Land Exchange Proposed Near Two Lakes in Lake Clark National Park

June 2010 Issue 5 Alaska Lands Update

monthly updates on Federal management

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge actions for the people of Alaska Photo Credit: USFWS

Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Federal Areas, State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources 3700 Airport Way Fairbanks, AK 99709

Land Exchange Proposed Near Two Lakes in Lake Clark National Park Land owners with property on the corner of the Tlikakila River and Two Lakes proposed a land exchange with Lake Clark National Park and Preserve to prevent the changing path of the river from washing a cabin and outhouse into Two Lakes. The proposed exchange would be for land stated as equivalent in value and approximately equal in size. The U.S. Government property proposed for exchange is currently designated as wilderness and the obtained land would take on a wilderness designation so that the net wilderness acreage would remain the same. An environmental assessment on the proposed exchange is available for review until June 5, 2010. Two Lakes continued on page 4 ROD on Doyon/Yukon Flats Exchange IN THIS ISSUE: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service an- a minimum of 150,000 acres of Doyon nounced availability of a record of deci- land within the Yukon Flats refuge in sion for the proposed land exchange exchange for 110,000 acres of refuge RDI: Tanana River 2 between Yukon Flats National Wildlife land with potential for oil and gas de- Refuge and Doyon, Limited. An envi- velopment. Doyon would have also Kake-Petersburg Intertie 2 ronmental impact statement was pre- received oil and gas rights to an addi- Project pared to evaluate this exchange. After tional 97,000 acres. While the agency New Comment Period: analysis of environmental, social and and Doyon agreed on the exchange 3 Polar Bear Critical Habitat economic factors, the agency chose the preliminarily, the NEPA process re- No Land Exchange Alternative. vealed that projected risks were too New Direction on Tongass high to go through with the exchange. 4 The proposed exchange involved the For more information on the decision, Final LEIS for Harvest of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtaining follow this link. Gull Eggs 4

Alaska Lands Update, Issue 5 June 2010

Kake-Petersburg Transmission Line CACFA Members Intertie Project Rick Schikora, Fairbanks The U.S. Forest Service announced it will prepare an Environmental Impact State- Chairman ment for construction and operation of a new electric transmission intertie from Petersburg to Kake. This transmission line would run through the Tongass National Mark Fish, Anchorage Forest and transmit power at either 69 or 138 kilovolts. Two routes are being pro- Vice Chairman posed, both of which follow existing logging roads for most of their length. Rod Arno, Willow Studies on the feasibility of a transmission intertie project to Kake date back to the Executive Committee

1970s. The current system providing electricity to this community is very expensive Charlie Lean, Nome and has caused social and economic burden to the people living there. The pro- Executive Committee posed project would connect Kake to the electric systems of Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan. Surplus hydroelectric power would be transmitted to Kake and help Senator Linda Menard, Wasilla offset the existing high cost diesel generation. Representative Wes Keller, Wasilla

Comments on the scoping phase of this project should be submitted to: Mike Meekin, Palmer Via email to: Petersburg Ranger District, Tongass National Forest comments-Alaska-tongass- Colleen Soberay, Anchorage Attn: Kake-Petersburg Intertie Project [email protected] P.O. Box 1328 Susan Smith, Chitina Fax: 907-772-5995 Petersburg, AK 99833 Alex Tarnai, Tanana

Frank Woods, Dillingham Notice of Application for Recordable Disclaimer of Interest: Tanana River CACFA Staff On March 10, 2006, the State of Alaska For more information contact: Stan Leaphart filed for a Recordable Disclaimer of In- Executive Director terest with the Bureau of Land Manage- Callie Webber Navigability Section Chief 907-374-3737 ment for lands underlying the Tanana [email protected] 907-271-3167 River from its origin at the confluence of the Chisana and Nabesna Rivers to all [email protected] Clarissa Hammond Commission Assistant points of confluence with the Yukon Or visit: 907-451-2035 River. The State claims that the river www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/rdi.htm [email protected] was navigable at the time of Statehood, therefore making ownership belong to Send comments to: For more information, visit our the State by the language in the Equal website:

Footing Doctrine, the Submerged Lands Branch of Survey Planning and http://dnr.alaska.gov/commis/cacfa/ Act of 1953, the Submerged Lands Act Preparation index.htm Division of Cadastral Survey, BLM of 1988 and the Alaska Statehood Act. AS 41.37.160 The Citizens' Advisory Commission The public will have 90 days from the Alaska State Office on Federal Management Areas in Alaska is estab- th lished in the department [Natural Resources]. In date of the notice to comment or until 222 W. 8 Avenue #13 the exercise of its responsibilities, the commission shall consider the views of citizens of the state and July 28, 2010. Anchorage, AK 99513-7599 officials of the state.

