While 2023 saw the closest thing to a “return to normalcy” since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, actual COVID numbers and hospitalizations were reported to be rising for the first few months of the year before dropping to unprecedented lows. With a drastic decrease in demand for on-site tests and vaccines, the South Peninsula COVID-19 testing and vaccine site closed its doors, giving way to at-home testing and treatment at the regular hospital facilities.
On Thursday, Dec. 7, community members gathered for the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust’s Annual Meeting to celebrate peatlands. Over 20 years of partnership between KHLT and the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, coupled with the City of Homer’s enthusiasm for green infrastructure to manage stormwater, and community support to conserve carbon in peatlands, has resulted in a significant project to purchase peatlands along Kachemak Drive for conservation and nature-based solutions to manage stormwater runoff.