Southeast Alaska Land Trust is currently undertaking an exciting project with Juneau landowners in an effort to secure a fixed boundary around the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge. Situated in the geographic heart of Juneau, the Mendenhall Refuge is a 3,600 acre tidally-influenced wetlands where the mixing of fresh and salt water in the estuaries and grasslands create critical habitat for more than 140 species of resident and migratory birds, nearly a dozen different mammals, eight anadromous fish, and an abundance of other marine species. It has become evident that this treasured asset is substantially shrinking due to a natural phenomenon called "isostatic rebound," where land, once pressed under glaciers, rises. In the case of the Mendenhall Refuge, which has a boundary largely defined by the "mean-high tide line," lands that were once legally within the Refuge are now being claimed for private ownership by adjacent landowners through a process called quiet title. With low-gradient tidal flats a persistent feature of this area, the Refuge is shrinking by as much as hundreds of feet, in some areas. Southeast Alaska Land Trust is offering to purchase these accreted lands, or an interest in these lands and hopes to secure a fixed boundary around the Mendenhall Refuge by entering into conservation agreement with willing upland owners. Options include simple purchase agreements, tax-deductable donations of accreted lands, or the establishment of conservation easements. The positive responses from landowners thus far is exciting, and SEAL trust is eager to work with each individual landowner to find the best approach to managing their accreted lands. Our intent is to ensure the long-term integrity of this remarkable resource for wildlife and the for Juneau community. For more information about the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge and about the Accreted Lands Project, you can visit our website at http://southeastalaskalandtrust.org/ or give us a call at the office at (907)586-3100.

View of accreted land of a property adjacent to the Refuge, seen from the ground stake to the trees in the distance.

Aerial map of the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge. Click for larger image