The Kachemak Bay Birders’ next trip will be to the Anchor River on Saturday, Aug. 18. Meet in the parking lot at Islands and Ocean Visitor Center at 7:45 a.m. to car pool or at the parking lot by the boat launch area at the Anchor River at 8:30 a.m. There will be a high tide then which will make it easier to view birds out over the water. Bring binoculars, field guide and a spotting scope if you have one. (There is a $5 parking fee at the campground.)

All Kachemak Bay Birding trips are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. All trips are free and everyone is welcome to attend. The leader for this trip is Michelle Michaud, and for more information contact her at 907-399-3159.

Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch holds a big tide haul beach clean-up 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Anchor Point beach and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Deep Creek Beach. Meet at the tractor launch in Anchor Point and at the boat launch near the mouth of Deep Creek. Wear weather-appropriate clothes and bring snacks or lunch and water. Trash bags will be provided. For more information, call 971-207-1649 or visit Stream Watch on Facebook.

Central Peninsula Landfill and Transfer Facilities and Sites are open on Sundays. All facilities will be open seven days per week. For more information, call the Kenai Peninsula Borough Solid Waste Department at 907-262-9667.

Kachemak Crane Watch asks that residents report crane sightings. Sandhill Crane colts are practicing their flying skills in preparation for full flight. It takes 60 to 70 days from hatching to fledging. Please report any Crane colts fully flying (fledged) to Kachemak Crane Watch. Let them know where and when the colts were able to fly off with the adults. Include your specific location and other information you care to share.

If the colts you have been watching have disappeared or died, please let Crane Watch know as well. If you know how they died, please include that information too. Successful fledging and mortality reports help Kachemak Crane Watch determine nesting success for the year compared to previous years. Your citizen science reports are vital to KCW monitoring of the nesting season. Send reports to reports@cranewatch.org or call 907-235-6262.

Faith Lutheran Church preschool classes begin Aug. 27. Classes run three hours in the morning or afternoons from two to five times a week. Starting this fall, Kristi Wickstrom will be the preschool teacher. Faith Lutheran’s preschool has been in operation for 20 consecutive years. Wickstrom was a teacher for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and worked with 3 to 5-year-old students. Parents interested in ernolling their children can call Faith Lutheran at 235-7600 or email faithlut@gci.net.

The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve seeks public comment at its Community Council meeting to be held noon Sept. 19 at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center Auditorium. Pursuant to the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, a public meeting will be held as part of the federal performance evaluation of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The meeting will be held in conjunction with the Quarterly Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Community Council Meeting The purpose of the meeting is to receive public comments regarding the operation and implementation of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Written comments are encouraged, and participation at the public meeting is not required for submission. Written comments should be sent to Jean Tanimoto, Lead Evaluator, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, NOAA Inouye Regional Center (NOS/OCM), 1845 Wasp Blvd, Bldg 176, Honolulu, HI 96818 or via email to jean.tanimoto@noaa.gov no later than Friday, Sept. 28.

The South Peninsula Amateur Radio Club (SPARC), based in Homer, offers free classes to assist in passing the FCC examination to become a licensed Technician class operator. Classes will meet all four Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29. Testing for all three licenses, Technician, General and Amateur Extra, will be held Thursday, Oct. 4.

Both the classes and the testing will be held at the Homer Library. For more information, contact Ken Adams, ae7es.sparc@gmail.com, or Dennis Weidler, JD@weidcomm.com or 304-1057 (text or phone).

Wearable Arts returns this year for a show on Nov. 17 at Land’s End Resort. Sponsored by the Homer fiber Arts Collective in collaboration with Bunnell Street Arts Center, fiber artists near and far are invited to submit works. This year’s theme is “Time Travel.” Entries are due the weekend of Nov. 10 and 11. Anchorage fiber artist Keren Lowell will be doing sewing workshops in October at a time and place to be announced. For more information, contact Kari Multz at 299-6915 or Lynne Burt at 235-5380.

Anchor Point Senior Citizens

The Anchor Point Senior Center on Milo Fritz Road is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday. The center serves Thursday night dinners starting at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Bingo is at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. on Friday nights. The Helping Hands Thrift Store is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exercise sessions are at 10 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. For information, call 235-7786.

Friendship Center

Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations. Programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. Call 235-4556.

Homer Senior Citizens

The Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday in the senior center conference room. Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The menu for this week is: Thursday, roast beef; Friday, seafood linguini; Monday, spinach lasagna; Tuesday, rosemary Cornish game hens; Wednesday, beef stroganoff; next Thursday, roast pork.

Strong Women classes are 1:30-2:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center. Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center.

Tai chi classes are Thursdays at 3 p.m. Duplicate Bridge meets at 1 p.m. Thursdays. Call Daniel Weisser at 235-4555.

Duplicate Bridge is $3 for members and $5 for non-members. Strong Women, Zumba and Tai Chi are $5 for members and $7 for non-members.

Pratt Museum

Galleries are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ongoing activities: Fish Feedings are 4-5 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays in the Marine Gallery. Fish Feeding is fun and all are welcome.

Kachemak Bay Campus

Registration for all fall credit courses is now open at https://www.kpc.alaska.edu/academics/schedule/ for classes including painting, marine biology, welding, intro to law, Unity3D gaming, geology, Hatha yoga, ground source heat pump, history of Alaska and more. Sign up now, pay later.

Degree-seeking students: call 235-7743 for an advising appointment for fall classes and stop by the campus, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for information. Classes begin Aug. 27.

Sign up on easy community education website at www.kbcnoncredit.asapconnected.com for Chinese painting, fruit trees, watercolor, QGIS, QuickBooks, marine technology and many more.

There will be a public reading by award-winning visiting writer Hannah Tinti at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, co-sponsored by 49 Writers. Tinti is the author of three books of fiction. Her short story collection, “Animal Crackers,” was a runner-up for the PEN/Hemingway award. Her best-selling novel, “The Good Thief,” is a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her new novel, “The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley” has been optioned to become a film. It has been nominated for an Edgar Award, and was named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, The Washington Post and Paste Magazine.