In Anchorage we have growing economy, a vibrant urban lifestyle and natural amenities – salmon, creeks, greenbelts, parks, and other wildlife – that are the envy of the world.  Our community is a destination for tourists and residents.

Tourism is the fastest growing sector in the state. Business travel, visiting relatives, wildlife viewing and hunting and fishing are among the top ten reasons why people visit Alaska (Alaska Visitor Statistics Survey 2001).

In Anchorage, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates the annual economic value of the Ship Creek fisheries to be about $7.3 million. Statewide, commercial fishing and tourism support close to 60,000 jobs.  Sport fishing, sport hunting, wildlife viewing, and resident recreation together support another 21,000 jobs (Colt, ISER 2001).

Our creeks, parks, wildlife and greenbelts also provide many other important benefits to Anchorage residents:

• Functioning watersheds provide our community with natural flood control and stormwater management.
• Residential properties near greenbelts and creeks in Anchorage are generally more valuable than similar property elsewhere in our community.
• The existence of greenbelts helps to reduce premiums that homeowners pay for flood hazard insurance.
• Creeks and greenbelts are aesthetically pleasing spaces for local residents and offer numerous recreational, educational, and urban fishing activities – activities that simply do not exist in other urban settings in the Lower 48. 

Losing these amenities and the economic services they provide would require investing tens of millions of dollars on infrastructure. For example, during the next ten years, it is estimated that the Puget Sound region in the State of Washington will need to spend over $1 billion to restore the function of their creeks and rivers in hopes of reviving salmon runs that have been in steady decline (Shared Strategy for Puget Sound, 2006 draft plan).

However, in Alaska, both salmon and the human economy these fish support continue to thrive – even in urban areas such as Anchorage! Since our creeks connect our neighborhoods there is opportunity for everyone to help celebrate and sustain salmon and good water quality in our community.