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Dated Old Photographs
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Denali National Park and Preserve
Special Regulations
National Park Service
SUMMARY: For the portion of Denali National Park and Preserve formerly
known as Mount McKinley National Park (the Old Park) only, this rule
establishes a definition for ``traditional activities'' as the term is
used in Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)
section 1110(a) and related Department of the Interior regulations. The
rule also applies this definition and determines that, for the Old Park
only, prior to the enactment of ANILCA, no traditional activities took
place during periods of adequate snow cover for which snowmachines
(snowmobiles) may now be used. In addition, the rule implements the
June, 2000 Statement of Finding: Permanent Closure of the Former Mt.
McKinley National Park Area of Denali National Park and Preserve To The
Use of Snowmachines and determines that any snowmachine use in the Old
Park would be detrimental to the resource values of the area. The rule
also consolidates, expands and codifies certain designations, closures
and permit requirements for Denali National Park and Preserve,
including requirements for vehicular traffic, vehicle use limits, and
public health and safety. The rule also replaces the out-of-date
references to ``Mount McKinley National Park'' with the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act name ``Denali National Park and
Preserve.''
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 19, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Superintendent, Denali National Park and Preserve, PO Box 9,
Denali National Park, AK 99755. Attention: Ken Kehrer, Jr.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Kehrer, Jr. at the above address
or by calling 907-683-2294.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
As used in this Rule, the term ``Old Park'' means the portion of
Denali National Park and Preserve that was formerly known as Mount
McKinley National Park. This Rule incorporates
[[Page 37864]]
all the information in the Environmental Assessment for Permanent
Closure Of the Former Mount McKinley National Park to Snowmachine Use,
the Finding of No Significant Impact for the Proposed Permanent Closure
of the Former Mount McKinley National Park to Snowmachine Use, the
Statement of Finding: Permanent Closure of the Former Mt. McKinley
National Park area of the Denali National Park and Preserve to the Use
of Snowmachines and the Final Cost-Benefit analysis: Denali National
Park and Preserve Special Regulations.
In 1903, United States Geological Survey geologist Alfred Brooks
wrote: ``* * * the abundance of sheep, bear, moose and caribou found
along the north slope of the Alaska Range rank it as one of the finest
hunting grounds in North America.'' In 1917, to protect and preserve
natural and scenic resources and for public enjoyment and recreation,
Congress directed that Mount McKinley National Park ``shall be, and is
hereby established as a game refuge.'' 39 Stat. 938. Congress expanded
the Park in 1922 and 1932. Horace Albright, the National Park Service
(NPS) Director, welcomed these additions, in part, as a means to better
protect wildlife, particularly to improve protection of Dall sheep and
moose in the Park by giving them additional winter range protection.
House Committee on the Public Lands, Report 207, Letter of January 20,
1932.
In 1980, Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act (ANILCA), which enlarged Mount McKinley National Park
and renamed it Denali National Park and Preserve (Pub. L. 96-487, Dec.
2, 1980, 94 Stat 2371). Consistent with the 1917 Act that created the
Park, ANILCA recognized the importance of protecting habitat for, and
populations of, fish and wildlife. The legislative history of ANILCA
states that certain NPS units in Alaska, including ``Mount McKinley
[National Park] * * * are intended to be large sanctuaries where fish
and wildlife may roam freely, developing their social structures and
evolving over long periods of time as nearly as possible without the
changes that extensive human activities would cause.'' Sen. Rep. No.
96-413, 96th Cong., 1st Sess. 137 (1979); and, Cong. Rec. H10532 (Nov.
12, 1980). The heart of the Park and preserve lies on the lands that
once comprised Mount McKinley National Park (the Old Park); there, on
lands that ANILCA designated as Wilderness, predator-prey relationships
have functioned for decades without significant human interference.
