Sean McDermott

A new organization called the Homer Trails Alliance is trying to expand trail access from Anchor Point to the Fox River area. With an increase in new property development around Homer in recent years, the group is working to both preserve existing paths and put new trails on the map.

Homer athletes, dancers and tiny tots are one step closer to having new floors at the South Peninsula Athletic & Recreation Center, known as the SPARC. Last month, the non-profit athletic facility met a fundraising goal to apply for matching grant funding to install a new floor.

A fuel tank spilled from a home between the waterfront and Sterling Highway in Homer last week, raising concerns from residents who reported smelling the fuel. After getting several calls, Cook Inletkeeper followed up on the situation in their role as an organization working to protect regional watersheds.

After growing up in Sweden, Anna Liljedahl moved to Alaska to study hydrology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She now lives in Homer, where she conducts research as an associate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, focusing on how climate change is impacting water in Arctic ecosystems.

With a statewide backlog in providing SNAP benefits, the state recently reallocated nearly $1.7 million from emergency funds to help alleviate hunger. McBride said the funding will provide some much-needed food assistance for communities around the state.

Here in Homer, Monica Anderson is a patient benefits coordinator at Seldovia Village Tribe’s Health and Wellness center. She has patients who applied for SNAP, Medicaid and Senior Benefits back in September, and are still waiting to hear from the state’s Division of Public Assistance.

The state Division of Public Assistance said in an interview in early March, it’s hired more staff to help address the months-long delay, and is making changes to improve the assistance program. In early February, the federal government took note, and wrote to formally express “grave concerns” at how Alaska was handling SNAP applications. But for now, that is little consolation for Alaskans currently trying to make ends meet without essential food assistance.

Estuaries are ecosystems where salt and fresh water mix, creating diverse habitats for marine life, and supporting the plants, animals and people that call its shores home. With spring around the corner, the waters and shoreline of Kachemak Bay are essential feeding grounds for migrating birds winging their way north.

The Alaska Board of Game will be meeting in Soldotna later this month to consider proposed changes to hunting and trapping regulations around the Kenai Peninsula — including several for the Homer area.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is gearing up for a three-year, multimillion-dollar investigation into potentially expanding Homer’s harbor. The process is just getting underway, but it’s not too early to be a part of the conversation.