Archive for category News

Don’t Miss this Community Event on October 11th

Oct 6

Posted by foms in FoMS News, Mat Valley Coal, News, Public Comments | Comments off

Protecting Property, Culture, Health and of the Future of the Mat-Su Valley-Tuesday, October 11 at 6pm at the Palmer Train Depot

Please join Friends of Mat-Su and other members of the Mat Valley Coalition for this free fun-filled event to learn about proposed coal mines in the Valley and how you can make a difference.

The event will feature a shortened version of the award-winning documentary Coal Country by Mari-Lynn Evans and presentations from Mat Valley Coalition members.   Food and refreshments will be served.

Please join us on Tuesday, October 11th from 6pm to 9pm at the Palmer Train Depot.

See you there,

Friends of Mat-Su

Movie Night: The Last Mountain at the Bear Tooth Theater

Oct 4

Posted by foms in Mat Valley Coal, News, Uncategorized | Comments off

Come join Alaska Center for the Environment and other local grassroots from the Mat- Valley Coalition for a showing of the Last Mountain at Bear Tooth, October 10 at 8:00 pm! This movie highlights the issues surrounding mountain top removal mining in Appalachia and the fight against big coal.  A brief introduction to Alaska’s coal issues will precede the film, and audience members will have an opportunity to both learn more about Alaska coal and to take action on the Wishbone Coal Strip Mine before and after the film.

Click here to visit the film website.

Click here to see for information and to purchase tickets.

 

On the Path to Net Zero Energy- Workshop on October 7-8, 2011

Sep 26

Posted by foms in Conferences and Workshops, News, Public Notices | Comments off

Associate Professor Joe Wheeler from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is coming to the valley to speak about LUMENHAUS, an energy-conscious house project that won the 2010 International Solar Decathlon Competition in Madrid, Spain in June of 2010. LUMENHAUS is a zero-energy home that is completely powered by the sun.

Alaska Center For Appropriate Technology will be hosting a two-day workshop with Mr. Wheeler to highlight the LUMENHAUS project and explore the principles of integrating architecture and technology into construction design.

Click here for the workshop flyer.

 

 

Dates:  October 7& 8th

Location: Agate Inn, 4725 Begich Circle, Wasilla, AK

For more information or to reserve a seat for the workshop call or email:

(907) 373-2290

admin@acat.org

The Mat-Valley Frontiersman Get’s it Right!

Sep 9

Posted by foms in FoMS News, Mat Valley Coal, Mat-Su Borough Public Meeting Calender | Comments off

Hats off to the Mat Valley Frontiersman Newspaper for accurately reporting on the recent Assembly meeting on September 6th at the Palmer Depot.   Where reporting from other media outlets totally missed the point, the Frontiersman got it right!

A fair interpretation of a volatile topic

If you have a space you want to fill with people, your best bet nowadays is to announce some kind of decision about coal mining.  Tuesday’s borough assembly resolution was not binding in any way on any party. It was really just a piece of advice, the assembly giving its two-cents to state officials tasked with deciding whether to renew Usibelli Coal Mine’s permit to mine at Wishbone Hill between Palmer and Sutton.

If you weren’t at the meeting and just listened to the streaming audio of it online, you would be forgiven for thinking opinion on the matter is evenly split in the borough.

Whether by design or otherwise, the structure of the meeting necessarily left that impression. Attendees were asked to sign up to speak either for or against the mine and Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss took turns reading names from each list.

While we could give our opinion of the mine, we haven’t come here today to condemn or endorse it. We’ve come here to talk about what DeVilbiss said was an attempt at fairness.

In our younger days at journalism school we learned that in news reporting we are to give an equal airing to opposing viewpoints. Fairness in reporting requires giving an equal chance for all sides to be heard.

But our professors stressed that an equal chance does not mean an identical amount of news copy. You can give one side a sentence and another a paragraph and still have done justice to both sides.

Indeed, sometimes giving both sides equal space in a story is putting a thumb on the scale. Being fair to the reader means accurately reporting on meetings and events. If one person were to speak against a topic and 20 in favor, the notion of “equal space” would not be an accurate reflection of the meeting or event.

We believe that whether he put it there accidentally or otherwise, DeVilbiss’ thumb was on the scale Tuesday. In giving equal time to both sides he gave the impression that equal numbers showed up on both sides. That was not the case.

