State avoids shutdown, but PFD questions remain<\/a><\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\tNot so fast<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Opponents of the plan primarily cited concerns about the impact of motorized traffic on fish habitat, overall environmental degradation and the safety of non-motorized activities when motorized vehicles are present. Many letters cited a lack of detail in the submitted plan and limited parking as areas of concern.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
About 100 letters mentioned the area’s popularity with skiers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“There are 1,000+ members of the Juneau Nordic Ski Club including people of all ages. The Montana Creek Trail is one of the most popular Nordic ski trails in town due to its interesting climate, which holds snow while the lower elevations are not as dependable,” said Annie Albrecht in her letter.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Several letters came from members of the Nordic Ski Club along with one signed by the group’s board of directors.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“The current proposal would create safety concerns and likely displace existing users (e.g., skiers, dog-walkers, hikers, snowshoers, and other non-motorized user groups), which makes it impossible at this time for the JNSC to voice our support,” read a letter signed by the club’s board of directors. “There is a lack of infrastructure in the area to support increased use, and the proposal as written would be inconsistent with the current management structure of the Montana Creek Upper Watershed.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Members of the Nordic Ski Club provide volunteers to groom the trails for skiers each winter.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In addition to individual letters, several groups submitted opposition letters, including The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, Trout Unlimited, the Raincountry Flyfishers, the United States Forest Service District Ranger, the Juneau Nordic Ski Club and the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center at the University of Alaska Southeast.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Tristan Knutson-Lombardo voiced the concerns of two dozen youth sport coaches who use the area for team training. Several self-identified biologists and fisheries specialists registered objections to the plan along with the City and Borough of Juneau’s Parks and Recreation Department.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
George Schaaf, director of CBJ’s Parks and Recreation Department, asked DNR to “pause adjudication of this easement application so that DNR can work together toward a cooperative management agreement for this area, as recommended in the Juneau State Land Plan.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
His letter addresses additional concerns.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“We are concerned about potential impacts to these CBJ lands and facilities resulting from the proposed use. These include increased costs to CBJ for trash removal, disposal of human waste, and increased vehicle congestion due to limited parking. We are also concerned that the proposed easement on state land could worsen existing conflicts between motorized users and non-motorized users accessing state lands from Montana Creek Road. These conflicts have proven difficult to manage because the area is a patchwork of city, state, and federal jurisdictions. Decisions made by one agency unavoidably affect the others.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
About the project<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The Juneau Off-Road Association submitted a request to build a hardened trail in the Montana Creek area, making it easier for people to operate all-terrain vehicles. Originally, the proposed trail was approximately 6,800 feet long and 25 feet wide, containing about 3.90 acres and an additional quarter acre for a campsite. However, the plans were subsequently updated to reflect a trail that is 8 feet wide.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
According to the petition filed with the state, the trail would be made of hardened gravel and suitable for multi-modal use.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“The requested campsite area is approximately ¼ acre. The total area requested under this easement application is 4.15 acres,” the document reads.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The request continues, “the trail will be constructed off Montana Creek Road (beyond the Hank Harmon Rifle Range) and will climb up to the 1,200-foot level to the southwest, terminating at the end of DMLW-owned, state-managed land bordering United States Forest Service (USFS) land. Where the trail terminates, the applicant proposes to clear and level up to a ¼ acre aggregate area to establish a terraced series of hardened campsites (up to 6), each suitable for equipment parking, tents, and a firepit. The applicant proposes to clear trees and brush only as required in the immediate camp space.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
According to the DNR website, the issue is under review and “after review and adjudication, we may issue an authorization with stipulations for the activity. The activity may be modified during the review and adjudication process.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
According to Megan Hillgartner, a DNR natural resources specialist who managed the comment process, the next step is to draft a decision document.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“The decision document describes why we are or why we are not authorizing the request and whether the requested activity is in the State’s interest. The decision document discusses the proposed activity, environmental\/economic considerations, and details any changes that are required and why. It also may state additional requirements that the applicant needs to meet before the easement is issued,” she said in an email to the Empire.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
She said that a time frame for a decision has not been established.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
• Contact reporter Dana Zigmund at dana.zigmund@juneauempire.com or 907-308-4891.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Users of the Montana Creek area have a lot to say. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":716,"featured_media":71803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":9,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4],"tags":[75],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-71802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-news","tag-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/716"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71802"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=71802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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