Bill Luck 12/15/07
Alaska Trails Initiative
Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
550 W. 7th Ave. Suite 1380
Anchorage, AK 99501
Dear Mr. Luck,
This letter is submitted to the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation by the Alaska Quiet Rights Coalition as an initial comment on the grant application by the Lake Louise Snowmachine Club for a permit for a Lake Louise-Maclaren Trail.
The Alaska Quiet Rights Coalition (AQRC) is a statewide organization of individuals and small businesses with the mission of advocating for a fair share of quiet recreation opportunities on public lands. AQRC believes that natural quiet is a vital natural resource fully deserving of protection by land managers for the sake of wildlife, non-motorized recreation and peaceful living. In recent years, the unregulated proliferation of motorized recreational vehicles into every corner of public lands has threatened a wide variety of wildlife as well as destroyed natural quiet for Alaskans and visitors wishing to hunt, fish, or experience Alaska’s wild places.
We are very concerned about the proposed Lake Louise-Maclaren Trail and share the questions raised by the Copper Country Alliance as to the status of the grant application, consequences for moose, caribou, trumpeter swan, and other wildlife, and compatibility with native lands and the Susitna Area Plan. AQRC believes that motorized trails should not be opened into backcountry areas until they are evaluated for compatibility with area plans, wildlife protection, and equal opportunity for non-motorized use. Plans for regulation of use with enforcement and funding should also be in place.
Please include AQRC in your replies and answers to the issues raised by the Copper Country Alliance.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns.
Elizabeth Hatton
Board Member, AQRC