News Release
Kathleen Cullen
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Contact: Katie Cullen, 907-443-6116
Bering Land Bridge NP recently granted the Sierra Club – Alaska Subcommittee a two-year permit to lead outings and service trips within park boundaries. This past week, the Sierra Club kicked off its first service trip alongside Bering Land Bridge staff at Serpentine Hot Springs for the annual maintenance trip.Serpentine Hot Springs is the most visited and accessible portion of the preserve. Granite monoliths, also known as tors, stick out of rolling hills encircling a small pool of hot water. It is a strange land, but alluring just as well. It is no coincidence it has drawn people for thousands of years and continues to do so today.
A bathhouse, outhouse, bunkhouse, and gravel airstrip support visitation to this area, but after a year of use, it is in need of much TLC. Long summer days give ample time to tackle a list of chores and to-do’s. The list of accomplishments is lengthy, but includes clearing and leveling the airstrip, maintaining the boardwalk and other wooden structures, hauling out trash, scrubbing the bathhouse, and securing the outhouse.
During the afternoons, presentations on geology, wilderness survival, and interpretive techniques were shared from both organizations. When NPS staff and Sierra Club participants were not battling mosquitoes, they found respite in the bathhouse, shared dinners, and even participated in the occasional dance party. Working communally in a remote part of the world comes with its own rewards.
As for now, both Sierra Club and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve are eager to continue their partnership.
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Last updated: July 5, 2019