SB 108-STAMPEDE STATE RECREATION AREA  CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced the consideration of SB 108. SENATOR JOE THOMAS, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of SB 108 read the following: SB 108 will preserve the traditional uses of this area by creating the Stampede Recreation Area within the stampede corridor. Several years ago former Governor Murkowski proposed to build a road through this area. The planned road was vehemently opposed by borough residents as well as the recreational and traditional user groups who had an interest in keeping things the way they are. In an effort to preserve the area for use by residents and visitors, the Denali Borough Assembly passed a resolution calling on the Alaska Legislature to designate the corridor as the Stampede State Recreation Area with a strong emphasis on self determination by the residents and users of the area. Current use of the area includes off road and all terrain vehicle use, watercraft use, snow machining, horseback riding, hiking, bicycling, dog sledding, cross country skiing, ski journeying, camping, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and photography. All these activities would be protected and preserved under this proposed legislation. Recreational users of the area come from the Denali Borough, Fairbanks, MatSu, and Anchorage. Tourist and adventurers travel to the area from across the globe. The area supports several tourism related businesses including several lodges and road touring companies that rent all terrain vehicles for use on the more primitive sections of the trail. The bill is supported by the Denali Borough Assembly, the Denali Chamber of Commerce, the…neighborhood associated with homes located along the Stampede Road, and the Denali Citizens Council. Additionally, my staff and I have hosted several constituent meetings on the proposed legislation in Fairbanks and the Denali Borough. By and large, the proposed area is supported by local residents and trail users. The main impetus behind the legislation is to protect the area for continued traditional use. 4:28:30 PM SENATOR FRENCH noted that the area is quite large. JOE HARDENBROOK, Staff, to Senator Joe Thomas, said the proposed recreation area is roughly ten miles north to south and 35-40 miles east to west. MR. HARDENBROOK noted that there is a draft committee substitute (CS) that makes a technical correction. The original bill incorrectly included reference to Sec. 41.21.407 and the draft CS corrects the reference to Sec. 41.21.405. DAVE TALIRICO, Mayor, Denali Borough, thanked Senator Thomas and said that the borough assembly supports SB 108. The area is heavily used by local and distant residents year round. 4:31:39 PM SUSAN BRAWN, representing herself, said she owns land on the Savage River in the proposed recreation area. She supports SB 108 because it will let people use the land as they have for the past 30 years. The constituent meetings showed there is tremendous support for this from the community. People want traditional uses to be recognized as important. That is why they live in Alaska. 4:33:05 PM BROOKS LUDWIG, Superintendent, Northern Area, Division of Parks & Outdoor Recreation, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Fairbanks, said he's been involved in a grassroots effort. There is a lot of public support for the area and traditional uses. He is committed to involving locals in the public process so that the recreation area meets their demands. STEWART CUBLEY, landowner, said he is a potential inholder within the proposed recreation area. He supports SB 108 as an important step in preserving traditional uses. In his 30-year residency he has traveled the area by dog team, skis, snow machine, and helicopter. It is best for the land and the inhabitants to pass this bill. 4:35:05 PM JULIA POTTER, representing herself, said she is a resident of the Denali Borough. She volunteers in the community and is employed by the Denali Citizens Council. As a resident, she wants her way of life protected. Part of that is having access the Stampede area for recreation. She uses the area for a wide variety of recreational activities and she knows that SB 108 will support those traditional uses. She noted that the Denali Chamber of Commerce also supports the legislation. Several members own tourism services and it's well known that the Denali Borough depends on tourism. Creating the Stampede State Recreation Area will allow visitors to experience the Alaska way of life while supporting the economy of the borough. The Parks Highway Community Partnership recognizes the importance of creating the proposed recreation area. It will stimulate the local economy. The Denali Citizens Council initiated an online petition asking members and local citizens to show support for SB 108. To date they have received 110 signatures. 4:38:09 PM HANNAH RAGLAND, representing herself, said she supports SB 108. She owns 13 dogs and regularly uses the proposed recreation area both with her dogs and without on a year round basis. The overwhelming sentiment in the neighborhood is to see the area unchanged, which means that the land needs to be managed responsibly. She asked that the state consider including Eight Mile Lake in future legislation. It is a main access point and would make management easier for the state. She would like to see the state manage use in the area and she would also like the community to be involved in the process. 4:41:11 PM CHARLIE LOEB, representing himself, said he owns property adjacent to the proposed recreation area and he uses the area for a wide variety of activities. He is extremely supportive of the legislation because it will protect existing uses. Interest in the area is growing and management is needed. A recreational area designation will provide the opportunity to develop a management plan that will accommodate this increased use. The area has the potential to be a real asset to the state because of its proximity to Denali National Park and the scenic byway, but it will only be realized with good management. He encouraged the committee to amend the bill to including the Eight Mile Lake area because it is the gateway to the recreation area. He reiterated his support for SB 108. 4:45:20 PM MARY SIROKI, Legislative Liaison, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF), Juneau, said the administration believes it is in the best interest of the state to reserve a transportation and utility corridor through the proposed recreation area. In 1998 the Legislature passed legislation relating to rights-of-way for RS 2477 trails reserving, among other areas, the Stampede Trail. Although there are no specific plans for a road or utility now or in the near future, it makes sense to reserve the option for future generations. Doing so should not impact how the recreation area is managed. DOTPF issues permits for activities and rights-of-way as standard practice and will work with DNR to find the best locations for facilities that may be constructed including: outhouses, campgrounds, benches, and pullouts. DOTPF would do the same for a private entity upon request from DNR. If in the future a road is constructed, DOTPF will avoid those improvements or it will move them. MS. SIROKY said it's good to remember that reservation of a transportation and utility right-of-way does not eliminate DOTPF's responsibility to work with a community to determine what is in the best interest of that community and neighboring communities. DOTPF respects that some in the Denali Borough do not want a Stampede Road, and wants it understood that this is not a backdoor attempt to build a road. 4:48:10 PM SENATOR FRENCH asked if SB 108 reserves a right-of-way through the proposed recreation area. MS. SIROKI said no. CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE asked if she has an amendment to accomplish that goal. MS. SIROKI said she has some language requesting 500 feet on either side of the center line of the RS 2477 trail. That will provide room to put a road where it makes most sense. "So we can straighten out the trail where it makes sense to straighten out the trail or we can avoid wetlands or historic areas." It doesn't mean 1,000 feet are needed once a road is constructed, or should it be constructed. 