Contributed by Dan and Jill Adamson
The State of Alaska has been operating a rock quarry illegally and carelessly in Talkeetna. Residents have been fighting for years to protect our community from this quarry, but have been met with only contempt from state officials.
This site has substantially impacted public parklands, wildlife patterns and our beautiful lakes. The rock crushing and processing disrupts the adjacent parkland by leaving clouds of diesel fumes hanging over the area and blasts ringing in the ears. The parks are home to miles of groomed trails beloved by participants in Talkeetna’s famous Oosik Classic ski race as well as snow-bikers, snowshoers, hikers, swimmers, paddlers, bird watchers and lovers of wellplanned natural spaces.
This quarry is surrounded by Mat-Su Borough parks and the Christiansen Lake Special Land Use District, which prevents even light industrial use. Proper permitting and safety measures have been bypassed. The quarry has ignored the EPA’s industrial permitting process that prevents pollution to air and water. There have been instances of leaking equipment and there is no storm water pollution protection plan to contain contamination from storm runoff into lakes and wetlands. The land was never classified or subjected to the required public processes that must precede use as a quarry.
The rich history of the Dena’ina, Athabascan, Ahtna and Upper Kuskokwim People is outlined in ShemPete’s Alaska The Territory of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina (Kari, J.,et al).
The park and quarry area both have traditional Dene place names and uses. Despite this recognized history the quarry parcel has yet to undergo state and Federally mandated Historical Preservation and Archeology reviews. We and many in the Talkeetna Community respect Indigenous People, places and non-renewable natural, cultural and archeological resources.
The brazen disregard for the community and lack of compliance with rules is not the precedent the state should want to set for itself. The community of Talkeetna will do all it can to protect wild places.
Dan and Jill Adamson
Talkeetna