2003 Annual Report

National Park Service Alaska Region

Visitation to Alaska’s National Parks

2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

0 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 estimated 2003 Annual Report

National Park Service Alaska Region 240 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99501 Message from the Regional Director Fiscal Year 2003 Expense Report, Alaska Region

millions of visitors but frequently not making significant efforts to connect with communities, Construction businesses, non-profit associations, interest Denali front country $8,020,419 groups and others who are, collectively, our Glacier Bay utilities, hydro study $53,188 partners in the mission of being stewards of Glacier Bay maintenance facility $63,568 Sitka collections, visitor center $166,505 America’s national parks. Wrangell-St. Elias visitor center $52,488 $8,356,167 In recent years, the change toward working Land Acquistion $3,987,635 more closely with partners has accelerated and is now becoming a fundamental piece of our Operations organizational culture. This annual report pro- Personal services (salaries, benefits, etc.) $47,761,423 vides details on the kinds of work we are doing Travel (within parks and Lower 48) $2,902,344 with others to accomplish not only the missions Transportation (supplies and equipment) $1,757,194 given to the National Park Service by Congress, Rent, communications, utilities $1,239,106 Printing and copying $196,087 but how the expertise and experience within the Services (aircraft rental, architecture NPS Alaska Regional Director Marcia Blaszak Service is helping Alaska communities and and design, contracts) $17,697,661 organizations accomplish their goals. Supplies and materials $5,305,324 Equipment (computers, vehicles, etc.) $1,376,951 ike many people who came here from These partnerships take many forms, but a few Land and structures $122,959 jobs in the Lower 48, I find it hard to special ones come to mind. The highly skilled Glacier Bay fisheries compensation (one time expense) $21,517,785 L believe I’m starting my 10th year with volunteers who join the month-long moun- Other (grants, insurance, claims, etc.) $5,088,182 the National Park Service in Alaska, and my 35th taineering patrols on Mount McKinley were rec- year as a federal employee. ognized this fall for work that has saved lives and Total $104,965,015 made the mountain a cleaner, safer environment. Those numbers are active reminders of two In a very different venue, our partners at the Recent Beringia Projects with NPS Partners things. First, Alaska continues to be the highlight Anchorage Museum of History and Art have The National Park Service funds projects in partnership with community organizations and academic of my career. Nowhere else in the National Park worked with us on the Greatland Junior Ranger institutions. The topics are of scientific and local importance in the Beringia Region of western Alaska System is there such a vast and incredible array “Dino-Might” project in conjunction with the and eastern Chukotka. The work averages one to three years in length and includes Russian collabora- of national park units and programs all working display of the T-Rex Sue. And we’ve worked tion through comparative studies, exchange and training of participants, or translation of final reports. in their own ways toward the conservation of successfully with the state of Alaska to build a our national heritage. Second, as I reflect on a more public process for the annual renewal of Alaska Nanuuq Commission: Cultural Values of Polar Bears in Chukotka $32,050 long and rewarding career in the Service, I am short-term park rules, called compendiums. University of Alaska Fairbanks: Rural Development Exchange $39,741 reminded just how much we as an organization King Island IRA: Song and Dance Preservation $40,000 have changed. These kinds of partnerships, and dozens more, National Park Service: Russian Participation in Mammoth Conference $21,000 are helping the National Park Service accom- National Park Service, Russian Elder Consultation on Exhibit $29,018 My appointment in August 2003 as the acting plish its missions more effectively and with Nome Community Center, After-school program on Native traditions $33,706 regional director for Alaska was an unprecedented greater public participation than ever before. North Slope Borough: Biosampling of Grey and Bowhead Whales $33,558 career step for a woman when my career began in Throughout my Park Service career I’ve learned University of Alaksa: Online database for Chukotka Flora Collection $25,756 1968; today, no one really thinks twice about it. a great deal on the job, and we as an organiza- Alaska Pacific University: Beringia Teacher Workship $20,380 tion are doing the same — changing, and learn- University of Alaska: Chukotka Tourism Development and Training $24,000 For many of the past 35 years, the National Park ing on the job. We welcome your participation as Richard Bland & Associates: Russian Book Translation $11,730 15 2 Service — like many large organizations — has we join with partners to accomplish our mission World Wildlife Fund: Teacher Training in US and Russia $25,514 gone about its business largely by itself, serving of preservation and public enjoyment. age Alaska SeaLife Center: Web-based writing curriculum $16,200 age P P Total $352,653

