Alaska Outdoor News: February 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Wrangell St Elias Subsistence Resource Commission to meet in Slana and Copper Center

Copper Center, AK - The Wrangell-St. Elias NationalPark Subsistence Resource Commission (SRC) will meet at the Slana Community Corporation building in Slana on February 27 and at the Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center in Copper Center on February 28 to consider a range of issues related to subsistence hunting and fishing in the park. The Slana Community Corporation building is on the 4-Mile Road, approximately ½ mile north of the junction with the Nabesna Road. The hall is a blue building on the right as you drive north.

Commission business will include an update the Nabesna Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, an opportunity to comment on an Environmental Assessment on the Subsistence Collections and Uses of Shed or Discarded Animal Parts and Plants from NPS Areas in Alaska, and an opportunity to develop proposals to change federal subsistence fisheries regulations.The meeting is open to the public, and public testimony opportunities are provided. Written comments may also be submitted through the park subsistence coordinator by February22nd for presentation at the meeting.

The meeting will begin in Slana at 9:30 AM on Monday, February 27, and will recess for the day at 5 PM. There may be an evening session at the call of the chair. On Tuesday, February 28, the meeting will reconvene in Copper Center at 9 AM and adjourn when business is completed. If the commission business is completed on Monday, the SRC will adjourn and not meet on Tuesday.

Please click Here for a draft agenda.

Additional information may be obtained by calling Barbara Cellarius, subsistence coordinator for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, at 822-7236.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

2013 Proposed Cruise Ship Quotas

English: MS Majesty of the Seas, one of Royal ...

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In 2003, the National Park Service (NPS) completed a Vessel Quota and Operating Requirements Environmental Impact Statement (VQOR EIS). Subsequent regulations delegated the authority to set annual cruise ship quotas to the park superintendent. The VQOR EIS Record of Decision (ROD) states that the determination of whether to increase seasonal use-day quotas for cruise ships will rely on criteria that define the environmental and social conditions to be met before any additional seasonal use-days are approved.

In 2004, an independent Science Advisory Board (SAB) was appointed to assist in determining and recommending studies that better define these environmental and social conditions. In 2005, the SAB made recommendations for priority research and several studies were implemented. In 2009, SAB members, principal investigators, and NPS managers met to review results of the first suite of studies. Their assessment indicated that the original impact analyses from the VQOR EIS remain accurate. However, the SAB identified important information gaps that require investigation. Ongoing studies that address these information gaps include those examining cruise ship effects on air quality, soundscape, marine wildlife, and the Huna Tlingit relationship to their ancestral homeland.

Based on the scientific information available at this time, the Superintendent has proposed that the 2013 seasonal use-day quota for cruise ships remain unchanged from the 2012 levels. For the June, July, and August summer season the quota would be set at 153 use days. The May and September shoulder season quota would be set at 92 use days. The year-round daily quota for cruise ships remains at two per day in accordance with the 2003 VQOR EIS ROD and existing regulations.

The NPS is soliciting public comment on the proposed day use quota. Comments will be accepted until close of business on February 29, 2012. You may read more about the proposal and submit comments by visiting the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/

Or by email to: glba_public_comments@nps.gov

Or by regular mail at the following address:

Susan L. Boudreau, Superintendent

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

P.O. Box 140

Gustavus, AK 99826

Friday, February 24, 2012

National Park Service Seeking Comments on Horseshoe LakeTrail Project

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DENALI PARK, Alaska: The National Park Service (NPS) intends to evaluate the impacts of making improvements and additions to the Horseshoe Lake Trail.The current trail to the picturesque Horseshoe Lake is approximately 1.5 miles long, and is very popular with park visitors.The lake provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, and visitors walking on the trail have opportunities to see moose, beaver, and several bird species. The footpath was constructed in 1940 as the park's first established trail. The trailhead is located at the railroad crossing on the Denali Park road (Mile 1).

Sections of the trail are in poor condition. There are steep sections that are difficult for many visitors, and portions are eroding due to inadequate drainage.A network of social trails has developed around the lake and throughout the area, creating additional erosion and damage to sensitive wildlife habitat, including beaver dams and lodges.

Proposed changes may include:

·rehabilitation of social trails

·reconstruction of the existing Horseshoe Lake Trail to improve trail surface and drainage

·construction of a new loop trail to the Nenana River and around Horseshoe Lake

Extending the trail to the Nenana River and around Horseshoe Lake would provide increased hiking opportunities for visitors and consolidate use, allowing the web of social trails to be rehabilitated.Maps showing proposed routes are available at the website below.