Under NPS management for the past 83 years, the wildlife and the
wilderness have remained virtually unchanged. It is the human
recreational element that has undergone a dramatic evolution. During
the summer of 2000, the National Park Service (NPS) expects that over
400,000 people will visit the Old Park. Nevertheless, like Alfred
Brooks, they will see an abundance of sheep, bear, moose and caribou,
and the occasional wolf, against a spectacular backdrop of pristine,
subarctic, alpine landscape--taiga and tundra, glaciers, glacier-fed
rivers and cathedral peaks. The health of this shielded ecological
system is also the cornerstone of a multimillion-dollar tourism
industry in Alaska which is very dependent upon the presence of this
diverse wildlife along the Denali road corridor.
Limiting motor vehicle use on the Denali Park Road, educating
backcountry users and prohibiting snowmachine use in the Denali
wilderness have been essential factors in maintaining the natural
systems in the Park interior, and in providing continued outstanding
visitor experiences; experiences that depend, in large part, on seeing
the spectacular variety of wildlife along the Park road and the
opportunity to observe natural predator-prey interactions. The wildlife
populations in the Old Park are available for this unparalleled viewing
opportunity precisely because they have been protected from intrusive
interactions with humans for decades. Vehicle use of the road corridor
beyond certain levels has been determined by NPS to displace the
wildlife that can be seen from the road and otherwise disrupts the
Park's ecosystems, thereby impairing the resources, values and purposes
for which the Park was established.
During the difficult interior Alaska winters, any increase in
stress on the wildlife through added energy expenditure or loss of
preferred habitat is a concern. The braided river valleys and the high
open tundra of the Old Park leave little opportunity for wildlife to
avoid intrusions and take refuge. Any snowmachine use in the Old Park
would result in detriment to the resource values of the Old Park and a
significant change from the long-standing patterns of non-intrusive
human interaction with wildlife. A major change in the level and extent
of human activity in this historically undisturbed winter environment
would be detrimental to many animals over a large area. The possibility
of many additional miles of snowmachine trails and increased
snowmachine activity levels throughout the Old Park threatens all types
of habitat. This area of previously protected habitat is particularly
vulnerable to increased disturbance given its proximity to access
points along the George Parks Highway. In the long term, preserving the
Old Park wilderness and its continually evolving natural processes is
essential to ensuring opportunities for outstanding resource-based
visitor experiences.
The historical limitations on motorized use have also created a
unique wilderness recreation opportunity in Alaska. There is no other
comparably sized, naturally regulated ecosystem in Alaska that has been
as protected from motorized use during winter months. As a result, the
resource values of solitude and natural quiet, which are the source of
this opportunity, remain at exceptional levels during the winter and
are enjoyed by skiers, mushers, snowshoers and winter campers.
The NPS Organic Act of 1916 directs NPS to manage National Parks
and Monuments to ``* * * conserve the scenery and the natural and
historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the
enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave
them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.'' 16 U.S.C. 1.
ANILCA section 1110(a) provides that snowmachine use may be prohibited
if such use would be detrimental to the resource values of the unit or
area. Additional information upon which NPS relied is found in the
June, 2000 Statement of Finding: Permanent Closure of the Former Mt.
McKinley National Park Area of Denali National Park and Preserve To the
Use of Snowmachines. In that Finding NPS concluded that any snowmachine
use in the Old Park would be detrimental to the resource values of the
area and that snowmachine usage for travel to and from villages and
homesites and for traditional activities did not occur. That Finding is
available from the superintendent or on the Denali National Park and
Preserve web page at www.nps.gov/dena.
Administrative History of ANILCA Section 1110(a), Special Access
for Snowmachines
National Park Service Rulemakings
On December 2, 1980, President Carter signed ANILCA into law. On
January 2, 1981, NPS published a proposed rule (46 FR 5642). The
purpose of the proposed rule was ``* * * to harmonize the statutory
directives [of ANILCA] with existing [national monument] regulations
[[Page 37865]]
* * *'' and ``* * * to provide public guidance as soon as
practicable.'' Id. According to the rule, expeditious rulemaking was
needed to, among other reasons, address new directives in ANILCA such
as section 1110(a) access. NPS regulations then in effect, generally
prohibited aircraft and snowmachine use in Parks. Id. NPS described the
proposed regulations as those minimally necessary to provide proper
management in Park areas in Alaska and noted that further comprehensive
rulemaking would follow. Id.
