Homer's annual Clean-up Day party is scheduled for Saturday. Prizes will be awarded for various categories, including individuals, groups and youth, for the most trash collected. There will also be a kids' give-away grab bag for all participating children and complimentary beverages. Bags are available at the Homer Chamber of Commerce, the Homer Volunteer Fire Department and the Homer High School. All trash must be entered at the chamber visitor center parking lot on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, call 235-7740.

Woodard walk coming

Cook Inlet Keeper and the Pratt Museum are sponsoring "Woodard Walk," a presentation and field trip on Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event begins at the museum with a discussion of Cook Inlet Keeper's impervious surface study on the Bridge Creek Reservoir watershed, Homer's water source. The group will also unveil its new wetland-monitoring program, with new opportunities for citizens to become involved in caring for their local watersheds. Participants will then walk up the Woodard Creek watershed and discuss issues facing Homer's urban streams. For more information, call 235-4068.

President declares disaster

President George W. Bush this morning approved the request by Governor Frank Murkowski to declare a federal major disaster for parts of Southcentral Alaska affected by the windstorm March 6 through 14. The disaster declaration will make federal funds available to individuals, households and local and state government agencies. Affected residents and business owners can begin the disaster application process by calling (800) 621-FEMA.

Plastics recycled Sunday

Plastic recycling is now available to the Homer area on the first Sunday of the month beginning this week at the Homer High School from noon to 3 p.m. Homer Alaska Youth for Environmental Action will collect and sort the plastics, while the Kenai Peninsula Borough solid waste department will provide storage, baling and transportation. Plastics labeled "type 1," which include plastic bottles that pop and juice come in, will be recycled. Please remove the caps from the bottles. For more information, call 235-8115.

College graduation to be held

The Kachemak Bay Campus of the Kenai Peninsula College will hold its 2003 Commencement on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Homer High School's Mariner Theatre. The public is invited to attend. Visiting officials include Mark Hamilton, the University of Alaska president, as well as others. Commencement speaker will be Joe Evensen who first earned his GED and an associate of arts degree from the campus in 1992 and recently completed his doctorate in geology from the University of Oklahoma.