4:49:23 PM SENATOR FRENCH said the last time the road idea came up he challenged the commissioner of DOTPF to look at it, "and we did." That experience showed him the deep opposition to that idea from the community and the extraordinary costs the state would incur if it decided to build a road. He said he doesn't know how serious the committee is in granting the department a 1,000-foot wide easement. He observed that it's not quite a quarter of a mile, but it's close. CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI said it is probably enough for an 8-lane highway. SENATOR HUGGINS said with traditional trails and rights-of-way, it exists whether it is designated or not. 4:50:47 PM MS. SIROKI said there is what's called the 4-F section in federal legislation that requires DOTPF to achieve a very high bar should federal dollars be used for any road. Without the reservation of a right-of-way it would be very difficult to put in a road. It is important to realize that DOTPF is asking for a reservation for planning purposes down the line. "We recognize that currently there is no desire to put a road in, but we're reserving it for the future and for utilities…. We don't know that 30 or 40 years from now it won't make sense to make a loop come through Denali Park." That is certainly not part of anyone's plan now, but DOTPF doesn't want to preclude it. SENATOR FRENCH said the suggestion that someday there may be a loop is not outlandish. However, this has been a most remarkable hearing given the one-sided nature of the testimony. There are many tourism people who focus on this part of the world, and he expected to see diverse views with people asking not to lock up more of Alaska. "I didn't hear a single person ask for that." That speaks volumes about what the community wants. 4:52:54 PM MS. SIROKI said she believes that communities did speak about access, and DOTPF's proposal doesn't prohibit citizens from having the traditional access they want. CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked the sponsor to comment on the administration's proposal. SENATOR THOMAS said it is a rather wide right-of-way, and it has been opposed. Over time there may be some need for the right-of- way, but this bill doesn't preclude that. He is willing to talk to the administration about its needs, but the public is not in favor of what DOTPF is proposing. SENATOR FRENCH suggested the sponsor ask legislative legal if this bill will preclude a road forever more. MR. HARDENBROOK directed attention to a map showing the Stampede Road and Trail and Eight Mile Lake, which is the extent of a passable road by standard car. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the purpose of an established recreation area is to maintain recreational access and use, as determined by the commissioner. After the creation of the recreation area, the commissioner of DNR would determine whether a road would fit with the stated purpose of the designated area. 4:56:50 PM JAMES KING, Director, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said Mr. Hardenbrook explained it correctly. A state recreation area designation doesn't preclude a road; the important thing is that there would be a planning process to come up with a management plan. If the community and Alaskans and the park all said it would make sense to build a loop road through the national park that comes out through the Stampede Recreation Area it would be an allowable use. If the road is for a recreational or a transportation purpose, it can be allowed. SB 108 will not preclude that. Joe HARDENBROOK was right in saying it is a decision that a commissioner can make. The Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation doesn't see a road as a necessarily bad thing, and it could be a legitimate use if the public wants it. 4:58:28 PM CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if he is saying that the state doesn't need to reserve a right-of-way at this point. MR. KING said, "Creating the recreation area does not preclude a road in the future." SENATOR HUGGINS asked the difference between the proposed Stampede area and Nancy Lake. MR. KING said it would be similar, but the important thing is that the management would be dictated by the management plan, which would be developed with a public process. Through that it is very likely that motorized and nonmotorized use will be very legitimate and can coexist in the area. 5:00:18 PM SENATOR HUGGINS said that at Nancy Lake there has been debate about accessibility and now the state is re-examining the width of the corridor. It appears to be a lot more complicated than what Mr. King indicated, he said. MR. KING said the issues are more complicated for Nancy Lake. That management plan was created almost 20 years ago, and most of the lakes were accessed by people who had floatplanes. A new generation of users has moved into those cabins, and there's been more demand to access them by snowmobiles and four- wheelers. "We're trying to find that balance." Right now about half of the users still want plane access only, and the other half want to see that changed. That is why the state is re- opening the management plan, "and we're going out to the public" and asking what they want for management in the area. Whenever a lot of people have a lot of ownership in an area, management decisions takes a fair amount of work to find a balance between user groups. SENATOR HUGGINS asked if it would strike a balance to adopt the corridor for the Stampede with a "qualifier" that it would take legislative approval to develop it. 5:02:44 PM MR. KING said he doesn't see his division having a lot of opposition to a road if that's what everybody wants. "If you feel that's important to make it so that the Legislature has to approve that in the future, then that would make sense. I guess my opinion would be, at this point, the DNR and the DOTPF should be given that authority to go through that planning process and figure out what the public wants and what the demands are." It's a road to nowhere unless the National Park Service agrees to a road through the national park. There is a lot of public planning that would have to happen before any road would be built, unless the management plan shows the public wants the existing road to be pushed into the recreation area further for recreational access. That's a very doable thing that probably wouldn't take as big a process because it doesn't involve the surrounding national park. CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced he would hold SB 108 in committee.