Existing User Groups Beach Lake Park has functionally been shaped, and its existing facilities developed through cooperative, and volunteer based efforts of the park’s user groups over the past four decades: Major Park User Groups Chugiak Dog Mushers Association Chugiak Junior Dog Mushers Eagle River Nordic Ski Club Junior Nordic Ski Chugiak High School Barrier Free Recreation (ADA Accessible lodge and cabins for public rental) Cross Country Running Regular Park Users Recreational Boaters (small craft only) Angling/Ice Fishing Equestrians Mountain Bikers Runners Hikers Dog Walkers Nature Walks Wildlife Viewing Scenery Picnics Family Outings, Informal Play Skijoring (on Beach Lake) Ice Skating (on Beach Lake) Retriever Training (Dee Lake/wetlands) Off-site activities connecting with and/or influencing park uses Chugiak High School Birchwood Camp Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBEAR) Near Neighbors Eklutna Inc. Tidal flats waterfowl hunting 25 Eagle River / Chugiak Parks & Recreation Eagle River/Chugiak Parks, Recreation, and Community Development Beach Lake Park Park Uses and Context Map L e g e n d Freeway Collector Streets Neighborhood Roads 20 MILE ED’S Lighted Ski Trails LOOP Unlighted Ski Trails B e a c h 16 MILE Sled Dog Trails* L a k e Park Boundary Railroad EnlargementEnlargement 1 Future road page 20 Commercial extension Unauthorized, Industrial unsecured trails 4 MILE crossing private land Institutional Residential ROW HEARTBREAK 3 MILE Vacant, Undedicated HILL Military BEACH LAKE ROAD 2 MILE 0’ 1800’ 3600’ TRAIL INLET Alaska State Plane Zone 4 (units feet) 1983 North American Datum N D e e L a k e20 MILE * Colors added along sled dog trails on HIDDEN HILL this map connote a looped system. AVENUE EnlargementEnlargement 2 page 20 1 DOG 4 MILE RICHNER ROAD Fort Richardson Birchwood Camp MINK CREEK DRIVE (private) SPRUCE CREST DRIVE P s a l m BIRCHWOOD LOOP ROAD L a k e TREE STREET BIRCH KLONDIKE STREET r e e k Future Road Access EnlargementEnlargement 3 P a r k s C page 20 Railroad Realignment Birchwood 6 MILE Elementary School F i r e C r e e k ALASKA RAILROAD Chugiak Senior High School HILLCREST DRIVE FORD DRIVE LAUGHLIN ROAD CARLISLE STREET DIVISION ROAD SHIMES STREET KAMKOFF AVENUE STREET CLINE GILBERT ROAD PIONEER DRIVE Unauthorized, BIRCHWOOD LOOP ROAD Informal HENKINS ROAD unsecured trails10 MILE Neighborhood/ Community crossing private land Walking Trails ALMDALE AVENUE MONASTARY DRIVE HUSKY STREET HUSKY DARBY ROAD Future Development: GLENN HIGHWAY JAMES WAY JAMES WAY Powder Ridge OLD GLENN HIGHWAY TERRACE LANE 12 MILE Enlargement 1 Enlargement 2 Enlargement 3 Figure 5. Existing Park Uses and Context Map Beach Lake B e a c h Recreational L a k e Cabins Beach Lake Musher’s Chalet Club House Birchwood Loop Road 7/12/2011 Beach LakeParking Regional Park Master Plan 26 Beach L Parking Parking ake Roa d Beach Lake Road 2) No Radical Changes People like the less developed qualities and natural environment at Beach Lake Park. Protecting the wildlife, scenery, and rural qualities of the park are important goals, and save the community money. Moreover, as the park is functional for its existing uses, improvements should generally focus on getting more out of what is already there. The only park “changes” needing consideration at this time are how to incorporate the new parkland, and how Beach Lake Park can accommodate future regional population growth, and serve new residents Park improvements like “Ma’s Bridge” above (built last year by recreational needs in the future, including along its the Nordic ski community) have historically been done using a eastern and southern borders. combination of a little community funding, and a lot of volunteer effort, expertise, and coordination. 3) The Railroad is a “Perfect Divide” The Alaska Railroad track separating the park is a valued Key Concerns and Opportunities and long respected dividing line. Mushing takes place Early in the planning process, the consulting team held north of the line, skiing to the south. This makes for private interviews with a number of stakeholders and very few trail user conflicts; exceptions include during user groups. These conversations with more than two transitional seasons, or illegal motorized access. dozen participants helped the team gain a broader 4) Seasonality picture of the park as it exists today. This was followed by months of gathering input from the public, CAG Beach Lake Park has its seasonal rhythm. In the members, and Community Councils. Key concerns depths of the winter, frozen lakes and the parks major and opportunities emerged out of this process, wetlands freeze to allow fuller use of the park, and which are listed below that helped shape the final trail facilities are often used 24/7. Some evenings and recommendations. weekends find the park at overcapacity for parking because of events and co-occurring practice sessions. 