What to expect as BLM Alaska’s recreation season goes full swing

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska’s recreation team is proving to be nimble as it rides the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“We’re unique in that we’re the only state [within the Bureau] that didn’t close recreational sites.” Alaska Recreation Planner Zach Million says summer recreation plans have been going on for the last couple of months.  
 
The recreation areas that stayed open were able to comply with quarantine mandates outlined by the Governor.  

As Memorial Day approaches, BLM Alaska recreation and maintenance staff are working diligently to keep Alaskans healthy and safe as they expand access to BLM-managed sites. They’re the folks recreators in the White Mountains rely on to provide an accessible getaway from quarantine. And they’re the folks truck drivers depend on to keep facilities safe and clean as they drive the Dalton highway to supply critical infrastructure on the North Slope. As the state heads into the summer outdoor season and later hunting season, these staff will clean and maintain campgrounds. 

Recreation in Alaska will look different this summer. Zach says recreation planners are expecting fewer visitors because of travel restrictions in Alaska and Canada. Despite that, they’re still planning for the same amount of traffic. Over the last two months he says BLM recreation staff across the country, and in Alaska, have been creating new protocols to keep facilities clean and visitors and staff safe and healthy.  
 
Zach says BLM recreation planners have been coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in preparation for the upcoming recreation season, specifically the peak summer months when BLM-managed lands see an increase in visitors. 
 
BLM campground hosts are a primary group of seasonal summer staff that are being onboarded. Zach says they will be issued COVID specific personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep them safe and healthy while they carry out daily cleanings of any publicly used facilities, including doorknobs, fee stations, vault toilets and bathrooms. They will use CDC approved cleaners, he says. And those cleanings will happen daily where camp hosts are on site. Any site without a camp host will have its facilities cleaned every few days by BLM staff. 

Visitors are encouraged to practice leave no trace principles. Zach says they’ve sent posters outlining those measures to district and field offices so they can be displayed in popular areas around the state.  

BLM will still accept cash payments at fee stations or visitors can pay by check using the fee stations at the site.  
 
While planning for summer recreation is ongoing, BLM field staff were already working throughout the winter. It was uncharted territory during the initial phases of quarantine in accordance with Alaska state mandates. 
 
The White Mountain National Recreation Area experiences heavy snows each winter. During quarantine, two storms brought snow accumulation in excess of 19 inches. Yet recreation, maintenance and law enforcement staff headed out into hundreds of miles of trails to maintain grooming, and check on cabins and visitors enjoying the trails. 

It’s no small job. The White Mountains cover a million acres and include 250 acres of groomed trails and 12 public use cabins. It attracts people who want to enjoy prime winter recreation with their dog teams, on their bikes, skis, and snow machines. Local recreation managers say restrictions on work, school and travel have directed many people to the White Mountains to spend their extra free time. 

Along the Dalton Highway, BLM staff have not wavered in their commitment to also maintaining 6 waysides along the famed road to the state’s northern reaches.  

 
Over the last couple of months two staff have regularly headed out along the highway, even in trying conditions.  

Maintaining each wayside entails a 700-mile round trip journey over the course of 3 days from Fairbanks up the Dalton Highway and back. Adverse weather and hazardous road conditions consistently make this effort arduous, requiring considerable commitment, endurance, and wherewithal to see it through. 

Recreation planners expect visitors to BLM-managed sites to be mostly Alaska locals this summer because of current quarantine protocols for out of state visitors, and overland and ocean travel restrictions by the Canadian government.  

Zach has one message for any visitors that do come: “We’re just doing everything we can to keep employees and visitors safe and well prepared.”  
 
Throughout  the summer recreation season, Zach says BLM Alaska will stay flexible.  

“The one thing I’ve learned through this process, of putting together this comprehensive plan for the state is that every state is handling their preparation a little differently. But I think we’re ready to go into new, uncharted territory.” Zach said