Scientists and local conservation groups are raising concerns about possible threats to the wetlands from the long-discussed second crossing to Douglas Island.
A female black bear eats as her two cubs play nearby on June 19, 2021, at the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge in Juneau, Alaska.
“It’s an extraordinarily important piece of habitat that we often take for granted,” said Matt Robus, a longtime Juneau resident and retired director of wildlife conservation for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “Because it’s right in the middle of our town.” Robus belongs to a new Mendenhall Wetlands study group, made up of about 20 local scientists and naturalists. The group aims to protect the wetlands, which have already lost around 40% of their original expanse, from further development.
Some of the possible crossing locations could reverse mitigation efforts tied to existing development around the wetlands. The Southeast Alaska Land Trust owns more than a dozen parcels of wetlands that were conserved to offset the airport expansion. Two of the proposed alternatives either border those parcels or cut through them.
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Douglas Island second crossing faces opposition to proposed routes through Mendenhall WetlandsScientists and local conservation groups are raising concerns about possible threats from the long-discussed second crossing to Douglas Island. A study for the project outlined eight possible locations for the crossing, and half of them pass through the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge.
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