For better or worse, those opposed to the mine had a greater representation at Tuesday’s meeting.

That was apparent to anyone who attended and bothered to compare the number of orange anti-coal T-shirts to the number of yellow pro-coal hard hats. Or, to those who stayed long enough to see an informal show of hands in which anti-coal attendees easily outnumbered pro-coal attendees.

Assemblyman Warren Keogh said the number of emails he’d received on the issue was also weighted towards the anti-coal side. The anti-coal emails were more than double the pro-coal ones.

Of course, none of that is scientific. To get those responses require people attend meetings or send emails, and they are really only a gauge of passion. It could well be that many Valley residents favor mining but don’t have the time, inclination or passion to express that opinion publicly.

But knowing which side is more passionate is an important piece of information that DeVilbiss’ attempt at fairness obscured.

 

 

The Mat-Su Borough Supports Coal Strip Mining in a Residential Neighborhood?

Sep 1

Posted by foms in Mat Valley Coal, News, Public Comments, Public Notices | Comments off

On Tuesday Mayor DeVilbiss will be introducing a resolution (11-112) for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to support an open pit coal strip mine at Wishbone Hill.   Not only do 150 families live within one mile of the proposed coal mine, but studies show that property values throughout the Valley will drop.

Your voice is urgently needed to tell the Mat-Su Borough that this is no place for a coal strip mine! Click here to send an email to the Borough Assembly.

And, please join us at the Assembly meeting on Tuesday, September 6th at 6pm at the Palmer Depot (note – new location due to expectation of large crowd).

 

Mat Valley Coalition Partners at the Alaska State Fair

Aug 29

Posted by foms in FoMS News, Mat Valley Coal, Public Comments | Comments off

The Mat-Valley Coalition is a growing coalition of residents in the Mat-Su Valley and surrounding area, concerned about the  impacts of  coal mining in the Mat-Su Valley from the proposed  Wishbone Hill Coal Mine. To protect our quality of life,  we must take an active stand by saying “no” to large-scale coal development in the Valley.  Our  future health and that of our children are  are at stake if we do not speak out!

 

 

The coalition currently has a booth at the Alaska State Fair, starting August 27th. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer at our booth you will also get a FREE pass to the fair for that day! If interested, please contact Christiana at 775-7544 or 746-0128 for more information.

 

One last opportunity for Pick Click Give- In 2011

Aug 26

Posted by foms in FoMS News, Public Notices | Comments off

Hello Friends and Community members,
We are submitting this post as a reminder to let you know that August 31st is the deadline for donating to your favorite local non-profit organizations through Pick Click Give.  We greatly appreciate all of your generous support and hope you will consider making an additional contribution to FoMS before the deadline. To make things simple the PFD Division homepage.
Prominently featured is an “Add or Change a Charitable Contribution” link.

 

 

 

For those of you who have been wondering what Friends of Mat-Su (FoMS) has been up to lately we continue to work hard everyday to provide important land use information, advocate for borough wide planning, promote effective citizen involvement and offer the tools needed to support healthy and vibrant communities throughout the Mat-Su.

 

Here is a snapshot of some of our accomplishments over the past year include:

New Director Hired
In January 2011, Friends of Mat-Su hired Jeremiah Millen to serve as our new Executive Director. His professional career has included work for a variety of national and local non-profit organizations working to address conservation and planning issues with communities all across the state. His expertise includes campaign development, conservation policy, grassroots organizing, effective lobby work and community education.  We are grateful to have Jeremiah on the FoMS team and have been pleased with the leadership and vision he brings to the organization.

New Board Members Added to the Organization
In March of 2011, FoMS welcomed Mark Masteller, Brian Winnestaffer, Dan Mccausland and Eddie Kessler to the board of directors.  We are thrilled to have their new energy, ideas, and the diverse experience and background each bring to the board.

New Sources of Funding for our Programs
FoMS has worked hard to receive a number of new grants geared toward capacity building, program development and strengthening the organization.  We are happy to share that Alaska Conservation Foundation, Mat-Su Heath Foundation, Brainerd Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have partnered with us to support our important work.

