UAF to showcase Palmer research facility

Submitted by Nancy Tarnai
Phone: 907-474-5042
08/03/09

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will reveal a new direction for its research facility in Palmer at an Aug. 6 event.

The Matanuska Experiment Farm, which has been the center for agricultural research in the Matanuska Valley since 1915, will now host the Palmer Center for Sustainable Living.

"We are embarking on an exciting program that has great potential," UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences Dean Carol Lewis said. "The focus on research, education and outreach will apply to modern Alaska, both rural and urban, and will meet the needs of southcentral Alaska and its growing population.

Invited guests will hear from UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers and Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Talis Colberg. Tours of the biomass energy research and development lab, Kerttula Hall and the distance delivery center will be offered that afternoon, as well as hayrides to Matanuska Lake. The 1,000-acre center features field horticulture, hay production, organic fields, animal pastures, turfgrass demonstration plots, controlled environments and wildlife nutrition research. It encompasses the Matanuska Experiment Farm, Kerttula Hall, the Matanuska Colony History Center and the Alaska Environmental Studies and Learning Park.

While the Aug. 6 event is for invited guests, there will be future opportunities for public tours of the facility, which is used for community classes and events.

CONTACT: Nancy Tarnai, UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences public information officer, 907-474-5042 or fnnjt@uaf.edu.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media interested in covering the event or learning more about the new emphasis should contact Tarnai for a full schedule.

NT/8-3-09/022-10