**Meeting Summary**

**BLM Alaska State Office\
Anchorage Federal Building**

**September 21-22, 2000**

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

**[Thursday, September 21, 2000]{.underline}**

  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------
  **Council members present:**       **BLM representatives present:**

  Brett Carlson                      Fran Cherry, State Director

  Tom Hawkins                        Linda Rundell, Associate State
                                     Director

  Larry Houle                        Bob Schneider, Northern Field Office

  Susan Olsen                        Gust Panos, Glennallen Field Office

  Paul Roehl                         Stu Hirsh, Anchorage Field Office

  John Stroud                        Nolan Heath, Resources

  Larry Taylor                       Gene Terland, Resources

  Elizabeth Whealy                   Tom Deiling, 17(b) team

                                     Teresa McPherson, RAC recorder
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------

  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------
  **Council members absent:**         

  Karen Burnell                        

  Tom Crafford                         

  Gary \"Gus\" Gustafson               

  Rick Solie, Jr.                      

  David van den Berg                   
  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------

***Council chair Tom Hawkins called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m.***

The council reviewed and approved meeting agenda. The chair then asked
members to look at minutes of June meeting and field tour. Brett Carlson
requested the minutes include a better explanation of why the September
meeting was moved from Fairbanks to Anchorage. With that revision, the
minutes were approved.

**State Director\'s Update**

Fran Cherry welcomed RAC members and thanked them for making time in
their busy schedules to attend the meeting. He then covered a number of
brief topics:

-   **National Public Lands Day** scheduled for the following day at
    Campbell Tract. This is a day when BLM asks the community to help
    with outdoor projects on the tract and strengthen community
    partnerships. He invited RAC members to participate and talk with
    users of the Campbell Tract.

-   Lots of interest in **wilderness designations**. BLM has no
    instructions or authorization from the Secretary to pursue
    wilderness activity at present.

-   BLM just received word that IBLA issued a decision to uphold BLM\'s
    right-of-way issued in 1999 for the **Golden Valley Intertie**.

-   **A plane crashed near Nuiqsut** Sept. 18 with two BLM employees on
    board. One survived with serious injuries; the other did not
    survive. BLM has asked a team of grief counselors to visit with
    employees this week.

**Cherry then asked Associate State Director Linda Rundell to add her
comments.**

Rundell briefly discussed the fire season in the west and the strain it
placed on BLM\'s resources. She said Congress has allocated a record
\$1.9 billion for the fire program nationally for FY 2001. This will
provide additional funds for suppression, training, equipment upgrades,
fire prevention efforts, prescribed fires, and public education. She
added BLM\'s overall budget for FY 2001 appears stable at present.

**Tom Deiling provided an update on the 17(b) easement team\'s
efforts.**

-   BLM\'s 2001 easement review policy was finalized and signed August
    25, 2000, and mailed to groups and organizations throughout the
    state.

-   All easement quads are now scanned and should be on the web site for
    public use in October.

-   Easement inventory began mid-July. Priorities will be determined by
    input from the public during the review of the easement policy
    earlier this year.

-   A workshop planned for mid-October will target state and commercial
    users of easements.

John Stroud asked how much the easement effort will cost. Deiling said
he wasn\'t sure, but felt additional costs were nominal since this was
an in-house effort.\
\
Next, Gene Terland briefly discussed a law suit against the NPR-A EIS. A
judge has ruled that BLM does have authorization to conduct leasing in
the reserve. He added that as yet, there is no word on the appeal to the
IBLA concerning the EA and applications for drilling permits. He said
Bob Schneider would cover specific exploration activities in his field
office update.

**Field managers provided a brief update of their respective field
offices.**

[Bob Schneider, Northern Field Office (Fairbanks)]{.underline}\
Schneider provided a handout which summarized current efforts at the
North Field Office (Fairbanks). These included:

-   The NPR-A Subsistence Advisory Panel met in August to learn about
    the previous winter\'s exploration activity and proposed exploration
    for this season (winter 2000-2001).

