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Alaska Resource Advisory Council

Meeting Summary

RAC Denali Highway Tour

July 28-30, 2002

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Sunday, July 28, 2002

Council members:	BLM representatives present:
Tom Crafford	Henri Bisson, State Director
Sandra Key	Jody Weil, External Affairs
Susan Olsen	Teresa McPherson, External Affairs (recorder)

State representative:
Dave Kelley, Permitting Program Manager, SC Region DNR Division of Mining, Land & Water

The following joined the group in Glennallen:

Council Members:
Gary Gustafson, Chair
Paul Roehl
Steve Simmons
Larry Taylor

State Representative:
Bob Loeffler, Director, DNR Division of Mining, Land & Water

Following dinner, the council held a brief meeting at Prince William Sound Community College to prepare for a tour of the Denali Highway the following day.

The chair called the meeting to order at 7 a.m.

The chair welcomed council members, BLM, and state representatives, and opened the meeting with a safety moment to review the building's emergency exits.

The chair announced that RAC members Charlie Boddy, Larry Houle, and David van den Berg had asked to be excused. Steve Simmons and Rick Solie were expected, although Solie had indicated his schedule was uncertain. (Note: Simmons joined the group a few minutes into the meeting; Solie was unable to make the trip.)

The April 25-26, 2002, RAC minutes were approved with one clarification: Susan Olsen asked that the phrase "river has eroded" be amended to more accurately read: "riverbank has eroded."

Next, the chair welcomed new BLM Alaska State Director Henri Bisson.

Bisson said he was pleased to join the BLM Alaska team. He said he had been with BLM since 1974 and served as Assistant Director for Resources and Planning at the national BLM office before his appointment to Alaska. He said he was firmly committed to working with the Alaska RAC and looked forward to a productive partnership.

Bisson said BLM currently has two "can't fail" projects in Alaska: 1) the Trans Alaska Pipeline System right-of-way reauthorization, and 2) completion of the Northwest NPR-A land use plan.

Sandra Key asked how Bisson felt RACs could most helpful to the BLM. Bisson said he had worked with district advisory councils for years and more recently with RACs. He said he liked using RAC subgroups, such as technical review teams, to work with the RAC on specific issues where appropriate. He also wanted to hear from RAC members about the issues they wanted to bring to the table.

The chair suggested the RAC might conduct a planning exercise with Bisson as with previous state directors to brainstorm issues the RAC might take up. Bisson said he'd like to do so at the October meeting.

Susan Olsen said the RAC had asked former State Director Fran Cherry to report back on how a proposed rule amending regulations pertaining to recordable disclaimers of interest in land might affect state assertions of RS 2477 routes. Bisson said he wasn't prepared to address this topic but would do so at the next meeting.

Introductions

The chair called for introductions since this was the first meeting of the RAC under a new state director. RAC members introduced themselves and the organizations they represent on the council.

BLM managers and staff present included: Glennallen Field Manager Ramone McCoy, realty specialist Cathy Jensen, outdoor recreation specialist KJ Mushovic, and biologist Elijah Waters. Bob Loeffler, Director of the State's Division of Mining, Land and Water and DNR permitting program manager Dave Kelley attended the meeting at BLM's invitation. Other guests included Alan Day and Jim Sanders of Nevada Star Exploration.

Public comment period: there were no public comments so the RAC returned to the agenda.

Denali Highway trip overview & resource discussion

Field Manager Ramone McCoy welcomed everyone to the Glennallen Field Office and gave a brief overview of the Denali Highway tour scheduled the following day.

Biologist Elijah Waters provided an overview of fish and wildlife resources of the area.

The highway corridor is home to 27 species of mammal and some 150 bird species. Wildlife viewing opportunities include moose, sheep, wolves, caribou, grizzly bear, Arctic ground squirrel, and numerous birds, including bald eagle, trumpeter swan and ptarmigan.
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Gulkana River fisheries include kings and reds. The Gulkana is also a major spawning area for Copper River fisheries.
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Future fisheries concerns for the Gulkana include competition between subsistence, sport and commercial fisheries, and the need for greater public education among users.
Nelchina caribou federal subsistence harvest is relatively stable at about 350 animals per year. Only 2 percent of Nelchina range is open to federal subsistence hunters. There is some confusion about boundaries (not easily identified). Bull only harvest has increased cases of wanton waste. BLM is increasing public education and outreach as a result.
Field office has created a permit database to expedite the process for BLM and applicants. Database will be integrated into other agency databases to prevent duplication of effort and provide better harvest data.
Alphabet Hills prescribed burn awaits appropriate burn "window" (proper weather and fuel moisture conditions). The burn will restore age diversity among vegetative types and enhance wildlife habitat.

Realty specialist Cathy Jensen discussed the Denali Block state selection.

Ahtna, Inc. filed a letter of protest with BLM objecting to the conveyance due to concerns about management of cultural resources in the area. BLM is working with the state and Ahtna to resolve these issues. Henri Bisson said he would check on the status of these efforts.

Outdoor recreation planner KJ Mushovic discussed recreation improvements in the area.

The Delta River RMP developed in 1983 provides management guidance for 24 scenic miles, 20 miles of wild river, and 18 miles of recreational segments. The Tangle Lakes complex is also part of the National Wild and Scenic River System.

