Residents of the Wrangells is an organization comprised of concerned locals who seek access to their homes, recreational use, and continued subsistence hunting rights on park land. ROW has accomplished many of its goals since it’s formation in 2003. As a direct result of our outreach program to local residents and our documentation of NPS abuses, Governor Frank Murkowski asked for a clarification of NPS access to inholdings in Alaskan National Parks. NPS agreed and issued their first draft of A User’s Guide to Accessing Inholdings in a National Park Service Area in Alaska in 2005.
ROW and other landowners were dismayed to find this proposal riddled with permits,
fees, environmental assessments, and other restrictions on rights-
Again the draft fell far short of reasonably meeting the needs of residents. A superb letter from Governor Frank Murkowski called on NPS Regional Director Marcia Blaszak to make further reforms. Director Blaszak came to McCarthy this summer to meet with ROW’s advisory board. She has now agreed to take a bold approach by eliminating fees and permits, seeking permanent easements coupled with a certificate of legal access for all landowners.
This site is designed to document the process ROW has used to seek a fair settlement
with NPS. Learn about the ROW organization, read membership alerts, read articles
from the McCarthy-
Your comments are important to us so we have established interactive dialogues in the boxes below on key issues.
Former contacts (now inactive):
Residents of the Wrangells
Box MXY -
Glennallen, Alaska 99588
