March for Science to be followed by Science Stations in Palmer

PALMER — On Saturday, March for Science protest rallies against what many see as a political assault on science will take place all over the country.

In Southcentral Alaska, Anchorage and Palmer are both hosting events.

At 10 a.m. in Delaney Park in Anchorage, a number of prominent speakers including sitting

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, fisheries and climate change expert Kate Troll, Environmental Scientist and Nondalton Dena'ina Tribal member Danielle Stickman and Marine Conservation Scientist, Rick Steiner will speak to the crowd, which is expected to be well over 1,000.

Then at 2 p.m. in Palmer, march is scheduled to begin at the town square. After the march, participants are encouraged to visit "science stations" which will be set up throughout the city. Each station will have Mat-Su-related science information and local scientists on-hand.

Exhibits from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. include more than 30 scientists willing to talk with visitors about topics ranging from environmental chemistry at mine sites to veterinary science, soil science and Native-specific anthropology at nine locations.

Those locations are The Annex, The Downtown Deli, Fireside Books, NonEssentials, the Palmer Depot, North Star Animal Hospital, Cover-Ups, Pavillion and the Palmer Museum of History and Art.

Today at 4 p.m., Troll, a longtime Alaska author who lives in Juneau,will be holding a book signing at Fireside Books. She’ll be promoting her latest work, ‘The Great Unconformity: Reflections on Hope in an Imperiled World’.

Troll describes it as an ‘adventure memoir wrapped up in global events of sustainability and climate change.’

“You’re climbing Denali with me,” Troll said. “I’m taking you on some of the adventures that have shaped my life while living in Alaska.… I wanted to use my stories to pass on key insights… wake people about climate change and yet plant hope spots throughout the book.”

Troll said her message to the crowd Saturday will largely be about the ‘war on science.’

“I’m really trying to promote the value of science in our lives. It’s a force of good for Alaskans. That’s what I’ll be talking about in the context of the current assault that we currently have in climate science and science (in general),” said Troll, who arrived in Alaska in 1977 after graduating from the Yale school of forestry and environmental studies. “There used to be a time when habitat scientists, especially, were looked up to in the states, particularly science in fish and game. But they began to be underfunded, underappreciated and a lot of it got funneled to the federal government. There was a takeover mindset and science became more about ideology than evidence, which was the most disturbing part.”

While science may be under attack from some politicians, it’s obviously making huge gains in every aspect of life. These are among the ‘hope spots’, she writes about in her latest book.

“There are places where science is making a comeback,” Troll said. “Renewable energy, construction technology, our ability to build earthquake resistance building, the science involved in electric cars, managing for power that doesn’t damage the environment… It has taken a beating and it has to stand up for the good of science.”

After the Science Stations on Saturday, a 5 p.m. social hour will take place at Turkey Red's banquet room is on-tap to complete the day and celebration.

All events are open to the public. For more information, visit the group's Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/March.for.Science.Palmer.AK/