SB 197: "An Act creating the Knik River Public Use Area."
00 SENATE BILL NO. 197 01 "An Act creating the Knik River Public Use Area." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. AS 41.23 is amended by adding new sections to article 1 to read: 04 Sec. 41.23.180. Purpose of AS 41.23.180 - 41.23.210. The purpose of 05 AS 41.23.180 - 41.23.210 is to establish the area described in AS 41.23.210 as the 06 Knik River Public Use Area. The Knik River Public Use Area is established to 07 (1) provide an area for public use as an off-road motorized vehicle 08 recreation area; 09 (2) protect and maintain migratory waterfowl nesting areas, habitats 10 for moose, Dall sheep, and brown bear, and other fish and wildlife habitat so that 11 traditional public use of fish and wildlife populations may continue; 12 (3) perpetuate and enhance public enjoyment of fish and wildlife in 13 their natural habitat through off-road vehicle recreation, fishing, hunting, trapping, 14 viewing, and photography; 15 (4) perpetuate and enhance general public recreation in a quality
01 environment; 02 (5) perpetuate and enhance additional public uses described in the 03 Susitna Area Plan; 04 (6) allow public access for miners and owners of private property in 05 the off-road area of the Knik River Valley; and 06 (7) allow additional public uses of the area determined to be 07 compatible with (1) - (6) of this section. 08 Sec. 41.23.190. Management. (a) The commissioner is responsible for the 09 management of the surface and subsurface estate within the Knik River Public Use 10 Area consistent with the purposes of AS 41.23.180. 11 (b) The commissioner of fish and game, the Board of Fisheries, and the Board 12 of Game are responsible for the management of fish and game resources and public 13 use of fish and wildlife in the Knik River Public Use Area consistent with the purposes 14 of AS 41.23.180. 15 (c) The Knik River Public Use Area may not be managed as a unit of the state 16 park system. 17 (d) With the assistance of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the 18 commissioner shall identify wetland areas within the Knik River Public Use Area and 19 shall adopt regulations providing for the protection and use of the wetland areas. 20 Sec. 41.23.200. Incompatible uses. (a) Except as provided in this section, 21 the commissioner may prohibit or restrict uses determined to be incompatible with the 22 purposes of the Knik River Public Use Area under AS 41.23.180 within the state- 23 owned land and water described in AS 41.23.210. 24 (b) Nothing in AS 41.23.180 - 41.23.210 prohibits the Department of Fish and 25 Game from engaging in rehabilitation, enhancement, and development of fish and 26 wildlife habitat within an area described in AS 41.23.210 that is consistent with the 27 purposes stated in AS 41.23.180. 28 (c) The commissioner may not restrict lawful fishing, hunting, or trapping 29 rights allowed under a regulation of the Board of Fisheries or the Board of Game 30 within the Knik River Public Use Area. 31 (d) The commissioner shall allow the Knik River Public Use Area to be used
01 for activities involving all-terrain vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, airboats, 02 snowmobiling, horseback riding, hiking, bicycling, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, 03 skijoring, camping, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, photography, and, where 04 permitted, mineral exploration and mining. 05 (e) The commissioner shall allow for the use of existing off-road motor 06 vehicle trails in existence at the time the Knik River Public Use Area is established 07 and shall develop new trails for motorized and nonmotorized use to disperse users 08 throughout a larger area and to accommodate increased use of the public use area. 09 (f) The commissioner may not restrict the use of weapons, including firearms, 10 within the Knik River Public Use Area except in sites of high public use such as picnic 11 areas, boat ramps, camping grounds, and parking areas when the commissioner 12 determines that the use of weapons constitutes a threat to public safety. 13 Sec. 41.23.210. Knik River Public Use Area. Subject to valid existing rights 14 and the receipt of state title, the vacant and unappropriated state-owned land and water 15 and the state land and water acquired in the future that lie within the boundaries 16 described in this section are designated as the Knik River Public Use Area, are 17 reserved for all uses compatible with their primary function as public use land, and are 18 assigned to the department for control and management: 19 (1) Township 15 North, Range 4 East, Seward Meridian; 20 (2) Township 15 North, Range 5 East, Seward Meridian; 21 (3) Township 15 North, Range 6 East, Seward Meridian; 22 (4) Township 15 North, Range 7 East, Seward Meridian 23 Section 3: NW1/4NW1/4 24 Section 4: N1/2NE1/4, N1/2NW1/4 25 Section 5: N1/2NE1/4, NW1/4 26 Section 6: SW1/4SE1/4, N1/2SE1/4, SW1/4, N1/2 27 Section 7: SW1/4NW1/4, N1/2NW1/4; 28 (5) Township 16 North, Range 2 East, Seward Meridian 29 Section 1: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 30 Knik River 31 Section 2: Portions located below the ordinary high water of
01 Knik River 02 Section 3: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 03 Knik River; 04 (6) Township 16 North, Range 3 East, Seward Meridian 05 Sections 1 - 3 06 Section 4: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 07 Knik River 08 Section 5: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 09 Knik River 10 Section 6: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 11 Knik River 12 Section 9: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 13 Knik River 14 Section 10: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 15 Knik River 16 Sections 11 - 13 17 Section 14: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 18 Knik River 19 Section 23: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 20 Knik River 21 Section 24: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 22 Knik River; 23 (7) Township 16 North, Range 4 East, Seward Meridian; 24 (8) Township 16 North, Range 5 East, Seward Meridian; 25 (9) Township 16 North, Range 6 East, Seward Meridian; 26 (10) Township 16 North, Range 7 East, Seward Meridian 27 Section 6: NW1/4SE1/4, S1/2SE1/4, W1/2 28 Section 7 29 Sections 17 - 20 30 Section 28: NW1/4SW1/4, S1/2SW1/4 31 Sections 29 - 32
01 Section 33: S1/2NE1/4, SE1/4, W1/2 02 Section 34: SE1/4SW1/4, W1/2SW1/4; 03 (11) Township 17 North, Range 2 East, Seward Meridian 04 Section 36: Portions located below the ordinary high water of 05 Knik River; 06 (12) Township 17 North, Range 3 East, Seward Meridian 07 Sections 1 - 5 08 Sections 9 - 16 09 Section 17: S1/2 10 Sections 20 - 29 11 Section 31: NE1/4NE1/4, S1/2NE1/4, SE1/4, SW1/4 located 12 below the ordinary high water of Knik River 13 Sections 32 - 36; 14 (13) Township 17 North, Range 4 East, Seward Meridian; 15 (14) Township 17 North, Range 5 East, Seward Meridian; 16 (15) Township 17 North, Range 6 East, Seward Meridian; 17 (16) Township 18 North, Range 6 East, Seward Meridian.