The proposed rule stated that: ``* * * [s]ections 13.10-13.12 would
initially open all Park areas to access by snowmachine, aircraft and
motorboat for any purpose.'' Id. at 5644. The proposal sought to reduce
the need for persons to obtain individual access permits and
distinguished between recreational uses and traditional activities:
Sections 13.10-13.12 of these proposed regulations initially
open all Park areas in Alaska to access by snowmachine (on areas
with adequate snow cover or frozen rivers), motorboat, and aircraft,
without the need for individual access permits. Access by these
methods of transportation is authorized for any purpose (e.g. travel
between villages, to a homesite, for mineral development, for
recreation, or for traditional activities except as is specifically
provided for subsistence uses in ss 13.45 and 13.46 discussed below
under subsistence. Sections 13.10-13.12 implement section 1110(a) of
the Alaska Lands Act which provides access for ``traditional
activities * * * and for travel to and from villages and
homesites.'' This approach extends the statutory concept to access
for all purposes, except the special provisions concerning access
for subsistence uses.''
Id., (emphasis added).
Under the corresponding access section for subsistence users
(13.46), the proposal noted:
At all times when not engaged in subsistence uses, local rural
residents would be able to use snowmachines, motorboats, and other
means of surface transportation [sic] in accordance with the
appropriate Subpart A regulations. For example, local rural
residents engaged in recreational uses of snowmachines, motorboats,
and other means of surface transportation would comply with the
provisions of ss 13.10, 13.11, and 13.13, respectively, and local
rural residents seeking otherwise-closed access to Inholdings or
temporary access would comply with the provisions of ss 13.14 and
13.15, respectively.
Id. at 5654, (emphasis added).
This explanation was repeated in the final rulemaking (46 FR 31836,
31852). It is instructive to note that, from the beginning, the authors
of the rule distinguished recreational activities from traditional
activities. On June 17, 1981, NPS published the final rule (46 FR
31836). The preamble to the rule also noted that:
A substantial number of comments (203) objected to making these
regulations applicable to all Park areas in Alaska (see ss 13.1(m),
13.2), including pre-ANILCA areas like the former Mt. McKinley
National Park and Katmai and Glacier Bay National Monuments. The
proposed regulations were viewed by these commentors as an
unwarranted lessening of protective measure for these ``old'' Park
areas.
Id. at 31837.
NPS concluded that there was no basis under the statutory language
to exclude the Old Park from the conservation system units subject to
section 1110(a).
NPS agreed with comments made that the findings required by
Executive Order 11644 would not allow a general opening for snowmachine
use--thus the final rule limited snowmachine use to the uses enumerated
in section 1110(a), while allowing motorboats, airplanes and non-
motorized surface transportation means to be used for any purpose.
Executive Order 11644 requires that off-road vehicle use, including
that of snowmachines, must be limited to specific areas and trails
that: minimize damage to soils and vegetation; minimize harassment of
wildlife or significant disruption of wildlife habitat; and minimize
conflicts with, and danger to, other existing or proposed recreational
uses. Furthermore, snowmachine use was not to be authorized in
designated Wilderness Areas, and could be authorized in areas of the
National Park system only if it would not adversely affect natural,
aesthetic or scenic values. Consequently, the final rule authorized
snowmachine use during periods of adequate snow cover or frozen river
conditions only for traditional activities and village to village
travel that were still permitted in park areas. The final rule provided
two examples of uses that were not authorized, because the land use was
no longer permitted in parks: snowmachine use to locate new mining
claims and sport hunting. The rule also cautioned that ``* * *
[p]rospective snowmachine users should note that the legislative
history of section 1110(a) defines a traditional activity in terms of a
use generally occurring in a park area prior to its designation. See S.
