HELP WANTED:
We need volunteer snowmachiner support for all Junior Chugiak Dog Mushers sled dog races. Contact Ron Kilian
E-mail

OLD NEWS: If you haven't read it ....it's news to you! - Click Here
Alaska Veterinarians Looking Out for Cases of Dog Flu; No Reports Yet
- The Associated Press November 3, 2005
The spread of the bird flu is capturing headlines, but veterinarians in Alaska are on the lookout for "dog flu". The term refers to canine influenza virus, a highly contagious respiratory disease in dogs. It has been tracked to a virus that has infected horses for decades. So far there have been no reports of the disease in Alaska. Canine influenza first drew attention in 2003 when it jumped from horses to dogs and swept through racing greyhound kennels in several southeastern states. The virus spread to companion dogs in shelters, humane societies, boarding facilities and veterinary clinics in 11 states. Earlier this month it was reported in Oregon & California. Symptoms of the disease mimic kennel cough, a common canine ailment. The first sign is a cough that may last for several weeks, followed in some dogs by lethargy, fever and thick nasal discharge. Like kennel cough, canine influenza appears to be an airborne infection so direct physical contact between dogs is not required to pass the germ. "Since the pathogen is new and not widespread yet, diagnosis is still difficult", said state veterinarian Bob Gerlach. So far there is no vaccine for the virus. However, most dogs diagnosed with canine influenza experience a mild form and the fatality rate is low. He said kennels should have a separate, isolated quarantine area and emergency treatment for dealing with dogs suspected of being ill. The area also could serve as a temporary home for newly acquired animals awaiting testing.


SHEEP MOUNTAIN 150:
The Sheep Mountain 150 dog sled race is now accepting entries. This 12-dog, 150 mile race will be held December 17-18 and is limited to the first 40 teams signed up. The race starts and finishes at Sheep Mountain Lodge on the Glenn Highway and has two, five hour layovers at Eureka Lodge.

For entry forms and more information, please go to www.sheepmountain.com or contact Zack Steer, race director at 1 877 645-5121.


Ask a Musher: Many of you have requested that the "Ask a Musher" forum remain active on this web site. We will extend the use for another year, at which time we will reevaluate it's use again..... So folks - use it or loose it. : )
Click Here to leave a message or view postings

JUNIOR MUSHERS KICK OFF FUNDRAISER
"STRAW FOR SALE" - Get ready for winter & support the junior mushers at the same time. 55lb bales of clean, dry, local straw at $6.75 per bale, $1.00 of every bale goes towards Junior Musher Programs. Taking orders now - Contact Rex at arcticpawskennel@gci.net or leave a message at 688-0445 

The Poker Fun Run and BBQ was a SPLASH!!! DA REPORT
The Chugiak Dog Mushers sponsored a fun filled day with a Poker Run, Saturday September 24th. It was a SPLASH. Entrants could hook up one to sixteen dogs per team using any type of cart, motorized or not. Rules also allowed any number of passengers per team with the objective...get the best poker hand at the end of the race, no times were recorded.

Four musher braved the wind, mud and fallen trees along the 2 mile trail. In first place was Andy Larson, second place - Jennifer Payne with one pair of Queen's, Eric Rogers finished third with a pair of sixes. The Red Lantern, in fourth place was Julie Capps, with a bad hand (it must have been, because no one documented it ). A Bar-B-Que and trail stories followed. A special thanks to the volunteers: Ed Wood, Jo Wood & Bryan Bearss.
Click here for more photos.

• Minutes Sep 21st 2005 Click Here
• CDMA Board Meeting Minutes - Sep 07, 05
  

Attention Junior Mushers - (Ages 14 to 17) Come to the round building at Pioneer Park on October 7th at 6:45 pm for a free talk about the Junior Races that Two Rivers Dog Musher’s Association is putting on this next 2005 – 2006 season. You will also hear from some experienced musher’s and see what the gear consists of.

The new post are in at Beach Lake

New Post Installed
at Staging Area
Clint Gahm, has finished installing the posts at Beach Lake staging area. What an improvement!!!

A BIG thank you to Clint for all of his hard work on this project.