-   The charter for the new Research and Monitoring Team has been sent
    to the Secretary for approval. BLM will call for nominations to the
    team in November.

-   Schneider presented a time frame for preparation of the Colville
    River Management Plan.

-   BLM anticipates two companies will drill in NPR-A this winter. BLM
    is working with BP and Phillips, who expect to drill three wells
    each this winter. Ice road/pad construction to begin around end of
    year.

-   BLM held open houses in three locations in September to get input on
    facility and interpretive plans for the Arctic Interagency Visitor
    Center at Coldfoot. Project proposals will be revised as a result of
    information from these events.

[Gust Panos, Glennallen Field Office]{.underline}\
Fran Cherry introduced Gust Panos, who is acting field manager at BLM\'s
Glennallen offices until final selection of field manager is announced
shortly.

-   Gulkana River Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) planning process
    continues. Several camping and trail surveys completed. River survey
    completed, due out in October. Vegetation and soil mapping data
    available in March 2001.

-   Trail inventory completed at Tangle Lakes archeological site. GPS
    surveys completed on trails and cultural sites.

-   Over 2,100 permits issued for federal subsistence hunting.

-   Annual eagle population monitoring completed in Gulkana River
    drainage. Record numbers of nesting adults and offspring produced.
    Elizabeth Whealy asked for a copy of the report.

-   Cleanup and remediation continues at abandoned mine at Maclaren
    Glacier. Susan Olsen asked if owners would be held liable. Cherry
    explained Maclaren is one of many long abandoned mines with no way
    to trace original owners.

**Break**

**Campbell Tract withdrawal discussion**

Stu Hirsh gave a presentation on BLM\'s major uses of the Campbell Tract
administrative site, including an overview of the communications sites.\
\
Hirsh explained the site was originally a twelve-square-mile military
withdrawal called the Campbell Tract Range and Maneuver Site. As the
military pulled out, sections were withdrawn for other uses and a number
of tracts left federal ownership and went to individuals for home sites.
About 75 percent of the original acreage went to the Municipality. BLM
retained 730 acres for administrative uses.\
\
Larry Houle read a definition of administrative usage from BLM\'s
national web site, which he felt placed specific parameters on
administrative uses. Hirsh said land managers have some discretion
regarding uses of administrative sites, such as when BLM responded to
requests from the community for the science center.\
\
RAC members asked if BLM held other withdrawals in the state. Fran
Cherry said BLM has land withdrawals at Glennallen, Tok, Fairbanks, and
Unalakleet.\
\
Hirsh discussed the radio communications sites at Campbell Tract. The
transmitter is used by five state and federal agencies for field
communications in support of resource operations and for emergency and
safety purposes by the Air Guard. The transceivers are used by thirteen
local, state and federal agencies for long distance radio communications
through the Alaska Meteor Burst Communication System. This system
provides 24-hour data and emergency communications in Alaska and the
Lower 48. Low noise and frequency congestion restrictions make it
impractical to move these systems to other locations, including nearby
military installations or Fire Island.\
\
Tom Hawkins asked Hirsh to discuss the September 9 Campbell Tract open
house. Hirsh said 222 people signed the register and 35 of these spoke
during the public comment session. Their concerns covered a broad range
of topics, and nearly all were in favor of extending BLM\'s withdrawal.
He added that BLM had received over 300 written comments. With one
exception, all were in favor of the extension.\
\
John Stroud asked if BLM had looked into costs of relocating the radio
sites. Hirsh said BLM has not researched this since no suitable sites
are available. Stroud also wondered if BLM had researched the dollar
value of services to the Municipality, aside from annual Payments in
Lieu of Taxes, and suggested BLM include cost benefit information in the
environmental assessment.\
\
Discussion followed about whether BLM\'s use of the tract had declined
since the original withdrawal. Hirsh said some uses have changed, others
remain the same, but the overall use of the lands and facilities had not
declined.\
\
Brett Carlson asked how the science center fits into administrative use.
Hirsh said as public land stewards, education is part of BLM\'s mission.
He said creating an informed public is more cost effective than
remediation later on. The science center helps BLM accomplish this
through the many partners who teach and reinforce wise use of public
lands.\
\
Carlson asked if a similar center was planned for Fairbanks. Cherry said
no, but said the interagency visitor center at Coldfoot has a similar
mission. He added that the local academic community was the impetus
behind the Campbell Creek Science Center. Today the center continues to
move closer to being self-sustaining through numerous partnerships.
Cherry said the center is an asset to the community in other ways, that
lots of good science occurs at the center, such as neo-tropical bird
research.

