Wrangell-St. Elias ORV Alternatives Offered

Six draft alternatives for managing recreational off-road vehicle use in the Nabesna Road area of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve are available for public review and comment through January 10, 2009.

The park is developing an environmental impact statement considering the effects of ORVs on nine trails in the Nabesna District of the park. Comments on the draft alternatives will be used to refine the alternatives which will be fully analyzed in a draft environmental impact statement, which is scheduled to be released for public comment in November 2009.

The EIS process was started last year in part to comply with the settlement of a lawsuit regarding National Park Service management of ORV use in the park. “The intent of the plan is to provide continued opportunities for appropriate and reasonable access to wilderness and backcountry recreation including sport hunting in the preserve, while accommodating subsistence uses, access to inholdings, and protecting fish and wildlife habitat and other park values,” said Park Superintendent Meg Jensen.

The alternatives addresses ORV use on the Caribou Creek, Trail Creek, Soda Lake, Lost Creek, Reeve Field, Boomerang, Suslota, Tanada and Copper Lake trails.

Comments are being sought on draft proposals that include opening recreational ORV use on all nine trails, closing use on those trails, three alternatives which provide for varying levels of trail improvements for ORVs, and the implementation of a trail user fee.

Copies of the draft alternatives are available on-line at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/wrst. Comments may also be submitted on this website. Copies of the 14-page alternatives document can also be requested by phone at 907-822-7276. Hard copies of the document are available at park headquarters in Copper Center, the Glennallen Public Library and the Slana Post Office.