UPDATE: The Assembly passed the ordinance unanimously!
At its July 23 meeting, the Fairbanks Borough Assembly will be voting on whether to sell a 40-acre parcel of land to the Arctic Audubon Society. This land sale would connect two parts of the Audubon Riedel Nature Reserve and is a step in the process of developing better public access to the reserve, which has non-motorized trails.
The Arctic Audubon Society already owns property on either side of the parcel. The group has been working to develop a formal public access area to the nature reserve and this purchase will help make that happen.
If you support this sale, please let the Assembly know.
How to Advocate to the Borough Assembly
Testify at the meeting
You can speak at the meeting. You have to wait until the ordinance has its public hearing, which depends on where it is in the agenda. You can speak in person or by telephone. You have three minutes. People who sign up to testify are allowed to testify first. For more information on testifying see HERE.
The ordinance to sell the land is Ordinance No. 2026-17. You can see it HERE. It is listed as 13d in the agenda HERE.
Call or email the Assembly
To contact the full Assembly you may either send an email to the Assembly at Assembly@fnsb.gov, or use the Contact Form HERE.
You can also call or email individual Assembly members. Find their contact information HERE.
More About the Project and Reserve
The Arctic Audubon Society has written a piece describing more about the project and advocating for it HERE.
You can find out more about the nature reserve HERE. The reserve currently has access from borough land off upper Amanita Road, however, it is not marked and does not have formal parking. To find out more text Darla Theisen (907-six-eight-seven-1829) for access or Gail Mayo (907-four-six-zero-2955) for questions.
My Take
Here are the comments I sent to the Assembly. Feel free to use my comments to craft your own:
Subject
Re Ordinance No. 2026-17Dear Assembly Members,
I support adoption of Ordinance No. 2026-17. This purchase would allow the Audubon Society to connect two holdings they already own for the Audubon Riedel Nature Reserve.
In addition to creating continuity for the reserve, it would also be a step closer to the group’s goal of creating a formal entrance to the reserve. This area has no other protected greenspace. The nearest one is Birch Hill Recreation Area, which is a considerable distance away.
Protected greenspaces in outlying areas are important because informal greenspaces are often developed and/or closed off by landowners. Lots of research shows that having access to greenspaces and trails is important for the mental and physical health of nearby residents. Research has also shown that those greenspaces and trails increase nearby property values.
A government-owned park in this area would be a valuable asset to the community. In this case, a private nonprofit is the owner and would like to purchase property to expand and improve the nature reserve. That’s definitely a win-win.
Thank you for your service,
Eric Troyer
Hello! I fully support selling the 40 acre parcel to the Audubon Society. I hope you will, too!
Make sure to let the Assembly know!