Fairbanks District Office
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News Release |
BLM Settles Dalton Corridor Vehicle Trespass
FAIRBANKS, AK — The Bureau of Land Management announced today that it has reached an agreement with four individuals to settle two trespass cases that occurred last year in the Dalton Highway area. The two truck owners were cited for driving off the Dalton Highway and onto the tundra to recover caribou shot by the group.
In addition to civil fines already levied against the drivers, the truck owners have agreed to pay the U.S. government $10,000 to cover penalties, rental and other administrative costs. In addition, they will participate and cooperate with the BLM in a public outreach effort to help orient other military users of public lands in Alaska over the next six months. The personal costs to the hunters for extracting and repairing the vehicles have mounted to over $32,000.
According to Shelly Jacobson, BLM’s Central Yukon Field Manager responsible for the public land trespassed, the settlement agreement provides compensation for penalties, rental and other administrative costs.
“The individuals involved in this trespass made several bad decisions last year when they decided to drive their trucks onto the tundra. But they have been up front with us and have admitted their errors in judgment. They are anxious to get this situation behind them, as are we,” said Jacobson. “They will each share the responsibility for coming up with a portion of the monetary penalty, and they will work cooperatively with us over the next six months to help educate and orient military personnel stationed in Alaska about responsible, safe use and enjoyment of public lands in Alaska.”
Jacobson said that the individuals trespassed on public land in September 2006 when they drove two pickup trucks into an area closed to motorized use while caribou hunting off the Dalton Highway, near milepost 291. The trucks became stuck and then froze into place as winter set in. After the hunters notified the BLM of the situation, they applied for and were granted a conditional use permit to extract their trucks under the supervision of BLM resource specialists. After several unsuccessful attempts, they were finally able to retrieve their trucks in March 2007.
Jacobson said that the tundra impacted by the trucks will be allowed to stabilize naturally as any rehabilitation activity could worsen conditions. The recovery of the impacted area is being studied and monitored by the BLM and researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks through a Challenge Cost Share agreement.
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The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages 258 million surface acres of public land in the nation—more than any other Federal agency. Most of this land is in 12 Western states, including 83.5 million surface acres in Alaska. The Bureau also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate in the U.S. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical and cultural resources on the public lands.
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