Alaska Public Media © 2024. All rights reserved.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Volunteering in the outdoors | Outdoor Explorer

(Courtesy of Alaska Trails)
(Courtesy of Alaska Trails)

Volunteers contribute immensely to our ability to access and enjoy the outdoors. Whether building and maintaining trails, organizing races, teaching and mentoring beginners, pulling invasive weeds, picking up trash or serving as board members, volunteers are the core of the outdoor community. Volunteers also require work and commitment from the organizations they contribute to.

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:
Kikkan Randall, Executive Director, Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage
Maya Kaup, Volunteer and Communication Coordinator, Alaska Trails
Mike Morganson, Single Track Advocates and a volunteer with Alaska Trails
Peter Taylor, President, Mountaineering Club of Alaska

LINKS:
Alaska Trails Volunteer Opportunities Page Alaska Trail Stewards Page Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage Mountaineering Club of Alaska Single Track Advocates Habitat for Humanity

Paul Twardock is a Professor of Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University, where he has worked since 1988. He is the author of Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound and help found the Alaska Sea Kayaking Symposium/Paddle Sport Fun Day. At APU he teaches a variety of undergraduate classes included Sea Kayaking, Recreation Program Design, Nordic Skiing, The Business of Recreation, and Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts.  Paul received his BS in Outdoor Recreation from Western Illinois University, went to work instructing for NOLS in Alaska, then received his MBA from APU.  Paul’s  research includes monitoring of campsites in Prince William Sound and Chugach State Park for human impact, trail use in Chugach State Park, and the Alaska Recreational Boating Safety Incident Database. His passions include sea kayaking, river boating of all sorts, hiking, mountain running, climbing, skiing of any kind, and birding.  One of his last adventures involved a mule ride. Paul is one of several hosts for Outdoor Explorer.