**Lunch**

**Following the lunch break, the chair asked Larry Houle to present the
city\'s views of BLM\'s proposed extension of the withdrawal.**

Houle explained the Heritage Land Bank is a self-sustaining agency of
the city which handles real estate transactions.\
\
Houle said the Campbell Tract is surrounded by 3,500 acres of municipal
park lands. The master plan for Far North Bicentennial Park was updated
in 1985 using citizen input, and many residents use these lands now
under that plan. The Mayor has gone on record saying that the city would
use Campbell Tract lands for public parks and recreational purposes.
Should the master plan need to be further updated, citizens would again
have input in the process. Similarly, residents should have a say in how
the Campbell Tract is managed.\
\
Houle said the city\'s position is that BLM functions at the Campbell
Tract no longer require 730 acres. Firefighting functions are now based
elsewhere and BLM\'s land base in this part of the state has dwindled so
that 730 acres is no longer required to complete BLM\'s mission.\
\
He said the city asks that BLM look at how much land it needs for
current operations and relinquish the remainder. State Fish and Game has
set precedent for relinquishing unnecessary lands which serves as a good
model for the Campbell Tract. The city asks that BLM take stock, keep
what you need, and surrender the rest. He said the city\'s citizens are
the best equipped to manage lands within their boundaries, and don\'t
need an absentee landlord managing land within their city.\
\
Susan Olsen said the original land order for Far North provides for
active recreation and if the city reviewed the plan for Far North, it
would still have to provide for active recreation. Under BLM, the
Campbell Tract offers passive recreation, which many recreationists want
to see continue.\
\
Houle maintained that these are decisions best made by the residents,
rather than an absentee landlord such as BLM. Olsen said many residents
feel BLM has managed the Campbell Tract extremely well by offering
recreational experiences residents can\'t find in other parts of the
city. Houle and Olsen discussed whether BLM had solicited adequate
public input and whether the city could solicit public input for lands
they do not yet own.\
\
Hawkins said he favors home rule, but felt citizens can have an active
voice through partnerships such as the science center and the Campbell
Tract users group. Olsen said partnerships ensure local involvement
since partnerships entitle partners to certain expectations. BLM can\'t
make autonomous decisions but must involve those partners, and this
ensures a local voice in how the tract is managed.\
\
Fran Cherry added that the Secretary requires BLM to conduct a public
process and produce an environmental assessment. BLM would weigh the
content of public comments, not just look at numbers. The Anchorage
Field Manager would then make a recommendation, he as State Director
would review and confirm or revise the recommendation, and the package
then goes to the Secretary for a similar process. So the system includes
check and balance at each step.\
\
The chair asked if RAC members wanted to wait until the following day to
decide whether to consider a resolution. Brett Carlson said he wanted to
hear from the city regarding BLM\'s radio sites before entertaining a
vote. The chair suggested the RAC continue this topic the next day.

**The chair then opened the floor for public comment.**

**Ed Earnhart**, Anchorage resident, retired educator and former BLM
staff member:

-   Wants to comment on the Campbell Tract withdrawal extension.

-   This issue is important to the educational community.

-   He attended September 9 open house. He and many others want to leave
    things as they are at the tract. Feels BLM has managed the tract
    well.