1) 40 + Years of Volunteer Sweat Equity Over several decades, thousands of volunteer hours have been invested in making improvements, developing recreational programming and events, and building infrastructure with the backing of government/private partnership support. This investment needs to be honored as a basis for future planning, and is a mode that should be appreciated for its ability to stretch community tax dollars. “The value of the existing uses depends upon the natural beauty, peace and quiet that characterize the park. Additional development must not jeopardize the wilderness flavor of the park.” Many ski related activities at the south end of the park spill over into Chugiak High School on busy evenings and weekends ~ Citizens Advisory Group Member (parking, event starts, ski waxing) 27 Eagle River / Chugiak Parks & Recreation Eagle River/Chugiak Parks, Recreation, and Community Development During thaw and wet periods (which are becoming “People on designated trails completely disregard more extensive) there are more challenges with trail the nature of a dog trail. For the safety of the conditions and damage, and user conflicts. dogs, the people on a sled, and the safety of the In the summer, wetlands preclude access to large areas other people, there needs to be no overlapping. of the park, and the chalet is closed, but lakes are open No crossings, no roads, just a few dog trails. You for small boats and fishing, and the Barrier Free Facilities, cannot understand the power of a team. ” and Birchwood Camp (private inholding) are busy. ~ Public Comment 5) Mileage although some out-of-state and international visitors end up in the park because of the mushing and Barrier Mushers and skiers require maximum mileage Free facilities. Also, over decades many self-selected for serious training and racing. Although the park individuals have chosen to live proximate to the park appears large and natural - it is highly crisscrossed (dog and horse owners especially). with as many mushing and ski trails as can fit without compromising these sports or the setting . For 7) No Year Round Multi-Use Trails mushing the issue is minimizing distractions for dogs; for skiing it is about maintaining the scenic wooded Although there are miles of trails in the park, none are quality. Maintaining or even extending this mileage is truly multi-use. They are ski trails, or mushing trails. critical, including formalizing links to trails beyond the Walkers, bikers, equestrians, and dogs off leash are park. An indication of how developed the park is with “out there” in the park to some degree, but at the trails, is the orienteers’ assessment that they won’t wrong time of year, these users damage maintained use Beach Lake because you “can’t get off a trail.” trails, and cause major safety conflicts. Mushers are reluctant to let multi-use trails into the park or near 6) A Uniquely Alaskan Attraction their trails for fear of injury—to unsuspecting users, to mushers, and to dogs. Moreover, there is a fear that Beach Lake Park makes uniquely Alaskan sports like multi-use could displace mushers, which is what has mushing surprisingly accessible to Alaska’s urban historically happened at Far North Bicentennial Park. population and the park is a multi-faceted attraction. Mushing and ski facilities serve all ages and abilities Members of the general public, on the other hand, and the park has safe, well-maintained trails, along want new trail opportunities that allow them to use with the ability to host regional events. Regular park Beach Lake Park year-round, especially along the road users travel from a broad region (Kenai to Mat-Su) and near the lake and coast. Some feel that the park is a large regional asset, and “should not just cater to mushers.” The balanced compromise is some new limited multi use, with protection of existing uses. 8) Adjacent Lands are Not Park JBEAR and Eklutna Inc. own thousands of acres bordering Beach Lake Park. Historically, much of this acreage has been “borrowed” for recreation, and to extend mileage based from the park. Master planning needs to consider a future with these non-park lands being unavailable for recreation. “Ft. Rich [JBEAR] will be closed off to us very soon. That cuts out 40 miles of trails. It is extremely hard to try to train any kind of mid-to- Maintaining trail mileage by doubling back on the existing trail distance runs on our trails. Dogs get bored seeing system, and access to JBEAR’s military lands is critical to long the same old thing . just like people do.” distance mushers’ ability to train for the Iditarod. ~ Public Comment 7/12/2011 Beach Lake Regional Park Master Plan 28 The 2006 Chugiak-Eagle River Comprehensive Plan Update Vision for Beach Lake Park includes a number of goals helpful to guiding Beach Lake Park’s future: Maintain the Natural Environment park’s natural, Goal A: Ensure that natural systems are protected, maintained and enhanced.