ITEM TITLE:
Approval of Cooperative Resource Management Agreement for the Mineral Creek Trails on State (DNR) Land - ADL 234033
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nylund - Senior Planner/GIS Technician
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve Cooperative Resource Management Agreement for Mineral Creek Trails on State (DNR) Land - ADL 234033
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Mining, Land and Water (DMLW) South Central Regional Land Office has issued a Regional Manager’s Decision in regard to ADL 234033, which authorizes the formation of a Cooperative Resource Management Agreement (CRMA) with the City of Valdez. This agreement will allow the City of Valdez to manage approximately 80 acres of state land located in the Mineral Creek canyon area as outlined in Valdez Municipal Code 12.08.010. This is the way it has been managed since 2002, as nonmotorized.
This CRMA is the result of a yearlong process to rectify the issue summarized here:
Spurred by a complaint by a member of the public about the restriction of motorized access on groomed x-country ski trails on lands controlled by the State of Alaska in the Mineral Creek area, the DNR looked into the land management history and status of this area. The AK DNR determined that its non-objection issued in 2002 to the City of Valdez’s request to restrict motorized access (then codified in VMC 12.08.010) was not subject to a full public DNR process at the time it was issued. The DNR then rescinded its letter of non-objection from 2002, and the City of Valdez applied for a CRMA in order to have the authority to continue managing the land in question in accordance with city code. The application was subjected to the standard public process that the DNR undergoes for all of its land use agreements, and an administrative decision was issued.
The Regional Manager’s Decision has been issued by the DNR outlining and the CRMA document is ready for signatures. Pending approval by Council, the Mayor will sign, and this agreement will go into effect on April 20th, 2023. It will be effective for 50 years, expiring on September 20, 2073. The City of Valdez will be responsible for providing a survey of the CRMA boundary within five years.