The BLM withdrawal has been extended for another 20 years!
The 730-acre Campbell Tract, a big chunk of
mostly wild land next to Far North Bicentennial Park, will remain
in federal lands for the next two decades and continue to be
managed as it is now...
The BLM and Inerior Department officials in Alaska ... said this
is what the public wanted, noting that more than 400 comments
favored renewing BLM's continued use of the land.
Just a few comments - one from an individual and two from
Wuerch's administration - wanted a change.
... The decision means the square-mile-plus area will remain
mostly wild, as habitat for moose, bears, lynx and birds, and as
open space for nonmotorized recreation." (Anchorage
Daily News November 15, 2000.)
This is great news
for Park users!
The next day, Senator Murkowski opposed the extension.
"Murkowski wants land in city's hands" Sen. Frank Murkowski said the U.S. Interior Department was 'inappropriate and unjustified' in extending its hold on the 730-acre Campbell Tract by up to 20 years, and he is prepared to introduce a bill to put a stop to it... (Anchorage Daily News November 17, 2000)
To read more of this article, click here.
In the summer of 2000, BLM applied for an extension of their existing withdrawal of 730 acres in what most people consider part of Bicentennial Park. This land is known as Campbell Tract.
Campbell Tract was originally part of a 7,680acre
military withdrawal created in 1942. After the 1964 earthquake,
BLM relocated its offices from downtown Anchorage to the military
lands. The military relinquished the lands in the 1970's. In an
agreement between the Department of Interior, the State, and Cook
Inlet Regional Corp., much of 
the land went to the State and then
was transferred to the Muni and became Far North Bicentennial
Park which is adjacent to Campbell Tract. The remaining 730 acres
were withdrawn by BLM in 1982.
This withdrawal expires on Feb. 11, 2002 and BLM applyed for an extension. Withdrawn lands are federal lands that cannot be sold, selected for ownership by state or local entities, or native corporations, or claimed under mining laws.
If an extension for the withdrawal is not
approved, the land will first go to the State and then to the
Municipality of Anchorage under the Municipal Entitlements
Program. Public input is big part of this process.
(You can click on either of the maps at the right to go to a larger view.)
Current Uses
Currently this land contains 11.68 miles of non-motorized
recreational trails for skiing (Tour of Anchorage Trail), dog
mushing, ski-joring, walking, running, mountain biking,
snowshoeing, and horseback riding. People also enjoy
orienteering, wildlife viewing, and the solitude and beauty of
the woods and creeks.
These trails are important for their own use but
also because they link trails from other parts of Anchorage,
allowing for a 
much
larger and continuous trail system.
The Campbell Creek Science Center, which has been supported by BLM since 1996 and Trailside Discovery use this area as an outdoor classroom for science and nature study.
The gravel airstrip is a Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) alternate site in case of a catastrophic
event that shuts down Anchorage International Airport or
Elmendorf's paved airstrips. It can and has been used as a
staging area to fight fires on the Hillside. BLM also uses the
site for offices, warehouses, and communications. As a federal
taxpayer you have an investment in this land.
Want to keep this area wild and open for
all users?
By supporting the extension of BLM's withdrawal for the full 732
acres for another 20 years you will be supporting no further
development of Campbell Tract and management of the area for the
status quo. This includes protection of outdoor recreation,
wildlife habitat, and educational activities.
If the extension is approved, BLM intends to continue to manage
the land according to current policies, which includes
outdoor recreation and very
limited if any future development.
If the extension were not approved, the land would eventually be transferred to the Municipality of Anchorage which will have the option of developing the land in a variety of ways including residential or commercial uses, roads etc.
Few people besides Mayor Wuerch and Senator Murkowski have voiced opposition to the extension. Ask them to honor the public process and to respect the wishes of Anchorage citizens!
Let Senator Murkowski know how you feel!
Click on email Senator
Murkowski to got to his contact form.
Let Mayor Wuerch know how you feel!
E-mail him at WWMAYOR@ci.anchorage.ak.us
Send a letter to the editor!
A letter to the editor can inform lots of people. Write
one! They prefer 250 words or less. E-mail your letter to:
The Anchorage Daily News at letters@adn.com
The Eagle River Star editor@alaskastar.com
Send Your Comments to BLM
BLM has a web page, http://www.anchorage.ak.blm.gov/
, with information on the extension. A public comment form can be
filled in and mailed from http://www.anchorage.ak.blm.gov/ctfcom-2.html
.
