Public Notice: New Trail Proposed in Chena River State RecArea

(Fairbanks, AK)–The 2006 update of the Chena River State Recreation Area (CRSRA) Management Plan involved several rounds of public review and many meetings and workshops.  The following recommendations came from that planning process and serve as a catalyst for Alaska State Parks proposed new trail.

Recommendations for Unit 5, the non motorized portion of CRSRA, were to improve access to Nugget Creek Cabin, provide summer access to Mist Creek Trail, and work with user groups to expand winter trails and a cabin system for non-motorized users.  This trail proposal will implement those management plan recommendations.

The next step in the public process is to identify stakeholders and get their input for a new trail.  To that end, the Northern Area Alaska State Parks Citizen Advisory Board is planning an open house for Wednesday May 12th at the Department of Natural Resources building located at 3700 Airport Way.  This meeting will be held in the large conference room from 5:30 to 7:30pm.  The public is invited to attend to learn more about the trail proposal and provide feedback.

Alaska State Parks also has an online survey for public input.  This survey can be completed by going to www.alaskastateparks.org and clicking on: Chena River State Recreation Area: New Trail Survey.  This survey captures public comments and will help managers determine whether to proceed with planning a new trail as well as what specific user group the trail should be designed for, what user groups the trail should be actively managed for, and what user groups to accept on the new trail.  State Parks needs this information before moving forward with trail planning efforts.

For more information call the Fairbanks State Parks office at 451-2695.