The NPS invites the public to submit written comments by Monday, March 19, 2012. Comments may be submitted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/dena, faxed to 907-683-9612, or mailed to:

Superintendent

Denali National Park and Preserve

ATTN:Horseshoe Lake Trail

P.O. Box 9

Denali Park, AK99755

For additional information about the proposal please contact Dan Ostrowski, Project Lead at 907-683-9557 or e-mail us; or Paula Homan, Project Planning Lead, at 907-683-6223 or e-mail us.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

11th Overflights Advisory Council Meeting

The single road within Denali National Park

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The eleventh meeting of the Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council is taking place on Monday, February 27 and Tuesday, February 28, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Marriott Residence Inn Midtown, located on 1025 E. 35th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska.

On February 27th, the public is invited to participate with council members in a work session to map out air traffic patterns over Denali National Park. The council will hold a more formal meeting with presentations from members and agency staff the following day.

The Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council advises the Superintendent, through the Secretary of the Interior, on mitigation efforts that should be made to reduce the impacts from aircraft overflights at Denali National Park and Preserve. The group is developing voluntary measures for assuring the safety of passengers, pilots, and mountaineers and for achieving desired future resource conditions at Denali that were outlined in the 2006 Backcountry Management Plan. Council membership contains broad representation of interested stakeholders and has a balance of local, state, and national interests.

Information on the Advisory Council can be found athttp://www.nps.gov/dena/parkmgmt/currentprojects.htm.

Information on Denali's 2006 Backcountry Management Plan is located athttp://www.nps.gov/dena/parkmgmt/gmp.htm.

For additional information on the meeting, please contact Miriam Valentine at 907- 733-9102 or via email.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

National Park Service Seeking Input on Plowing Denali Park Road Beyond Headquarters in Winter

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DENALI PARK, Alaska: The National Park Service (NPS) intends to evaluate the impacts of plowing the Denali Park Road between park headquarters (Mile 3) and the Mountain Vista Rest Area (Mile 12) during the winter season.The NPS is interested in providing additional opportunities for winter visitors to the park, while protecting park resources and values. Plowing the road beyond park headquarters would allow private and commercial vehicles to travel further into the park to provide mountain viewing and increased recreational opportunities.

An informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Murie Science and Learning Center in Denali National Park.Members of the public are invited to share their ideas and concerns about the proposal with park staff.

Currently the park road is closed to vehicular traffic beyond park headquarters after the first significant snowfall occurs (usually in October).During the winter one lane of the road is maintained so the road crew can manage the overflow ice that occurs between Mile 4-7.The other lane is not plowed. Both lanes are available for use by dog teams, cross country skiers, snowshoers, and other winter recreationalists. Spring road opening begins in mid-March, and the road is generally open to the public as far as the Savage River (Mile 15) by early April, and to the Teklanika River Rest Area (Mile 30) by mid to late April.

The NPS invites the public to submit written comments by Friday, March 9, 2012. Comments may be submitted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/dena, faxed to 907-683-9612, or mailed to:

Superintendent

Denali National Park and Preserve

ATTN:Winter Road Plowing

P.O. Box 9

Denali Park, AK99755

For additional information about the proposal please contact Paula Homan, Project Planning Lead, at 907-683-6223 or paula_homan@nps.gov.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Special Denali Subsistence Meeting on February 23

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DENALI PARK, Alaska: The Denali National Park Subsistence Resource Commission (SRC) will hold a special meeting via teleconference on Thursday, February 23, beginning at 1:00 pm.The purpose of the meeting is to develop SRC comments on the Environmental Assessment (EA) on "Subsistence Collections and Uses of Shed or Discarded Animal Parts and Plants from NPS Areas in Alaska." This document evaluates alternatives for managing subsistence collecting of shed or discarded animal parts and plants to make handicrafts for personal or family uses, for barter, or to sell.

The meeting is open to the public and opportunities for public testimony will be provided. Teleconferencing into the meeting can be arranged by calling the National Park Service (NPS) at 907-683-9544 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Written comments may also be submitted to Amy Craver by Wednesday, February 22 for presentation at the meeting.

The EA is out for public review through April 7, 2012. The EA is posted on the NPS Planning site athttp://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=1&projectID=35955&documentID=45478.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Park seeks students for summer YCC positions

English: Detail of a raven head on a totem pol...