Rep. No. 96-413, supra at 248; H. Rep. No. 96-97, Part 1, supra at
239.''
On April 6, 1983, NPS proposed regulations that would have
effectively closed much of the Old Park to snowmachine and other
motorized uses (48 FR 14978). The proposed rule noted that ``* * *
[o]ne of the primary purposes for establishing Denali National Park and
Preserve was to provide protection to certain species of wildlife and
their habitats * * *'' ``Motorized use of certain areas of Denali
National Park is believed to be detrimental to its ecosystem and the
values for which it was established.'' Id. William P. Horn, then Deputy
Under Secretary of the Interior announced the proposal by stating:
The proposed regulations * * * would correct an oversight in the
1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). When
Congress enacted Section 1110(a) of ANILCA it opened all units of
the vastly expanded conservation system to snowmachine * * * use.
Prior to ANILCA, the critical wildlife habitat and natural resource
areas of [Mount McKinley were] essentially closed to motorized
access. Congress inadvertently opened [Mount McKinley] to this kind
of use. By re-establishing the historical public use restrictions,
the National Park Service seeks to correct the action and restore
the historical level of resource protection.
Department of the Interior, News Release, April 6, 1983.
The April 6,1983 proposal was never adopted in a final rule.
Department of the Interior Rule Making
On July 15, 1983, the Department of the Interior proposed
regulations that would implement portions of ANILCA Title XI that had
not been promulgated by any of the bureaus. The rule also proposed to
repeal and replace the bureaus' various special access, temporary
access and access to inholdings regulations, to codify all Title XI
regulations in a single part. These regulations essentially mirrored
NPS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regulations that generally
tracked the language of ANILCA section 1110(a). The proposed rule would
authorize snowmachine use during periods of adequate snow cover or
frozen river conditions only for traditional activities that were still
permitted in Park areas, and for travel to and from villages and
homesites, pursuant to an access permit, and for subsistence purposes.
The rule also proposed a definition for ``adequate snow cover.''
On September 4, 1986, the Department of the Interior published
final regulations implementing ANILCA Title XI. Following the precedent
established by NPS and FWS, the proposed regulations on motorboat,
aircraft and nonmotorized surface transportation access were not
restricted to traditional activities and travel to and from villages
and homesites, as in the statutory authorization. In the final rule,
the Department noted that EO 11644, regarding off-road vehicles (ORV),
does
[[Page 37866]]
not apply to motorboats or aircraft. Therefore, the Department
exercised its discretion under other applicable statutes in order to
authorize airplane and motorboat use beyond that mandated in ANILCA.
The fact that the Department did not limit airplane and motorboat
access to only traditional activities under section 1110(a)
demonstrates that traditional activities are a distinct subset of all
the legally permissible activities that may occur in a Park area
consistent with its enabling legislation.
The Department again also declined to endorse comments that
supported a blanket exception from the provisions of 1110(a) for the
parks and monuments that predated ANILCA.
The argument is made that Congress did not intend to open the
pre-ANILCA areas to the uses described in Section 1110(a), since
these pre-ANILCA areas had been closed to such uses prior to the
enactment of ANILCA. Interior does not find any statutory support
for this position, since Section 1110(a) provides no exception for
the pre-ANILCA areas. Accordingly, no exception for pre-ANILCA areas
is provided for in these regulations.''
Id. (emphasis added).
While the statutory language must be read to apply to the Old Park,
NPS and the Department continue to believe that the Department's 1983
characterization is correct, and that inclusion of the Old Park was
inadvertent.
The Department also declined to accept comments to define
``traditional activities,'' even though, under the regulations,
snowmachines are limited to use for traditional activities and travel
to and from villages and homesites. The Department noted that: ``* * *
[o]ne suggestion was made that the regulations should limit access to
traditional activities to the means traditionally employed, and should
define what those means are.'' Id. at 31626, (emphasis added). The
Department chose to neither reject nor accept this suggestion. Instead
the Department stated that:
Because these regulations apply to a number of areas under the
administrative jurisdiction of three agencies, it has been decided
that it would be unwise, and perhaps impossible to develop a
definition that would be appropriate for all areas under all
circumstances. Exactly what ``traditional activities'' are must be
decided on a case-by-case basis. Once the agencies have had the
opportunity to review this question for each area under their
administration, it may be possible to specifically define
``traditional activity'' for each area. Accordingly, these
regulations do not contain a definition of ``traditional activity.''
