Around the Peninsula

Four-week class promotes change

Skills for Personal Change, a four-week class, will be held Tuesdays through March 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Kenai Peninsula College. Participants will be asked to select one personal behavior to work on as a project to practice self-change skills.

Presenters will be on hand and topics will include behavior modification, tools necessary for behavior change and healthier thinking patterns.

For more information, or to preregister, call the Cooperative Extension Service at 262-5824. There is a $20 fee for the class. Scholarships are available upon request.

Open house focuses on dogs

The Peninsula Dog Obedience Group will hold an open house Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in conjunction with Responsible Pet Owners Month. There will be demonstrations and discussions on obedience, agility, clicker training, conformation, tricks and skijoring, plus videos and printed literature, all promoting fun and positive activities to do with dogs.

Groups represented at the open house will include the Kenai Kennel Club, Kenai and Soldotna animal shelters, Peninsula Retrievers Association, 4-H Guide Dog Program and Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management.

There also will be refreshments and prizes. For more information, call 262-6846 or 283-7515.

Workshop held at senior center

A free workshop on long-term care will be held Thursday at the Kenai Senior Center at 10:30 a.m. Long term care specialists will be on hand to review insurance options and choices as well as asset protections. For more information, call (800) 526-9999, ext. SWA041CS.

Bed and breakfast association to meet

The Kenai Peninsula Bed and Breakfast Association will meet Saturday at 1 p.m. at Posey's Hideaway. The meeting will include discussions on effective networking among members and marketing World Wide Web pages. For more information, call 262-7526.

Bear viewing applications available

Applications are now available for permits to view brown bears at McNeil River State Game Sanctuary.

All applications must be postmarked no later than March 1 and must arrive in Anchorage by March 15. Applications cannot be accepted in person or by fax.

The non-refundable application fee is $25 per person. Three people may apply on a single application. Approximately 250 permits will be awarded by lottery.

The bear viewing season is early June through late August. Regular permits are good for four days and are $150 for Alaska residents and $350 for nonresidents. Standby permits are available, but they do not guarantee access to Mikfik or McNeil Falls. Viewing is limited to 10 people a day.

Applications may be obtained at any Alaska Department of Fish and Game office or may be downloaded from the Fish and Game Web site at: www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/wildlife.wildmain .htm.

Soldotna, Nikiski economic forums planned

The Soldotna Economic Forum will be held March 5 and 7 at the Soldotna Sports Center.

The North Peninsula Economic Forum will be held March 10 at the Agrium Meeting Facility on North Miller Loop Road at 9 a.m.

Both forums are free of charge and open to the public. For more information or to preregister, call 283-3335.