RAC Dalton Highway Field Tour

Meeting Minutes and Trip Report

July 9-11, 2003

**[Wednesday, July 9, 2003]{.underline}**

RAC member Charlie Boddy arranged a tour of Fort Knox Gold Mine outside
Fairbanks. Boddy and fellow RAC members Susan Olsen, Paul Roehl and
Steve Simmons, and BLM national RAC coordinator Twinkle Thompson (Office
of the Director) and Alaska RAC coordinator Teresa McPherson
participated.

Fort Knox Environmental Manager Clyde Gillespie provided a guided tour
for the group (see trip photo log). He explained that Fort Knox Gold
Mine, located about 25 miles northeast of Fairbanks, is the largest
gold-producing mine in the state. Fort Knox is an open pit mine where
dirt and gravel is crushed, ground and mixed with water and chemicals to
extract the gold. Fort Knox produces about 350,000 ounces of gold each
year.

Tour participants observed the daily blast at the site (see photos)
where active mining occurs and then toured Fort Knox by vans to look at
several former mine sites that have been successfully reclaimed. From
there, the group toured the mill where processing occurs and the control
center where sophisticated electronics run the mill's extensive network
of equipment.

The tour concluded at 4:30 PM and the group returned to Fairbanks to
overnight at Pike's Waterfront Lodge.

**[Thursday, July 10, 2003]{.underline}**

Remaining Anchorage RAC members and BLM representatives flew to
Fairbanks the morning of July 10 to join participants from the previous
day. All participants met at Fairbanks International Airport to depart
via charter.

**Dalton Highway/Coldfoot participants**

[RAC members]{.underline}: [BLM/Other]{.underline}:

Charlie Boddy Henri Bisson, State Director

Gary Gustafson Twinkle Thompson, Office of the Director

Sandra Key June Bailey, Anchorage Field Office

Susan Olsen Ramone McCoy, Glennallen Field Office

Jim Posey Bob Schneider, Northern Field Office

Paul Roehl Linda Billingsley, Northern Field Office

Steve Simmons Jody Weil, External Affairs

Larry Taylor Teresa McPherson, External Affairs (recorder)

David van den Berg, Chair Mike Wrabetz, Joint Pipeline Office

After collecting bag lunches at Slate Creek Inn, the group departed by
vans for a placer mine on the Hammond River. While en route, BLM natural
resource specialist Linda Billingsley explained mining operations in the
area and reclamation work at various sites along the road.

The group observed placer miner **Ralph Hamm** work his claim near the
river (see photos), and then spoke with Hamm about his claims. The group
then drove to Wiseman for a council meeting and informal open discussion
with local residents at the Wiseman Community Center.

**The chair called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM.**

Chair David van den Berg welcomed Wiseman residents, advisory council
members, and BLM managers and staff. The chair explained the council
would reserve regular council business for later in the meeting, and
open with informal public comment.

**Jack Reakoff** introduced himself as a trapper, rural guide, federal
subsistence user and member of the Western Interior Subsistence Regional
Advisory Council. Reakoff discussed correspondence between his council
and the BLM regarding the number of guides who use BLM lands in the
area. Reakoff said the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service have a selection process that regulates the number of guides. He
said the State and BLM do not control guide numbers, and was concerned
about overharvesting, lack of law enforcement presence to enforce
hunting regulations, and the need for more data on harvest levels.

Henri Bisson said BLM would review correspondence from Reakoff's council
and respond, and may enlist the BLM RAC's input on the issue. Bisson
said BLM would want a full public process before deciding to pursue
guide limits, and added that Reakoff and his council might help with
that process. Bisson said the issue was similar to the heliski issue in
some parts of the state where BLM worked with local communities and
public land user groups to come up with some controls. He said BLM might
look at a similar process for resolving guide issues.

The BLM RAC asked for copies of all correspondence between BLM and the
subsistence council. BLM agreed to do so, as well as any future
correspondence on this issue.