To all Birchwood/Chugiak/Eagle River residents and property owners: Learn more about the future growth and development of the Birchwood/Chugiak/Eagle River area. Setting the Goals, Objectives, and Policies. Covering the following broad topics: Economic Development, Natural Environment, Land Use, & Public Facilities & Services. Soon to follow will be the Land Use Maps showing the density and location of future development.

Our Comp Plan, the Title 21 re-write, and the LDA Ordinance will have major impacts in Birchwood/Chugiak/Eagle River. Please review them all so you can let your Council and the Assembly know what parts you approve/disapprove of. Click here for more information


RACE SCHEDULE - 2005-2006 Race Schedule (PDF)

• Eagle River Classic & 6 Dog Race Results - Click Here
• Eagle River Classic Photos by John Gomes - Click Here
• Business Person's Race Results - Click Here

Junior/Senior Fun Race Results
March 20th 2004
Two "fun" races were held at Beach Lake Sled Dog Trails this past weekend. The weather was beautiful. Trails were groomed and smooth to perfection. Everyone had a fantastic day. Timers and race officials moved out of the timing tower to enjoy the sunshine.
Click Here for Junior 3 Dog 2 Mile Race Results and Junior/Senior 3 Dog 3 Mile race results.

Egil Ellis holds off Streeper at the Open North American Championship
Fairbanks, Alaska March 22nd 2004
Defending champion Buddy Streeper of Canada set a new thrid-day course record, but it wasn't enough to keep Egil Ellis regaining the title that Streeper took from him last year.Click Here for race results

Congratulations to all the "Mushing 36" Racers
Warm temperatures and overcast skies set the stage for the 2004 Mushing 36 sled dog race. Seven mushers took to the trails Saturday March 13th at 6 pm.John Lane grabbed first place and Paul Charron wrapped up the race with the "Red lantern".
Here are the final results:
John Lane (3:08:27) - Stacie Tarpey (3:16:23) - Rick Tarpey ( 3:22:56) - Jerry Raychel ( 3:32:24) - Mellen Shea ( 3:42:12) - Jim Lindau (3:51:21) - Paul Charron (4:07:31). Special thanks to race officials - Bill Waddell (Race Marshall) & Mary Lou Raychel & Lynda Barcome (Timers).

Beth Callis

Arctic Winter Games
by Dixie Waddell - Mar 13 2004
The 2004 Arctic Winter Games held February 28 through March 6 in Wood Buffalo, Northern Alberta, were well represented by Team Alaska dog mushers. The Dog Mushing events were three days with individual times medals given on the first and third days and total team times medals on the second day: Juvenile mushers were Andrei Cavens from Anchorage and Beth Callis from Paxton. Junior participants were Sonya Cavens from Anchorage and Monique Lambert from Eagle River. The juvenile mushers raced a 7.5 km course with four dogs on the first two days and a 10 km course using five dogs on the third day. Junior mushers raced 10 km with six dogs on the first two days and seven dogs on the third day: The events for the first day were on a lake about 25 miles out of Fort McMurray while the rest of the events were held on a river in Fort McMurray.

Andrei Cavens

Beth Callis won gold ulus, the awards, for individual competition on the first and third days and she and Andrei Cavens won gold ulus for the team competition. Andrei tied for the bronze ulu on the last day of individual competition. Sonya Cavens won the gold ulu on the last day of individual competition and finished fourth on the first day. She and Monique were silver medalists in team competition. Monique suffered a dislocated shoulder on the last day of individual competition. She insisted on driving the team to the finish. Officials allowed that and followed with a snowmachine for safety. At the finish she was rushed to the hospital where all was put right. She finished the week with a sore shoulder. Team Alaska Dog Mushing received a Fair Play pin from Team for helping that team during the events and Giselle received a Fair Play pin from an official for driving the team in when she was hurt.

It will be Alaska’s turn to host the Games in 2006 and the Kenai Peninsula is gearing up for that. We look forward to having the Games back “home.”