Organizational Sustainability Process Underway
With help from The Foraker Group, over the past few months, we have been working to  strengthen FoMS by developing a new strategic plan, providing board and staff trainings, refining our organizational purpose, values, goals and mission, creating  new programs, and working to diversify our funding sources.  We look forward to unveiling the new FoMS over the next few months.

Advocacy and Education:

The Mat Valley Coal Campaign

FoMS, staff, board and members continue to play active role with the Mat Valley Coal campaign to prevent coal development from occurring in the Mat-Su.  FoMS has partnered with a number of other organizations to create the Mat Valley Coalition.  As part of this effort, FoMS houses the Mat Valley Coal Coordinator position, the summer coal organizer program and our Director serves as a Steering Committee Member for the campaign.   For more information please visithttp://matvalley.org/

Mat-Su Borough Activities

FoMS staff, board and members effectively advocated in favor of the borough providing match funding to establish the newly created Mat-Su Parks Foundation.

FoMS staff, board and members have been working to prevent the Assembly from rolling back the current ethics board and subdivision codes to ensure that the public process, transparency and thoughtful development is maintained.

FoMS staff, board and members worked to prevent a mayoral veto of the recent road bond package that included several important road projects in every Assembly district and paved pathways for the communities of Sutton and Butte.  Due to this success, the road bond package will now be included on the October ballot for voters to weigh in on.  If passed, the package will provide many benefits to increase public safety and provide countless health benefits for local residents through the creation of new bike trails.

You can help the Mat-Su see it’s true potential by supporting our work!
Join Friends of Mat-Su today!
Renew your membership!
Talk to your neighbors about us -The larger our collective voice, the more effect we will have on creating positive changes in the Mat-Su.
Consider making an additional financial contribution.
It’s all tax deductible!

To donate to FoMS today please contact us by using the information provided below:

Website Membership Page

Pick Click Give- PFD

By Mail:
Friends of Mat-Su
P.O. Box 116
Palmer, AK.  99654

Thank you for supporting Friends of Mat-Su!

The Mat-Su Borough Now Seeking Public Comments on Timber Harvest

Aug 16

Posted by foms in News, Public Comments, Public Notices | Comments off

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough adopted the Natural Resources Management Units Plan last September 2010. They are now moving forward to the second phase with the Five Year Timber Harvest Schedule. The draft Schedule is available online for public review; comments will be accepted through August 31, 2011. For more information please click here.

 

Important Issues To Weigh in on at the Mat-Su Borough Assembly

Aug 16

Posted by foms in News, Public Comments, Public Notices, Uncategorized | Comments off

We would like to inform you about two important issues that are before us at the next Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting. The Mat-Su Borough Assembly will be making critical decisions at tomorrow on August 16th, related to the Ethics and the Subdivision Codes.  As will all of our work, FoMS is committed to ensuring that you have the information needed and the tools necessary to have an effective voice in shaping a positive future for the borough.

 

The Ethics Issue Again?

As you may recall from one of our recent E-Newsletters, two months ago Ordinance # 11-060 was introduced.  Had it passed, it would have eliminated the all-volunteer Ethics Board and replaced it with one single paid administrative hearing officer who would make decisions on all future ethics issues.  Along with your involvement, we were able to cultivate diverse group of people to write to their Assembly members and show up in person to testify unanimously against the proposed ordinance. This group included business owners, local residents and past and present ethics members to name a few. Despite these efforts, the poorly conceived Ethics Board elimination proposal is still on the table and will be included in Tuesday’s Assembly agenda.

 

An Alternative to Ethics Issue- Ordinance 11-022:

One bright glimmer of hope can be found in the fact that the Assembly will also be considering an alternative proposal (Ordinance 11-022) that includes reforms developed by the Ethics Board that were sent to the Assembly in February. This proposal includes significant updates to the existing laws, a better public process and significant cost savings measures. After this alternative was introduced, the Assembly held a special work session in August to review and make changes to it.   Unfortunately instead of embracing the positive changes put forth by the Ethics Board, the Assembly moved to weaken the proposal by removing the most positive elements that are central to a good public process and government oversight.

