Thank you for your Testimony! There is still more to be done.
Wow!!! Thank you, SRC Community!!
Thank you to all that showed up by phone, email, and in person last night to tell the Mat Su Borough Assembly what you think about the West Susitna Access Road.
What a long evening and an excellent showing with amazing testimony from a range of stakeholders including landowners, recreational users, lodge owners in the area, and constituents from other parts of the Mat-Su valley.
There were a total of 24 commenters and a solid handful of written testimony with only one person in favor of the project.
After more than an hour of testimony and a short break, AIDEA gave a PowerPoint presentation and proceeded to answer, with truths, half-truths, and full-on misleading information until 10:30.
They finally, after being asked by multiple Assembly members confirmed that the public access will only go to the Big Su - though did not specify if that cost was part of their project.
At that time, the Assembly voted to postpone the vote until the 21st to allow for time to get more information and incorporate an outreach plan.
You can watch the recorded meeting on the Borough Facebook page.
Save the Date:December 21, 2021
As a result of your strong testimony, the Mat Su Borough Assembly voted to postpone the official vote for the West Susitna Access Road Phase III MOU to December 21, 2021 @ 6PM.
At this meeting, AIDEA will be required to share how, exactly, they will perform outreach. It was argued last night that outreach will be done during the NEPA 404 wetlands permit acquisition-- but no outreach has been done up until now, and waiting for the final permitting for public input is not how a democratic public process works.
The West Susitna watershed will need your voice, once again, to tell the Borough what you think about this project, why it is a bad idea for our community, and what the area means to you.
The Borough listened to it's constituents at this last meeting, let's overwhelm them with our opposition, once again.
We will be sending out details for participation with talking points as before the meeting.
Mark your calendars and spread the word! Let's show up in force!
Winter Speaker Series Event: Caribou Management in the Susitna Watershed
December 15, 2021 @ 5:30 PM
The Nelchina caribou 40,000 strong herd travels through and lives in the Susitna Watershed.
Join us on December 15 at 5:30, for a virtual presentation on management of the Nelchina herd with Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist Heidi Hatcher. We will learn about how the herd is managed and monitored and how the watershed is important to the herd's continued success.
Heidi Hatcher has served as the Area Wildlife Biologist for the Nelchina herd since 2019. She has a B.S in Ecology and Environmental Biology and a B.A. in Spanish from Appalachian State University, and completed a M.S. in Natural Resources at University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has worked as a ski and snowboard instructors, a backpacking and paddling instructor, hiking guide, and education specialist. While not managing caribou, she enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, archery, and photography adventures with her husband, toddler, and dog.
Bring your questions for this discussion about our real-life Rudolphs.
See the Facebook Event Page and Register for the Zoom event.