University Lands bill

By Rick Kenyon

Senator Lisa Murkowski and her father, Governor Frank Murkowski, have each introduced bills that could have a profound effect on McCarthy area residents.

Gov. Frank Murkowski is asking the Legislature to approve the transfer of 260,000 acres of state land to the University of Alaska, intended to provide the school with a new source of income for the years ahead.

The University Land Grant bill has been introduced in the legislature as House Bill 130 and Senate Bill 96.

Twelve-thousand five hundred acres near McCarthy are included in the proposal. The land borders the Nizina River and forms a corridor that ranges between one and three miles wide, and runs from several miles east of the Nizina Bridge area to Long Lake at Mile 48 of the McCarthy Road.

The state lands have long been used by local residents for resources such as gravel, firewood and house logs. “The DNR (Department of Natural Resources) has been a wonderful neighbor,” said Michelle Niland, whose property on the Nizina Road is surrounded by the DNR lands.

If the property is transferred to the University, some of it would presumably end up being subdivided and sold or leased to the public. In the meantime, it could still be used for recreational purposes such as hiking, fishing, berry-picking, and other things that don’t affect the utility or value of the land. People could also still get permits for personal or commercial use of timber and gravel like they do on state land.

“This land transfer ... provides a portfolio of income and educational properties to deliver to the University of Alaska both a steady and strong funding stream and the tools to expand its research capabilities,” Murkowski said at a press conference in Fairbanks.

Opponents cite the large tracts of land the University already owns in the area, but remains undeveloped.

The University has subdivided and sold a number of parcels in the McCarthy area in recent years. One subdivision is located just east of McCarthy Creek, another at mile 51 of the McCarthy Road.

There has been considerable opposition to the bills state-wide. Alaska House of Representatives' Resources Committee Co-Chair Jay Ramras (R-Fairbanks) has decided that the University Land Grant and Forest Bill, HB 130, needs some work.

“We have listened to and received verbal and written testimony in regard to the language and the locations of the proposed transfers. From that testimony, I have discussed many of the issues with both the Department of Natural Resources and the University, and we have agreed to go back and take a closer look at the overall plan before reopening public testimony,” Representative Ramras said.

He added, "What we want to do now is step back and let those involved work out the particulars for a compromise. Some changes will involve amendments; others can be handled by agreements between the University and the stakeholders. We will then release those proposed changes so the public will understand what is being considered and can comment on the new plan. What we are interested in is a good piece of legislation that meets the needs of both the University and the public. There was never any intent to rush through a bill that upset more people than it pleased."

The committee has been told that it will take at least a week to ten days to work on the particulars. Based on that, HB 130 is not expected on the House Resources Committee calendar until at least March 2, 2005.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski has introduced her own legislation in the U.S. Senate, seeking 250,000 acres of federal land to match the governor's proposal. Under the bill, the University would receive the right to select an initial 250,000 acres from the federal government, with this caveat: it would be required to give up its current inholdings in national parks and refuges, including Wrangell-St. Elias.

Initially, there was concern among residents that the two large parcels of state land would end up going to the National Park Service, as well as the land that the University currently owns. UA spokesperson Mari Montgomery assured us that is not the case.

“Senator Murkowski’s bill does not include lands proposed to be conveyed to the University under the new state legislation (HB130/SB96),” said Montgomery.

She also said, “The University does not have any specific plans for the parcels located in the McCarthy area included in the state legislation.”