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March
27, 2006
The Alaska Region
of the National Park Service today released the second draft of
"A User's Guide to Accessing Inholdings in a National Park
Service Area in Alaska" for public comment.
Within Alaska's
national park units, there are more than 1.6 million acres of land
owned by private individuals and corporations, the state of Alaska
and local governments. These owners and other valid occupants are
entitled to adequate and feasible access to their property, but
the process of obtaining legal access across public land has never
been well described in a single document.
In 2005, the
NPS released for public review a draft user's guide to help landowners
and others understand the process to authorize access across park
areas. More than 40 comment letters were received from individuals,
corporations and governments; in addition, four public meetings
were held with more than 60 people participating. Today's release
of the second draft follows commitments made in public meetings
for additional review before a policy document is finalized. This
draft includes significant changes based on those comments.
The guide is
an outcome of conversations held in 2004 among U.S. Department of
the Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski,
and NPS Alaska Regional Director Marcia Blaszak.
The draft described
how landowners and valid occupants can secure rights under Section
1110(b) of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation
Act (ANILCA). This section addresses motorized access to inholdings,
as well as access that would require improvements such as construction
or maintenance of a road, power line, or landing strip, or similar
undertakings on publicly owned park land. Access by airplane, boat,
snowmachine and various methods of non-motorized travel not requiring
improvements generally does not require a permit.
Changes between
this version and the 2005 draft include:
" Existing
Access versus New Access -- Many comments were received stating
that existing access routes needed to be treated differently than
proposals for new routes. In Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and
Preserve, where the largest number of existing access routes are
located, the NPS will combine its review of multiple routes in a
"programmatic environmental assessment" beginning this
year. In addition, park staff will set up meetings with landowners
to understand their access routes and needs, assist landowners in
applying for access permits, and undertake required environmental
reviews at NPS expense.
Requests for
new access routes across park land will be handled individually
and, depending on the complexity and controversy of the request,
may require either an environmental assessment or an environmental
impact statement.
" Fees
-- NPS-Alaska proposes to waive fees for the application, monitoring,
land rental and NEPA costs associated with right-of-way permits
that can be processed with an environmental assessment. Costs to
prepare environmental impact statements can not be waived.
" Duration of permits - Several comments said that the 2005
provision of a right-of-way permit duration of 10 years was insufficient
to provide landowners certainty, marketability of their property
and the ability to obtain financing. In this draft, the NPS proposes
to issue right-of-way permits with terms of up to 30 years. In addition,
permits will be written with a clause that anticipates renewal unless
conditions or needs have changed.
" National Environmental Policy Act -- Some commenters stated
that the National Environmental Policy Act did not apply to access
to inholdings in national park units in Alaska. The Department of
Interior regulations for access to inholdings under ANILCA clearly
require the use of NEPA to evaluate the impacts of the proposed
routes and facilities on park resources.
Public meetings
will be held on the following dates and locations:
McCarthy: May
3, noon, at the Community Church
Slana: May 4, 6:30 p.m., at the Slana School
Anchorage: May 11, 3-5 p.m. at the Alaska Public Lands Information
Center, 605 W. 4th Ave.
Copies of the
guide may be requested by writing to Regional Director, 240 W. 5th
Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501. Comments must be received at that address
by May 27. Also, copies of the guide are available on-line, and
comments may be made on-line.
To download
the document for review and comment, go to the following website:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/
and select the link "Plans/Documents Open for Comment"
located at the lower left corner of the page. From the following
"Plan/Document List" select the link "Draft User's
Guide to Accessing Inholdings in a National Park Service Area in
Alaska (Revised, March 27th, 2006)". To register comments on
the document, select the link "Comment on document" in
the menu on the left side of the page and enter your comments.
Copies of the
press release, access guide and cover letter to reviewers are posted
at www.nps.gov/alaska at the Press Room link.
-- NPS --
Privacy
& Disclaimer
Author:Jane
Ahernl
Last modified on: April 18, 2003
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