Reakoff also addressed the topic of development along the Dalton
Highway. He suggested BLM engage local residents for input prior to
decisions about the corridor. He said most people did

not favor more development along the highway. They want to see
wilderness and wildlife, not signs and infrastructure. He said he was
not opposed to mining activities and said the area's rich mining history
is part of its appeal. However, he asked that BLM keep development along
the corridor to a minimum and engage local people in decisions that
affect them.

Reakoff thanked BLM and the Resource Advisory Council for visiting
Wiseman and meeting with residents.

**Heidi Schoppenhorst** introduced herself as a resident of Wiseman who
works for the National Park Service at the Coldfoot Visitor Center. She
said visitors like the lack of development, signs and infrastructure,
they like the rustic 'wild' quality of the area.

Council members asked residents if they felt there was a need for
additional cabins in the area. Reakoff said many visitors to Wiseman and
Coldfoot are campers and there might be interest if trails or cabins
were placed in appropriate areas.

Susan Olsen noted that BLM's Dalton Highway Recreation Plan had
estimated visitation figures much higher than actual figures. She asked
if BLM would scale back some of the planned visitor services
accordingly.

Bob Schneider said actual visitor use data would drive the type of
visitor services BLM considers. He said as more of the highway is paved,
visitation will increase, but BLM will be cautious about how we spend
development dollars since funding is difficult to come by.

There was no additional public comment, so the council began its regular
meeting.

**State Director's Update**

Henri Bisson reported on a number of ongoing items from the April RAC
meeting.

• The **Alaska Standards and Guidelines** are currently being reviewed
by Bureau officials, who asked for cosmetic changes to the document.
Bisson said he hoped the document would soon be in the hands of
Department reviewers, but he could not give a timeframe.

Gary Gustafson expressed the RAC's frustration over the pace of the
review and approval process. Sandra Key suggested the RAC request to
meet with the Director when she comes to Alaska later this summer.

Bisson said he would welcome a letter from the RAC expressing their
views regarding the delay. Gustafson volunteered to draft a letter for
the RAC's review. Twinkle Thompson said she would look into why the
review process was taking so long.

• The State's application for a **recordable disclaimer of interest**
for riverbeds in the Black River is currently under 90-day public
review. This is the first of many such applications BLM expects to
receive from the State.

• BLM met recently with the Alaska Federation of Natives to discuss the
'**2009' conveyance program**. Legislation drafted by BLM at the
Senator's request will make it easier to move toward completing all land
entitlements by 2009.

Steve Simmons said the RAC had not heard back from BLM regarding the
ANCSA taxation issue discussed at the last council meeting. Bisson said
BLM had researched this provision of ANCSA, and would forward
information to the RAC immediately.

• BLM published a request for proposals for the **Northeast NPR-A plan
amendment**. The goal is to have one set of operating procedures for all
of NPR-A. BLM is analyzing comments and selecting a preferred
alternative for the draft **Northwest NPR-A plan**. The Record of
Decision is due out in December 2003, with a possible lease sale in June
2004.

• Bisson said BLM favors a preferred alternative that would make all the
**Colville River Special Area** available for leasing with a one-mile no
surface occupancy stipulation. However, BLM has several options when it
comes to leasing in the part of the Colville drainage included in the
Northwest NPR-A planning area. BLM will start the South NPR-A plan next
year and will look at the majority of the Colville River Special Area at
that time.

**RAC subgroup reports**

• [OHV subgroup]{.underline}: Susan Olsen said the OHV subgroup was
waiting for feedback from BLM about how the subgroup could factor into
BLM's OHV planning process. Bisson said his state recreation program
lead was on a Washington, DC, detail at present, and asked the subgroup
to give BLM a little more time to address this question.

Ramone McCoy said the Glennallen Field Office would welcome the RAC's
involvement in reviewing OHV guidelines in the East Alaska Resource
Management Plan.

