KEEP HAPPY RIDGE RECREATIONAL!!
Location
Happy Ridge is a steep sided rib of Ester Dome that runs slightly north from the eastern flank, toward the intersection of Ester Dome and Sheep Creek roads. The ridge was first logged during the Gold Rush and the streams below, Happy and St Patrick creeks, were worked for gold by hand and dredge; local lore says some 1,000 men lived around the Happy Whistle Stop at the turn of the century. The ridge was explored for source rock throughout and mined most recently in the 1980s. Now the area is popular for various types of recreation, and adjacent to residential neighborhoods that continue to grow.
Background
Happy Ridge was mined for gold in the early 1900s, the 1960s, and the 1980s; new hard rock exploration and mining is proposed that would enrich investors and further the climate crisis while destroying the tranquility of neighborhoods, property values, and existing recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat. This is not a matter of noise ordinances - industrial scale hard rock mining is utterly incompatible with existing uses. This petition is a signal of our frustration with plans for hard rock mining on Ester Dome. The Alaska DNR lands office has the authority to reclassify up to 264 acres. Of course, the best DNR can do for Happy Ridge is refuse to permit exploration because the mining claims cannot be rescinded. So, this petition to reclassify Happy Ridge is really a declaration that permits should never be issued for exploration that will lead to our mountain being turned inside out.
Our Petition
Happy Ridge should be reclassified and closed to mineral entry to protect surrounding neighborhoods that continue to grow as well as existing recreational and wildlife uses. These neighborhoods are much too close to proposed exploration and the noise, traffic, and toxicity that come with mine development. The Happy Ridge and adjacent trail systems on Ester Dome are beloved and enjoyed by the greater Fairbanks community. They are widely used by runners, bikers, hikers, skiers, foragers, and hunters. Happy Ridge itself is recovering from deforestation and mining activity, and serves as wildlife habitat. With residential areas surrounding the ridge, recreation is the most appropriate land use for this property and the greater Ester Dome area. Happy Ridge should never again be opened for large scale mining.
