplace Act, meaning those employees will be restricted from using marijuana.

Public opinion surrounding the estab-lishment of recreational marijuana businesses is generally opposed to the idea, with a small percentage remaining undecided. An initia-tive to ban recreational marijuana businesses was not put on the ballot for voters in the Mat-Su Borough on October 6, 2015, but some are hoping to put the initiative on next year’s bal-lot. Th is measure would prohibit the operation of any recreational marijuana business within the unincorporated areas of the Mat-Su Bor-ough. For Palmer and Houston, the selling of marijuana within those city limits was voted

A special report from Mat-Su Central School’s Raven’s Call news team


good experience because we got to coordinate with Burchell and Colony. We all got to get togeth-er on the trails to work on the Gazette. We ended up getting to know people we didn’t think we would get along with in the fi rst place.”

Belgarde said it was humbling being in Hatcher Pass when you are all alone with nature.

“Th e whole trail system is pretty beautiful to look out at. When you’re up there you can al-ways see the mountains and the

entire Valley. It takes your breath away.”

Student journalist Jan’ee Wil-son from Wasilla High said at fi rst she was apprehensive aft er learn-

ing other students were attending the fi eld trip. She said by the end of it all she was very pleased.

“It was a little nerve-racking at fi rst being around so many new

people, but when it all ended and we were heading home I feel as though I made some new friends.”

Wilson said she felt the stu-dents bonded so well together be-cause of their passion for journal-ism.

“Journalism is important be-cause we get to see what the pub-lic can’t see and paint a picture for them as if they were there. On this trip I got to be around people who are just as dedicated as I am.”

Shane Aragon and Samantha Cranshaw are seniors at Wasilla High School. Th ey both love to be outdoors and are aspiring authors.

Phoebe Christiansen, Addie Me-sick, and KelsieLyn Overway - WASILLA HIGH

In a perfect world exercise would be a part of your everyday life, and with free public trails throughout the Matanuska Valley everyone has ample opportunity. Th e one perfect reason is for your health.

Th e cosmetic benefi ts of ex-ercise appear obvious on the sur-face. People who exercise lose weight and inches while gaining confi dence. But the real benefi t in exercise isn’t in how people look, it’s how they feel. Research proves that it’s more cost eff ective to take a hike than it is to buy a pill.

Now Health owner Dr. Vale-rius says adding daily exercises is benefi cial to leading a happier,

healthier lifestyle. Valerius, who advocates that exercise is the best medicine, shared how studies have shown that exercise is more eff ective than any prescription bottle.

“If people have an option to a more natural and healthier way to better themselves, exercise is always the best answer,” Valerius said. Exercise is also proven to cure depression and anxiety while it also enhances the body and mind’s health.

“It is a learned habit. From a muscle standpoint that’s good, for your metabolism standpoint that’s good, and for your sense of well being and endorphins that’s good,” Dr. Valeries said.

Th ere are multiple benefi ts to using exercise as a medication before using medications them-

selves. Harvard University studies show that exercise lowers blood pressure, protects against heart diseases and cancer, as well boost-ing your self esteem. Th e same study proved that six months aft er the original study, patients who exercised regularly, regardless of the treatment or not, were less likely to relapse into their depres-sion.

“Our culture has high-calorie foods full of pesticides with easy outlets. We are way less active as a country.”

Valeries continued on with saying people need to be more ac-tive and eat food. Real food. Not processed food.

Alaska also ranks 24th in the United States for most active. Valerius stresses, “I think every-one should have PE or recess ev-

eryday, and we would see grades improve and a more productive society.”

In the Matanuska Borough alone there are nine gyms, a number of designated trails to hike, bike, run, walk, or ski on over 100 miles, including GPRA, Matanuska Greenbelt Trails, Lazy Mountain, Matanuska Peak, Fish-hook Trailhead, and Hatcher Pass.

Valerius stressed that exercise is free, but the medicine and con-sequences of life without it is not.

Phoebe Christiansen is a sopho-more at WHS. She is active in soc-cer. Addie Mesick and Kelsie Lyn Overway are seniors and anxious to graduate and get jobs so they can aff ord to join a gym.

study finds Exercise really is the best medicine

rivalscontinued from page 2

Journalism students from Wasilla, Colony, and Burchell High Schools experienced the Greenbelt Trails above Matanuska Lake. Th is is the second year of collobaration to produce the Mat-Su Gazette.

Documents

Mat Su Gazette October 2015