-   Has attended numerous municipal hearings and talked to many
    residents who are unhappy with the city\'s public process.

-   Not worried about political climate in Washington and whether this
    will affect the way BLM manages the tract. BLM management at the
    tract has remained stable through previous administrations.

**End of public comment period.**

Discussion briefly returned to the Campbell Tract withdrawal. Larry
Taylor asked Brett Carlson what additional information he needed before
discussing a resolution. Carlson said he wanted more information about
the radio towers and why they couldn\'t be relocated, that he wanted to
hear both sides of the issue.\
\
Susan Olsen asked about BLM\'s time frame for the withdrawal process.
Linda Rundell said the latest BLM could complete the package was early
spring to allow time for Washington to review and act on the proposal.
The RAC again decided to table the withdrawal discussion until the
following day.

**Break**

**Off-highway vehicle (OHV) discussion**

Gene Terland opened the OHV discussion by explaining that all states had
held \"listening meetings\" to obtain public input into the Bureau\'s
policy for OHV use. BLM Alaska held such a meeting June 21 at the Regal
Alaskan Hotel. The meeting was not well attended, but those who did
attend held strong opinions on the topic and shared that input. Many
also commented via the Internet.\
\
The Bureau is currently analyzing those comments and will issue draft
guidance in November. Terland explained the intent isn\'t to revamp
regulations, but to come up with a policy to help guide local
decisions.\
\
Olsen said she would like to see a map or list showing limited, open or
closed OHV designations. Terland said he would work with recreation
staff to get a handout for the RAC. Olsen asked which areas are of
primary concern to BLM. Terland said the Glennallen area has heavy OHV
use. Gust Panos concurred and said trails get worn or muddy, users go
around those areas and widen trails.\
\
Cherry added that BLM field offices have seen a marked proliferation of
OHVs in recent years, creating a spider web of tracks in some areas,
like the Denali Highway which is heavily used by hunters. He said this
area is a \"playground\" for both Anchorage and Fairbanks due to road
accessibility. Larry Taylor added that the Fortymile area has seen in
influx of OHVs as well. Taylor said he favored some limitations,
especially where he sees trails continue to widen from overuse.\
\
Olsen said she had attended the OHV listening meeting in June and had
drafted a resolution for the RAC to consider. She said she wants to see
national guidance that considers the needs of the non-motorized user.\
\
Carlson asked if some areas are automatically closed to OHV use. Cherry
cited wilderness areas and some wild river corridors. Rundell added that
BLM hadn\'t evaluated \"quiet\" as a resource, and said the value of
public process is that citizens introduce ideas agencies may not have
considered prior.\
\
The RAC agreed to discuss the resolution the following day when
additional members would be present to vote.\
\
The chair reminded members that the meeting would begin at 8:30 a.m. the
following day. The agenda would include the OHV resolution, whether to
entertain a Campbell Tract resolution, and standards and guidelines.

**Meeting recessed 3:30 p.m.**

***Friday, September 22, 2000***

  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------
  **Council members present:**       **BLM representatives present:**

  Brett Carlson                      Fran Cherry, State Director

  Tom Hawkins                        Linda Rundell, Associate State
                                     Director

  Larry Houle                        Bob Schneider, Northern Field Office

  Gary \"Gus\" Gustafson             Gust Panos, Glennallen Field Office

  Susan Olsen                        Stu Hirsh, Anchorage Field Office

  Paul Roehl                         Nolan Heath, Resources

  John Stroud                        Gene Terland, Resources

  Larry Taylor                       Tom Deiling, 17(b) team

  Elizabeth Whealy                   Teresa McPherson, RAC recorder

                                     

  **Council members absent:**        

  Karen Burnell                      

  Tom Crafford                       

  Rick Solie, Jr.                    

  David van den Berg                 
  ---------------------------------- ------------------------------------

The chair called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m.