• [Outdated segregations subgroup]{.underline}: Henri Bisson said BLM is
working with the State to prioritize the D-1 selections in the Bristol
Bay pilot area. In other areas, the land use planning processes
currently underway will resolve unnecessary segregations.

• [RMP subgroup]{.underline}: David van den Berg reported that the RMP
subgroup held a teleconference earlier in the week and had requested
some information from Henri Bisson. The subgroup wants to be involved
early in all land use planning processes. Bisson suggested a starting
point would be to have the appropriate field manager make initial
contact with the subgroup following public scoping to enlist the RAC's
help.

**RAC letter regarding Alaska Standards and Guidelines**

Gary Gustafson read a draft letter to the Secretary asking for
resolution of the Alaska RAC's Standards and Guidelines. Bisson
suggested the RAC address the letter to Director Kathleen Clark, since
she has made an effort to revitalize the RACs. The council agreed to
this approach.

**Oil spill response presentation**

Environmental protection specialist Mike Wrabetz of the Joint Pipeline
Office gave an overview of oil spill prevention, preparedness and
response procedures.

• Wrabetz explained that the Clean Water Act, the Trans Alaska Pipeline
System agreement and grant of right of way, and State statutes all
required area-wide hazmat and oil spill response planning.

• Industry is responsible for facility-specific prevention and
preparedness and oil spill response planning, with government oversight.
All plans are reviewed and approved by BLM, DEC, EPA and DOT.

• BLM (JPO) coordinates review of the TAPS plan, provides coordinated
oversight of TAPS preparedness and prevention measures, and oversight of
TAPS oil spill response. Federal and State on-scene coordinators provide
agency oversight of the response through a unified command under the
Incident Command System. The unified command includes a responsible
party Incident Commander.

Council members asked how Alyeska performed during the pipeline shooting
incident of October 4, 2001. Wrabetz said the response overall was
pretty good. He said due to concerns about vapors from this type spill,
Alyeska flew a specialist up from the Lower 48 to assess the situation.
So there were some time delays, but he said overall it was a good
response.

Jack Reakoff said Wiseman residents have not been engaged in any public
process to address oil spill issues. He said small communities don't
have access to many public hearings, and the best way to get involve
those communities is to visit them, especially those along the Dalton
Highway. Nolan Heath of the Joint Pipeline Office said he would relay
this concern to Alyeska.

**The meeting adjourned at 4:15 PM.**

Following the meeting, Jack Reakoff led BLM and the council on a short
walking tour of the community of Wiseman (see photos). The group then
returned to Coldfoot for dinner. After dinner, BLM interpretive
specialist Lenore Heppler led the group on a tour of the new Arctic
Interagency Visitor Center (see photo). The group also attended the
evening program at Coldfoot Visitor Center, where interpretive
specialist Lisa Jodwalis gave a slide presentation on the arctic
environment. The group then returned to Slate Creek Inn.

**[Friday, July 11, 2003]{.underline}**

At 8:30 AM, the group departed Coldfoot for Toolik Lake with brief stops
en route at BLM's Marion Creek administrative site, Gold Creek Trail and
Atigun Pass. Alyeska safety manager **Dave Brown** accompanied the group
and gave a short overview of Alyeska's safety program for the Dalton
Highway corridor. Participants arrived at Toolik Field Station at 1:15
PM. During lunch at the field station's dining facility, Toolik science
director **Donie Bret-Harte** provided an overview of the long-term
arctic research conducted at the field station. Following lunch, she
took the group on a walking tour of the station and explained the field
test plots where arctic vegetation research is ongoing. She explained
the significant of this research in understanding long-term ecological
changes in the arctic environment. At 3:30 PM the group departed Toolik
Field Station for Galbraith Lake airstrip. Participants returned to
Fairbanks International via Frontier Flying Service. Anchorage
participants continued on to Anchorage via Alaska Airlines.

**Tour concluded upon arrival at Fairbanks International Airport (5:30
PM) or Anchorage's Ted Stevens International Airport (7:50 PM).**