Wetlands plan adopted by Borough

The Mat Su Borough Assembly has adopted the Wetlands Management Plan at its meeting on Tuesday, August 7th.

The plan is a list of best practices for landowners, developers and businesses for dealing with Wetlands in the borough, which make up a quarter of all borough lands. In it, the plan states that the Mat su has the ability to proactively address (wetland issues) since most of the Mat- Su wetlands and watersheds are viable and not impaired. The plan identifies 5 goals, which are coordination, education, conservation and planning, science and research, and plan implementation
The plan aims to help agencies coordinate their wetland information, as well as foster partnerships between public and private sectors. Education and outreach is the bulk of thee document, which aims to inform the public about the ecological sensitivity of wetlands and their larger role in the southcentral Alaskan drainages. According to the plan, it is easier to prevent damage to the wetlands beforehand, than it is to remediate damaged wetlands after the fact.