Staying Warm on the Trail
It’s about dead air and moisture control
by Jerry Raychel
Keeping yourself warm on the trail is a lot like keeping the inside of your house warm. Your house:Your house has a furnace. - The heat generated by the furnace needs to be contained in a vessel that limits its conductance away and prevents infiltration of cold air inside.Your house has an insulation layer. Its purpose is to trap dead air, which is the best insulator or in other words a poor conductor. The insulation generally consists of a lightweight material fiberglass or polystyrene etc with lots of tiny pockets of dead air. A good insulation layer limits heat loss by conductance. For any given insulation material the thicker the layer the less the heat loss.
Click Here for full story

Feb 4th Minutes - Click Here

MOA Title 21 Section
Mark Moderow Jan 27 2004
The MOA proposals seems to indicate that a considered look be given to the process and some sort of official position be generated. Specifically, despite what Title 17 may say about kennels and licensing, the new Title 21 sections, if adopted, would make the keeping of more than five (5) animals as "household pets" an unlawful accessory use of any residential property in the Municipality (and even most commercial and industrial property!). Specifically, "kennels...relating to household pets are not an allowed accessory use." See proposed Sec. 21.05.070.D.12. On the closely related matter, "kennels" as a commercial use are proposed to be allowed in certain commercial and industrial zones, but are only permitted subject to specific site review procedures in the new R6, R7 and R9 zones- probably to be tied to revisions to the applicable provisions of Title 17. See proposed Sec. 21.05.050.B.3. This specifies that (in addition to any Title 17 requirements) that the "kennel" be set back 100 feet from any adjacent residential use or residentially-zoned property and that "[i]n the R-5, R-6, and R-9 districts, the minimum lot size for a kennel....shall be five acres." Again, this governs a "commercial use" kennel, the differentiation between a personal mushers kennel and a commercial kennel not being made. Short read is that only grandfathered facilities would be allowed to survive, and then the continuation could prove tenuous in light of any future "conditions" or "requirements" imposed by either ordinance or just by selective enforcement. The Title 21 revision project is on-line through the Municipalities web site at: http://www.muni.org/planning/prj_Title21.cfm and the first parts of the discussion drafts of Title 21 are there.


The Banquet was a Success! Awards - Auctions - Good Food
Click here for photos

Business Person's 3-Way Tie Winners

Business Person's set new first,
a 3 way tie for first place!
Race Results - Click Here

For photos of the days events - Click here

Temperatures at -28 for Eagle River Classic
Egil Ellis holds onto first place in the final heat of the Eagle River Classic with a time of 86 minutes & 15 seconds running 14 dogs. Egil's team looked like a grand locomotive churning down the trail. Egil is the 3 -time champion of the Anchorage Fur Rondy World Championship.
For full Race Results - Click Here

First day of the Eagle River Classic
Click Here for photos

Jan 14 Club Minutes - Click Here

8 year old , Haven does a great job counting dogs for the Eagle River Classic

Trail Caution:
Sunday, January 11th. Beach lake is covered with overflow. Avoid this area until it freezes again.Please be courteous. Work your training runs around the CDMA race schedule. If you must run during race events please use the alternate trail system.


Fairbanks group saves sled dogs
RESCUE: Second Chance League finds new owners for animals.
The Associated Press - (Published: January 8, 2004)
FAIRBANKS -- An animal rescue group has formed in the Fairbanks area to help sled dogs that too often end up in the animal shelter and euthanized.Informal efforts to save sled dogs have been ongoing in the community, but this is the first official sled dog rescue organization formed in the area, where running dogs is hugely popular among some residents.The group, named the Second Chance League, involves two-time Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race champion John Schandelmeier of Paxson.Group members will scout the Fairbanks North Star Borough animal shelter to match dogs with prospective owners, said league president Lynn Orbison.The organization also will train dogs and coach would-be mushers to train dogs. The league also has a contract with the shelter to provide foster homes for promising sled dogs abandoned at the shelter until a permanent home can be found.Ten dogs currently are in the league's foster-care program."Our mission is to help sled dogs be successful," Orbison said. "I think there are a lot of people who don't want to go to the shelter, but they'll take a dog from somebody else."The fee to adopt a Second Chance League dog is equal to the shelter's $100 adoption rate.The group's organization was spurred by increased concern over the number of sled dogs abandoned at the shelter, Orbison said. The organization became official last month.Other league members are Cathy Dimon, Sherri Stephens, Carol Kleckner, Ronnie Rosenberg, Mara Bacsujlaky and Jeanne Olson, who is the manager/veterinarian at the borough animal shelter.Olson said the shelter receives about five sled dogs a week, either as strays or because their owners no longer want them. At least half are euthanized.Schandelmeier has been evaluating and training "strays and giveaways" for years, he said. Half of the musher's 10-dog team that will compete in the Copper Basin 300 Sled Dog Race this weekend are shelter dogs and strays, he said.Orbison said the league is developing a Web site and official contact number. For now, more information can be obtained from Orbison at 488-9685 or lorbison@ptialaska.net.

