Rotary Park reopens after black bear sighting

The 52-acre Rotary Park on Funny River Road in Soldotna is open again.

The park reopened Thursday after being temporarily closed due to bear activity. A mother black bear and her three cubs were reported to be in the park late Wednesday, and 10-15 park users had to vacate the area.

City officials reopened the park, said Soldotna Parks and Recreation Director Andrew Carmichael, after going back out to survey it with members of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The bears appeared to have cleared out.

Carmichael cautioned park users to “still be on the lookout, because it’s their world.”

Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Foliage surrounds the Soldotna Police Department sign on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs $170,000 for new police camera system

The existing system was purchased only during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2024.

File
Potential remains of missing Texas boaters discovered in sunken vessel

The vessel capsized 16 miles west of Homer in Kachemak Bay in August.

Council member Alex Douthit speaks during a meeting of the Kenai City Council in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai loosens restrictions on employee purchase of city property

Municipal officers like city council members are still prohibited from buying property.

Mount Spurr is seen from the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, on May 11, 2025. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Likelihood of Spurr eruption continues to decline

Spurr is located about 61 miles away from Kenai and 117 miles away from Homer.

Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce President Dawson Slaughter (left) and Susie Myhill, co-owner of Anchor River Lodge and co-chair for the chamber’s sign committee, unveil the new “most westerly highway point” sign on Tuesday in Anchor Point. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Anchor Point chamber unveils new highway sign

The sign marks the “most westerly” highway point in North America.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
1 dead in Anchor River vehicle turnover

Alaska State Troopers were notified at 7:46 a.m. of a vehicle upside down in the Anchor River.

The barge, crane, and first pile of rock for the Kenai Bluff Stabilization Project is seen during a break in work at the bank of the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai bluff project underway

A roughly 5,000-foot-long berm will be constructed from the mouth of the Kenai River to near the city dock.

Seward Fire Department stands under cloudy skies in Seward, Alaska, on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward, Bear Creek fire departments rescue man from 700-pound boulder

The Seward Fire Department was called around noon on Saturday to headwaters of Fourth of July Creek.

VFW Post 10221 member Eric Henley performs the battlefield cross during a Memorial Day ceremony held at the Anchor Point Kallman Cemetery on Monday, May 26, 2025, near Anchor Point, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
‘A solemn day of remembrance’

Memorial Day services were held on the lower Kenai Peninsula on Monday.

Most Read