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Greening of the Parks New Leaders arks and visitors in the Alaska Region t Denali’s Wonder Lake Range Station, a he National Park Service welcomed with community lead- are benefiting from several projects that 30-kilowatt diesel generator used to run several new people into key leadership ers in Kotzebue. He P are making facilities and operations A 24 hours a day, powering lights, radios, T positions in 2003. helped author plan- more “green.” and pumps but the noisy diesel unit marred a ning documents for portion of the spectacular quiet for which the Alaska Regional Director Rob Arnberger retired the Northwest Arctic In Kenai Fjords, visitors who walk toward the park’s wilderness is world renowned. in July, and his deputy, Marcia Blaszak, took Heritage Center in ancient ice of Exit Glacier will walk past some over as acting regional director. A new regional Kotzebue which is of the newest available energy technology. The Using grants and guidance from other federal director is expected to be named early in 2004. currently under fuel cell electrical system, located at the park’s agencies, Denali installed a new hybrid system Several changes also were made among the ranks design. new Nature Center, will provide power and consisting of a 12-kilowatt, propane-fueled of park superintendents. heat to the visitor facilities at the popular generator augmented by a battery storage system Joe Fowler was named to the top job at Katmai visitor destination. and photovoltaic panels. The generator now Julie Hopkins National Park and Preserve in November. He runs only eight hours every fourth day to returned to Kotzebue had been the chief of operations for Katmai, and The 5-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell uses propane recharge the batteries. The $45,000 project as superintendent of had served as as its hydrogen source, with the hydrogen in reduced fuel consumption at the site by 50 per- Western Arctic chief ranger at turn being used to generate electricity. The Exit cent, or 2,500 gallons, reduced emissions of car- Parklands, overseeing Lake Clark Glacier project is the first time such a system has bon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, Kobuk Valley National Park been used in Alaska in an area with no other and dramatically cut the maintenance require- National Park, Cape earlier in his commercial electrical source. ments. The work at Wonder Lake and other Krusenstern National career. He projects helped the park earn one of nine Monument and resides in King The project is funded by the NPS in conjunction Department of the Interior 2003 Environmental Noatak National Salmon. with a $70,000 grant from the Propane Achievement Awards. Preserve. A 21-year Education & Research Council and a $25,000 Alaska resident, she previously served as assis- Joel Hard was grant from the Alaska Energy Authority To the south, Glacier Bay National Park earned a tant superintendent there and worked two years named in December as the newest superintendent, through the Denali Commission. An additional $31,000 Unilever “Recycling at Work” in 2003, overseeing budget issues at the Anchorage taking the top job at Lake Clark National Park $35,000 from the University of Alaska’s Arctic allowing for construction of an accessible rest- regional office. and Preserve. Hard worked previously for the Energy Technology Development Laboratory is room and covered assembly area near the dock Alaska State Troopers, where he led the Public planned to evaluate and monitor the fuel cell’s at Bartlett Cove. An important component of Another longtime Alaska manager took charge Safety, Fish and Wildlife Protection Division. performance. the project is 2,500 square feet of Unilever’s as superintendent of Sitka National Historical He grew up in Juneau, is a licensed pilot and is recycled plastic Durawood lumber for the Park. Greg Dudgeon left a superintendent’s a 1994 graduate of the FBI’s National Academy. decking. The recycled plastic decking is easier to post in Utah to return to Alaska. From 1996 to maintain than wood and less prone to become 2001, he served in Kotzebue and Nome as chief covered with slippery mold. ranger at Northwest Alaska park units. Between 1990 and 1996, Dudgeon worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Yakutat, and as a river ranger for Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

Brad Bennett became the superintendent at Bering Land Bridge National Preserve in Nome in late summer 2003. A career NPS manager and 14 planner, he came to Alaska briefly in 2002 in a 3 management development program to work age age P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 SERVING VISITORS / Construction

Today, it is a 1,920-acre archaeological district containing at least 19 separate sites, one of which is thought to be the largest single Athabascan settlement in Alaska. “We’ve recorded more than 250 subterranean and semi-subterranean house structures,” said park historian John Branson. “This area was a kind of Manhattan to the Dena’ina people.” More than 3,000 food caches have been discovered in the area. These caches were large pits dug into the ground and were used by the Dena’ina to store food in order to survive the winter. The site is still incompletely mapped and excavated, and Kijik remains an area with significant research potential.

