Clause added to UA lands bill eases concerns

May 24,2005

DAWN DE BUSK/Frontiersman reporter

WILLOW - Willow residents worried about passage of a bill granting to the University of Alaska lands traditionally used for mushing, skijoring and cross-country skiing, have been given a reprieve.

Although House Bill 130 cleared the Senate on May 13 and the House on Monday, the Department of Natural Resources created a clause that would give Willow community members three years to select appropriate rights of way to preserve access to the historic Haessler-Norris trail system, according to Sen. Charlie Huggins, R-District H.

"I talked to Vern (Halter) and asked if he was OK with a 'yes' vote. He agreed it was reasonable. I wouldn't have supported it if the mushers hadn't have been fine with it," Huggins said.

If signed by Gov. Frank Murkowski, the bill would grant 250,000 acres to the university. Included in that list of lands are Frying Pan Lake, Willow Creek Road and Deception Creek - all part of the Haessler-Norris trail system.

"(The governor) has been very supportive of this bill," said Becky Hultberg, a representative of the governor's office.

Asking that the bill be heard during special session demonstrates how important it is to him, Hultberg said. She added that she couldn't predict whether Murkowski would sign the bill into law or not.

Musher Vern Halter, who spoke to senators in Juneau on May 3, said he had been concerned that development of the land would diminish access to trails.

"We are very appreciative that DNR would honor the trail system. I think we're going to keep working on trails in a more diligent manner," said Halter, who attended the Willow Area Community Council trail committee meeting last week.

"I'm still concerned about the university subdividing land and the overcrowding it would cause," he said. "But we have three years before they pass title over to the university. I would like to stop them from subdividing the Frying Pan Lake parcel. The community might be at a point where they start working on a comprehensive plan for the future. That would be my desire."

The recent developments by DNR should alleviate some of the conflicts that might have occurred between trail users and new homeowners if the university tried to supplement its endowment by subdividing and selling those parcels. DNR was in charge of selecting the parcels to be given to the educational facility.

"Much of the land to be transferred to the University is investment property that will generate revenue for the university's endowment. About one-third of the land is education property that will strengthen the university's research and educational mission," according to a press release from the governor's office.

Kate Ripley, a spokesperson for UA, said she's thankful for the additional flow of income for the college. She admitted the process for transferring the lands to the college tends to be time-consuming. It's speculative to say how much money the newly awarded lands will generate. It depends on what's developed and how the land is developed, Ripley said.

"With this bill, in 20 years, the land grant trust fund could grow by another $100 million, and that's a conservative estimate," she said.

There's approximately $135 million in the land-grant endowment fund. Every year, a percentage of that money supplies the lifeblood for the UA Scholars program, which pays tuition for the top 10 percent of Alaska high school graduates.

"The program was started as part of a big effort to stop the state's brightest students from leaving the state for schools in the Lower 48," she said. The scholarship pays a total of $11,000 over four years for each student, she said.

Ripley said the DNR provision to preserve community rights of way works in the university's favor.

"You want those trails intact. It will enhance the value of the land," Ripley said. "We definitely want to be a good neighbor in the Mat-Su."

Rep. Vic Kohring, R-Mat-Su, voted in favor of the bill and said he would have liked to see it provide the university with even more land.

"I support getting more lands into the hands of the university so they can generate some income. It takes the pressure off of the state to provide them with money from our general fund," he said.

When asked about the Haessler-Norris trail system, Kohring said that such recreational trails "clearly need to be platted and preserved."

Dawn DeBusk can be reached at 352-2252 or dawn.debusk

@frontiersman.com.