Alaska Lands Update, Issue 5 June 2010 Comment Period Re-opening for Polar Bear Critical Habitat Designation

On May 5, 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wild- adverse social reactions to the designa- www.regulations.gov (docket no. FWS- life Service announced an additional tion of critical habitat, as discussed in R7-ES-2009-0042) open comment period for review of the the draft Economic Analysis, and how the consequences of such reactions, if Or by mail to: proposed polar bear critical habitat. likely to occur, would relate to the con- New information incorporated into this Attn: FWS-R7-ES-2009-0042, Division of servation and regulatory benefits of the review includes a draft Economic Analy- Policy and Directives Management proposed critical habitat designation. sis, corrections to the proposed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222 boundaries, and an amended required • Information on areas that the mem- Arlington, VA 22203 determinations section. The U.S. Fish bers of the public have recommended and Wildlife Service also intends to be excluded from or added to the pro- Comments may also be made during hold two public meetings with opportu- posed critical habitat. the public hearings. One hearing will nities for public testimony. To read the Economic Analysis and be held in Anchorage at the Z.J. Loussac Public Library (3600 Denali Street) from In addition to topics the U.S. Fish and other related information, go to http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/ 7-10 p.m. on June 15, 2010. The sec- Wildlife Service requested comments ond will be held in Barrow at the In- on in the October 9, 2009 Federal Reg- polarbear/criticalhabitat.htm. upiat Heritage Center (5421 North Star ister notice, input was requested on the Written comments must be submitted Street) from 7-10 p.m. on June 17, following: 2010. by July 6, 2010 to:

• Information on whether the draft Economic Analysis identifies all Federal, State, and local costs and benefits at- tributable to the proposed designation of critical habitat and information on any costs inadvertently overlooked.

• Information on whether the draft Economic Analysis makes appropriate assumptions regarding current prac- tices and any regulatory changes that likely may occur if critical habitat is designated.

• Information on the accuracy of methodology in the draft Economic Analysis for distinguishing baseline and incremental costs, and the assumptions underlying the methodology.

• Information on whether the draft Economic Analysis correctly assesses Brown Bear Cubs Playing in Water the effect on regional costs associated Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge with land use controls that may result Photo Credit: Steve Hillebrand from the designation of critical habitat. Polar Bear • Information on the likelihood of Photo Credit: Steven Amstrup, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Alaska Lands Update, Issue 5 June 2010

Two Lakes continued from page 1 Public Meetings/Announcements The primary course of the Tlikakila River changed due to a high run-off Front Country Planning event in 2009 and the current flow pat- Efforts in Wrangell-St. Elias The goal is to create jobs and increase tern threatens structures on private economic stability in Southeast Alaska National Park with more diverse economic opportuni- property. While the future course of the river is not known for certain, the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park intends ties. To view the project idea list, go to stream bank erosion potential, high to begin early scoping meetings this www.fs.fed.us/r10. sediment supply and poor recovery summer for a front country manage- characteristics of this type of river led ment plan. Meetings will be in National Park Service Scientists to pre- McCarthy/Kennecott. Watch the Park dict a real threat to the structures in Service website for more information. the next 5-10 years. Since channel sta- bilizing techniques rate poor to fair for USFS Announces New this stream type and rerouting the flow was deemed unrealistic and potentially Direction on the Tongass

ineffective, NPS and the private land- The USDA Forest Service and USDA Ru- owners have agreed to an exchange of ral Development are proposing a land to both prevent damage to private “Transition Framework” on the Tongass property and pollution to the Lakes. National Forest. This framework would

To read the Environmental Assessment move timber harvests out of old growth in its entirety, visit the Park Planning forests and into younger growth areas Tongass National Forest Photo Credit: The Nature Conservancy Website. that already have roads. Final LEIS for Harvest of Gull Eggs Agency Websites: The National Park Service completed first harvest. the final Legislative Environmental Im- pact Statement (LEIS) to allow harvest To read the notice, visit the Federal National Park Service of glaucous-winged gull eggs by the Register website. A minimum of 30 http://www.nps.gov/state/ak/index.htm Huna Tlingit in Glacier Bay National days notice must be given prior to filing Park. Harvest of gull eggs was prohib- a Record of Decision. Egg harvest could U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ited in the 1960s with the implementa- only occur if this is approved by con- http://alaska.fws.gov/ tion of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. gress. U.S. Forest Service At the request of tribal leaders, NPS http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/ agreed to explore ways to allow this traditional activity. Bureau of Land Management

http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en.html The preferred alternative in the LEIS involves authorization of two annual Department of the Interior egg harvests at five designated loca- http://www.doi.gov/ tions. The first harvest would occur on or before the 5th day following the start National Marine Fisheries Service of egg-laying. The second harvest Glaucous-Winged Gull Eggs http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ would occur within nine days of the Photo Credit: www.nbii.gov