PCF supported the Alaska Wildlife Alliance (AWA) with a $2,000 grant to design, produce, and install setback signage on Mat-Su Borough trails. The goal of the signage was to make outdoor spaces safer for people, pets, and wildlife alike.
Each year in Alaska, dogs are injured or killed in traps and snares placed near popular hiking trails. In 2025, AWA and the Alaska Trappers Association (ATA), two groups often on opposing sides of trapping regulation debates, came together to change that. Their joint Proposal 82, which passed unanimously with the Board of Game, establishes 50-yard trap setbacks along 13 Mat-Su trails. This collaborative solution protects both recreationists and responsible trapping practices.
To help ensure the success of these new regulations, AWA and ATA are partnering to install clear, permanent signs at all impacted trailheads. These signs will alert trail users to the setback distances, outline shared-use etiquette, and highlight the cooperative spirit behind the new rule.
The collaboration between AWA and ATA marks the first time these two groups have come together on the same side of a trapping regulation issue, united by a concern for dogs who are injured or killed each year by traps and snares placed close to popular trails.
The project will install 60 durable 12”x12” Alumicore signs at each trail entrance. Trail safety will be enhanced without compromising wildlife management goals or respectful trapping practices.
The signs also stand as a visible symbol of community cooperation. By featuring both AWA and ATA logos, they demonstrate that progress is possible when shared values take the lead. This grant helps reinforce those values on the ground, on the trails, and in the hearts of all who use them.
Thanks to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and Alaska Trappers Association for creating safer, more respectful trails throughout the Mat-Su Borough.