Knik River meeting to provide info, receive input

Dec. 5, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

WASILLA - A meeting at Cottonwood Creek Elementary school Wednesday night will be the third informational meeting this week to help plan the future of the Knik River area.

Monday night, there was a meeting at Butte Elementary, tonight there will be another meeting in Anchorage and Wednesday's meeting in Wasilla will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The meetings are meant to get information out to the public, and to take comments about how people want to see the Knik River area managed, said David Griffin, land manager for the Knik River Public Use Area for the Department of Natural Resources.

There are several schools of thought about how the area should be managed, Griffin said, and legislation provides some guidelines as to what uses need to be included in the area. DNR is taking comments at the meetings. The public can submit comments through Jan. 7.

Some people want facilities, some want a target practice area, others want public-use cabins, Griffin said. He is the &#8220guy on the ground,” Griffin said: the person who maps trails with GPS and meets with groups and individuals with concerns about Knik River uses.

&#8220I've got a flexible schedule, if someone wants to join me,” he said. &#8220I'm out on trails, prioritizing their use.”

Although he saw a still-burning truck when he went out to pick up trash Nov. 30, Griffin said the area is getting better than it was, but still has a ways to go.

In a year and a half, Griffin hopes to have an official plan on the commissioner's desk, ready for signing, he said.

Some people want no motors in the area, but legislation allows for motorized access where the commissioner deems it compatible with other uses, he said.

As for trails, some people want new ones put in, some want certain trails closed and there is a need to rehabilitate some existing trails, too, Griffin said.

Frankie Barker, an environmental planner with the Mat-Su Borough, also will be at Wednesday's meeting, along with Bruce Paulsen, a land use planner.

&#8220DNR really leads the team,” Barker said. &#8220We were asked to be on the team since we are one of the major land owners. We want people to know about it. The more turn-out the better. We get people to put down their thoughts and collect their comments.”

People can find more information on the meetings online at the DNR Web site, www.dnr.state.ak.us. Click on the &#8220Knik River Public Use Area Public Scoping Meetings” link on the right side.

People also can call Brandon McCutcheon, planning project manager, at (907) 334-2551. McCutcheon also will be at the meetings.