A new 300-acre park near Potter Marsh aims to preserve crucial wetlands

2 months ago

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A female successful a bluish blazer and pinkish garment gives a circuit connected a committee walk

Ellen Kazary stood connected nan boardwalk astatine Anchorage’s Potter Marsh, peering down astatine nan grassy wetlands below.

“You tin really spot nan food jumping retired of nan h2o correct now, which is fabulous,” she said. “They’re teeny tiny. You’re conscionable seeing a small achromatic aliases metallic flash.”

Kazary is nan executive head of Great Land Trust. For decades, unit astatine nan section nonprofit person dreamed of protecting 300 acres of onshore adjacent to nan celebrated Potter Marsh park. Now, they’re finalizing a woody to acquisition that onshore and transportation it to nan metropolis for nationalist use.

Kazary said that intends much places for picnicking, hiking and cross-country skiing. But possibly astir important: It will sphere a important portion of nan ecosystem, including nan food she watched connected a caller afternoon.

“Part of what we get to do is protect nan h2o that’s feeding each of this, making it imaginable to person specified a great, full-functioning ecosystem,” Kazary said.

The caller spot contains a web of creeks and mini streams that provender into nan southbound extremity of Potter Marsh. Joe Meehan, who utilized to negociate Potter Marsh, erstwhile told Kazary that if nan h2o root from those streams were trim off, Potter Marsh would fundamentally go a cesspool, pinch nary caller h2o coming into it.

“Him telling maine that, it conscionable sat successful my head,” Kazary said. “Like, this is thing we really person to do, because nan wildlife that relies connected Potter Marsh that migrates done each twelvemonth and each nan visitors who emotion watching that, we dangle connected that marsh staying healthy.”

Great Land Trust has spent years securing complete $6 cardinal to bargain 200 acres of adjacent onshore from telecommunications institution GCI. The spot is presently moving connected raising nan last $500,000 for nan purchase. The metropolis is besides adding 100 acres from nan Heritage Land Bank.

Together, those 300 acres will make nan caller Potter Marsh Watershed Park. The area is location to much than conscionable fish. Ann Rappoport, president of nan Rabbit Creek Community Council, lives correct adjacent to nan property, and has seen moose, bears, lynx, porcupines and tons of migratory birds.

“This is really nan past spot of unfastened abstraction that goes from oversea level fundamentally to tundra, truthful there’s tremendous wildlife movements here,” Rappoport said.

A man successful a achromatic vest walks pinch his grandson connected a boardwalk.

When Rappoport’s children were young, she said, they would regularly usage nan area, moreover though it wasn’t technically nationalist land. Every twelvemonth connected her daughter’s birthday, they would spell sledding connected a hill, complete a mile long, connected nan property.

Rappoport said that complete nan past 39 years she’s lived successful nan vicinity aggregate developers person considered building lodging connected nan land, truthful she’s grateful that it will beryllium preserved for others to research successful nan future.

“As Rabbit Creek Community Council, we meet monthly and we look astatine immoderate developments successful our area,” Rappoport said. “We person ever recommended that it would beryllium amended for this area to stay unfastened space.”

Kazary said that group for illustration Rappoport who person agelong utilized nan area person made it easier to move it into a park. There are already astir 3 and a half miles of “social trails” – trails that person been made from group and animals stepping successful nan area.

“The adjacent measurement will beryllium moving pinch nan organization and nan municipality of Anchorage connected a maestro scheme for what nan parkland tin look for illustration into nan future,” Kazary said. “It’s conscionable bully because we person nan breathing room that that doesn’t person to hap immediately.”

The caller spot will beryllium unfastened to nan nationalist arsenic soon arsenic nan acquisition is finalized. Kazary said this is apt to hap by nan extremity of January. She is looking guardant to seeing Anchorage residents and visitors from astir nan world usage nan caller park.

“They’ll get to spot conscionable a small spot much of what’s successful our very ain backyards and get to bask that, Kazary said. “It’s conscionable going to beryllium a joyousness to watch.”

Source Alaska Public