You can't have your park and play in it, too

Frontiersman editorial board

Veruca Salt wanted it all. "I want the whole world," she sang. "Don't ask how; I want it now." Veruca, as it turned out, was a bad egg who ended up swimming in garbage. Are we bad eggs in the Valley? Do we each want it all, no matter the consequences? A common theme has emerged here in recent years. "Develop completely, and do it now -- just not in my backyard, in my favorite neck of the woods or on my dime."

The latest example can be found in the most recent round in the slug match between pro-South side Denali development forces and those opposed to the creation of a nature center somewhere along Petersville Road. This time, on one side we have pro-tourism forces going toe-to-toe with a varied group of people whose concerns range from protecting a natural place to protecting recreational opportunities, to simply keeping the industrial tourism industry from invading the Valley.

Those who wish to build the center point to increased tourism, and thus, increased tourism dollars in the Valley. Those opposed bemoan the fact that the center will restrict access for hunting, snowmachining and other activities. "Forget the tourists," one angry local said at a recent meeting in Wasilla. "I'm tired of footing the bill for tourists."

The tourism industry claims that tourists actually foot the bill for a lot of the things Alaskans have come to take for granted. Of course, that doesn't necessarily make tourism a great option -- and it's true that a lot of tourism dollars never reach local cash drawers. Like any kind of development, tourism brings a host of benefits and drawbacks. And therein lies the rub. Rapid growth is here. Development is here. Neither is going away.

What is left for Valley residents is to decide what the rate and direction of growth will be, and to decide what kind of development is best for us, and how it should be accomplished. As it is now, development is all about spin and momentum. The loudest and most effectively communicated message tends to win out -- no plan, no vision. We shy away from concepts like zoning and real planning, because those things would force us to accept the truth: The Valley is not going to be the same in the years to come.

If we can't stop bickering long enough to settle on a vision and a plan for our community, we'll wake up one day and realize we no longer live in a place we recognize, or a place that inspires pride. As the Valley grows, the dynamic of the voting and decision-making populace changes. The time to preserve the things we care about as a community is now, and time is short.