In September, the NPS joined with the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, the Imaginarium and the Dallas Museum of Natural History to deliver teacher workshops on The Alaska Public Lands Information Center laska’s national parks receive about over the next two years, providing cleaner, dinosaurs in Alaska. In addition, speakers visited in Anchorage offers a variety of educational 2 million visitors a year, ranging from a quieter rides into the park. with more than 1,000 Anchorage School District puppet shows for children. One of the most A high of 700,000 at Klondike Gold Rush students about fossils in national parks, includ- popular is the story of “The Three Little Pigs” National Historical Park in Skagway to just sev- Far to the north on the Dalton Highway, the ing recent hadrosaur finds in Aniakchak told from the wolf’s perspective. eral thousand at the remote and weather-chal- Arctic Interagency Visitor Center will have its National Monument. The programs were timed lenged Aniakchak National Monument and first full season of operation in 2004. Operated to coincide with the opening of the museum’s Preserve on the Alaska Peninsula. The past year by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and popular T-Rex exhibit. saw significant accomplishments made in build- Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land ing and opening facilities to serve these visitors. Management, the center is located in Coldfoot The Alaska Public Lands Information Centers in within Trans-Alaska Pipeline Corridor. The Anchorage and Fairbanks remain one of the Denali National Park continued to move for- center will orient road travelers to the arctic Service’s focal points for resource education and ward with a $30 million renovation of the park’s environment that lies to the north, and provides information. Programs on topics such as the entrance area. The summer of 2004 will see the backcountry users with information for safe Klondike Gold Rush, Alaska’s Native heritage opening of the park’s new Science and Learning adventures. Eight million adventurous acres of and wildlife were presented to nearly 12,000 Center, an expanded railroad depot and Gates of the Arctic National Park are just west students last year. improved roads and parking. A new visitor cen- and north of Coldfoot. ter will open in 2005, and will feature a theater, On-line education efforts continued to grow in interpretive exhibits, food court and bookstore. Improvements have continued at Exit Glacier in 2003 with the expansion of the ParkWise web The frontcountry facelift has also provided a Kenai Fjords National Park. A new nature center site. Standards-based curriculum in a variety of new camper convenience store, campground was completed in 2003, and brings to a close subject areas, lesson plans, photographs and renovations and better traffic flow. On the park construction work that has included road and class project ideas are available at 3 1 4 road, which sees more than 300,000 visitors parking lot paving, restroom construction and each summer, 50 new buses will be phased in trail improvements. The park is also planning to http://www.nps.gov/akso/ParkWise age age P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Education he National Park System has been likened to a great university system with provide electrical service to its facilities in 2004 T nearly 400 campuses across the country. with a propane-powered fuel cell. The unusual While parks nationally receive more than 275 alternative energy project is the first of its kind million visits annually, most people — even in a to be used in such a remote location. A major lifetime — only visit a handful of parks. Yet long-term project for the park also advanced in lessons about our natural world, America’s past, 2003, as the park worked with the city of Seward and some of the turning point social issues of and others to complete a waterfront study which our time are represented by park units and will place a new, multi-agency visitor center in a affiliated areas which conserve the places redeveloped waterfront area near the Alaska where these nation-changing events took place. SeaLife Center.

Alaska’s national parks represent a great sweep Geobears are extremely popular with Significant progress was made in the develop- of American history, from beach ridges and students across the State of Alaska. Classes ment of the Morris Thompson Cultural and mountain passes in Northwest Alaska where the can borrow the Geobear kit, which comes Visitor Center in 2003, as efforts focused on hunting tools of early North Americans are with a logbook, tape recorder and camera. completion of the environmental assessment found, to the stark reminders of World War II The bear is then sent to national parks across which is expected in early 2004. In September, battles at Dutch Harbor. the country and the class receives post cards Charles Bettisworth and Co. of Fairbanks was and information about those parks. hired to design the building and architects are In 2003, the Service was successful in several working with exhibit designers to lead to the efforts to expand the educational offerings of next phase of development. The center will be parks and affiliated areas so the lessons are owned by a nonprofit corporation composed of The Aleutian World War II National Historic available not just to visitors, but in schools, the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau Site was featured in several outreach efforts, as over the Internet, and in a variety of publica- and the Tanana Chiefs Conference, while the 2003 marked the 60th anniversary of the battle tions and broadcasts. Alaska Public Lands Information Center, of Attu and the invasion of Kiska. The NPS, the managed by the National Park Service, will be a Ounalashka Corporation which owns and oper- tenant occupying about 15,350 square feet. The ates the historic site, the Anchorage Museum of estimated cost is $24 million. Currently $10 mil- History and Art and others marked the events lion is available from the federal government. with a series of films, displays, and school pro- The partners will mount a capital campaign to grams. Information on the site is also available raise the remaining $14 million, with a goal of on line at http://www.nps.gov/aleu. The World requesting bids for the construction of the build- War II visitor center has taken on a greater ing in October 2005. education and outreach role with the hiring of a local resident, Roger Lockwood, as manager. The most noticeable construction project in the The National Park Service administers 16 units state was not in a park, but on 5th Avenue in An older piece of Alaska history was highlighted with a total of more than 54 million acres. downtown Anchorage. Opened in July, the new in April during Alaska Archaeology Month. The leased building provides office space for the Kijik National Historic Landmark, within Lake NPS Alaska Regional Office and curatorial Clark National Park and Preserve, was a well- storage facilities for many of the cultural populated Dena’ina Athabascan community in resource items collected in Alaska’s parks. the 1800s and existed for some 900 years before 5 12 being abandoned in the early 20th century. age age P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 PARTNERS / Volunteers Planning