 

Examples:

  • Their proposed changes would require that anyone who files an ethics would have to pay a $1,000.00 filing fee.
  • Their proposed changes would make the Ethics Board an advisory only body and instead hand over most of the process to a paid hearing officer much like their earlier proposal to eliminate the Ethics board all together.
  • Ethics Board reform proposals in Ordinance 11-022 are and should be adopted as is.  Any improvements made must be done in a thoughtful way that is respectful of the public process.  Any attempt to weaken the Ethics Board or its process should be firmly rejected.

 

What you can do?

If you are concerned about the pending ethics legislation can write to your Assembly members by clicking here or show up in person on Tuesday August 16th for the special meeting from 4 to 6 p.m and testify at the regular public hearing scheduled for 7 pm.

 

 

The Subdivision Code: Back Up for consideration by the Mat –Su Borough Assembly, Tuesday August 16th

 

WHAT:

The Subdivision Code: Back Up for consideration by the Mat –Su Borough Assembly, Tuesday August 16th

 

Ordinance 11-072

As you will also recall a while back we sent you information related to a proposed roll back in the Subdivision Code.  As you will recall at that time, legislation was introduced by Assembly member Colver to change the current the existing code-Title 27 and roll back the progressive changes that have been developed over the years from the previous version known as Title 16.   Had this legislation been successful it would have resulted in much fewer protections to the individual landowner, increasing threats to water quality and public safety and pass along many costly burdens to the taxpayer from shoddy and unplanned development. It is important to note that the move from the old Title 16 to the current Title 27 was a result of a robust multi-year public process that included input from a wide variety of stakeholders including: developers, engineers, surveyors, agency staff, local business leaders and residents.

 

Your involvement Matters:

Due to your involvement and testimony to the Assembly in July, the legislation to repeal title 27 was shot down by majority vote from the Assembly at that time. As part of this decision the Assembly agreed in that it would be beneficial to provide an opportunity for the Mat Su Borough Planning Commission review Title 27 and make recommendations to the Assembly before making any changes in advance of their August 2nd special work session on the issue. Unfortunately Ordinance 11-072 is still on the table and still up for consideration by the Assembly.

 

Planning Commission Recommendations- An Alternative

It is important to note that the Planning Commission through their review agreed that there was no need to repeal Title 27 and voted unanimously in 7-0 vote to retain Title 27.

The Planning Commission has recently drafted a resolution that is up for consideration at the next Assembly meeting which requests the opportunity to thoroughly review title 27 and make specific recommendations for addressing issues and fixing the current code where appropriate.

 

Main Points:

There is no justification to scrap title 27 and no emergency to make changes to the code at this time.

It is in the best interest of the public process for the Assembly to not rush to a decision during the busiest time of the year given that there is no emergency situation that requires a code change at this time.

Encourage the Assembly to adopt the Planning Commission’s recommendations and resolution to allow for an opportunity to thoroughly review title 27 and make specific recommendations for addressing issues and fixing the current code where appropriate.

 

How you can be involved?

For those who would like to comment about the pending ethics legislation and Title 27 should consider contacting MSB Assembly members or  showing up to testify on Tuesday August 16th at the regular public hearing scheduled for 7 pm.

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE MAT-SU FOR MAY

May 9

Posted by foms in News | Comments off

MAT-SU SWANS

MAT-SU CVB GATEWAY GATHERING OPEN HOUSE- May 11th

Come join the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau to find out the latest information on the Gateway Visitor Center project at Matanuska Lakes State Recreation Area (formerly Kepler Bradley State Park, Mile 36.4 Glenn Highway). Refreshments are being catered by Turkey Red, and transportation to two proposed sites will be provided. This is your chance to offer input on the new visitor center project.

When:  May, 11th 12-3PM

Where:  Mile 36.4 Glenn Highway, Palmer AK 99645-Click Here For Map

 

 

 

 

MAT-SU ANNUAL SPRINGTIME WALKABOUT AROUND REFLECTIONS LAKE- May 21

The Annual Spring Walkabout around Reflections Lake will be held this year on May 21st, from 11AM to 1PM. Join naturalist LINDSEY SHELLEY and ecology expert RALPH BALDWIN for an enjoyable, educational walk around this beautiful lake with its stunning mountain reflections and the wonderful flora and fauna it has to offer. Dress for the weather; bring water, your favorite bird book and binoculars. For more information, call 907-357-8711.

When: May 21st, 11AM-1PM
Where: Reflections Lake- (See Map)