CHUGACH STATE PARK CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD (Microsoft Teams Electronic Meeting)

DRAFT--Minutes of the January 11, 2021 Meeting REGULAR MEETING # 9

1. Call to Order: Ryan Yelle called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

2. Roll Call & Introductions: Board members, public.

Present: Jeff Bidinger, Lauren Boldrick, Rob Clark, Fallon Connolly, Tyndall Ellis, Trond Jensen, Haley Johnston, Claire LeClair, Charlotte Levy, Nicole Schmitt, Irene Turletes, Dorn Van Dommelen, Matthew Worden, Ryan Yelle. Excused: Dave Hart Absent: Staff: Ben Corwin and Dan Beutel. Public: Ann Herman, Jack Mosby, Judy Caminer, Matt Sanders, Steve Ryan, Kyle Shed, Dante Petri, Lisa Keller, Bill Spencer

3. Changes to Agenda & Approval: The January 11 agenda was approved.

4. Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes: Minutes of the December 14, 2020 meeting were approved.

5. Public Comments:

• One comment regarding support for improved outreach and appreciation for CAB allowing for time to hear presentation by the Hillside Trail Stewards group at last meeting. • Two comments in support of developing more bike trails in the park. • Two commenters have enjoyed skiing Hemlock Burn and South Rim trails and suggested signage at trail intersections to address safety concerns; • Comment to clarify that Hillside Trail Stewards group is not anti-bike and is in support of responsible trail development on the Hillside; • Comment regarding difficulty in finding the Microsoft Teams Link to this meeting;

6. Old Business:

a. Review Draft guidance document on CAB outreach roles and responsibilities-Outreach Committee (Motion from DEC 14, 2020 meeting)-The intent of developing roles and responsibilities for the Outreach Committee is to provide written guidance for the committee. Matt Worden gave a thorough review of the DRAFT Roles and Responsibilities he developed. A motion was passed unanimously to direct the Outreach Committee to finalize the Roles and Responsibilities and the Strategic Plan for CAB to consider for adoption at the February meeting. Discussion of the motion included importance of making sure that outreach efforts are as widely spread as possible.

7. New Business:

a. CAB Elections. This item was moved to the next meeting to remain in compliance with the by-laws, which specify that board elections occur at the February meeting. Brief descriptions of each committee were provided by committee chairs and/or members.

8. Staff Report: Ben Corwin (Chief Ranger and Acting Superintendent) • Kurt Hensel retired from his position as Chugach State Park Superintendent on January 8; he served the state as an employee of Alaska State Parks for 25 years; • Elise Johnson, the Administrative Assistant for the park, accepted a promotion to work for state parks in the Director’s office; her last day of work for Chugach was also January 8; • DEC 26, Ranger Crockett cited two individuals for vandalism and weapons violations for shooting signs in Bird Valley; • JAN 2, Rangers Crockett and Pagni assisted with two SARs in the Glen Alps area, first was climber who fell while climbing on the Wedge and sustained broken bones and a concussion; second was a pair of overdue ice climbers who were late but uninjured; • Ptarmigan Valley briefly opened to snow machine use at end of year but closed again due to high winds; Bird Valley is only area currently open to snow machine use; • Eklutna Lake now frozen as of mid December, currently has average of 12” of ice;

Dan Beutel (he works on permitting, inventory, public records requests and regulations for all of Alaska State Parks) • For additional information on the process for adopting state regulations, go to Law.Alaska.Gov—see regulations drafting manual; • Regulation adoption is a time consuming process; starts with agency personnel providing suggestions for new regulations or regulations changes; • Once regulations are in draft form, public notice and review begins; • If you want to receive notice of any regulations proposals that Alaska State Parks has prepared for public notice, send an email to: [email protected] and you will be added to the public notice list; • DPOR is considering changing Chugach Park regulations to allow bicycle use on the new Hemlock Burn Trail;

A motion was passed unanimously to recognize Kurt Hensel’s work as the Chugach State Park Superintendent and to thank him for all his great work.

9. Committee Reports:

• Access (Vacant): N/A • Budget (Claire): N/A • Chugach Park Fund (Haley): CPF met with State Park Director Ricky Gease and is also preparing letters to go to each legislator supporting funding for state parks, including federal LWCF and RTP funds for recreational projects. • Nomination (Lauren): N/A • Outreach (Vacant): • Planning (Vacant): N/A • Seward Highway Design (Dorn): The Commissioner’s finding regarding extraction and use of gravel material from within the park was appealed by the Rainbow Valley Homeowner’s Association. Reconsideration of the decision was granted by the Commissioner but no final decision yet on whether the original decision will stay in place or the state will develop a different finding. • Trails (Vacant): Jack Mosby along with others has prepared a trail project plan for the proposed Muktuk Marston trail which was distributed to CAB members. Looking for letter of support from the CAB for this project. Lauren Boldrick volunteered to chair the Trails committee for the next month in order to lead a meeting to review the trail project plan and make a recommendation to the CAB at the February meeting. • Wildlife (Ryan): The antlerless moose hunt that has occurred in portions of the park for a number of years requires annual approval by the BoG. The CAB has submitted letters of support to ADF&G for this proposal in the past. In answer to a question regarding authorization for hunters to discharge a firearm in areas of the park that are closed to that use Dan Beutel reported that hunters who participated in the Fall 2020 antlerless moose hunt were issued special use permits to use a firearm in a closed area.A motion was passed unanimously for the CAB to support the Board of Game proposal 178 to authorize the antlerless moose hunt in unit 14C in 2021.

In answer to a question regarding information provided to the public by the Hillside Trail Stewards group Bill Spencer described the HTS’s recent request to the state to consider adopting regulations for public use in the Hillside Area that would include a 10MPH speed limit for bicycle use throughout the park except 15MPH on utility right-of-ways. Ryan will follow up with CAB on what constitutes a major vs. minor change to a park management plan.

10. a. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:45PM