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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nature Conservancy and Mental Health Trust Sign Purchase AgreementNature Conservancy and Gustavus Land Legacy have two years to raise approximately $4 million.November 29, 2001 The Nature Conservancy recently signed an option with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to purchase up to 2900 acres in Gustavus within the next two years. The lands have been identified as having significant environmental and community values and under the terms of the purchase agreement, these lands will be managed for the maintenance of those values over time. Properties included in the historic agreement are: 1) almost all the community's high priority recreation, habitat and scenic lands along the beach, including accreted lands; 2) riparian and forest land on upper Good River adjacent to the Dude Creek Critical Habitat Area; and 3) moose habitat between the airport and Rink Creek. The Mental Health Trust will retain small portions of Glen's Ditch, Central Beach and Rink Beach for future sale. The Nature Conservancy has two years (with a possible third year extension) to raise the money to purchase the properties. The price will be determined by an appraisal done 3-12 months before the deadline. If the Conservancy does not have sufficient funds to purchase all the parcels, then they will be sold in the following order: first, Dude Creek and Good River West; second, Central Beach, Glen's Ditch and Rink Beach; third, Upper Good River and fourth, Rink Creek. A copy of the purchase agreement is available on-line or call Hank Lentfer, 697-2221. Management of Conservancy Lands Once the lands are purchased, they will be co-managed by the community and The Nature Conservancy. The primary use of the properties will be for wildlife and fish habitat; traditional uses such as hunting, hiking and fishing will continue to the extent they do not degrade habitat values. A committee composed of Conservancy and community members will be formed to oversee management of the lands. Disputes will be handled by the committee, with input from the community at large and representatives of organizations with technical expertise such as the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. The final details of the management agreement between the community and the Conservancy are still being worked out. The current draft is available online or call Hank Lentfer, 697-2221. Contact Hank if you have any suggestions or concerns about the proposed management agreement. Nature Conservancy Fundraising Activities Although the final price tag for the Mental Health Trust properties won't be known for at least another year, The Nature Conservancy and the community are seeking to raise $4 million within two years. Conservancy staff in Anchorage and Juneau have begun writing grant proposals to public and private funding sources and are arranging donor trips to Gustavus. They have already obtained funding from the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and hope to get favorable responses soon from the Paul Allen Foundation and Ducks Unlimited. The Conservancy is working with several innkeepers in Gustavus to identify potential donors. Gustavus Land Legacy Fundraising Activities Last year, GLL committed itself to raise $50,000. locally. Through the hard work and generous contributions of many donors, the community met that goal. However, it's still a long road to $4 million! If anybody knows of folks who have a connection to Gustavus (such as relatives or friends who have visited), who might be interested in learning more about GLL, please contact Hank. At a meeting in October, GLL pledged to raise another $50,000, which would bring our local contribution to 1/10 of 1% of the total purchase price. That sum will be leveraged many-fold by The Nature Conservancy when they solicit major donors for million-dollar contributions. At a meeting on November 7, GLL came up with a list of potential fundraising ideas. We're looking for people to organize each activity, so if you're interested in helping, contact Hank Lentfer at wilder@seaknet.alaska.edu or 697-2221, and let him know what event you want to take on. If we don't get at least one person to help per idea, we'll drop that idea from the list.
Talk and slide show on Gustavus to visitors at various inns (Morgan DeBoer already does an historic slide show annually) Christmas Bird Count Mark your calendar for Saturday, December 15th for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. This will be the 30th year for the bird count in Gustavus! Here's a chance to learn about the birds that use our area in the winter. It would be great if all the distinct habitats on Mental Health Trust lands were canvassed during the bird count so we can add the information to a resource inventory. If you're interested in participating, contact Bruce Paige, 697-2262. Meadow Brook
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