everal significant plans were completed or The Draft Denali Backcountry Management he missions of the National Park Service were presented in draft form for public Plan was distributed for review in spring 2003, could not be accomplished without the Scomment during 2003. and over 9,500 public comments were received. T steadfast assistance of a variety of part- The plan updates and expands upon the 1976 ners. Across Alaska, these collaborative efforts The numbers of cruise ships and private vessels Backcountry Management Plan as well as take many forms. Over the next few pages, a few using Glacier Bay in the summer could increase amends the 1986 General Management Plan. The examples are highlighted but are by no means and the system for managing motor vessels in the goal is to continue to provide for a range of visi- inclusive of the many organizations which work park will be simplified according to a final envi- tor opportunities in the backcountry while pro- with the NPS in communities around the state. ronmental impact statement on vessel quotas and tecting the internationally significant resources operating requirements released late in 2003. of the park and preserve. The park hopes to Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is extraor- manage growth so that in the long term a greater dinarily fortunate in having two outstanding hus- The document concluded a process started in number of users can experience the park with band and wife teams of volunteers. Both park 1997 when the National Park Service was sued in reduced environmental impacts. managers and park visitors are very well served Lakes for more than 30 years, died in 2003. His by the National Parks Conservation Association, by these two fine pairs of volunteers. journals offer a daily account of an observant life which asserted the NPS should have prepared a Based on the extensive public comments in remote setting. more detailed EIS rather than an environmental received, the park may produce a supplemental Jerry Mills and his wife, Jeanette, have worked at assessment to evaluate changes in the operating draft in 2004 for further public review before the Telaquana Ranger Station for the past six Husband and wife Monroe Robinson and Kay requirements and numbers of vessels allowed in finalizing the plan. summers. They participate in various park opera- Schubeck have been stationed at Proenneke’s Glacier Bay. More than 1,000 comments from tions such as visitor services, law enforcement, cabin for the past four years. Both knew individuals, interest groups, agencies and busi- Denali will also continue working with the state maintenance, cultural resource protection, and Proenneke personally and they interpret the nesses were offered in the spring of 2003. “Our of Alaska, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and a natural resource studies with park staff and the site with enthusiasm and great knowledge. Kay preferred alternative allows for growth in visita- variety of other interests on a development plan Alaska Department of Fish & Game. has also helped preserve a number of tion, provides additional resource protection for the south side of the park. Congress appro- Proenneke’s personal items including books, and simplifies the vessel management system,” priated $750,000 for work in the coming year. In addition, Jeanette Mills has been transcribing tools, and furniture. For three years, Monroe said Park Superintendent Tomie Lee. some 78 pounds(!) of Richard Proenneke’s jour- has rehabilitated the cabin, woodshed, and nals. The task entails many hours of painstaking cache to a very fine condition. His work reading of difficult handwriting and typing volu- reversed the normal weathering process on the minous amounts of material in preparation for 35-year-old structures, restoring them to publication. Proenneke, who lived alone at Twin Proenneke’s original excellence.

Volunteers are regular participants on National Park Service patrols during the mountaineering season on Mount McKinley. They participate in rescues, advise climbers about route conditions, and help climbers manage trash and other waste. The people tackling this high-altitude and high-risk job were honored in 2003 by the Department of the Interior with a Take Pride in America Award, presented in

Washington D.C. 11 age age 6 P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Science hile national parks have always been Established in 2001, the Ocean Alaska multi-disciplinary project is employing state-of- unique natural laboratories, recent Science and Learning Center is a part- the-art methods to identify and understand the W research is telling the public more T nership dedicated to understanding and root causes of the decline and, through a coop- about what’s living in Alaska’s national parks preserving the marine ecosystem connecting eration with all partners, recommend and imple- than ever before. Alaska's 10 coastal national parks through sponsor- ment resource management actions to stabilize ship of cooperative research and education pro- the population. At Glacier Bay, it was long thought only one grams. The core partners are Kenai Fjords National amphibian called the park home, that being the Park and the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. An ethnography and archaeology study of Kenai boreal toad. In the past year, a new species was Fjords will begin its third year in 2004. A contin- found in the park, the northwestern salamander. Other partners include the Smithsonian Institution, uing cooperative program with the Smithsonian The secretive six-inch salamander seems to have Pratt Museum, Port Graham Village Corporation, and Pratt Museum to unearth the poorly known escaped detection because until recently no one Dallas Museum of Natural History, University of archaeology of Kenai Fjords, the villages of Port was looking for them. And in a park known for Alaska, University of Arizona, Kenai Peninsula Graham and Nanwalek are assisting with the whales and giant glaciers, why is the Park Borough School District, and Kenai Fjords Tours. project. to find a particular animal. In Yukon-Charley Service interested in toads and salamanders? Rivers National Preserve, a new kind of radio Amphibians, it turns out, are being recognized Projects in 2003 included a study of coastal The Learning Center has also served as a sponsor collar is being used to study wolves. The collars as good indicators of environmental change black bear demographics in the park, which will for the 2003 Student Ocean Conference, a coopera- collect GPS (Global Positioning System) loca- over time. Keeping track of their numbers, their be incorporated into bear management and tive effort with the state of Alaska and University of tions at any rate the biologist chooses, stores variety and any deformities can help indicate backcountry use management plans. Another Alaska Fairbanks. The center has an ongoing educa- the data in the collar, and then downloads changes in the environment. significant study is of harbor seals. The seal pop- tion role, with offerings that include a junior/senior the information via satellite to the biologist’s ulation has declined by more than 90% in Kenai high school oceanography course and outreach computer. Like the Glacier Bay example, finding the fauna Fjords. This cooperative multi-organizational, programs to remote villages. you’re looking for is sometimes a matter of start- Wolves in Yukon-Charley “report in” daily, ing to look, while at other times the challenge is and download once a week. The collars are expected to last three years, giving biologists a whopping seven times as much data at about he Building Trades program is the most The students develop very strong work ethics one-fourth the costs of the conventional visible part of Denali National Park’s and skills in this program, as well as a strong aircraft surveys. This dramatic increase in data school to work partnership program. In connection with the park. In addition to benefit- allows unprecedented estimates of wolf density T the program, the park works with local high ing from a local source for needed buildings, the and pack movement. school students to design small replacement park has brought some of the program’s stu- housing units that will be used in the park for dents into its regular workforce. Science stories like these are also getting more housing seasonal employees. public exposure than ever, thanks to a twice- yearly magazine published by the NPS through Once the designs are complete, the park pur- the Alaska Natural History Association. Alaska chases the building materials. Denali also pro- Park Science features stories about research in vides a half-time carpenter to work with the high parks. The magazine is distributed to parks, school instructor to provide journeyman level libraries and science teachers throughout Alaska. instruction for the students throughout the project. Students take part in every aspect of A printable version of Alaska Park Science is also construction, which includes framing, plumbing, available on the Web at http://www.nps.gov/akso/ 7 10 electrical wiring, finish carpentry and painting. AKParkScience/index.htm age age P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 PARTNERS / Communities

