Interagency Working Group Calls for Integrated Management and Planning for a Rapidly Changing Arctic

An interagency working group chaired by Interior Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes today released a report that calls for an integrated management strategy for the rapidly changing Arctic. The report highlights the need for a coordinated approach that uses the best available science to integrate cultural, environmental and economic factors in decision-making about development and conservation.

“This report chronicles how Arctic residents are dealing with rapid, climate change-induced impacts on their resources and traditional ways of life at the same time that new economic activity and opportunities are emerging — notably oil and gas, marine transportation, tourism and mining,” said Hayes, chair of the Alaska Interagency Working Group that commissioned the report. “It is imperative that we reduce redundancies and streamline federal efforts as we safely and responsibly explore and develop Alaska’s vast resources while preserving the region’s rich ecosystems that will sustain future generations.”

The report — Managing for the Future in a Rapidly Changing Arctic — is based on input from a wide range of Alaska stakeholders. In addition to recommending integrated management, the report recommends continuing high-level attention on the Arctic, strengthening state and tribal partnerships, encouraging more stakeholder engagement, undertaking more organized and inclusive scenario planning, and coordinating and potentially consolidating environmental reviews that are now being prepared by multiple agencies.

The report does not recommend new regulations or represent new policy decisions, but it does call for a review of the activities of over 20 federal agencies involved in the U.S. Arctic by the end of 2013 with an eye toward increased coordination and the elimination of duplication of efforts. Congress has entrusted the federal government with primary jurisdiction over nearly three quarters of the U.S. Arctic's land mass. In addition, the federal government has a special relationship with Alaska natives, including Alaskan tribes and native corporations

The report to the President was led by the Interagency Working Group on Coordination of Domestic Energy Development and Permitting in Alaska, with active consultation and assistance from the National Ocean Council and the Arctic Research Commission. Established by Executive Order 13580, the Interagency Working Group on Coordination of Domestic Energy Development and Permitting in Alaska includes 11 federal departments, agencies and executive offices.

The report also includes the launch of a new government web site, the Arctic Science Portal, by the Arctic Research Commission, which is chaired by former Alaskan Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer. This web portal will provide decision makers and other interested parties with easier access to scientific information about the Arctic. It includes information on topics such as sea ice, fisheries, oil spill research and many others. It can be accessed athttp://www.arctic.gov/portal/.

“This report to the President emphasizes the importance of using a science-driven, stakeholder-informed framework—one that takes into account the needs of functioning ecosystems—for making good decisions in the Arctic,” said John P. Holdren, President Obama’s science and technology advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, speaking on behalf of the National Ocean Council, which contributed to the report’s creation. “We must redouble our efforts to move forward on this path.”

“We are pleased to launch the Arctic Science Portal to help make science more accessible to decision makers and the general public,” said Fran Ulmer, Chair of Arctic Research Commission. “The report released today is extraordinarily important. It emphasizes the key role that science must play in making good decisions in the Arctic, and seeks to build on—and expand the successes achieved by the Interagency Working Group in coordinating across federal agencies, with all key stakeholders, and with the science community.”

The authors of the report engaged in discussions with many agencies and stakeholders in the Arctic to determine how the federal government might improve management processes and practices, reporting that diverse parties “agreed that management decisions in the U.S Arctic should seek to foster healthy economies, promote thriving cultures, and ensure sustainable ecosystems—an encouraging consensus.”

“Based on input from a wide range of stakeholders, this report shows how applying integrated Arctic management principles can help us make well-informed decisions in the Arctic,” said Hayes. “The key is taking a holistic approach and putting a premium on interagency coordination, the traditional knowledge of Native communities, and having a fuller understanding of landscape-level sensitivities and impacts. Because Congress has given the federal government such a major role in the U.S. Arctic, we have a responsibility to improve our coordination, planning, and outreach as we partner with the State of Alaska municipalities, tribes, Native corporations, and other parties that have a stake in the region.”

A copy of the report is available here.

Denali Road to open to Mile 12 on March 31, 2013

Down the valley towards Denali on this beautiful day, with the (one) park road wending its way.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A sure sign of spring in Denali National Park and Preserve is the opening of the park road beyond park headquarters. Park visitors will be able to drive as far as the Mountain Vista Trailhead, a rest area east of the Savage River Campground, beginning at noon on Sunday, March 31, weather permitting. Early spring offers enjoyable conditions for visiting the park, as there is good snow coverage for mushing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, coupled with milder temperatures and long days. Mount McKinley, or Denali, is visible from the park road at approximately Mile 10 when it is not shrouded in clouds. Vault toilets at the Mountain Vista Trailhead are open for use.

