Activity is not only good for physical health, but for mental health as well. Many studies suggest that incorporating exercise into one’s routine helps make them healthier and happier. It also paves the way for other good decisions, including eating healthy and better lifestyle choices. Professionals agree that it’s good to get the body moving and access to nature and trails helps people do that.
Que Natasha Casciano and Dotty Widmann, two local business owners and the visionaries behind the project Cordova Trail and Covered Spaces. Casciano and Widmann hope the project will give the community access to beautiful spaces to walk, bike, run, celebrate, meditate and meander. A motivator for the project is a current lack of covered spaces in Cordova that provide an outdoor sanctuary for people out of the rain, a weather event that occurs quite often here. Casciano, Widmann and supporters are hoping to create outdoor spaces that are inviting and keep the rain at bay.
“We started talking about it last April, thinking, what does the community need? We wanted to do something that would enrich the community. Dotty and I decided to do a fundraiser for covered spaces, and that’s how the project began,” Casciano said.
There are four different locations they are eyeing for the project, shared Casciano, and all show off different landscapes and beauty in Cordova.
“There is a great map that Kinsey Brown did. The locations are not set in stone, but the four proposed locations for the grant writing that we are doing is by Fleming Spit, the Breakwater Trailhead area by the Veteran’s Memorial, Hollis Hendricks Park and out by Skater’s Cabin,” said Casciano. “We are trying to get the city to write a resolution so that we can move forward with this grant we are working on.”
The proposed locations for the covered spaces and a map can be found on the project’s website.
The goal for each location is to potentially create the spaces along the “bay to bay route,” said Casciano, stretches from Whiteshed to Orca. The “Bay to Bay in May” bike ride and run/walk, created by Dr. Paul Gloe, is an event that Casciano wants the Cordova Trails and Covered Spaces Project to provide the accessible route for.
Casciano and Widmann shared ideas for each covered space, including showcasing vignettes by local artists that highlight the natural surroundings and displaying useful information about local, natural and Indigenous history. Other ideas include an audio tour to make it an immersive experience, a bird watching trail and spaces for people to gather.
“Each one would incorporate as much interpretative information and links as we can to help educate people who are visiting the spots,” continued Casciano.
“We want a connected trail that goes from covered space to covered space so people can travel by bike or by foot. A lot of those would be along the water,” said Widmann.
Widmann said people will be responsible for taking out their own trash since the spaces will be open.
“There will be views at each one. We would work with different agencies and decide what would each space feature…I want to make this a destination for those who live here, as well as those who visit,” Widmann said.
Several individuals in the community are lending their support to the project. The Cordova Destination Leadership Team submitted a letter in support earlier this fall.
“The Covered Spaces Project will offer new recreation opportunities, education for community members and visitors and open-air meeting spaces and venues for local community and business outings. Through activities offered enroute and information available on interpretive materials, the Cordova Covered Spaces Project also has the potential to improve ecological and cultural health. The project focuses on community needs, by creating covered areas tied together with information about culture, art, wildlife, botany and more,” read an excerpt from the letter, written by Cathy Renfeldt, executive director of the Cordova Chamber of Commerce.
The Cordova Historical Society is the fiscal sponsor for the project, Casciano shared.
For more information, to make a suggestion, lend a hand, write a letter of support and to donate to the project, visit their website: https://visitcordovaalaska.org/cordovacoveredoutdoorspacesproject.html