Id.
Denali National Park and Preserve 1986 General Management Plan
In the 1986 General Management Plan (GMP) for Denali National Park
and Preserve, NPS followed the suggestion in the 1986 regulations for
the development of area specific definitions of ``traditional
activity'' (GMP, page 195). The GMP also indicated that recreational
snowmachining can be treated as either a means of access or as a
distinct activity in and of itself. The GMP identified recreational
snowmachining as a distinct activity that needed to be evaluated
against the definition of traditional that was provided in the GMP in
order to determine if it was a traditional activity within the Old Park
(GMP, page 37). This definition was not incorporated into regulation,
but the Old Park was closed for 19 years to this activity by way of
Superintendent's Orders (Compendium) based on an interpretation that
recreational snowmachining was not a traditional activity in the Old
Park.
Denali National Park and Preserve: 2000 Final Rule
Under Section 1110(a) of ANILCA, snowmachines may be used in
conservation system units for traditional activities, unless a
particular traditional activity is barred by ANILCA or other applicable
law, and for travel to and from villages and homesites. The use of
snowmachines for such purposes may not be prohibited unless, after
notice and hearing in the vicinity of the affected unit, it is
determined that such use ``would be detrimental to the resource
values'' of the unit.
There are no villages, homesites and other valid occupancies within
the Old Park. Access by snowmachine through the Old Park in transit to
homesites, villages and other valid occupancies did not lawfully occur
prior to ANILCA and is available through routes outside the Old Park
that have been historically used for that purpose, both prior to and
since the enactment of ANILCA. Thus, no snowmachine use within the Old
Park is authorized by Section 1110(a) or 43 CFR 36.11(c) for travel to
and from villages, homesites and other occupancies.
Consumptive use as stated in the final rule definition of
``traditional activity'' was derived by the Department after careful
review of the legislative history of ANILCA. The four specific examples
found in that history are sport hunting, fishing, trapping and berry
picking. In the context of the proposed rule, NPS requested specific
information on other activities which the public felt might be
traditional activities. Based on its review of the comments, NPS has
not identified any other consumptive activities in the Old Park which
are traditional activities under the adopted definition.
The definition of traditional activities in this final rule differs
from the November 12,1999 proposed rule definition in two main ways.
First, the application of the final rule definition is limited. The
final rule definition is for the Old Park only, while the proposed
definition was a general definition that would have applied to all the
NPS units in Alaska. This is because the public comments indicated
there was some confusion over the applicability of the definition to
other than the Old Park. NPS also believes that further consideration
of the definition in the context of the other park areas in Alaska is
needed before a definition applicable to them is promulgated due to the
possibility of different historical use patterns in those areas.
Second, the final rule definition is now clearer about what NPS
considers to be traditional activities in the Old Park. The revised
definition clearly states that traditional activities are related to
consumptive use, and that recreational snowmobiling is not a
traditional activity in the Old Park. These changes are described in
further detail below. Because the meaning of the phrase ``utilitarian
Alaska lifestyle'' was not clear to many commentators we have replaced
it with language which we believe accomplishes the same purpose, but
defines the term traditional activity in a manner that is more readily
understood by the public.
The November 12,1999 proposed rule suggested the following
definition of a traditional activity for NPS units in Alaska: An
activity that generally and lawfully occurred in a unit or a
geographically defined area of a unit prior to enactment of ANILCA, and
that was typically associated with that region as an integral and
established part of a utilitarian Alaska lifestyle or cultural pattern.
