Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge Final Management Plan
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MENDENHALL WETLANDS STATE GAME REFUGE MANAGEMENT PLAN March 1990 Prepared by the Divisions of Habitat and Wildlife Conservation Alaska Department of Fish and Game Island Center Building P. O. Box 20 Douglas, Alaska 99824 Don W. Collinsworth, Commissioner The Alaska Department of Fish and Game operates all of its public programs and activities free from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, or handicap. Because the department receives federal funding, any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against should write to: OEO, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge Draft Management Plan has been prepared by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) biologists Debra Clausen and Janet Hall Schempf (Habitat Division) and Bruce Dinneford (Division of Wildlife Conservation) with special assistance from clerical staff Ann Wilkinson and technical support from Frances Inoue. The plan has been developed with the aid of an inter-agency planning team composed of representatives from state, federal and local agencies with jurisdiction over the refuge. The planning team has participated in the plan's development from its initiation. Planning team members who participated in development of the plan are as follows: Nate Johnson, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities; Rita Romans and Elizaveta Shadura, Alaska Department of Natural Resources; Ron Flinn and Gene Rehfield, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation; Gary Gunstrom, ADF&G Commercial Fisheries Division; Ron Josephson, ADF&G Fisheries Rehabilitation, Enhancement, and Development Division; Murray Walsh and Ira Winograd, City and Borough of Juneau; Paul Bowers, City and Borough of Juneau (Airport); Duane Peterson, National Marine Fisheries Service; Rich Seagrave, U. S. Coast Guard; and Nevin Holmberg, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mike Bethers, ADF&G Sport Fisheries Division, and Rob Bosworth, ADF&G Subsistence Division, were also named to the planning team. Rick Reed, ADF&G Habitat Division Regional Supervisor, contributed significant time and expertise in the development of this plan. Linda Kruger, ADNR Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, also participated in the earlier phases of the planning process. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................................................................1 Statutes...........................................................................................................................3 Goals..............................................................................................................................6 Fish and Wildlife Populations and Their Habitat .............................................6 Public Use..........................................................................................................6 Explanation of Terms ........................................................................................7 Policies...........................................................................................................................8 Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Viewing...........................................................8 Recreational Use................................................................................................8 Information/Education.......................................................................................8 Public Access.....................................................................................................8 Motorized Vehicles............................................................................................8 Habitat Restoration and Enhancement..............................................................9 Water Quality.....................................................................................................9 Aquaculture/Mariculture ...................................................................................9 Land Acquisition ...............................................................................................9 Boats, Float Houses, and Mooring Buoys ........................................................9 Access for Adjacent Landowners......................................................................9 Transportation Corridor.....................................................................................9 Airport Expansion............................................................................................10 Public Docking Facility...................................................................................10 Structures .........................................................................................................10 Shoreline Alteration.........................................................................................10 Grazing.............................................................................................................11 Material Extraction..........................................................................................11 Mining..............................................................................................................11 Utility and Pipeline Easements........................................................................11 Other Uses........................................................................................................11 Explanation of Terms ......................................................................................12 Regulations..................................................................................................................14 Implementation............................................................................................................15 Appendix Resource Inventory........................................................................................A-1 INTRODUCTION Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, extending along Juneau's Gastineau Channel from Salmon Creek to Mendenhall Peninsula, was established by the Alaska Legislature in 1976 to protect natural habitat and game populations, especially waterfowl, as well as to provide recreation. The purpose of the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge Management Plan is to provide consistent long-range guidance to the Alaska Departments of Fish and Game and Natural Resources and other agencies involved in managing the refuge. The Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge encompasses approximately 3,800 acres and is best known for the Canada geese, ducks, and bald eagles that use the intertidal habitats. (For complete refuge and background resource information, see Appendix). The refuge is also enjoyed year- round by residents and visitors alike for seasonal activities such as wildlife viewing, waterfowl hunting, fishing, boating, horseback riding, and general sightseeing. Mendenhall Wetlands is the most popular area for public recreation in the Juneau area. In addition, development around the perimeter has continued to occur as the city of Juneau has grown and evolved. In order to evaluate the compatibility of both recreational uses and perimeter development with the protection of fish and wildlife, their habitats, and public use of the refuge, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has undertaken a comprehensive refuge management planning process to produce this plan. The plan presents management goals for the refuge and its resources and identifies policies to be used in determining whether proposed activities within the refuge are compatible with the protection of fish and wildlife, their habitats, and public use of the refuge. The plan will be formally reviewed and, if appropriate, updated every ten years. Public participation will be solicited during the update process. The plan affects state lands only, not private or municipal lands. The plan does not address hunting or fishing regulations which are the authority of the Boards of Fish and Game. This document is the result of a public planning process led by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The plan has been developed by the planning team representing state, federal, and municipal agencies including: the Alaska Departments Environmental Conservation, Fish and Game, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Public Facilities; the National Marine Fisheries Service; the United States Coast Guard; the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and the City and Borough of Juneau. At the outset of the public planning process a public meeting was held in Juneau to explain the planning process and solicit citizens' issues, interests, and concerns for the refuge. The meeting results were used by the planning team to identify a list of issues to be addressed in the plan. At the same time resource information on refuge fish and wildlife populations and their habitats, other natural resources, existing land use, and land ownership was being collected and synthesized. This information, presented in both map and narrative form, comprises the plan's Resource Inventory. Management goals and policies for the refuge were developed by the planning team to address the identified issues. All policies were developed with consideration of their ability to meet the 1 management goals. In addition, other statutory constraints including the public trust doctrine, which applies to tide and submerged lands, were considered. The draft plan went out for public review. Based on comments