Picnic tables and other rest area amenities may still be under snow. Other facilities west of park headquarters, including the Savage River Campground, remain closed until later this spring. Visitors should expect to encounter snow and ice on shaded sections of the park road until overnight temperatures remain above freezing. Motorists are also advised to be alert for National Park Service personnel steaming culverts along the side of the road, and for heavy equipment being used in the road opening operations.

Weather conditions can change rapidly at this time of the year, and the road may open and close several times. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead for updated road and weather information. The National Park Service expects to open the road to the Savage River (Mile 15) in early April.

For those interested in following the progress of the Denali road crew as they plow westward along the 92 mile park road to Kantishna, updates and a photo gallery are posted on the park website.

The Riley Creek Campground at Mile 0.2 is open, and camping is free until May 15. A vault toilet is provided in the loop that remains open year-round, and campers can obtain water at the Murie Science and Learning Center. Water and sewer services will not be available until mid to late May. The Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) at Mile 1.3 is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for visitor information and backcountry permits. Denali National Park and Preserve collects an entrance fee year-round. The entrance fee of $10 per person (for visitors age 16 and older) is good for seven days. The majority of the money collected remains in the park to be used for projects to improve visitor services and facilities. Interagency Federal Recreation Passes such as the Annual, Senior, and Access Pass, and the Denali Annual Pass are also valid for entry into the park and can be purchased at the MSLC.

Upper Susitna Valley Communities Celebrate Earth Day

Talkeetna, Alaska (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Spring is in the air, and the Upper Susitna Valley is celebrating it and this planet we call home during the 13th Annual Earth Day Celebration taking place on Saturday, April 20. Everyone is invited to come enjoy the changing of the season, and the activities suitable for all ages taking place from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar in downtown Talkeetna.

Earth friendly products, information, arts, and crafts will be available to peruse or purchase in order to demonstrate how local choices can benefit the health of the global community. Free fair trade coffee will be available to participants who bring their own mug or other beverage container. Those without a container can purchase coffee for $1.00.

ARAMARK is facilitating recycling for this event. Community residents and other participants are encouraged to bring cardboard, #1 and#2 plastics, aluminum, glass, and steel cans for recycling. The event will not be able to accept scrap metal.

Earth Day activities are made possible by many volunteers, businesses, and organizations that support sustainable living. For additional information or to reserve exhibitor space, please contact Rachel Jencks, National Park Service Education Specialist, at 907-683-6430 or Rachel_Jencks@nps.gov.

Related articles

• Earth Day volunteer workday at Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site on April 20 (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)

BLM Alaska News

Nominations for Resources Advisory Council

BLM is accepting applications for its Resources Advisory Council through the date of April 29th. The applications were originally due at an earlier date.

Call the BLM at 271-3335 to request an application/nomination packet or visit our web site at http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/res/rac.html   (select “2013 Nomination Form/Information”) for a fillable/printable form.

BLM

BLM Assisting Army Corp of Engineers with Prescribed Burns

In a joint effort with the Army Corp of Engineers, BLM Fire Control personnel will assist in the Chena Lakes Flood Control Project area.  Burns will be conducted through June 1.

Alaska Fire Service Smokejumpers Receive National Recognition

Two veterans of the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service have been recognized for their outstanding accomplishments last year. Those accomplishments included working together to initiate a new combined training for first-year smokejumpers in Idaho and Alaska.

Chris Swisher of Fairbanks and Ben Oakleaf of Boise, Idaho, were named winners of the 2013 “Al Dunton Smokejumper Leadership Award,” which recognizes outstanding accomplishments of BLM and Forest Service smokejumper personnel. 

Swisher and Oakleaf were nominated for their work combining first-year smokejumper training for Alaska and Great Basin rookie smokejumpers. Combined rookie training was conducted in the past but for a dozen years, the Alaska and Great Basin rookie jumpers trained separately.  The 2012 training was a huge success, and is planned again this year.  Training together provides added value for the jumpers, including developing familiarity with firefighters that are likely to work together on fires. 

“The more we know each other and about each other, the more seamless it is when we integrate the crews,” says Oakleaf.   

Oakleaf and Swisher started their careers together on the Midnight Sun Interagency Hotshot Crew with the BLM Alaska Fire Service and have been good friends for over a decade.  Their supervisors describe the two as having a great work ethic and outstanding attitudes.  Swisher jumps out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska and Oakleaf, a Great Basin smokejumper, is based in Boise, Idaho.

“It [The award] was a surprise,” says Swisher, “I didn’t know anything about it until I was told that I won.” Oakleaf added, “I didn’t even know I was nominated until the jumper manager called me into his office and told me. I was very surprised.”

The award is named after Al Dunton, who served as a rookie smokejumper in Fairbanks in 1967.  He managed the smokejumper base there from 1972 through 1984 and remained active in fire management throughout his career.  The award was established by the interagency smokejumper base managers and the National Smokejumper Association, with the support of Al Dunton’s wife, Mary, and other family members.