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Sitka National Historical Park, (February 17, 2012)- Sitka National Historical Park will be hiring students for the Youth Conservation Corp this summer. Duties may include greeting visitors at the park visitor center and Russian Bishop's House, assisting with cultural or natural resources, or helping with the maintenance division.Hires will work 40 hours a week, eight to ten weeks, and be paid $10.00 per hour. Please note, this program is limited to students ages 15 to 18.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Park Visitor Center Closed for Washington’s Birthday

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Sitka National Historical Park, (February 17, 2012)- The Visitor Center and Russian Bishop's House units of Sitka National Historical Park will be closed for Washington's Birthday, a federal holiday, on Monday, February 20, 2012. The park trails will remain open during the regular winter trail hours of 7a.m. to 8 p.m.

Washington's Birthday is the last of these federal holidays before the summer season; the park will be open every day, including holidays, for the summer season.

The Visitor Center is currently open from 8a.m. to 5p.m., except for weekends when it is closed Saturday for lunch from 11a.m. to noon and all day Sunday. The Russian Bishop's House is closed for winter operations, but tours are available through special arrangements. For details, please contact the park Visitors Center, (907) 747-0110.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Celebrate Winterfest 2012

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Denali National Park and Preserve and the Denali Borough communities are celebrating Alaska's longest season during Winterfest 2012 on Friday, February 24 - Sunday, February 26. This long-running community-wide event features an array of activities, with something for all ages, interests, and abilities! View the schedule.

Festivities kick off on Friday, February 24 at the McKinley Park Community Center with a dessert potluck at 6:30 pm, followed by a square dancing extravaganza with the Lost Dog String Band from Fairbanks at 7:30 pm. Instruction will be provided, so there's no excuse not to dance! The Community Center is located on the "Old Parks Highway" spur road at Mile 230 Parks Highway.

The National Park Service hosts a wide variety of activities on Saturday, February 25 from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm at or near the Murie Science and Learning Center. The day's offerings include sled dog rides, ice carving demonstration, presentation by story teller Jack Dalton, ranger-guided snowshoe walk, snow sculpting contest, and a 5K family fun run/walk/ski/bike. Hot drinks and light refreshments are provided and a selection of park-related publications will be available for sale.

Saturday events continue in Healy, with chili cookoff at 4:00 pm, a free community chili feed beginning at 5:00 pm and a hockey game with the Healy Coal Queens at 6:00 pm. The evening will culminate with the second annual "Denali's Got Talent!" competition beginning at 6:30 pm. These activities are taking place at the Tri-Valley Community Center at Mile 0.5 on the Healy Spur Road (Mile 248.8 Parks Highway).

Meals, lodging and other services are available year-round in the communities of Healy and Cantwell. The park's Riley Creek Campground is open for free camping. A vault toilet is provided for winter campers and water can be obtained at the Murie Science and Learning Center.

Winterfest is made possible with the assistance of Alaska Geographic, Denali Borough, Denali Borough School District, Denali Education Center, Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, National Park Service, and Princess Tours. Winterfest information is available on the park website orwww.denaliborough.com or by calling Denali National Park at 907- 683-9532 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm daily.

National Park Service to Burn Debris Piles in Denali

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DENALI PARK, Alaska: Fire Management staff at Denali National Park and Preserve will burn piles of debris consisting of trees and brush when weather conditions permit beginning Saturday, February 18 through May 31, 2012. The piles are situated at four locations, including sites near the Denali Park Road and in the backcountry. Smoke may be visible in areas near the debris piles, and from the Denali Park Road, Parks Highway, and aircraft.

Burn pile site locations:

Admin Road - ¼ mile east of the McKinley Park landing strip (Mile 1 on the park road),approximately ½ mile northwest of the park road entrance.

Toklat Road Camp - Mile 53 on the park road, on the Toklat River approximately ½ mile north of the road.

Lower Windy Creek Patrol Cabin - Approximately 2.5 miles north of the Cantwell Airport, west of the Jack River and the Denali Park boundary.

Parker Cabin - On Moose Creek approximately 7.5 miles east of Kantishna and 5 miles north of the park road.

NPS Fire Management staff will be monitoring the burning on site. Each pile is expected burn for 3-4 days. The material being burned is debris from hazard fuel reduction treatment (fire protection) around structures, brushing along the park road, and maintenance projects in the park.