he National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails n Skagway, a different kind of partnership The report found that about 32 jobs or 7% of all and Conservation Assistance Program has grown between the community and park Skagway jobs were attributable to direct and relat- T has pioneered a statewide cooperative I during the 27 years since its establishment. ed NPS, including NPS personnel and indirect project to demonstrate GPS technology as a cost Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park jobs based on NPS operations and construction. effective and accurate technology for establish- makes an economic impact on the town’s economy The economic impact of construction-related ing legal public access to important recreation amounting to more than $4 million per year, work since 1983 totaled $32.4 million, generating trails. To date, cooperative projects with four according to a 2003 study by a Juneau research firm. an average of 11 fulltime jobs per year. regional and two state government agencies have resulted in 83 trail system maps totaling more The historical park, which manages 15 historic Additionally, private businesses operating in NPS- than 500 miles. The RTCA program is also buildings in downtown Skagway and the American restored buildings generated $185,000 in sales tax assisting the Municipality of Anchorage and side of the Chilkoot Trail, had an economic impact for local government operations in 2001. Other Chugach State Park in the development of a trail of about $4.1 million in 2002, the report found. aspects of the partnership have included an mapping strategy for the more than 400 miles of Over the past seven years, which includes a period improved 911 dispatch system and collaborative trails within the municipality. of significant funding related to the restoration and efforts aimed at preserving Gold Rush artifacts. maintenance of historic buildings, the economic The RTCA staff in Anchorage joined in an effort impact was estimated at $47.3 million for the A copy of the report is available at to bring about the establishment of a statewide National Park Service by Southeast Strategies, a http://www.nps.gov/klgo/pphtml/facts.html non-profit organization in 2003. Alaska Trails Juneau-based economics and planning firm. will attract and disburse non-government funding, provide technical assistance to local trail ne of the National Park Service’s oldest Recently, the association has grown to take on a groups and partner with land management partnerships in Alaska is with the Alaska broader role as an education partner, growing agencies regarding trail issues. O Natural History Association, a non- its membership and expanding the scope of its profit organization dedicated to enhancing under- programs. The membership and other activities The RTCA staff helped host a statewide trails standing and conservation of the natural, cultural in turn support several education and scientific conference in October which addressed pressing and historical resources of Alaska’s public lands. programs in parks, and in 2004, the association trail needs and technical issues, and drew expects to provide at least $150,000 in direct sup- participation from many partners including the The association serves as the non-profit partner port to national parks in Alaska. Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage, Alaska for all federal land managers in Alaska, but the State Parks, Fairbanks-North Star Borough, largest portion of its activities is with national A major expansion for the association in 2003 was a Polaris Industries and the U.S. Forest Service. parks. The association’s traditional role has been move to bring the Denali Institute under the associ- as a publisher and seller of educational and inter- ation’s umbrella. The institute has worked with http://www.nps.gov/akso/riversandtrails pretive materials. In this role, it operates book- Denali National Park for several years, providing store outlets in each of Alaska’s national parks, educational seminars and field trips. The comple- publishes park newspapers for several units, pub- tion in 2004 of the $1.4 million Denali Science and lishes other educational and interpretive material Learning Center, a $1.4 million facility in the for parks, and provides the editorial and design entrance area of Denali, will raise the profile of the expertise for Alaska Park Science, a twice yearly educational partnership with the institute. For park magazine highlighting research in Alaska’s parks. visitors and Alaska residents, the Institute provides The coming year will see the first volumes in a 2-3 hour science-based education programs daily in series of books on each of Alaska’s national parks, the summer, 2-3 day field seminars, teacher training, the continuing production of Alaska Park Science, and opportunities to participate in field research. 8 and other park-specific publications. 9 age http://www.alaskanha.org age P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 PARTNERS / Communities he National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails n Skagway, a different kind of partnership The report found that about 32 jobs or 7% of all and Conservation Assistance Program has grown between the community and park Skagway jobs were attributable to direct and relat- T has pioneered a statewide cooperative I during the 27 years since its establishment. ed NPS, including NPS personnel and indirect project to demonstrate GPS technology as a cost Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park jobs based on NPS operations and construction. effective and accurate technology for establish- makes an economic impact on the town’s economy The economic impact of construction-related ing legal public access to important recreation amounting to more than $4 million per year, work since 1983 totaled $32.4 million, generating trails. To date, cooperative projects with four according to a 2003 study by a Juneau research firm. an average of 11 fulltime jobs per year. regional and two state government agencies have resulted in 83 trail system maps totaling more The historical park, which manages 15 historic Additionally, private businesses operating in NPS- than 500 miles. The RTCA program is also buildings in downtown Skagway and the American restored buildings generated $185,000 in sales tax assisting the Municipality of Anchorage and side of the Chilkoot Trail, had an economic impact for local government operations in 2001. Other Chugach State Park in the development of a trail of about $4.1 million in 2002, the report found. aspects of the partnership have included an mapping strategy for the more than 400 miles of Over the past seven years, which includes a period improved 911 dispatch system and collaborative trails within the municipality. of significant funding related to the restoration and efforts aimed at preserving Gold Rush artifacts. maintenance of historic buildings, the economic The RTCA staff in Anchorage joined in an effort impact was estimated at $47.3 million for the A copy of the report is available at to bring about the establishment of a statewide National Park Service by Southeast Strategies, a http://www.nps.gov/klgo/pphtml/facts.html non-profit organization in 2003. Alaska Trails Juneau-based economics and planning firm. will attract and disburse non-government funding, provide technical assistance to local trail ne of the National Park Service’s oldest Recently, the association has grown to take on a groups and partner with land management partnerships in Alaska is with the Alaska broader role as an education partner, growing agencies regarding trail issues. O Natural History Association, a non- its membership and expanding the scope of its profit organization dedicated to enhancing under- programs. The membership and other activities The RTCA staff helped host a statewide trails standing and conservation of the natural, cultural in turn support several education and scientific conference in October which addressed pressing and historical resources of Alaska’s public lands. programs in parks, and in 2004, the association trail needs and technical issues, and drew expects to provide at least $150,000 in direct sup- participation from many partners including the The association serves as the non-profit partner port to national parks in Alaska. Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage, Alaska for all federal land managers in Alaska, but the State Parks, Fairbanks-North Star Borough, largest portion of its activities is with national A major expansion for the association in 2003 was a Polaris Industries and the U.S. Forest Service. parks. The association’s traditional role has been move to bring the Denali Institute under the associ- as a publisher and seller of educational and inter- ation’s umbrella. The institute has worked with http://www.nps.gov/akso/riversandtrails pretive materials. In this role, it operates book- Denali National Park for several years, providing store outlets in each of Alaska’s national parks, educational seminars and field trips. The comple- publishes park newspapers for several units, pub- tion in 2004 of the $1.4 million Denali Science and lishes other educational and interpretive material Learning Center, a $1.4 million facility in the for parks, and provides the editorial and design entrance area of Denali, will raise the profile of the expertise for Alaska Park Science, a twice yearly educational partnership with the institute. For park magazine highlighting research in Alaska’s parks. visitors and Alaska residents, the Institute provides The coming year will see the first volumes in a 2-3 hour science-based education programs daily in series of books on each of Alaska’s national parks, the summer, 2-3 day field seminars, teacher training, the continuing production of Alaska Park Science, and opportunities to participate in field research. 8 and other park-specific publications. 9 age http://www.alaskanha.org age P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Science

