Denali needs our help

“Thought some of you might be interested in this - a chop and paste of an email bulletin I received. I tried to cut out the email's opinion and just present the information to allow each of you the chance to form your own opinions.

"The National Park Service is drafting a management plan that will govern Denali National Park's backcountry for the next decade and beyond."

"The agency is proposing opening 4 million acres of Denali to recreational snowmobiling and to increased airplane landings."

"The deadline for public comments to the National Park Service is Friday, May 30, 2003."

Apparantly there is an alternative plan - Alternative B - which will adequately protect Denali within the laws and ideals of which the park was originally established and not allow the increased snow mobile and air traffic.

The email I received - from the Wilderness Society - urges the public to send commentary supporting Alternative B.

I am reading the Park's Plan in order to decide for myself what's going on. Here is the link to the plan:
http://www.nps.gov/dena/home/planning/plans/bcplan/bcplan.html

This seems like a really important issue and thought you guys might want a heads up....”

“Thanks for the heads up and the url. I agree, it sounds like it could be important. I will look into it before offering any more of an opinion.”

“oh yeah, if anyone would like a copy of the sample letter sent to me (supporting Alternative B) - just let me know and I'll either forward the email or post the letter.”

“what if i got a denali SUV? could i drive it there?”

“Hahahaha!

That's not funny. ;)”

“made ya laugh!”

“Guess no one else cares? Come on people - take care of what you love!!!!!”

“Hey! Post the whole letter!

Thanks!

I'm checking out the website but it'll be JUNE before I can absorb the import of all the various options (that's 70 pages of gov-speak by itself, <G>).”

“* Your WILDALERT for Monday, May 26, 2003
*****************************************

As pure symbol of remote, wild beauty, few places on
the planet equal Denali National Park in Alaska. Here
is our nation's highest mountain. Here is safe haven
for 38 mammal species, including wolves, moose, caribou,
Dall sheep and grizzly bears. Here, simply, is magnificent
wilderness. But for how long?

The National Park Service is now drafting a management
plan that will govern the Park's backcountry for the
next decade and beyond. The agency is proposing opening
4 million acres of Denali to recreational snowmobiling
and to increased airplane landings. These motorized
intrusions will shatter the natural quiet of one of
our greatest natural treasures.

Please tell the Park Service that you support Alternative
B, the only alternative in the agency's draft plan
that adequately protects Denali's wilderness, wildlife,
clean water, clean air, natural quiet and opportunities
for primitive recreation.

You can take immediate action here at http://ga1.org/campaign/denali_tws


The deadline for public comments is Friday, May 30.

*****************************************************
BACKGROUND
Denali is the oldest and most famous National Park
in Alaska. The Congress set it aside in 1917 to protect
the its extraordinary wildlife populations. In 1980
Congress expanded the Park to 6 million acres and formally
designated the original 2 million-acre core as wilderness.
The National Park Service (NPS) is now accepting public
comment on a backcountry management plan that will
determine the future of this matchless place.

We're encouraged by the NPS's continued commitment
to safeguard the 2- million-acre Wilderness core of
Denali, also known as "the Old Park." The designated
Wilderness of Denali has been closed to snowmachines
since it was established in 1917. We also support the
plan's proposal to allow aircraft to land in the Old
Park only for emergencies and essential administrative
purposes. Those provisions are consistent with the
Park's enabling legislation.

A MOTORIZED INVASION OR QUIET BEAUTY?
But we adamantly oppose the Park Service's proposal
to allow recreational snowmobiling and increased airplane
landings in the other 4 million acres of Denali. The
Denali we treasure today would not survive such uses.


Recreational snowmobiling is flatly incompatible with
the purposes for which Denali was set aside and shouldn't
in the Park. Anywhere. Period. The physical impacts
of recreational snowmobiling are severe and well documented:
unacceptable air and water pollution and disturbances
to wildlife. Just as real are the impacts on the intangible
but fundamental values of wilderness: solitude, natural
quiet and natural sounds, the unhurried pace of human-powered
recreation set against the noise and stink of motors.


Growing demand for airborne sightseeing tours has driven
up dramatically air traffic over the Park's wilderness.
By some estimates, Denali is second only to the Grand
Canyon now as the Park with the most congested airspace.
The swelling use has increased conflicts with hikers,
climbers and local property owners. Natural quiet and
the opportunity to hear and enjoy natural sounds are
rapidly disappearing on nearly all of Alaska's accessible
public lands. Denali is so far no exception, but it
ought to be. The Park Service should do whatever it
takes to establish meaningful overflight regulations
and limits on landings.

Denali National Park and Preserve is, in fact and in
law, a wilderness park. The 1980 Alaska National Interest
Lands Conservation Act declared the Park's purposes
to be preservation of those wilderness values. The
National Park Service has found that virtually all
4 million acres of the 1980 additions qualify for wilderness
designation. But the agency is now proposing uses incompatible
with wilderness designation. The agency must protect
all inventoried suitable wilderness until the Congress
has acted on the wilderness recommendation

*****************************************************
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Take Action Today to Demand a Wild
Denali!