Comments can be mailed to:
Alaska State Director
BLM Alaska State Office
222 W. 7th Avenue, No. 13
Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7599.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan J. Lavin, BLM Alaska State
Office, 907-271-5049.
ORIENTEERING CLUB VOTES TO SUPPORT EXTENSION OF THE ENTIRE BLM WITHDRAWAL
At its August 19, 2000 annual meeting, the Arctic Orienteering Club voted unanimously to request that the BLM keep all of the 730 acres. Read their letter to the BLM.
The Orienteering Club has 2,000 members and hosts weekly orienteering meets throughout Anchorage. The meets draw families with young kids as well as serious athletes. The Far North Bicentennial Park and the Campbell Tract are frequent sites for these meets.
More info from the Anchorage Daily News .
Murkowski wants land in city's
hands
Senator
slams BLM on Campbell Tract
By
Tim Pryor Daily News Reporter
(Published
November 17, 2000)
Sen. Frank Murkowski said the U.S. Interior Department was "inappropriate and unjustified" in extending its hold on the 730-acre Campbell Tract by up to 20 years, and he said Thursday he is prepared to introduce a bill to put a stop to it.
Murkowski, R-Alaska, said he is ready to introduce legislation as soon as Dec. 5 to transfer the entire property to the city if that's "what the city wants to do." He said he will introduce a similar measure in the next session of Congress if the transfer doesn't work.
Mayor George Wuerch said that he thinks he'll take Murkowski up on his offer and that their two staffs will work out the details. The city wants the entire tract but would be willing to lease back some of the land, Wuerch said.
"We're looking for the future when local citizens should have local authority over local lands," Wuerch said.
The tract, a chunk of mostly wild land next to Far North Bicentennial Park, has been in federal hands since long before statehood. The Bureau of Land Management's agreement for managing the land was to expire in 2002, and the Wuerch administration in recent months argued that the agency doesn't use much of the land and that it should be locally held.
The federal property includes administrative offices, the Campbell Creek Science Center, a warehouse, a communications tower, a dirt airstrip and about 20 miles of trails.
On Tuesday, an Interior Department undersecretary signed papers extending the federal land withdrawal another 20 years.
Murkowski, in Anchorage this week, said the action was rushed, and he blasted the Clinton administration for moving on it before a new president takes office in January. He said a deal could have been worked out that was "amenable to both parties."
"This is an arbitrary action taken by an administration that obviously feels very insecure right now," Murkowski said.
BLM officials acknowledged that they want to move quickly.
A new administration, Democrat or Republican, would have a tough time making a decision on the property when older, informed appointees are leaving and new ones are awaiting confirmation, a BLM official said Thursday.
"We were afraid that our package would end up languishing on someone's desk," said Linda Rundell, the BLM's associate state director in Alaska.
BLM officials believe they have strong public support for the decision.
There were 434 written comments in favor of the BLM's retaining the property, while the Wuerch administration offered two of only three written comments supporting a change.
When asked about overwhelming public opposition, Murkowski said: "It's not my job to make a determination of what's in the best interest (of the) people. I don't know. I say (the BLM's) actions are inappropriate."
Citizens opposed the city's taking over the property, Wuerch said, because they incorrectly thought local government would sell the property to develop high-density housing.
The mayor said the city wanted to use the land for recreational purposes and might support adding portions of the tract into Far North Bicentennial Park.
"We haven't had an opportunity to present the truth on the issue," Wuerch said. "That's the disappointment."
Wuerch said that he expects to present a more detailed plan by next fall and that city officials had been told the public process wouldn't end until then. BLM officials said the mayor had told them he favored local control.
"He didn't forward a compelling reason why the municipality wanted the land," Rundell said.
Early 2002 was the deadline for approval of the new lease, but agencies can make up their mind earlier if public sentiment supports it, said BLM spokeswoman Teresa McPherson.
In this case, people repeatedly said they supported the bureau's holding on to the land and didn't want to continue being asked about it in continuous public comment sessions, McPherson said.