**New business:**

**Gulkana Wild River tour**

Tom Hawkins and Gary Gustafson gave a brief overview of the RAC\'s June
30 Gulkana River trip. Both agreed it was helpful to have Ahtna
representatives along to discuss easement problems on corporation
lands.\
\
HaHawkins and Gustafson explained how free public camping on the state
DOT right-of-way at the Richardson Highway bridge has created problems
for the village of Gulkana, which gets its water supply from the Gulkana
River. Ahtna representatives told RAC members they had approached the
state about moving public camping to a different segment of the river,
but the state wasn\'t agreeable to this solution. Gustafson suggested
the RAC may want to consider a resolution asking the state to give this
proposal consideration.\
\
Several RAC members felt that since the RAC would meet in Fairbanks
next, they might include time on the agenda for state DOT officials to
talk with the RAC. Rundell said BLM was very interested in this topic
since DOT rights-of-way on public lands in other parts of the state
create similar problems.\
\
The RAC discussed whether a resolution would have a positive effect.
Hirsh said many older rights-of-way lack adequate stipulations, making
it tough to resolve problems. Hawkins said BBNC has similar problems
with older rights-of-way across Native lands.

**Next, Stu Hirsh provided additional details regarding the Campbell
Tract radio sites discussed the previous day.**

Hirsh explained the meteor burst system at Campbell Tract is unique in
this state. The system was in place at the time of the original
withdrawal. Campbell Tract was selected due to its central location,
flat terrain, and lack of above or below ground phone lines to create
signal disturbance.\
\
He said several factors make relocating the radio sites impractical.
Licensing is a seven- to ten-year process requiring a great deal of
advance notice to avoid down time. Military and non-military
communications aren\'t always compatible, and defense has first
priority.\
\
The transmitter at Campbell Tract communicates with some 200 remote
stations and provides meteorological data for flood predictions, snow
conditions, avalanche danger, and everyday weather forecasting. The
sites are critical for life and safety reasons and provide essential
communications to areas where cell phones aren\'t reliable.\
\
RAC members asked if this system is cost effective and whether better
systems are available with fewer restrictions. Hirsh said some of the
costs would be calculated in preparing the EA, but the system was paid
for years ago so costs are nominal to continue using the sites today. He
said replacing a system that currently meets agencies\' needs isn\'t
cost effective.\
\
Larry Houle said he would like to know more about the selection criteria
used during the 1970s.\
\
John Stroud said he didn\'t see the relevance of looking into how the
site was originally selected. He said the city had asked BLM to explain
how they use Campbell Tract lands today, and said he felt BLM had done
so. He suggested BLM include the general public among users of the
communication sites, since weather data was useful to residents. Houle
said he would prefer to see a more detailed list of users and uses of
the communications sites.\
\
Hirsh said the uses the public had discussed at the comment session
September 9 were fully compatible with BLM\'s needs and uses of the
Campbell Tract discussed during this RAC meeting. He said he didn\'t
know if any additional use information exists.\
\
Stroud asked for copies of Hirsh\'s notes about the communication sites.
Hirsh said he would provide copies to the recorder for distribution to
the council.

**Break**

Following the break, the RAC decided to go on to the next agenda item
and discuss whether to pursue further discussion of the Campbell Tract
later during the meeting.

**Standards and guidelines**

Gene Terland opened the standards discussion by handing out a slightly
modified version of the standards draft provided to the RAC at the last
meeting. He explained he and Gustafson had revised the draft, and would
like the RAC to discuss how they want to approach incorporating the
\"human dimension\" into the draft. He said NEPA requires agencies to
consider human uses and the economic and social impacts of proposed
actions.\
\
Several members asked how BLM would use the standards during planning.
Terland explained BLM would consult the standards in spelling out
stipulations in activity plans. This wouldn\'t preclude uses with
impacts, but would help BLM mitigate those impacts during the planning
stage.\
\
The council discussed whether subsistence could be considered a standard
or a use which standards would protect. Some members felt subsistence
use fell under the human dimension.\
\
Rundell and Terland explained that standards provide a mechanism to help
the public understand why BLM would require certain conditions, impose
certain limitations or stipulations, and promote better education among
users.\
\
The council discussed whether standards would require a NEPA process.
Terland suggested offering a draft for public comment and an EA.
Gustafson suggested publishing the standards in the Federal Register and
providing the opportunity for a public meeting, perhaps in conjunction
with the RAC\'s December meeting in Fairbanks. The council felt the
draft standards would require a good cover letter to explain the
document\'s purpose so the public could understand and offer meaningful
comment.\
\
Members discussed the need for scoping and felt the RAC\'s involvement
in standards over the past two years was significant scoping. The RAC
decided to finish this topic after the lunch break when a guess
presenter would address the human dimension.

