Spenard

Stories of Fish Creek

In Anchorage’s Spenard neighborhood, the Fish Creek connects everyone. The Dena’ina name for Fish Creek is “Ch’atanaltsegh,” meaning yellow water comes out. In 2021, we worked with local partners to develop and install the Stories of Fish Creek project. This initiative created and installed six culturally relevant interpretive signs along the Fish Creek Trail to bring art, culture, and storytelling to this outdoor space. 

The following artists and storytellers made this project possible: Alexandra and Lee Post, Jane Peyton Johnson, Holly Mititquq Nordlum, Scott Clendaniel, and Rhonda Scott.

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Stories of Fish Creek is a collaborative effort with Spenard and Turnagain Community Councils, Anchorage Park Foundation, and Anchorage Parks & Recreation, and thanks to the support from AARP Livable Communities, AARP Alaska, and NeighborWorks America.

Spenard residents recently worked to rehabilitate its local greenbelt trail along Fish Creek. The trail connects to schools, a recreation center, six neighborhood parks, and many residential streets. In 2019, the community celebrated the new trail surfacing, bridge upgrades, and added lighting. Since then, trail use doubled: in April-May 2017 Fish Creek trail averaged 700 daily users, compared to 1,450 daily users in April-May 2020!  The interpretive signs project was completed in Fall 2021, but due to supply chain delays and frozen ground over winter, the signs were installed in July 2022.  

Fish Creek Trail Survey

In early 2022, NWAK participated in the Success Measures’ Creative Community Development Evaluation program for the Stories of Fish Creek project. This included a community survey to assess the link between creative placemaking and residents’ desire to live in a community and their sense of pride and belonging, and a focus group discussion to measure components of community connectedness. Data for both were collected in spring 2022. Thank you to Spenard community members who shared their thoughts in our survey!