The deadline for public comments to the National Park
Service is Friday, May 30, 2003. Please take a few
moments today to let the agency know how you want this
splendid National Park managed.

You can send your comments immediately from http://ga1.org/campaign/denali_tws


If you'd prefer to send your own comments, there's
a sample letter below that includes the major points.
Increasingly in these comment processes, your own words
are the best ones and personalized letters are likely
to have the greatest impact. If you've visited Denali
and can speak first-hand about your experiences there,
all the better.

******************************************
SAMPLE LETTER

Paul Anderson, Superintendent
Denali National Park and Preserve
P.O. Box 9
Denali Park Alaska 99755.
Email: dena_public_comments@nps.gov
Dear Superintendent Anderson:

I appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Denali
Backcountry Plan. Denali's wilderness character, world-famous
wildlife, spectacular landscapes, clean air and water,
natural sounds, and opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation must be protected. Only Alternative
B promises to do so and to do so by complying with
existing policy and law. I strongly support that alternative.

Denali's wilderness and wildlife face an unrelenting
siege of human demands and uses. Recreational snowmobiling
is incompatible with the purposes of the Park and should
not be allowed in Denali. It produces unacceptable
noise, air and water pollution, and disturbances to
wildlife. Where recreational snowmobiling occurs, it
quickly becomes the dominant use, sometimes the only
use, degrading the experience of other visitors by
destroying solitude and other intangible, symbolic
values of wilderness. Ignoring this information would
be inconsistent with NPS management policies, the Organic
Act and the Redwood Act, all of which are aimed at
keeping our National Parks unimpaired for future generations.

Growing demand for so-called "flightseeing" tours has
caused a dramatic rise in air traffic and in conflicts.
Now is the time for the National Park Service to establish
meaningful overflight regulations and limits on landings,
not to casually open Denali's backcountry to even more
landings. Natural quiet, and the opportunity to hear
and enjoy natural sounds, is rapidly disappearing from
our public lands. Denali is no exception. But it surely
ought to be.

The Park Service must complete the wilderness review
and recommendation process that the 1980 Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act mandates before it
makes other management decisions. NPS management policies
and the Wilderness Act of 1964 clearly direct the Park
Service manage suitable wilderness lands as though
they were designated wilderness until the Congress
acts on a wilderness recommendation. I strongly urge
you to do so.

I look forward to completion of a Denali Backcountry
Plan that will protect and enhance the values of this
great National Park for present and future generations.

Sincerely,

(Your name and address)”

“Stay off my land, you somanumbatches.”

“LOL!!”

“Email on the way...”

“Something in-between the two previous examples.”

“I sent my letter (email)!”

“uh oh.

And I quote....

~~~~~~~~~~~
Your message

Subject: a comment

was not delivered to:

DENA_Public_Comments@nps.gov

because:

Error delivering to DENA Public Comments; Router: Database disk quota exceeded
~~~~~~~~


I guess their mailbox is full! <G>

(will resend tomorrow or the next day)”

“but we were gonna make a hunting lodge up there with hooters girls and everything!

where's nugent?”

“I'm shamelessly bringing this back to the top because I think it's important!”

“Looks like that email went through on the second attempt....”

“okay folks - it's deadline time - do your part as good backpackers and pay attention to this :)”

“done

though you know the meaning of true wilderness will not allow backpackers access either.”

“done.

Rosey -- that's the great thing about Denali as it is. It is TOUGH to get into the backcountry. You have to work and want to be there.

I can't imagine smogging it up with snow machines.


Bush is an absolute F-ING disaster from an an environmental, energy conservation and ecological perspective.

He is lower than worm poop.


I don't give a rat's left nut about the f-ing iraq war. For those issues, together with the supreme court load, abortion and the christian right he will NOT get my vote in any election.”

“he's all about big business.

jerk!”

“Just wondering... Any stats on how bad snowmobiles hurt the environment?

Or is it just an assumption?”

“The NPS guys at Yellowstone had to wear respirators at the gates last year because the air quality from all the engine exhaust was so bad.

Increasingly, snowmobilers like to highside, causing avalanches. Winter backcountry rescues have increased substantially because of snowmobilers.

Don't have any real stats available right now...”

“Are you serious?? Respirators, isn't that a bit much... Wide open areas in the mountains and they need respirators, sounds like just another attempt for publicity.

I mean I've been to snocross with sleds going non stop and yes it smells like exhaust, but it's no big deal. Indoors and outdoors...”

“Maybe, but the pic I saw was a ranger wearing one, surrounded by snowmobilers, and you could barely see the guy (or the gatehouse) from all the pollution.”

“Heywood Jiblowme”

“how did this get on this thread? Huh?”