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If you ever try walking around Cooper Landing, you'll find out fast -- you can't.

Deb Carlson knows this all too well.

"We basically have less than a mile of any dedicated area at all," she said. "You have to get in the car just to go to the post office."

Carlson, along with several other community members, is attempting to solve Cooper Landing's problem for pedestrians by hosting a Walkable Workshop Tuesday and Wednesday at the Cooper Landing Community Hall.

Dan Burden, who's nationally recognized for his work on making communities more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly, will be the keynote speaker Tuesday morning.

The rest of the day will include a walking audit of existing walkable trails as well as discussion from local residents -- meaning anyone who uses the trail systems.

Day two of the two-day event will focus on coming up with and implementing a plan to make Cooper Landing more walker-friendly. Various state agencies, too, will be speaking on their involvement in the project, specifically what individual role each can play to make the goal a reality.

Those agencies include representatives from the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, as well as staff from Sen. Murkowski's office and Rep. Don Young's office.

"We're trying to elevate the image that a community exists. People live here," said Carlson, chair of the Cooper Landing walkable community committee.

Cooper Landing is a town, not just a road, she added.

Carlson said the committee's ultimate goal is for people to one day be able to safely walk around the entire town. As it stands now, people are forced to walk or bike down a narrow, heavily traveled road, she said.

It would be an upgrade to the community, Carlson added.

The idea started about five years ago when Carlson first heard Burden speak. The impact he made on her wasn't forgotten.

This past February, Carlson put on a PowerPoint presentation, discussing the possibility of making Cooper Landing more pedestrian-friendly.

The community overwhelmingly supported the idea.

"People just literally threw money at me," Carlson said. "It has been one of the most unifying themes we've had here in a long time."

She said the idea has untied youths, elders, business owners and tourists.

"It's something people really want," Carlson said.

Carlson's committee has since partnered with the Native village of Eyak, who's donating some money to help fund Burden's visit.

Carlson said she isn't look too far into the future and just wants to discuss the possibility of making Cooper Landing a walkable community.

"We hope to engage the people that can help us," she said.

The workshop will run from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesday and from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Wednesday. For more information on the event, contact Carlson at 907-595-1455 or e-mail her at carlsons@arctic.net.

Mike Nesper can be reached at mike.nesper@peninsulaclarion.com.