Sitka National Historical Park’s February 23rd Evening Program

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Sitka National Historical Park, (February 13, 2012)- Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sitka National Historical Park's February 23^rd Evening Program, Mysteries on Monastery Street with Nancy Yaw Davis, has been canceled.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Refuge Notebook Brings Natural Science to Life in Alaska

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Every week for 13 years, staff at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska have been giving science writing

a good name.

Their vehicle: 800- to 1,000-word observations on refuge life and work

that they take turns writing for a local daily newspaper. The result – the

Kenai Refuge Notebook, each installment of which appears on the refuge

website – is as distinctive as its followers on this south Alaska

peninsula.

Subjects may be familiar (hunting or snow) or specialized (thermal

imaging). But the perspectives are fresh, and the insights often

surprising. Consider these accounts published over the last year:

Biologist John Morton’s account of three nunataks – exposed

glacial ridges at risk of losing their uniqueness as wildlife oases as the

climate warms.

Entomologist Matt Bowser’s light piece about building a library of

insect DNA codes to offer another measure of environmental change. (“The

whole idea,” he jokes, “is to work myself out of a job.”)

Graduate student Rebecca Zulueta’s observations of interactions

between bears and humans. (One lesson from her survey of local attitudes

on bears: “The fact that many Alaskans also have large, intimidating dogs

definitely added unwanted excitement to my experience until I learned to

bring along dog treats.”)

And game warden Chris Johnson’s musings about wily scofflaws (like

the fisherman who hid a fresh-caught rainbow trout in his pants) and the

wilier officers who catch them.

The weekly newspaper column was conceived by ecologist Ed Berg in 1999,

who thought it would be a good refuge outreach tool. He spoke to Lori

Evans, then editor at the Peninsula Clarion. They struck a deal.

“She gave me this advice,” says Berg. “‘Think of it as a personal letter

you’re writing to a friend you haven’t seen for some time.”

The informal tone that resulted has become a hallmark of the column, Berg

says. Column writers also tend to share a contagious enthusiasm for the

Alaska landscape and a willingness to laugh at themselves. Take Morton’s

aside about a recovered nunatak specimen: “We also collected one

terrestrial mite (Erythraeus tonsus) which eventually made the front cover

of the June 2010 issue of the International Journal of Acarology. I know

that’s a lot of excitement to handle in one newspaper article, but you’ll

be even more impressed to note that it was regarded as a ‘monstrosity,’ a

genetic anomaly which resulted in a 10-legged (rather than 8) mite. OK,

this is even nerdier than guys in Antarctica who name their band Nunatak.”

Will Morrow, the Clarion’s current editor, inherited the column from Evans

in its first year, and he’s still a fan. “It’s generally very well

written,” he says, of the Notebook. “It’s such a diverse thing. Sometimes

it’s a biologist or ecologist writing, sometimes one of the law

enforcement folks, sometimes one of backcountry rangers, so there’s always

something different in there.”

When Berg retired in 2010, John Morton succeeded him as Notebook editor.

“I think it’s incredibly valuable,” says Morton. “I’m trying to get

everyone on staff to write.”

Although the Notebook strives for a lighter tone, it provides serious

information as well.

For example, two different speakers at a public hearing this year cited a

Notebook piece to argue why the state of Alaska might want to consider

moth control rather than wolf control to boost moose populations. (Shrub

damage by moths means less forage for moose to eat in winter.)

By and large, says Morrow, “because of the way [the stories] are written,

it’s hard to argue with them. They’re written from the science.”

Alaska Outdoor News

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Wrangell St Elias Subsistence Resource Commission to meet in Slana and Copper Center

Saturday, February 25, 2012

2013 Proposed Cruise Ship Quotas

Friday, February 24, 2012

National Park Service Seeking Comments on Horseshoe LakeTrail Project

Thursday, February 23, 2012

11th Overflights Advisory Council Meeting

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

National Park Service Seeking Input on Plowing Denali Park Road Beyond Headquarters in Winter

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Special Denali Subsistence Meeting on February 23

Monday, February 20, 2012

Park seeks students for summer YCC positions

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Park Visitor Center Closed for Washington’s Birthday

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Celebrate Winterfest 2012

National Park Service to Burn Debris Piles in Denali

Sitka National Historical Park’s February 23rd Evening Program

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Refuge Notebook Brings Natural Science to Life in Alaska

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