The Delta River RMP is scheduled for revision after the Gulkana and East Alaska RMPs are completed. BLM is planning improvements on river segments in areas not state selected. This will include additional waysides and interpretation.

Larry Taylor expressed concerns that overflights by BLM for river monitoring impact the wilderness experience visitors seek. Mushovic explained that overflights are a valuable tool for collecting visitor use data. McCoy said BLM is considering permits for Gulkana users, which would reduce the need for overflights.

Bob Loeffler of DNR discussed the state's Denali Block selection.

The state currently has title to about 91 million acres of its 104-million-acre entitlement.
The state presents BLM with an annual conveyance priority list, but may revise conveyance priorities in response to public and industry needs.
About a year ago, the state was asked to elevate the priority of the Denali Block due to potential mineral values.
The Legislature provided $160,000 for DNR to fund cultural resource protection efforts on state-selected lands in the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District. DNR has proposed seasonal restrictions on OHV use and a mineral closing order to restrict mineral rights.
OHV use poses more of a threat to cultural resources than mining activities.

RAC members said it's crucial for BLM, the state, and Ahtna to work together to resolve these issues. Loeffler said while BLM and the state work cooperatively to set conveyance priorities, cooperative management plans are not as effective because management goals are different, as are constituencies.

Old business:

John Stroud handed out his draft resolution from the April meeting advocating a watershed approach to planning for the Colville River Special Area, as outlined in the Standards the RAC worked on and in the RAC's March 1998 resolution.

He said in April the RAC decided to address his resolution at the next meeting. He was later asked to postpone discussion of the resolution until the RAC's October meeting.

Stroud said he was formally withdrawing the resolution because it would be too late to take up the issue at the October meeting, since the NPR-A Northwest plan would already be out in draft form at that time.

The meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m.

Monday, July 29

Following breakfast, the group departed for the Glennallen Field Office, where those in private vehicles parked their vehicles and boarded the charter bus.

The group made a brief stop at BLM's Sourdough Creek Campground at mile 147 on the Richardson Highway, then traveled on to Middle Fork Trail at mile 169.

Middle Fork Trail stabilization project

Soil scientist Kevin Meyers of the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program briefed the group on a BLM/NPS cooperative trail stabilization project using a material called Geoblock. The sturdy plastic matting stabilizes damaged trail segments and allows regrowth of vegetation to control erosion. The group took a short hike to look at a segment of trail where a crew had just placed the Geoblock.

The RAC then reboarded the bus and traveled on to the Delta River BLM interpretative wayside on the Denali Highway. The group stopped to watch a group of Nelchina caribou grazing south of the highway. Following a box lunch on the bus, the group stopped at Maclaren Summit scenic viewpoint at mile 37, then traveled on to Clearwater Creek wayside. After a brief stop, the bus turned around and headed east on the highway, stopping at Pools of Life scenic overlook.

The group then stopped for a short hike at Landmark Gap Trail, where BLM plans a future stabilization project similar to Middle Fork Trail. The group reboarded the bus and drove to a nearby lodge for dinner.

Following dinner, BLM geologist Peter Bittenbender gave a short presentation about the mineral resources of the Denali area.

Bittenbender explained the importance of surveying, mapping and sampling the known and suspected mineral deposits in the area.

Bittenbender said the Delta River study area has potential for world-class platinum group resources. BLM began mineral assessment of the area this summer and will continue for two more seasons. This information will be analyzed and published for use by industry groups and others interested in doing exploration work in the area. BLM also solicits information from local prospectors to benefit from local knowledge as well.

Tuesday, July 30

Following breakfast, BLM archaeologist John Jangala gave a short presentation about the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District.

Tangle Lakes Archaeological District

Jangala explained the need for inventory and study of the area, which has yielded some of the densest concentrations of archaeological sites in the subarctic, some dating back to 11,000 years. He explained that trails in the area are used for hunting and recreational OHV use, which can impact sensitive archaeological sites. BLM placed seasonal restrictions on some trails until further archaeological clearances are done.

Jack Johnson of Tangle River Inn expressed frustration about trail closures and said closures put more pressure on remaining open trails. Jangala said BLM must follow specific guidelines in areas of known archaeological sites, and sometimes this means restrictions to protect those resources until they can be adequately studied. Methods archaeologists use today to study and date artifacts yield more information than twenty years ago, and twenty years from now new methods will yield even more valuable information.

Jangala said BLM is negotiating a cooperative agreement with the State Historic Preservation Officer so BLM can complete cultural inventories and eventually clear some of the closed trails.

Henri Bisson said BLM wants to work with the state to complete the work, but must also determine how much funding to commit to this effort when some of the lands will eventually be transferred to the state.

Bisson invited Johnson to join the RAC for a visit to a nearby archaeological site. The group boarded the bus and traveled to Tangle Lakes Campground, where they hiked up to Hosley Ridge, the site of the first archaeological finds in the area.

Atop the 3,000-foot ridge, the group searched for stones that might have been used by early Alaskan hunters. Several RAC members found stones that Jangala said were "pre-forms," stones early hunters sharpened in the process of making tools.

The group then reboarded the bus and headed south on the Richardson Highway. After lunch, they arrived at the Glennallen Field Office where council members collected their vehicles. Others remained on the bus for the return trip to Anchorage.

The trip concluded when the group arrived back at Campbell Tract shortly before 7 p.m.