Residents Of the Wrangells

       Mission Statement

 

We, the residents and subsistence users of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, are forming a citizens’ group to collectively address the access issues and problems we are encountering with the National Park Service (NPS).

 

Our goals are to:

 

1. Compile a membership list by advertising through our local radio and newspapers, by reaching out to and teleconferencing with existing groups in other areas within the Park, by setting up an ROW website, and by approaching our neighbors and friends.

 

2. Compile a data base of all people who access their property, hunt or trap across Park land by preparing and distributing a questionnaire to identify:

a. existing access routes which need to be protected,

 b. any problems with NPS on those routes,

 c. RS2477 status,

 d. dates of trail creation and use,

 e. customary and traditional use of motorized vehicles,

 f. customary and traditional upgrades of existing trails and roads,

g. other documentation, as necessary.

 

3. Prepare a list of Park-wide grievances and access problems.

 

4. Show our list of grievances to our State Governor, Senators, and Representative to encourage them to negotiate with NPS to protect State right-of-ways, especially those which were in existence before ANILCA in 1980 and designated RS2477 trails.

 

5. Encourage NPS to document existing law which gives them jurisdiction to close off access to legitimate State rights-of-way protected by ANILCA, to require permits for access, to charge access fees, and to close off legitimate trails to motorized vehicles.

 

6. Encourage NPS to define customary and traditional use, to recognize the unique rights of an Alaskan bush community existing within the National Park, and to modify their current regulations and procedures to honor their promise to preserve existing rights-of-way as outlined in ANILCA.

 

7. Ease tensions with NPS by setting up a regular meeting schedule to address problems, by encouraging them to give us written documentation of their permit procedure and who they feel should comply, and by giving us prior notice of new regulations with the option for us to comment or influence those decisions.

 

8. Protect the vehicle, ATV, and  snowmachine rights of access of all residents and users of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve.