The Talkeetna Parks Advisory Committee, or TPAC, presented parks data to the Talkeetna Community Council at their meeting this week. And requested the Council draft a letter of support for an additional full-time staff position. The data shows a substantial increase in the number of sites, visitors, and revenue collected, while staffing remained stagnant.
From 2018 to 2024, the number of visitors to the Talkeetna Lakes site alone went from about 29,000 to more than 37,000, according to the data provided by TPAC. Beginning in 2017, user counters were installed to quantify visits to the Talkeetna Lakes Park. Those numbers do not include visits to the other Northern Region parks, which encompass sites in Willow, Talkeetna, Petersville, and surrounding areas.
Mat-Su Borough Director of Community Development Jillian Morrissey says they are tracking this data and seeing an increase across the entire Valley, not just in Talkeetna. She says they added another on-call position to the Upper Valley to provide extra assistance.
The TPAC notes in their request for the additional full-time position that existing staff are often only able to focus on maintaining the three bathroom facilities in the Talkeetna area and removing two to three yards of trash daily. Which leaves little time for other tasks.
Morrissey says the Borough has sold about 600 more annual park passes this year than in the past and they have about an 80% pass compliance rate. She notes that residents are starting to realize the value of the park passes.
According to Morrissey, geolocation data shows that visitors are coming to Borough Parks from Anchorage, Eagle River, and Chugiak, not just outside tourists. She says some facilities are seeing about 40% of their visitation from Anchorage residents, though she says Talkeetna may be a bit different because of its tourism focus.
Of note, the Borough only owns about one percent of the land in the Mat-Su area. And Morrissey says, it’s often Borough trailheads that provide access to Department of Natural Resources and other agency lands. She says the Borough likes being the public interface for these opportunities.
The Talkeetna Community Council voted at their meeting to draft a letter of support for an additional full-time Borough Parks position.
