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Matanuska Valley Moose Range (Moose Range) Management Plan

Scoping Process Initiated

​The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has initiated a concurrent planning process to:
  1. Update the Matanuska Valley Moose Range (Moose Range) Management Plan.
  2. Create a management plan for the Jonesville Public Use Area (JPUA), which is entirely within the Moose Range.

Land management planning is a way of sorting through concerns and the many possibilities for public use of the area while developing and ultimately adopting management plans.

​Through this process, DNR will work to find alternatives with the greatest benefits for all Alaskans. Public involvement is essential to ensure that future actions are not only consistent with the agency mission and the enabling legislation of JPUA and the Moose Range, but also present a shared vision for the future for both.

​Contact the Projet Team - Don Perrin
​Alaska Department of Natural Resources

550 W. 7th Ave, Suite 1050
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-269-8709

Email

Visit the project website for more information and updates on the plan process.

Visit the Project Website
How to Participate

​Attend a Public Workshop

A series of public meetings are scheduled to collect information and hear about concerns or opportunities from users of the Moose Range and JPUA. The workshops are scheduled for the following days:
​
Area Date Location

Anchorage September 19, 2022
Noon-2pm
Robert B. Atwood Building
550 W. 7th Ave
Anchorage, AK 99501, Room 102

Chickaloon September 19, 2022
6-8pm
Chickaloon Community Center
Glenn Highway, MP 76.2

Palmer/Wasilla September 20, 2022
6:30-8:30pm
Wasilla Middle School,
650 Bogard Rd
Wasilla, AK 99654

Statewide, Virtual September 21, 2022
Noon-1:30pm
Microsoft Teams, Click to join
Call-in: 833-452-0188 (toll free)
Meeting ID: 222 673 314 42
Passcode: LJ8tT4

Sutton September 21, 2022
6-8pm
Sutton Elementary School
11672 Wright Way
Sutton-Alpine, AK 99674

​Take the online questionnaire
DNR has created a questionnaire to help inform development of this plan. Responses must be received no later than October 31, 2022. Take the questionnaire here.
 
Submit Comments
Comments may be provided by submitting by email or mail to the addresses below:
  1. Submit comments online at: Public Comments System
  2. Submit comments via mail to:
Jonesville/Moose Range Management Planning
550 W 7th Ave, Suite 1050
Anchorage, AK 99501-3579
​

Jonesville Public Use Committee

Final Jonesville Public Use Area Management Plan
  • Jonesville Facebook - all documents and process history for the committee are posted on our FB Page
  • All documents are also on file at the Sutton Public Library. 
  • If you are interested in serving on this committee contact SuttonCommunityCouncil@gmail.com.
NEXT MEETING:
FEB 9 at 6:30 pm at SUTTON LIBRARY - Join Zoom Meeting
http://zoom.us/j/94352003081...
Meeting ID: 943 5200 3081     Passcode: 119515
Dial by your location - +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 943 5200 3081     Passcode: 119515

MSB Ordinance or_21-006.pdf
File Size: 88 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

CURRENT STATUS:
The assembly ordinance adopting the JPUA plan was postponed until the 8/3/21 assembly meeting. Sutton Community Council will add an item to their regular February and March meeting agendas to discuss objections to the plan. We will document objections and determine if the public supports the plan as written, or if changes need to occur. 

COMMENT ON PLAN:
Comment on the final JPUA plan, even if you can’t make it to the meeting. Download this PDF with links to each chapter of the plan; they will open in review mode and you can add comments to specific text in the plan.

GET ON OUR CONTACT LIST:
Use the Contact Us link at the top right, or use the Contact Lead form popup when you visit our site
COMING SOON:
  • We will deliver a digital survey to all emails on our contact list before the Feb meeting
  • We will have paper surveys available at the Sutton Library before the Feb meeting
  • Comments will be compiled from emails received and comments at the Jan and Feb meeting

JONESVILLE CLOSURE SURVEY:

​Please read a background of the JPUA process to date:

​Fellow Community members, 

About two years ago House Bill 6 was passed into legislation making the Jonesville Mine area into an official “public use area”. The goal of this was to allow the development of a management plan so that the Alaska Department of Natural Resources would have more enforcement authority for the purposes of health and safety in the area (which we have seen in steady decline). There was no fiscal note attached to the legislation so DNR wasn't able to develop a Management plan on their own. We, Sutton Community Council, assembled a group of volunteers including retired planners and the Mat-Su Borough offered one of their planners, and more recently, through a grant, we got some help from the National Park Service.

Over the past two years this group has developed a management plan for the area modeled after plans previously developed by DNR. In June, the group presented a completed “draft” plan to DNR, ADFG, and all other stakeholders including the public. Here is a the response from DNR. The group had included DNR in all relevant correspondence, kept them in the loop, and have continually asked them for advising and guidance in the process. The response almost always involved lack of resources to help with the plan. Shortly after receiving DNR's response, members of the council, the Mat-Su Borough Planning Department, ADFG, Jonesville PUA Planning Committee, George Rauscher, and others met in teleconference with the Commissioner of DNR. Many pleaded their case on behalf of the community of Sutton and the concerns with the health and safety hazards inherent with a completely unmanaged state of the Jonesville mine area. 

The response was again about lack of resources (money) but this time the commissioner asked if we wanted to “close down the area.” We as a community do not have the authority to close down state land but we have been offered three choices concerning the Jonesville PUA. Get them money, let it continue to get worse, or close the area. This is why we are presenting this to the community of Sutton. Here is a link to the Jonesville Facebook page.


Thank You,
​Sutton Community Council
Current Survey Entries 
of the 54 counted entries 87% support closure and 13% don't support closure
jpua_survey_20200826_1435_published.pdf
File Size: 136 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

PO Box 344  |  Sutton, AK  |   99674