Reporter Tim Pryor can be reached at tpryor@adn.com or at 257-4310.
| CAMPBELL
TRACT SOUGHT BY CITY By Tim Pryor Daily News Reporter (Published
August 19, 2000) Anchorage is preparing to ask for more than a square mile of mostly wild federal land surrounded by Far North Bicentennial Park, saying that the land should be locally held and that the Bureau of Land Management no longer needs the entire tract. The effort to get the 730-acre Campbell Tract is part of an emerging struggle between the federal bureau and the city over the future of what could be one of the largest undeveloped properties to become available in the Anchorage Bowl in years. Mayor George Wuerch plans to write a letter to the state office of the Bureau of Land Management next week expressing interest in Campbell Tract and asking the BLM to reapply for a smaller parcel of land. "We are saying this is a prime piece of real estate," Wuerch said. "Anchorage residents should have a say in how to manage its resources." The BLM uses the Campbell Tract for a warehouse, administrative offices, an emergency-use airstrip and a science center. There are also more than 20 miles of recreational trails on the mostly wooded land. The federal bureau says it needs the full 730 acres to retain an outdoor classroom for its Campbell Creek Science Center, which educates the public about open-space issues. "We strongly believe that it is much easier to educate people on how to use land wisely than to spend millions of dollars trying to reclaim land after it's been damaged," said Nick Douglas, the BLM Anchorage field manager. The U.S. secretary of the Interior will likely decide whether the BLM can renew its claim on the land in September 2001. If the BLM is turned down, the city will try to get the land through an application process with the state. Meanwhile, people can offer their advice about what to do with the land. A public comment period lasts until Aug. 26, but the BLM will take comments later. The BLM will also hold an open house Sept. 9 to discuss the issue. In an hourlong discussion Thursday night at the Abbott Loop Community Council, a three-person panel focused more on what will happen with the land in the future than how it has been handled in the past. "I think the question is, do you want habitat ski trails, or do you want a golf course," said Chip Dennerlein, a former state parks commissioner and parks preservation advocate who served as one of the panelists. The city won't use the land for a golf course, but it will use it for recreation and parks, in keeping with the city's 1985 Far North Bicentennial Park Master Plan, said Anchorage Land Bank director Larry Houle. That plan, which doesn't include the Campbell Tract, recommends ball fields, a visitor center, man-made lakes, an arboretum and an amphitheater, in addition to trails like those found on the Campbell Tract. It also doesn't list a golf course among possible uses, Houle said. Houle's initial comments didn't reassure some of the 60 or so people who attended the Abbott Loop meeting, and he ended up fielding most of the questions at the end of the discussion. When he was asked whether the vision of the park might change if it was updated soon, Houle couldn't say whether the park plan would have the same mission when updated and when that would be. Another question asked was how the city could afford the additional land when it's currently slashing its existing budgets. On Friday, Wuerch said it doesn't cost much to manage vacant lands. Besides, the city already manages park land next door. Dennerlein also raised a third potential problem: Taking the land away from the BLM might open the property to a claim from the Anchorage-based Native corporation, Cook Inlet Region Inc. But CIRI gave up its claim to the Campbell Tract as part of the Cook Inlet land exchange, which it signed to get land under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, said Tom Meacham, an attorney for the Anchorage Borough in the mid 1970s. Besides, Houle added, letting the BLM manage the land poses its own uncertainties. The bureau was supposed to use the property as an administrative site, and has already violated its public land order by building a science center, he said. "What's to suggest they won't go in there and log it?" Houle said. But the BLM's Douglas said the science center is evidence the bureau intends to save the land, not destroy it. The science center serves an administrative function since outreach is one of his bureau's administrative responsibilities, he said. Also, the land may be federally owned but it has been locally managed, Douglas said. The Anchorage office hasn't taken orders from Washington, D.C. -- or even the state -- for at least 20 years, he said. The Bureau of Land Management's involvement with the land dates back to Alaska's purchase from Russia, when the Campbell Tract was overseen by the BLM's precursor, the General Land Office. The land was withdrawn for military purposes in 1942, but the BLM moved back after the 1964 earthquake. The BLM entered into its current land agreement for 730 acres in 1982. That agreement ends in 2002. Reporter
Tim Pryor can be reached tpryor@adn.com.
