We are well into the holiday season. Despite the wacky weather of snow, wind, rain, and cold, we hope you have been making the most of the shifting seasons across the Susitna Watershed.
As we head into the gifting season, consider supporting the Susitna River Coalition while you are making your holiday purchases.
We have some great new items: a new Wild Su Feast cookbook, insulated food containers, fun stickers, and logo tees and sweatshirts. Show your love for the Su by shopping with your local conservation
nonprofit.
2024 Mat Su Borough Legislative Priorities
The Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted on its 2024 State and Federal Legislative Priorities at the November 21st, 2023 Assembly meeting. While the Susitna River Coalition was in support of many of the priorities listed, we had concerns about one in particular.
The West Susitna Industrial Corridor was an item included in the State Legislative Priorities. As the Assembly approached the topic, it was clear that they did not have an adequate handle on what they were voting on or the very basics of the project. The item was discussed at length by the Assembly, but in the end was supported by the Assembly persons.
It was disheartening that our representatives would vote on supporting a project without a basic understanding of the project and against repeated opposition of the public.
KTNA covered the discussion and states that "The West Susitna Access Road project will remain in the Borough’s legislative priorities, though it is still unclear if they support the State’s proposal, AIDEA’s proposal, or both."
Read the KTNA article leading up to the Assembly meeting here and the article summarizing the meeting here.
Upcoming Events
Anadromous Fish Surveys in the Remote Mat Su
Zoom and FacebookLive
Despite being the fastest growing region in Alaska, there are still holes in knowledge about where salmon can be found in the Mat-Su. This is particularly true of the roadless areas in our region.
During the 2022 and 2023 field seasons, Tyonek Tribal Conservation District, (TTCD) staff members surveyed sites in the remote Mat-Su and along the West Cook Inlet road system for anadromous fish. These efforts resulted a total of 28.7 additional miles to the Anadromous Waters Catalog in this region.
Join the Susitna River Coalition as we welcome Andy Wizik and Jillian Jablonski from the Tyonek Tribal Conservation District on December 5th at 6PM on Zoomand Facebook Live to learn more about what was learned.
Register in advance here, or see the Facebook Event Page.
Mat-Su Borough Waterbody Setback
Advisory Board
Since December 2022, we have been engaging with the potential repeal of the Mat-Su Borough Riparian Setback Ordinance. The Susitna River Coalition and so many members of the public made their voice heard regarding the importance of riparian zones, building setbacks, and responsible development in our rapidly growing borough.
In response to community engagement and extensive public comment, the Borough approved the formation of an Advisory Board to address the issues with the ordinance.
The second meeting will be on Thursday, December 14th, at 6PM.
See the Borough Agenda for more information.
You can also sign up for updates from the Borough here.
As this advisory board meets and begins to revise the Mat-Su Borough Setback Ordinance, community voices will be integral to making sure that the final product benefits salmon, water quality, and the riparian habitat so vital to our watershed.
Susitna Basin Recreation Rivers Plan Revision
Advisory Board Meeting
January 10, 2024
The Susitna Basin Recreation Rivers Management Plan is currently undergoing state agency review.
The Department of Natural Resources is going to release a draft plan for public review early in 2024.The draft plan will be available on the project webpage after public notice is issued.
The Susitna Basin Recreation Rivers Advisory Board intends to hold their next meeting on January 10th, 2024 via Microsoft Teams. More information on this meeting will be available soon on the Advisory Board webpage.
Susitna River Coalition in Schools
SRC’s energy coordinator, June Okada, made a visit to the Talkeetna Elementary School on November 29th to talk to the 4th and 5th grade classes (teachers Meghaan Blomberg and Lori Holcolmb).
June discussed SRC’s watershed conservation work and how it relates to Energy in the Upper Su Valley. One student was able to name all 5 species of salmon that are supported by the Susitna River - very impressive! Some great questions were asked by some of the students such as “How much power can the sun make?” and “Can a dam only partially block the flow of a river?” June ended the talk with what other types of local energy sources we can use to generate power other than natural gas: Solar, wind, geothermal and tidal.
If any other schools are interested in having our staff visit them to give a presentation, please email us at info@susitnarivercoalition.org.