Stamped Trail

[akram]

Received in a reply to an email

Howdy-
Thanks for your interest in the Stampede! Apologies that it took a few days to get back to you! It sounded like you had similar interests, and I thought I could address them at once. I see from the Arctic Offroad forum online that there has been quite a bit of discussion-it's good to get the information on the table, and out for discussion! We contacted Arctic Offroad because of your interest in the Borough resolution passed in 2007. It was this resolution that initiated the rec area bills introduced by Senator Thomas and Representative Guttenberg.

I noticed on the Arctic Offroads website that there was quite a bit of discussion about the terminology used (ATV vs ORV). I can tell you that our groups' work to establish a State Recreation Area along Stampede was NOT initiated by locals that wanted to close out a particular user group, but rather, we are concerned with the number of development proposals over the years (ranging from highways west to railroads), and also the growing number of people using the area (poop alongside the trail, trail damage). As I'm sure is true with you, we would like to see the area designated in some way that will allow for long-term planning, so that traditional use of the area can be continued. As I understand, the specific activities listed in the bill are not meant to be all-inclusive. Some SRA bills don't include any list at all. The wide variety of uses was listed to show that there are a wide variety of users in the area that can benefit from preserving recreational access.

The details about recreation and use would be hashed out through the creation of a management plan for the area. The management plan that would be designed for Stampede would be created through an advisory board specific to this area, giving user groups a strong voice in developing the plan so that it addresses our needs. The off-roading community would certainly be part of that process. We are working on contacting groups such as yours, and other users (like hunters, berry pickers, etc), so that we can work on this alongside others that also use this area. Our vision for the Stampede is that people can work together towards something, rather than against. We'd like to see your groups be part of that process.

Please give a call, or email with more specific questions, and I hope that I can answer them. We have been working with Grier Hopkins, Senator Thomas' aide, and one of the staff who worked on the original Stampede SRA bill. He's been very helpful, and I'm sure could answer your questions. He can be reached at grier_hopkins@legis.state.ak.us. We have meetings about once a month here on Stampede, and if any one from your group is interested in calling in or coming down for one, it would be great to involve you in our discussions.


I will add the three of you to our email list, and if you know of any other folks that are interested, please pass along our contact info! Thanks again for your interest, hope this helped!
Hannah Ragland, for Friends of Stampede
907-687-2403 (evenings are good for calls if you want to chat)

I will try to find out when the next meeting is and see if folks have time ti attend it.