The Southeast Alaska Land Trust is in the final stages of completing the Strawberry Acres Conservation Easement at mile 25 in Juneau’s “Green Zone.”

The Herbert River watershed and its dominant tributary, Strawberry Creek, are situated within the complex of recreation lands, residential homes, historical and cultural resources and prime wildlife habitat known as the southern Green Zone.

So where exactly is Strawberry Creek? When driving out the road at approximately mile 24-26, as you round the bend past the Amalga Harbor turn off, notice the low-lying, open wetlands, just inside the trees on either side of the road. This is the Strawberry Creek valley, with fen*, marsh, uplift meadow, pond and riverine wetlands. (*See insert on significance of fen ecosystems).

In the spring of 2006, Dave and Rebecca Albert came to the Southeast Alaska Land Trust with a conservation project proposal, this time for the upper Strawberry Creek valley. They envisioned their 3.9-acre property known as Strawberry Acres (Lot #4), becoming part of the Amalga Meadows Natural Area Park.

The SEAL Trust began coordinating efforts between the Alberts and CBJ to make the Strawberry Acres addition to the Amalga Park a reality. At the same time, Coeur Alaska was looking for a “special environmental project” as compensate for water quality issues they experience in 2005. “They could have simply written a check to Uncle Sam, but instead Coeur choose to work an EPA penalty option to fund a local conservation project. The match was easy to put together,” said Diane Mayer, SEALTrust Director. In 2003, collaboration between the CBJ Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) and the State Parks Advisory Board resulted in a letter of agreement to plan for cooperative management of the entire Southern Green Zone.

Following this agreement, the SEAL Trust pursued its strategy to conserve the 147-acre ‘Gelsinger Homestead” which contains the lower reaches of Strawberry Creek at the confluence of the Herbert and Eagle Rivers. The Trust now holds the conservation easement and the City and Borough of Juneau owns and manages this high value fish and wildlife habitat as part of the Amalga Meadows Natural Area Park.

“Coeur Alaska contribution allows us to conserve a second, significant segment of the Strawberry Creek wetlands, said Mayer. The fees will cover the Strawberry Acres transactions costs, including the purchase price, stewardship endowment, closing costs, and easement documentation.

Exciting opportunities exist for long-term conservation of Strawberry Creek. Options for surrounding property owners include sale or donation of property interests (fee simple or conservation easement) on areas of their property with the highest resource values. Our hope is to preserve the rural , residential character of the Strawberry valley and keep the natural resource integrity of this important stream and wetland system in place.