It's no secret that the residents of Anchorage value this beautiful place that we call home. According to a 2009 United Way Community Assessment, 92 percent of Anchorage residents believe Anchorage's natural environment contributes to their overall physical and mental well-being. Now we have the opportunity to provide public coastal access at Campbell Creek while ensuring that it remains available for the salmon, birds and moose that call it home. Adding Campbell Creek Estuary to the park system will not only benefit residents of Anchorage but will be of minimal cost to the city due to the support of individuals, local organizations and the state.
The Great Land Trust has secured $6.8 million from private donors, foundations and state and federal grants to buy the 60-acre parcel at the mouth of Campbell Creek. Some grant funds go through the city, but no Anchorage tax money would be used. The current owners have rejected suggestions of developing the property in favor of protecting the entirety of the site, both wetlands and uplands.
We understand the mayor's concerns about the costs of adding more land to the park system. That's why we've raised more than $125,000 to remove the old buildings on the site and to install low-maintenance trails. Part of the trust's long-term role with the property will be to monitor it for damage and vandalism. We have funding for an endowment to cover expenses related to any violations, such as junk cars.
The state has offered to manage the third of the property within the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge and to cover any costs associated with violations there. Friends of the Anchorage Wildlife Refuge and the Anchorage Park Foundation have committed to being stewards of the Campbell Creek Estuary Park. These combined efforts of multiple partners will maintain this as open space and a park that Anchorage residents can be proud of.
We understand and appreciate the mayor's concern about additional costs that the city may incur with new park land. However, numerous studies have shown that new development does not pay for itself. Certainly the costs of building trails are less than the costs of extending roads, water and sewer to a new neighborhood. The cost to maintain open space and a park with minimal trails are much less than the costs associated with maintaining roads and utilities in a new neighborhood. And the Great Land Trust, the state and other organizations have already offered to provide resources to monitor and maintain the park.
Purchasing this property fulfills the requirement to mitigate for other development that has occurred in the Anchorage bowl. Whenever wetlands are filled for new construction, the Corps of Engineers requires that wetlands elsewhere be protected. Developers who have already built new subdivisions and commercial properties on wetlands in Anchorage have paid mitigation fees into a fund.
The Great Land Trust plays a critical role in finding properties with wetlands that can be conserved with this mitigation fund (see ADN Jan. 9, 2010). The Campbell Creek Estuary property is a perfect fit because of its high quality wetlands, owners committed to conserving it and the priority that municipal plans have placed on protecting this property. The trust partnered with the municipality on a similar project when it purchased 30 acres at the Fish Creek Estuary with these funds and donated that land along the coastal trail to the city.
Another part of the funding for Campbell Creek Estuary is mitigation for the loss of 135 acres of coastal wetlands at the city's Port of Anchorage expansion. State and federal agencies have given this property high marks for wetland mitigation.
Campbell Creek Estuary is more valuable to our community as a park than as a subdivision. We must act now on this rare opportunity to add this unique place to our open space and park lands so that it can be enjoyed by our entire community and not just a few. Tell the mayor and the Assembly to accept the donation of this land to our park system.
Dick LeFebvre is a Great Land Trust board member and recently retired as deputy commissioner of the state Department of Natural Resources.
By DICK LeFEBVRE