In the Alaska Superior Court this week, Comsat Area Lakes and Land Alliance, or CALLA, won its case against the State.
CALLA is a group of Talkeetna residents who have been fighting a State-owned 152-acre quarry near Christiansen Lake. CALLA argued that the Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, failed to provide public notice for the quarry activities.
This came after multiple complaints from residents about the quarry operations. Trucks started pulling rip rap from the site in 2017 and residents were told it was an unusual situation. Then, it happened again in 2019. Then, blasting and rock crushing began later that year.
The Court ruled in favor of CALLA saying that the State did not provide public notice for the extraction activities as required by the Alaska Constitution. The Court also said that the State would be required to provide public notice for any future extractions.
Alaska Department of Law representative Patty Sullivan says the DNR is carefully scrutinizing the court’s ruling that DNR’s sales of rock, sand, and gravel to the contractor constituted a disposal of interest in state land that would require public notice under Alaska Constitution. Sullivan goes on to say that DNR’s options include a request for reconsideration by the Superior Court, and/or appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court.
CALLA initially requested that DNR classify the land as Public Recreation and Habitat, which adhered to management intentions of the area. The State developed a different plan that would transfer the site to the Department of Transportation. That would mean the public would no longer have input into the use of the site.
While the case was being litigated, the site remained under DNR’s management. It is unclear what will happen to the site now or if they will appeal the decision.
Correction: This article was corrected on 04.13.24. The site was originally noted as 113 acres. The site is actually 152 acres.