hile national parks have always been Established in 2001, the Ocean Alaska multi-disciplinary project is employing state-of- unique natural laboratories, recent Science and Learning Center is a part- the-art methods to identify and understand the W research is telling the public more T nership dedicated to understanding and root causes of the decline and, through a coop- about what’s living in Alaska’s national parks preserving the marine ecosystem connecting eration with all partners, recommend and imple- than ever before. Alaska's 10 coastal national parks through sponsor- ment resource management actions to stabilize ship of cooperative research and education pro- the population. At Glacier Bay, it was long thought only one grams. The core partners are Kenai Fjords National amphibian called the park home, that being the Park and the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. An ethnography and archaeology study of Kenai boreal toad. In the past year, a new species was Fjords will begin its third year in 2004. A contin- found in the park, the northwestern salamander. Other partners include the Smithsonian Institution, uing cooperative program with the Smithsonian The secretive six-inch salamander seems to have Pratt Museum, Port Graham Village Corporation, and Pratt Museum to unearth the poorly known escaped detection because until recently no one Dallas Museum of Natural History, University of archaeology of Kenai Fjords, the villages of Port was looking for them. And in a park known for Alaska, University of Arizona, Kenai Peninsula Graham and Nanwalek are assisting with the whales and giant glaciers, why is the Park Borough School District, and Kenai Fjords Tours. project. to find a particular animal. In Yukon-Charley Service interested in toads and salamanders? Rivers National Preserve, a new kind of radio Amphibians, it turns out, are being recognized Projects in 2003 included a study of coastal The Learning Center has also served as a sponsor collar is being used to study wolves. The collars as good indicators of environmental change black bear demographics in the park, which will for the 2003 Student Ocean Conference, a coopera- collect GPS (Global Positioning System) loca- over time. Keeping track of their numbers, their be incorporated into bear management and tive effort with the state of Alaska and University of tions at any rate the biologist chooses, stores variety and any deformities can help indicate backcountry use management plans. Another Alaska Fairbanks. The center has an ongoing educa- the data in the collar, and then downloads changes in the environment. significant study is of harbor seals. The seal pop- tion role, with offerings that include a junior/senior the information via satellite to the biologist’s ulation has declined by more than 90% in Kenai high school oceanography course and outreach computer. Like the Glacier Bay example, finding the fauna Fjords. This cooperative multi-organizational, programs to remote villages. you’re looking for is sometimes a matter of start- Wolves in Yukon-Charley “report in” daily, ing to look, while at other times the challenge is and download once a week. The collars are expected to last three years, giving biologists a whopping seven times as much data at about he Building Trades program is the most The students develop very strong work ethics one-fourth the costs of the conventional visible part of Denali National Park’s and skills in this program, as well as a strong aircraft surveys. This dramatic increase in data school to work partnership program. In connection with the park. In addition to benefit- allows unprecedented estimates of wolf density T the program, the park works with local high ing from a local source for needed buildings, the and pack movement. school students to design small replacement park has brought some of the program’s stu- housing units that will be used in the park for dents into its regular workforce. Science stories like these are also getting more housing seasonal employees. public exposure than ever, thanks to a twice- yearly magazine published by the NPS through Once the designs are complete, the park pur- the Alaska Natural History Association. Alaska chases the building materials. Denali also pro- Park Science features stories about research in vides a half-time carpenter to work with the high parks. The magazine is distributed to parks, school instructor to provide journeyman level libraries and science teachers throughout Alaska. instruction for the students throughout the project. Students take part in every aspect of A printable version of Alaska Park Science is also construction, which includes framing, plumbing, available on the Web at http://www.nps.gov/akso/ 7 10 electrical wiring, finish carpentry and painting. AKParkScience/index.htm age age P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 PARTNERS / Volunteers Planning

