More on DNR management plans

I’ve been “out of circulation” for most of this past year, so I’m not too surprised I don’t remember anything much about this next topic. Last week, we talked about the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) water reservation program and some of the apparent problems associated with that program. This week, I’ll mention another DNR project I have no recollection of hearing about.

This past week, I received an email from DNR thanking me for participating in a public scoping meeting about the Moose Range and Jonesville Public Use Area Management Plan updates they are working on. First, I didn’t attend the public meeting because I didn’t know it was happening. And second, I didn’t submit any comments because I don’t know what DNR is planning to do.

Now, to be fair, DNR might have noticed the meeting and I just missed it. I’m sure they probably did notice the meeting, but there might have been a short lead time for the public to respond to that information. Like how the public only has two weeks to respond to any DNR water reservation notice.

What DNR is trying to do is learn how the public uses the Moose Range and the Jonesville Public Use Area so that new and revised management plans can be developed. I’ll quote from the email I received from DNR: “The Department of Natural Resources has initiated a concurrent planning process to: (1) update the Matanuska Valley Moose Range (Moose Range) Management Plan; (and) (2) create a management plan for the Jonesville Public Use Area (JPUA), which is entirely within the Moose Range.”

Continuing, “Land management planning is a way of sorting through concerns and the many possibilities for public use of the area while developing and ultimately adopting management plans. Through this process, DNR will work to find alternatives with the greatest benefits for all Alaskans. Public involvement is essential to ensure that future actions are not only consistent with the agency mission and enabling legislation of JPUA and the Moose Range, but also present a shared vision for the future for both.”

DNR is currently accepting written comments from the public as part of their initial scoping process. The deadline for comment submission is October 31. Any comments should be submitted to Don Perrin with DNR in Anchorage. His phone number is: 907-269-8709. You can also find a mailing address on the project webpage.

I went to the project webpage and found the following information: “In 2018, the Alaska Legislature passed HYPERLINK “https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp” \l “41.23.280” Alaska Statute 41.23.280 establishing the JPUA to address concerns of safety and to provide a spectrum of public recreation opportunities while maintaining fish and wildlife habitat. The JPUA lies entirely within the Moose Range, Alaska Statute 16.20.340, that is managed through the Moose Range Management Plan. The Moose Range was established to maintain, improve, and enhance moose population and habitat and other wildlife of the area, and to perpetuate multiple public uses of the area.”

“Much has changed in the 36 years since the original Moose Range Management Plan was adopted including the official establishment of the JPUA. Alaska Statute directs DNR to prepare management plans that include long-range guidelines and management practices for the JPUA and the Moose Range. Developing the plans concurrently will ensure compatibility and consistent management of state resources.”

From the project website, I also learned that multiple public meetings were held around the area and the state in September to begin gathering public scoping comments. Apparently, I just missed all the notices about these meetings.

Since this project is concerned with updating the Moose Range Management Plan and creating a new management plan for the JPUA, I downloaded the current Moose Range Management Plan, written in 1986. The plan was developed by DNR staff and Habitat Division staff from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This plan is 251 pages long, so it will take me some time to review it.

The thing I find “interesting” is that, while DNR was originally tasked, along with F&G’s Habitat Division, with the creation of the Moose Range Management Plan, apparently the Wildlife Division was not part of the plan development, other than, perhaps, as a consulting group rather than as participating authors. I might be wrong in that assumption, but the Wildlife Division (then referred to as the Game Division) isn’t as broadly mentioned as an author as the Habitat Division is.

If you’re interested in this DNR program, you might want to get involved in the process.