Autumn in Kachemak Bay: Reflecting, Connecting & Looking Ahead

The annual membership meeting of Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (Islands and Ocean) at 95 Sterling Highway, Homer, AK. A potluck dinner will begin at 5:30 PM, with the business meeting and program to follow, including awarding the Golden Pulaski for "Volunteer of the Year.” A Zoom option will also be available. All are invited.

BOARD ELECTIONS

Current Members will vote to elect four members to the Board of Directors for a three-year term. The candidates are Liz Niznik, Chris Little, Andy Haas, and Jim Herbert, all of whom are currently serving on the Board.

BYLAW UPDATES

Current Members will be asked to approve an updated set of Bylaws for the organization. Per Alaska law we need 10% of the membership at the annual meeting to have a quorum. Copies of the current Bylaws, the proposed Bylaws and a summary of the changes are available on the website: www.friendsofkachemakbay.org/about. Current Members can vote in person, at the meeting, or electronically.

Bylaw change highlights include:

The membership year will be from January 1 to December 31.
We will have term limits for Board members and Officers.
We will have individual memberships [$25], family memberships [$50], and a group or business membership [$500]. Each category has one vote at membership meetings. Note: additional donations are always appreciated.

EASTLAND TRAILS TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR WINTER

While Phase 1 construction of the Eastland Trails is completed, the project committee along with State Parks have made the hard decision to keep the trails closed for the winter.

New trails are especially vulnerable to damage. The Eastland Trails are designed to shed rainwater into built-in drainage areas. But when the ground freezes, even an inch or so, that frozen layer can trap water near the surface. As it thaws, the trails can quickly become slick, muddy, and easily damaged by foot or bike traffic. Despite our best efforts to get the trails opened this year, we have entered a challenging season of rain, freezing temperatures, and thawing.

For more information, please check out the full update on the FKBSP Eastland Trail page and join us on October 14th for KBBI Coffee Table at 9am and the Kachemak Bay State Park Citizens Advisory Board - Trails Committee Meeting 4pm at Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

To continue building the next phases of trails at Eastland, we need your help now. The Eastland Trails committee is hard at work to secure funding to complete Phase 2. An RTP application is being prepared for Phase 2a, and public input is needed. You can find more information about Phase 2a and the RTP grant here. Please submit all comments to cetrailsak@gmail.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND CALENDAR

October 14 9am - KBBI Coffee Table on Eastland Trails Phase 2
October 14 4pm - Kachemak Bay State Park Citizens Advisory Board - Trails Committee Meeting 4pm at Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (Islands & Ocean) - Public education & input on Eastland Trails Phase 2
October 27 - Homer Trails Summit at KPC
November 14 5:30pm-7:30pm - Annual FKBSP Membership Meeting at Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (Islands & Ocean)
November 25 6pm-7pm - Dessert Auction at Grace Ridge Brewing - Bakers and bidders needed
January 1 12pm-2pm - First Ski & Snowshoe at Eveline

See the Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks calendar for the latest on events organized by or related to Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks. You can also add the calendar to receive event information directly to your app. www.friendsofkachemakbay.org/calendar

BUSHWHACKING WINS

A lot of big wins in trail reclamation this summer, thank you to all FKBSP volunteers, Parks staff, and donors of transportation, gear, and $$$ who helped make this happen!

Emerald Lake Loop - This is a loop again! FKBSP sawyers and swampers cleared hundreds of downed trees, restoring access to this trail. Note that you will encounter brushy trail conditions, flagged detours, and a challenging Humpy Creek crossing.
Coalition Loop Trail - Trail is now passable, though in need of brushing and treadwork, from Coalition trailhead to the junction of China Poot Lake trail. Big thanks to Troop 555 for their annual efforts on caring for this trail and to the Parks crew that spent a few extremely rainy days on this trail.
Poot Peak - Lots of logs removed, not quite complete to summit with alders remaining… but hopefully next year!
Lagoon Trail - Lots (and lots!) of logs removed, more tread work needed and another segment to clear with some eager sawyers.
Alpine Ridge Re-Route Scouting - Volunteers scouted the proposed Alpine Ridge reroutes, finding they offer improved views, eliminate steep muddy sections, and present no major trail-building challenges once brush and downed trees are cleared.

These big wins were on top of the all-important maintenance of currently open trails at Grewingk Glacier Valley, Saddle Trailhead, Grace Ridge, Sadie Knob/N-S Eldred, Tutka Lake Trail, and Water Trail sites.

Thank you to our amazing trail work leaders!

SEARCH AND RESCUE SCENARIO TRAINING

Kachemak Bay Search & Rescue (KBAYSAR) held a search-and-rescue training exercise on October 4 at Twin Rivers Wilderness on Ohlson Mountain. Eleven participants practiced setting up an incident command structure with coordinated ground search teams, patient care and litter transport, and using radios and CalTopo for communication and navigation.