Washington D.C. 11 age age 6 P P

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Education

he National Park System has been likened to a great university system with provide electrical service to its facilities in 2004 T nearly 400 campuses across the country. with a propane-powered fuel cell. The unusual While parks nationally receive more than 275 alternative energy project is the first of its kind million visits annually, most people — even in a to be used in such a remote location. A major lifetime — only visit a handful of parks. Yet long-term project for the park also advanced in lessons about our natural world, America’s past, 2003, as the park worked with the city of Seward and some of the turning point social issues of and others to complete a waterfront study which our time are represented by park units and will place a new, multi-agency visitor center in a affiliated areas which conserve the places redeveloped waterfront area near the Alaska where these nation-changing events took place. SeaLife Center.

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 SERVING VISITORS / Construction

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Greening of the Parks New Leaders

arks and visitors in the Alaska Region t Denali’s Wonder Lake Range Station, a he National Park Service welcomed with community lead- are benefiting from several projects that 30-kilowatt diesel generator used to run several new people into key leadership ers in Kotzebue. He P are making facilities and operations A 24 hours a day, powering lights, radios, T positions in 2003. helped author plan- more “green.” and pumps but the noisy diesel unit marred a ning documents for portion of the spectacular quiet for which the Alaska Regional Director Rob Arnberger retired the Northwest Arctic In Kenai Fjords, visitors who walk toward the park’s wilderness is world renowned. in July, and his deputy, Marcia Blaszak, took Heritage Center in ancient ice of Exit Glacier will walk past some over as acting regional director. A new regional Kotzebue which is of the newest available energy technology. The Using grants and guidance from other federal director is expected to be named early in 2004. currently under fuel cell electrical system, located at the park’s agencies, Denali installed a new hybrid system Several changes also were made among the ranks design. new Nature Center, will provide power and consisting of a 12-kilowatt, propane-fueled of park superintendents. heat to the visitor facilities at the popular generator augmented by a battery storage system Joe Fowler was named to the top job at Katmai visitor destination. and photovoltaic panels. The generator now Julie Hopkins National Park and Preserve in November. He runs only eight hours every fourth day to returned to Kotzebue had been the chief of operations for Katmai, and The 5-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell uses propane recharge the batteries. The $45,000 project as superintendent of had served as as its hydrogen source, with the hydrogen in reduced fuel consumption at the site by 50 per- Western Arctic chief ranger at turn being used to generate electricity. The Exit cent, or 2,500 gallons, reduced emissions of car- Parklands, overseeing Lake Clark Glacier project is the first time such a system has bon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, Kobuk Valley National Park been used in Alaska in an area with no other and dramatically cut the maintenance require- National Park, Cape earlier in his commercial electrical source. ments. The work at Wonder Lake and other Krusenstern National career. He projects helped the park earn one of nine Monument and resides in King The project is funded by the NPS in conjunction Department of the Interior 2003 Environmental Noatak National Salmon. with a $70,000 grant from the Propane Achievement Awards. Preserve. A 21-year Education & Research Council and a $25,000 Alaska resident, she previously served as assis- Joel Hard was grant from the Alaska Energy Authority To the south, Glacier Bay National Park earned a tant superintendent there and worked two years named in December as the newest superintendent, through the Denali Commission. An additional $31,000 Unilever “Recycling at Work” in 2003, overseeing budget issues at the Anchorage taking the top job at Lake Clark National Park $35,000 from the University of Alaska’s Arctic allowing for construction of an accessible rest- regional office. and Preserve. Hard worked previously for the Energy Technology Development Laboratory is room and covered assembly area near the dock Alaska State Troopers, where he led the Public planned to evaluate and monitor the fuel cell’s at Bartlett Cove. An important component of Another longtime Alaska manager took charge Safety, Fish and Wildlife Protection Division. performance. the project is 2,500 square feet of Unilever’s as superintendent of Sitka National Historical He grew up in Juneau, is a licensed pilot and is recycled plastic Durawood lumber for the Park. Greg Dudgeon left a superintendent’s a 1994 graduate of the FBI’s National Academy. decking. The recycled plastic decking is easier to post in Utah to return to Alaska. From 1996 to maintain than wood and less prone to become 2001, he served in Kotzebue and Nome as chief covered with slippery mold. ranger at Northwest Alaska park units. Between 1990 and 1996, Dudgeon worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Yakutat, and as a river ranger for Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Message from the Regional Director Fiscal Year 2003 Expense Report, Alaska Region millions of visitors but frequently not making significant efforts to connect with communities, Construction businesses, non-profit associations, interest Denali front country $8,020,419 groups and others who are, collectively, our Glacier Bay utilities, hydro study $53,188 partners in the mission of being stewards of Glacier Bay maintenance facility $63,568 Sitka collections, visitor center $166,505 America’s national parks. Wrangell-St. Elias visitor center $52,488 $8,356,167 In recent years, the change toward working Land Acquistion $3,987,635 more closely with partners has accelerated and is now becoming a fundamental piece of our Operations organizational culture. This annual report pro- Personal services (salaries, benefits, etc.) $47,761,423 vides details on the kinds of work we are doing Travel (within parks and Lower 48) $2,902,344 with others to accomplish not only the missions Transportation (supplies and equipment) $1,757,194 given to the National Park Service by Congress, Rent, communications, utilities $1,239,106 Printing and copying $196,087 but how the expertise and experience within the Services (aircraft rental, architecture NPS Alaska Regional Director Marcia Blaszak Service is helping Alaska communities and and design, contracts) $17,697,661 organizations accomplish their goals. Supplies and materials $5,305,324 Equipment (computers, vehicles, etc.) $1,376,951 ike many people who came here from These partnerships take many forms, but a few Land and structures $122,959 jobs in the Lower 48, I find it hard to special ones come to mind. The highly skilled Glacier Bay fisheries compensation (one time expense) $21,517,785 L believe I’m starting my 10th year with volunteers who join the month-long moun- Other (grants, insurance, claims, etc.) $5,088,182 the National Park Service in Alaska, and my 35th taineering patrols on Mount McKinley were rec- year as a federal employee. ognized this fall for work that has saved lives and Total $104,965,015 made the mountain a cleaner, safer environment. Those numbers are active reminders of two In a very different venue, our partners at the Recent Beringia Projects with NPS Partners things. First, Alaska continues to be the highlight Anchorage Museum of History and Art have The National Park Service funds projects in partnership with community organizations and academic of my career. Nowhere else in the National Park worked with us on the Greatland Junior Ranger institutions. The topics are of scientific and local importance in the Beringia Region of western Alaska System is there such a vast and incredible array “Dino-Might” project in conjunction with the and eastern Chukotka. The work averages one to three years in length and includes Russian collabora- of national park units and programs all working display of the T-Rex Sue. And we’ve worked tion through comparative studies, exchange and training of participants, or translation of final reports. in their own ways toward the conservation of successfully with the state of Alaska to build a our national heritage. Second, as I reflect on a more public process for the annual renewal of Alaska Nanuuq Commission: Cultural Values of Polar Bears in Chukotka $32,050 long and rewarding career in the Service, I am short-term park rules, called compendiums. University of Alaska Fairbanks: Rural Development Exchange $39,741 reminded just how much we as an organization King Island IRA: Song and Dance Preservation $40,000 have changed. These kinds of partnerships, and dozens more, National Park Service: Russian Participation in Mammoth Conference $21,000 are helping the National Park Service accom- National Park Service, Russian Elder Consultation on Exhibit $29,018 My appointment in August 2003 as the acting plish its missions more effectively and with Nome Community Center, After-school program on Native traditions $33,706 regional director for Alaska was an unprecedented greater public participation than ever before. North Slope Borough: Biosampling of Grey and Bowhead Whales $33,558 career step for a woman when my career began in Throughout my Park Service career I’ve learned University of Alaksa: Online database for Chukotka Flora Collection $25,756 1968; today, no one really thinks twice about it. a great deal on the job, and we as an organiza- Alaska Pacific University: Beringia Teacher Workship $20,380 tion are doing the same — changing, and learn- University of Alaska: Chukotka Tourism Development and Training $24,000 For many of the past 35 years, the National Park ing on the job. We welcome your participation as Richard Bland & Associates: Russian Book Translation $11,730 15 2 Service — like many large organizations — has we join with partners to accomplish our mission World Wildlife Fund: Teacher Training in US and Russia $25,514 gone about its business largely by itself, serving of preservation and public enjoyment. age Alaska SeaLife Center: Web-based writing curriculum $16,200 age P P Total $352,653

Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 Alaska Region of the National Park Service 2003 National Park Service Alaska Region

Visitation to Alaska’s National Parks

2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

0 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 estimated 2003 Annual Report

National Park Service Alaska Region 240 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99501