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Showing up to support Alaska Natural Burial for the

Heritage Land Bank Advisory Commission Public Hearing

on Thursday, April 23, 2026



There's 2 ways to tell HLB you support Alaska Natural Burial (yes, you can do both!):


1) Write a letter of support **example talking points below**

Email your letter to hlb@anchorageak.gov by 5 pm on Wednesday, April 22

In the email, please provide your name, phone number, and the subject line should read “HLBAC Public Comment.”


2) Voice your public comments on April 23rd at 1:30 pm in person or remotely **tips on giving public testimony below**


   A) In person

Come in person to the Permit Development Center, Conference Room 170, 4700 Elmore Rd, Anchorage AK 99507

You do not need to sign up before you arrive to provide public testimony in person

   B) Remotely

Send an email to hlb@anchorageak.gov by 5 pm on Wednesday, April 22

In the email, please provide your name, phone number, and the subject line should read “HLBAC Public Comment.”

Then tune in at 1:30 on April 23 via Teams (click this link to enter the meeting) or by phone (call 907-519-0237 and use conference ID 987 366 530# ) 

You will be called upon to speak.


More information about the meeting can be found at HLB's website here.

Preparing to give public testimony

You will have 2 minutes to speak. It's helpful to read from a script or have a list of talking points to keep your testimony brief and on-point. It's really easy to run through your two minutes and still have more you wanted to say!


Lead with who you are and why this matters to you personally!

End with a clear ask (e.g., "I urge you to vote 'yes' on Resolution 2026-04 and recommend the disposal of Parcel 2-156 to Alaska Natural Burial")

Example talking points for a letter of support or verbal public testimony


  • This resolution is consistent with HLB's mandate to benefit the present and future citizens of Anchorage, promote orderly development, and achieve the goals of the Anchorage comprehensive plan
  • Conservation Burial Grounds protect land in perpetuity
  • Anchorage needs affordable cemetery space: Anchorage Memorial Park is at capacity and Angelus is cost-prohibitive for many families. For religious and personal reasons, cremation is not a reasonable alternative to burial. Lack of affordable options is an equity issue.
  • This is not "another cemetery" - it is the only new cemetery as Anchorage loses capacity. After a 2024 bond failed to pass, the Municipality has no clear plans for expanding existing municpal infrastructure
  • Protecting Parcel 2-156 in perpetuity will preserve a known wildlife corridor, benefitting wildlife and the watershed
  • The human body is not a contaminant: it returns the same organic compounds (carbon, nitrogen) that make up all living things
  • Natural burial (especially compared to flame cremation) is a carbon sink
  • Alaska Natural Burial proposes low-density, natural burial occurring over decades. This is infinitely less impactful than the paved surfaces and septic tanks that would come with residential development.
  • Alaska natural Burial's active conservation stewardship is a net ecological benefit, not a risk.