**OHV resolution**

The chair then asked the RAC to look at Susan Olsen\'s OHV resolution
introduced the previous day. Olsen and RAC members went over specific
provisions of the resolution. Gustafson asked that certain provisions be
modified to limit OHV disturbance, not merely OHV use.\
\
Linda Rundell asked members to keep in mind that the intent of the
resolution was to ask BLM to elevate the needs of quiet recreational
users, rather than impose specific limitations that would make it
difficult for the RAC to pass the resolution.\
\
Olsen agreed to modify certain provisions to provide a more general
statement of the rights and needs of quiet recreationists, and return
with a revised resolution for voting later in the day.

**Lunch**

**Pat Reed of the Chugach National Forest led a discussion on
incorporating the human dimension into resource planning.**

Reed said he worked as an interdisciplinary science advisor for the
Chugach NF. He explained the Forest Service incorporates the needs and
values of people into their definition of ecosystem management.\
\
He said the human dimension involves a wide range of ideas of how people
want to use natural resources. The FS developed a list of thirteen
ecosystem \"values,\" ranging from aesthetic to cultural to educational
and recreational and asked users to rank those values. Then they
contracted with Alaska Pacific University to conduct social surveys
using random sampling. He said this information is critical to learning
about the human users of your area and what\'s important to them. The
Chugach NF is now using this information to draft a forest revision
plan.\
\
John Stroud asked Reed to contrast this method to obtaining comments via
public meetings. Reed said public meetings involve a self-selecting
sampling which may not represent the greater population of a given area.
Typically, only those who are strongly motivated attend, as opposed to a
random sampling of the overall population. He said public comments help
agencies establish a range of concerns, but this scoping needs to be
followed by social surveys to get a full picture.\
\
Several members asked Reed if subsistence should be considered a
standard or a use. He responded that the Forest Service also grappled
with the question, and had no definitive answer.

**Break**

**Following the break, the council looked at Susan Olsen\'s revised OHV
resolution.**

The RAC then voted and all members present approved the resolution. The
chair asked the recorder to forward the resolution to the four absent
members for their vote, and ask that they vote in writing or via email
to BLM and other RAC members.

**Paul Roehl then introduced a resolution in support of BLM\'s proposed
20-year extension of the Campbell Tract withdrawal.**

