I invite you to come visit a pristine mountain oasis of stunning beauty where wildlife abounds, blessed with abundant lakes, rivers, and creeks in all directions.  YES, there are still a few natural wonders left like Moose Pass, Alaska!!!  The SAD TRUTH is that this beautiful place with such a vibrant ecosystem is under attack.  First let me share with you why I bought property and built my home here in Moose Pass.

My name is Ken Perry.  I love my property and the surrounding area!  I feel blessed to live here and I often share my place with family, friends and visitors.  My morning often starts with a cup of coffee on my deck as I watch the sunrise.  I'm frequently greeted by the echo of a loon's haunting call from Trail Lake.  It's a beautiful sunny morning.  The Mountain Peaks surround me and appear to be reaching up to touch the heavens above.  The Sockeye salmon are spawning in an anadromous creek on my property.  It's late summer, when the wildlife is busy fattening up for the winter.  A mother bear is teaching her two cubs how to fish.  A cow moose is showing her calf how to forage for the best plants to eat.  Life is humming all around.  This is such a beautiful place and is still pristine!

 Unfortunately, this thriving ecosystem is under attack by two huge projects that are slated for the community of Moose Pass and the wildlife that lives here in harmony with the local residents.  DOT is planning to widen Seward Highway from MP25.5 to MP36 using a federal grant of 60 million dollars.  This is a waste of taxpayer money as the highway only needs to be repaved and the ditches cleaned out. A much larger  corridor is proposed, which will greatly impact the spawning beds in the anadromous creeks along this section of highway.  If we lose our salmon, the bears, eagles, and other wildlife that feed upon them will be endangered. This will impact our Fishers and tourism as well as the economy for all of the Kenai Peninsula.  This area is a vital part of the headwaters of the Kenai river system.

The other proposed project is the hydroelectric plant at Grant Lake and the access road and bridge to Grant Lake. The location of the bridge will require extensive blasting to clear rock for the bridge crossing Trail Lake River.  It will also create toxic runoff from the road and bridge. This is a major spawning area where Grant Creek and Trail River merge. The destruction of these critical spawning areas is the most important element of this issue.  

The other issue is a proposed bike path in a remote area with only  a few people using it only in the summer months.  This is not just a state issue since DOT is being given money from the federal government.  Neither of these projects benefit Moose Pass and the surrounding environment.  Lastly, private property owners will have their land seized to create rights-of-way (ROWs) and most likely  be offered pennies on the dollar for their land and have to negotiate or be taken into court under Eminent Domain. 

What DOT and the electric utility are proposing to do to the environment and this community is not right.  Furthermore, our wildlife neighbors that we are blessed to have can't speak for themselves so we need to advocate for them.  Put your thoughts on paper and oppose these projects.  The spotted owl is no doubt thankful for the community opposition that saved their habitat.  The bears, salmon, wolves and eagles will also be grateful.