The Tripod, December 2013

Thank you for renewing your membership in the Alliance. Annual meeting The annual membership meeting of the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance took place on November 20 and 21 at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage. The 20th was a workshop day for the board. Continued support was expressed for securing funding to continue the Iditarod Trail to Every Classroom (iTREC!) Program, for the completion of the southern track of the trail on the Kenai Peninsula, a presence at the State Fair, the Iditarod Trail Easement Project, working with the Iditarod Trail Committee on trail clearing, exploring grant opportunities, increasing membership and taking every opportunities to publicize the Alliance and the Historic Trail.

On the 21st the winners of the election for board members were announced: Seat E Cook Inlet/Susitna Region- Judy Bittner, Seat F Kuskokwim Region- Mike Tierney, Seat G At Large #2- Dan Seavey and Seat H At Large #3- Debby Retherford. There were also reports by the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, trail organizations, the Iditarod Trail Committee and reports on the iTREC! Program and the Trail Easement Project. Representatives of the Donlin Gold project and the Chugach Electric Transmission Line project talked about the impact of their projects on the Trail.

Kevin Keeler, BLM Iditarod Historic Trail Administrator, gave a report on BLM Iditarod Trail activities, among which were: 258 miles of trail were signed this year, the Alliance providing $22,000 of the total cost of $35,000, safety cabins were maintained and the BLM provided refreshments and activities at the end of the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race at the Campbell Creek Science Center. The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance promotes public awareness of the Iditarod Trail and its gold rush and Alaska Native heritage, encouraging education programs and historical research, working to protect, improve, maintain and mark the trail and developing partnerships that foster stewardship commitments and support from land owners, local communities and other organizations.

The trail for all seasons Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance PO Box 2323, Seward AK 99664 IditarodHTA@gmail.com http://www.Iditarod100.org Leslie Schick, Dept. of Natural Resources, in charge of the Easement Project, reported on that Project, which has secured easements and rights of way for all but about 300 miles of the Trail. Attla promotes mushing Alliance officers for 2014 elected at the annual meeting, left to right: Jules Mead, Treasurer, Wasilla, Leo Rasmussen, Secretary, Nome, Jonathan Sewall, Vice President, Seward, and Judy Bittner, President, Anchorage. From the past… “Iditarod Pioneer” December 28, 1917 Alaska Native musher George Attla says he wants to see a revival of his sport among young people in villages. “Years ago, there was a lot of pride in our dog mushing.” Attla said at the first Alaskans Institute Elders and Youth Conference on October 22.

Attla won the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship title eight times and the Open North American Championship 10 times. Attla teaches mushing to students in the village of Huslia through the Frank Attla Youth and Sled Dog Care Mushing Program. The program, which is named for his son, started last year and is run with volunteers and with dog food donated by a manufacturer. Attla hopes to persuade the state to add the program to the school curriculum in Huslia. He also hopes to see competitive youth dog mushing programs take off around Alaska. Trail Centennial In January 1914 the first mail contract for mail delivery between Seward and Iditarod was granted. It called for weekly deliveries between November 1 and April 1.