Larry Houle asked if the RAC could table the resolution until the
December meeting so the city could prepare a response regarding the
communication sites. Brett Carlson said he wanted more specific
information about the exact acreage BLM required and felt the city
should be given time to address the radio sites. Larry Taylor felt the
city nor BLM could provide additional information about the radio sites,
and the RAC should proceed with a resolution rather than delay further.\
\
Larry Houle said BLM\'s record of public comments didn\'t represent a
random sampling. He felt the resolution was rushed and erred on several
points.\
\
The RAC discussed whether they should vote or table the vote for the
next meeting, and asked Linda Rundell about BLM\'s timeline. Rundell
said BLM was working on the environmental assessment and would prefer to
have comments or resolutions sooner rather than later, but felt RAC
members should feel comfortable before going to a vote.\
\
RAC members discussed whether to vote or to table the resolution. Three
members wanted to table and six wanted to vote. Susan Olsen moved to
adopt the resolution, Paul Roehl seconded, and the chair called for
discussion.\
\
Members discussed whether they should vote when some members weren\'t
ready to do so. Some expressed frustration about waiting until the
December meeting and felt no new information was available which might
affect the voting. Others felt BLM hadn\'t made a case for the full
acreage and wanted more information about the radio sites.\
\
After further discussion, the RAC went to a vote. Larry Houle and Brett
Carlson opposed the resolution and the remaining seven members supported
the resolution. The chair asked the recorder to forward the Campbell
Tract resolution to absent members for voting. Larry Taylor suggested
BLM provide absent members with the September 9 public comment summary
and copies of comment letters from groups and organizations, which the
members present had reviewed prior to voting.\
\
Larry Houle expressed concerns about absent members voting who had not
heard the discussion prior to the vote. The chair explained the RAC had
previously decided to allow absent members to vote since it was
impossible to have all thirteen members present. Hawkins added that if
Larry Houle had new information to offer prior to BLM forwarding the
withdrawal package to the Secretary, the RAC could consider additional
resolutions on this topic.

**Date/location/agenda items for next meeting:**

The RAC selected December 14-15, 2000, for the next meeting to be held
in Fairbanks. The agenda would include time for public comments on the
draft standards and an update on the Campbell Tract withdrawal process.\
\
Linda Rundell said Fran Cherry had suggested the RAC might like to visit
the North Slope during March to look at drilling sites and ice roads.
Gustafson said BP would consider hosting a visit of the RAC.\
\
The chair commended RAC members for the spirit of cooperation shown
during the meeting and for working together on the two resolutions
introduced.

**Meeting adjourned at 3:45 p.m.**

(NOTE: handouts referenced in the minutes were provided to absent
members and are available to the public upon request.)

### ALASKA RESOURCE ADVISORY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 00-01 

September 22, 2000

**WHEREAS**, off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on public lands has increased
dramatically in the past few years, and technological advancements in
OHVs have enabled them to access formerly inaccessible areas; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, in light of such increased use and access, BLM has
initiated a public process to develop an OHV management strategy on land
BLM manages; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, the framework for BLM\'s policies and procedures is
established by Executive Order 11644; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, Section I of that Executive Order states that the purpose
of the order is to ensure that (ORV) OHV use is \"\...controlled and
directed so as to protect the resources of those lands, to promote the
safety of all users of those lands and to minimize conflicts among the
various uses of those lands\" and\
\
**WHEREAS**, non-motorized recreationists also use BLM lands; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, natural quiet is a resource to be protected.\
\
**NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED** by the Alaska Resource Advisory
Council that BLM shall include in its OHV management strategy a
requirement that in determining whether a trail/area is to be open,
limited or closed to OHV use, managers shall consider natural quiet.

### ALASKA RESOURCE ADVISORY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 00-02 

September 22, 2000

**WHEREAS**, the existing public land withdrawal reserving the 730-acre
BLM Campbell Tract in Anchorage is scheduled to expire in 2002; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, the existing withdrawal reserves these lands as a BLM
administrative site; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, The BLM has many current uses for the Campbell tract,
including administrative offices, warehouse facilities, Campbell Creek
Science Center, outdoor classrooms, heliport and emergency airstrip,
radio communication facilities, and public recreation (e.g., hiking,
biking, horseback riding, dog mushing, orienteering, cross-country
skiing, etc.); and\
\
**WHEREAS**, the entire BLM Campbell Tract continues to be needed for
administrative and related uses; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, the BLM has conducted a public involvement process to
discuss the proposed extension of the Campbell Tract withdrawal for an
additional 20 years; and\
\
**WHEREAS**, the vast majority of public input received to date
indicates strong support for the extension of the BLM Campbell Tract
withdrawal.\
\
**NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED** by the Alaska Resource Advisory
Council that the Alaska RAC recommends that the entire 730-acre BLM
Campbell Tract withdrawal be extended for an additional 20 years, and
that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior adopt a public land order to
accomplish this purpose.