The Baldy Lake Airpark development just outside Talkeetna began in 2023 without proper permits in-hand. In August, local residents noticed equipment in the creek, dams cleared, and streams rerouted in some areas. Silt fencing, a requirement during construction to keep sediment from the waterways, was missing in many areas.
Representatives from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or ADF&G, and the Army Corps of Engineers conducted a site visit just after the discoveries.
The damaged tributary has since been nominated by ADF&G as an anadromous stream, which will afford it additional protections under the law.
According to ADF&G Habitat Biologist Sarah Myers, the development has been issued two permits from the agency. Those permits are for the removal of the installed culverts and their replacement with appropriately-sized bridges. They also require bank restoration with a native grass mix.
Any in-water work must be completed between May 15th and July 15th. The overall construction must be completed by October 24th. Myers says she will conduct a post-project site visit.
The Army Corps of Engineers has not responded to multiple requests regarding any permits or violations issued from their agency to the developer, Art Mathias.
Mathias also filed a request with the Department of Natural Resources to vacate the section line easements. According to Natural Resource Specialist Victoria Braun, the request must go through the adjudication process, first internally with multiple agencies. If the agencies approve, then DNR will issue a decision and allow for public comment. Braun says that if the section lines are vacated, the developer will be required to provide equal or better public access. If the project proceeds to public notice, both the proposed vacated section line easements and alternative routes will be posted on the DNR website.
The 1,400-acre development is divided into nearly 150 parcels, some of which have already sold. With the snowpack gone and thawing well underway, construction is expected to restart soon.