This final rule adopts the following definition of a traditional
activity for the former Mount McKinley National Park portion of Denali
National Park and Preserve:
An activity that generally and lawfully occurred in the Old Park
contemporaneously with the enactment of ANILCA, and that was
associated with the Old Park, or a discrete portion thereof,
involving the consumptive use of one or more natural resources of
the Old Park such as hunting, trapping, fishing, berry picking or
similar activities. Recreational use of snowmachines was not a
traditional activity. If a traditional activity
[[Page 37867]]
generally occurred only in a particular area of the Old Park, it
would be considered a traditional activity only in the area where it
had previously occurred. In addition, a traditional activity must be
a legally permissible activity in the Old Park.
As a general definition for all NPS units in Alaska, and under
which an area-by-area analysis would be done, the proposed definition
of traditional activities generally received widespread support.
However, in reviewing the public comment, NPS realized that the
proposed definition was not entirely clear; accordingly, NPS has made
several clarifying changes in the final definition. To produce a more
understandable definition, the description ``involving the consumptive
use of one or more natural resources of the Old Park such as hunting,
trapping, fishing, berry picking or similar activities'' has been added
consistent with the legislative history which uses these examples of
traditional activities for purposes of section 1110(a). This
consumptive use is part of a life style or cultural pattern that remain
practical and essential components of subarctic life. Clarification
that the recreational uses of snowmachines (such as picnicking,
sightseeing, wildlife viewing, photography and camping) were not
traditional activities in the Old Park has been added. Although non-
snowmobile based recreational activities did take place in the Old Park
these activities were not the type of activities offered during the
Congressional deliberations as the traditional activities to be
preserved. Clarification that a traditional activity that only took
place in a portion of the Old Park is a traditional activity only in
the area where it generally occurred has also been added. After
analysis and consideration of the public comments, NPS has decided to
define and apply this definition only to the Old Park at this time. NPS
intends to define traditional activities and apply such definitions to
other park areas, including the remainder of Denali National Park and
Preserve, in subsequent processes, such as future rulemakings to
implement backcountry management plans for some of the national parks
in Alaska.
NPS emphasizes that the definition of traditional activities in
this rule is applicable to the Old Park only. NPS could develop and
apply a different definition of traditional activities for the
remainder of Denali National Park and Preserve and other Alaska Parks,
based on historical use patterns for those areas. While NPS has found
that certain activities did not occur in the Old Park during periods of
adequate snow cover, and has developed and applied in this rule the
definition of traditional activities for that area only, NPS could find
differently for other NPS areas. NPS notes that the use of the Old Park
may be distinct as compared to the ANILCA established portions of the
Alaska Park units, due to the use restrictions that have been
historically applied to the Old Park.
NPS has previously provided separately for snowmachine use for
subsistence activities under 36 CFR 13.46, but subsistence is not
authorized in the Old Park.
Applying this park specific definition to the Old Park, NPS is
unable to identify any traditional activities or travel to and from
villages, homesites and other valid occupancies during periods of
adequate snow cover. In response to the request for comments regarding
the identification of traditional activities within the Old Park, NPS
received no comments that identified a history of any traditional
activities as defined in this rule legally taking place contemporaneous
with the enactment of ANILCA. The NPS has additionally concluded that
any snowmachine use in the Old Park would be detrimental to the
resource values of the area. Accordingly, NPS has inserted in the
regulations for the Old Park only, that snowmachine use is not
permitted for any reason within the Old Park portions of Denali
National Park and Preserve.
The legislative history of ANILCA contains several examples of
traditional activities: sport hunting; fishing; berry picking;
trapping. The House and Senate Committee Reports that accompany ANILCA
list the first three of these activities as examples of traditional
activities. Trapping was discussed as a traditional activity during
Senate mark-up. The Committee Reports state that if traditional uses
were generally occurring in an area prior to its designation the uses
shall be allowed to continue. NPS notes that hunting, fishing, berry
picking and trapping share a common characteristic; they are all
consumptive, resource gathering activities. Congress sought to
specially protect access for these activities (where the activities
were authorized by ANILCA or other law) within areas that were being
created to protect natural resources. Section 1110(a) was drafted to
address Congressional concern that many Alaskans who practiced these
kinds of activities would not qualify as subsistence users under Title
VIII and therefore would not qualify for snowmachine access under
section 811(b). Section 1110(a) was adopted to provide similar access
for consumptive activities to these non-qualifying members of the
public.