LOST SLED
Lost one red Extrapole Sprint sled. Lost on the morning of December 27 somewhere between Anchorage and Chugiak. If you know who has it phone Rick and Mari Cavens - Cell 632 2926, Home 349-5268, Work 276 6231

Pam Flowers is the author of Alone Across the Arctic, available in bookstores everywhere or online right here!

Pam Flowers - Musher, adventurer, writer and Iditarod veteran.
Pam will be speaking and showing slides of her Arctic adventure at 10:30 a.m. on Friday March 5, at the Millennium Anchorage Hotel. Tickets ($25.00) are available to the general public by calling 907-352-2201.Pam is an accomplished speaker and has a great story to tell. If your looking for things to do while you are in Alaska, Pam's presentation might be just what you need. Pam Flowers and her team ran the Iditarod in 1983 and that was just the beginning of her adventures.. She and her team have mushed to the Magnetic North Pole, and also made a 2,500-mile trans-arctic expedition. Her account of that fantastic journey is chronicled in Alone Across the Arctic, co-written with Ann Dixon.Her most recent release is Big Enough Anna-The Little Sled Dog Who Braved the Arctic for children, also co-written with Ann Dixon. Both authors will be present for autographing these books at the mini book fair right after Pam's presentation.

Orville Lake Memorial Race January 3th and 4th
The Alaska Sleddog Racing Association will hold a 3 dog Sportsman class – 3 Mile trail (2.5 miles) - 4 dog class – 4 Mile trail (approx. 3.4 miles) - 6 dog class – 6 Mile trail (approx. 5.8 miles) (Perimeter trail, Shield’s cutoff, right at the Airstrip, off on the Science Center cutoff, take the Home cutoff and in on the Perimeter trial.) - 8-dog class – 8 Miles trail (approx. 7.5 miles) (Perimeter trail, Shield’s cutoff, left at the Airstrip, continue on the Perimeter trail, take the Home cutoff and in on the Perimeter trail.) - Open class – Old 12 Mile (approx. 11 miles) (Perimeter trail through Muldoon swamp, left on the Airstrip, continue on the Perimeter trail, take the Home cutoff and in on the Perimeter trail.) Don't miss the action!
Click here for more info

John Wood

Local Musher - John Wood Set to Race in the Atta Boy 300 Oregon World Cup Sled Dog Race for Vision Starts January 3 - 11, 2004
Top sled dog racers from around the world, including our very own John Wood, will head to Oregon to participate and compete in the eight-day race starting January 3rd 2004. This statewide stage format race will kick off in Bend with the first stage of racing on Mt. Bachelor. The race will stage through the communities of Bend, Sisters, Prineville, Sunriver and La Pine with the final stage and finish of the race on Mt. Bachelor.
Click Here for race updates



Ft Richardson Permits:
Ft Richardson is working with us to allow training on the military base property. One of the requirements will be to fill out a permit form. If you are interested in training on Ft Richardson you MUST fill out this form Click Here
or Download (PDF file)

Lance Mackey pulls off another win at Beach Lake Trails in the "Chugiak 50"!

Mackey Sweeps the Trails
DANEWS - Dec15, 2003
Of the field of 23 mushers, including well known Iditarod veterans Dee Dee Jonrowe, Tim Osmar and Vern Halter, Lance Mackey of Kasilof, took the top place in the "Chugiak