BLM-Alaska Hosts Dog Mushing Tweet Chat #blmiditachat on Twitter
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Anchorage – Just in time for Iditarod season, the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska is hosting a Twitter #blmiditachat on Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon AKST. The tweet chat will focus on all things mushing. School children from classrooms across the country will get their questions about the race answered straight from the mushers mouths. Some of their sled dogs might even make an appearance! The tweet chat will also be open to questions from anyone in the twittersphere.
Participating 2014 Iditarod contenders include Iditarod Sled Dog Race rookie Lisabet Skogan Norris and veteran Iditarod musher Dan Kaduce. Other veteran mushers not racing in this year’s Iditarod will also be on hand to answer questions, including Jodi Bailey, Mike Suprenant, Liz Parrish, and Alan Peck.
In addition to the Iditarod mushers, teacher Heidi Sutter will participate from her classroom in Slana. Sutter placed 12th in this year’s Copper Basin 300 sled dog race as a rookie and is a contender for the Yukon Quest 300. BLM employee Karen Deatherage will discuss recreational mushing, including her experiences with Denali National Park dogs, skijoring, and kicksledding. More mushers are being added to the cadre every day.
The BLM serves as the administrator for the Iditarod National Historic Trail and hosts the finish to the Anchorage Iditarod ceremonial start at BLM’s Campbell Tract in Anchorage. The BLM also issues recreation permits for other events on the Iditarod National Historic Trail and the Yukon Quest route, and is a partner in the Iditarod Trail to Every Classroom! (ITREC!) teacher training program. The 2014 Iditarod marks the 42nd running of the race on the Iditarod National Historic Trail.
To participate in the tweet chat, visit www.twitter.com/BLMAlaska and use #blmiditachat on February 11. Classrooms can also submit questions to the BLM in advance by email at blmalaska@blm.gov or as a direct messages on Twitter to @BLMAlaska. For more information on the tweet chat go to www.blm.gov/ak/blmiditichat.
“Our goal for this year’s tweet chat is to get students involved and thinking about the environment, history, culture, and the outdoors,” said BLM Alaska State Director Bud Cribley. “Getting involved gives us a sense of stewardship for the public lands that make races like the Iditarod and Yukon Quest possible.”
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.