With respect to the Old Park, NPS is certain that Congress did not
expressly intend and did not create, an exception to the Wilderness Act
that would allow snowmachines in wilderness areas--because someone on
the snowmachine intended to look around, or happened to be carrying a
sandwich or disposable camera--or because non-motorized sightseeing,
picnicking and photography were permissible in the Old Park prior to
ANILCA. If a contrary interpretation were correct, Congress need not
have linked snowmobile access to traditional activities, but would have
allowed it for any purpose since virtually any use of the Park entails
an element of sightseeing. Such an interpretation would render the term
``traditional activities'' as the equivalent of ``for any purpose''.
NPS has found no evidence of such intent in the legislative history.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource mark-up
sessions that were the origin of this section, and the Committee
Reports on the Act consistently reference traditional hunting, fishing
and berry picking. Congress did not identify other activities, such as
recreational activities, in deliberations on section 1110(a).
Conversely Congress made its intent clear in other provisions of
ANILCA, specifically opening conservation system units to recreation by
authorizing such access specifically, and separately from access for
traditional activities. See e.g., section 201(2) Bering Land Bridge
National Preserve (``in a manner consistent with the foregoing [the
preserve shall be managed] for public access for recreational purposes
to the Serpentine Hot Springs area.''); section 202(5) Kenai Fjords
National Park (``the Secretary is authorized to develop access to the
Harding Icefield and to allow use of mechanized equipment on the
Icefield for recreation.''); section 202(6) Kobuk Valley National Park
(``the Secretary shall permit aircraft to continue to land at sites in
the upper Salmon River watershed.'') and section 202(10) Yukon-Charley
Rivers National Preserve (``the Secretary shall permit aircraft to land
on sites in the upper Charley River watershed'').
With respect to the authorization of landing sites in the upper
Salmon and Charley River watersheds, amendments approved at the October
10, 1979 Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources mark-up
struck the phrase ``traditionally used for such purposes'' from the end
of each sentence. The amendments put a period after the word
``watershed''. The accompanying mark-
[[Page 37868]]
up colloquy explains the Committee's intent to authorize access beyond
where and what was traditional in these two areas due to their high
potential for compatible recreational use.
As the Alaska Conservation Foundation commented:
[T]he only mention of recreational use in the ``Purposes''
section of ANILCA states that the intent of Congress was ``to
preserve wilderness resource values and related recreational
opportunities including but not limited to hiking, canoeing, fishing
and sport hunting.'' Unquestionably, recreational snowmachining is
not a recreational opportunity that related to wilderness resource
values. (Section 101(b)). The other purposes outlined in Section 101
are either antithetical to recreational snowmachining or are in no
way supportive of recreational snowmachining.
With respect to Section 1110(a) and the term ``traditional
activities'', first and foremost, it is instructive to consider the
explanatory title for the section, which is ``Special Access and
Access to Inholdings.'' Congress expected this section to only apply
to ``special'' access situations--which are, by definition
``distinguished by some unusual quality, being other than the
usual.'' Therefore, Congress limited access to these areas, allowing
intrusions only for ``traditional activities'' or for access to
homesites and villages.
NPS also notes that due to the distance that may be traveled by
modern snowmachines and the resulting noise impacts, even only a few
snowmachines would cause detriment to the special resource values of
the Old Park, in particular the wilderness and wildlife values of the
Old Park. These values have developed over time as a result of the
unique management history of the area, and are therefore coincident
with the boundaries of that former unit. See Statement of Finding,
June, 2000.
Dated: June 7, 2000.
Donald J. Barry,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
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