January 11, 2006
Wednesday AM

Ketchikan, Alaska - The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the Alaska Department of Transportation and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, announced today the addition of a 207-acre tract to Settlers Cove State Park in Ketchikan, Alaska. 
 
Located along Lunch Creek at the north end of the North Tongass Highway, the property was purchased from the University of Alaska.  Funding for the purchase was provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation as mitigation for wetlands impacts associated with taxiway construction at the Ketchikan Airport.

 

Acquisition of this 207-acre tract enhances the state park system by providing increased opportunities for outdoor recreation and by protecting an area of significant natural, scientific and educational value.  Prior to the addition of the Lunch Creek tract, Settlers Cove State Park consisted of 76 acres in a narrow band of ocean frontage.   
 
The Lunch Creek property is representative of the Southeast Alaska temperate rainforest, supporting open and forested muskeg meadows, old growth stands of Sitka spruce and red cedar, and a half-mile stretch of Lunch Creek.  A hiking trail was recently constructed on the newly-acquired land.
 
The Lunch Creek project enjoyed wide community support from the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly, the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce, the Ketchikan Visitor's Bureau, and the Ketchikan State Parks Advisory Board.   A ribbon-cutting celebration is planned for the spring of 2006 to recognize supporters of the project.
 

Source of News:

Conservation Fund
www.conservationfund.org

SitNews
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Ketchikan, Alaska