District teaches love for the land
If the American frontier still exists, it’s in Alaska, where undeveloped land encompasses much of the nation’s largest state, even in areas near large cities. In Palmer, just an hour’s drive east of Anchorage, the freedom that comes with frontier life has sometimes caused damage to the beautiful landscape. Target shooting and large-scale parties have led to litter, polluted waters, and an unsafe environment for some families with houses along the streams and in the forests of the Jim Creek-Knik River region.
“The area is seen as one where you can do anything,” said Catherine Inman, the district manager for the Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District. “Maybe what was appropriate 30 years ago isn’t working now.”
It was enough of a concern that the Butte Community Council contacted the Palmer SWCD about making a difference. A one-year $10,000 coastal grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service was matched by the district in an attempt to educate residents about the importance of safety and preserving a wilderness land that houses all kinds of wildlife, including streams fostering spawning salmon and nesting trumpeter swans, and offers a variety of recreational activities.
“On a summer’s day, hundreds of people come from the city to use the trails and appreciate the scenery. It’s a world-class habitat,” said Inman, “with everything from alpine to wetlands. People like to live here for the quality of life and short commute to the city.”
The intent of the coastal grant is for habitat protection, which includes education and outreach. Inman and members of the Butte Community Council aimed to use a variety of techniques to accomplish those goals, while bring several entities together.
“The grant sought to boost coordination between a variety of landowner entities,” said Inman. Besides the borough ownership in the area, there is also Bureau of Land Management ownership, tribal ownership, and state-owned land.
Inman worked with the Butte Community Council and the Matsu Borough to develop several educational devices: Trail brochures alerted residents to safety issues, supplied conservation information and a listing of important contact numbers; a screen saver, entitled “Beauty at Our Back Door,” was designed to celebrate the area’s awesome habitat; the district hosted the community council’s trails committee meetings and volunteers used GPS to create maps that highlight trouble spots. A cost-share project with the borough produced four trailhead signs to help visitors.
Palmer SWCD found another important ally in the Alaska State Troopers, which doesn’t have enough officers to adequately patrol the area but was interested in assisting what was viewed as a valuable outreach project.
“They were very appreciative of our project,” said Inman. “The troopers recognized that the education helps their enforcement. The two go hand-in-hand.”
According to Inman, the progress thusfar has been encouraging.
“We’re getting there,” she said, “but we’re certainly not there yet.”