|
At the Abbott Loop Community Council Meeting on August 17, 2000, Doug VanEtten organized a panel discussion of the BLM withdrawal. The following info was provided on handouts from the BLM:
STATUS OF THE WITHDRAWAL
Current withdrawal expires February 10, 2002
Petition/Application to Extend the Withdrawal for an additional
20 years has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior
* March 1, 2000 - Petition/Application Reaches the Secretary
* March 15, 2000 - Secretary Approves Petition/Application
* April 26, 2000 - Date of Publication in the Federal Register
* May 1, 2000 - NEPA Process begins
* June 15, 2001- NEPA Process Concludes
* August 1, 2001 - NEPA Document and proposed PLO sent toWO
* Sept 15, 2001 - PLO Sent to Secretary for Signature
CAMPBELL TRACT TODAY
* Administrative Site for BLM Offices and Interagency
Warehouse
* Communication Site for BLM and other Federal Agencies
* Alternate runway in the event of emergencies
* FEMA Secondary Disaster coordination Site
* Campbell Creek Science Center and a 730 acre outdoor classroom
- 20,000 student visits since 1996
* Recreation Management Integrated with management of the Far
North Bicentennial Park through a cooperative agreement with the
Municipality of Anchorage.
* Trails are managed for non-motorized recreation - 38,000 visits
(1999 data)
CAMPBELL TRACT PROGRAMS
* Annual outdoor week program with Anchorage School
District - 2000 sixth grade students per year
* Science center programs with 16 cooperating state and federal
agencies and environmental groups
* Environmental education partnership with the Anchorage School
District
* Kassun Elementary School Partnership
* BLM Special Recreation management area
* Alaska Sled Dog Racing Association - partnership
(At the meeting Nick Douglas, BLM Anchorage field office manager,
said that BLM spends about $300,000 per year on the area and
related programs.)
BLM park land is discussed in the Anchorage Daily News June 16, 2000 Metro Section.
CITY EYES BLM
PARKLAND
POPULAR
TRAIL AREA DRAWS ATTENTION AS SITE FOR DEVELOPMENT
By Elizabeth Manning
(Published
June 16, 2000)
A big parcel of mostly wild country inside Far North Bicentennial Park, popular for its trails and as an outdoor classroom, is coming up for grabs.
The Bureau of Land Management has used the area known as Campbell Tract, between Abbott Loop Road and Campbell Airstrip Road, since 1964. But the BLM's claim expires in two years, and in land-short Anchorage the city government and other interests are already eyeing the property.
The BLM recently asked the U.S. secretary of the Interior for permission to continue using the 730 acres for another two decades, saying it needs the land for offices, an emergency gravel airstrip and its outdoor education programs. That move has prompted talk among city officials and others about whether the property might have a better use, maybe for ball fields or a school or houses.
"It's literally a square mile of land," said Larry Houle, director of the city's Heritage Land Bank. "It's a great piece of ground in the middle of Anchorage."
The area includes some BLM administrative offices, a warehouse, 5,000-foot-long Campbell
Airstrip and the Campbell Creek Science Center, built in 1996. Often thought of as just another part of the city park, Campbell Tract also has more than 20 miles of trails used by dog walkers, mushers, horseback riders, skiers, joggers and bikers.
"It's a big concern what the city would do with it if it got it," said Dan Rosenberg, chair of Friends of Far North Bicentennial Park, a group that has fought developments inside the park. "Our main concern is to keep it parkland. We don't want baseball fields and soccer fields and motocross area that some people think belong in a park."
Though no one has a specific plan for the land yet, Mayor-elect George Wuerch wants to keep the city's options open, said Dick Dworsky, a member of Wuerch's transition team. Wuerch takes office July 1.
"This may be an opportunity for some surplus land," Dworsky said. "We consider this a significant action and want to see all the possibilities explored."
Some of those possibilities might include moving some BLM facilities to Fort Richardson or other military land and using the Campbell Tract instead for a city park, ball fields or some other public use. It might even be sold for private use, though Dworsky said he didn't think Wuerch would support that.
Evan Rowland, president of the Anchorage Homeowners Association, said he didn't know about the BLM contract ending but expressed interest when he heard the land might become available.
"The homebuilders would probably vote for that," Rowland said. "We're running out of land, and the city is trying to make us build three-story town homes. If we can't get Fort Richardson or Fire Island or build a bridge across Knik Arm, let's go for BLM land."
Rosenberg said his group wants the land to remain as it is, mostly wild and covered with trails.
The BLM wants the same thing, said spokeswoman Teresa McPherson. She said Anchorage
residents like the land the way it is, a view expressed in ongoing surveys of park and tract users since 1995.
BLM has a long history in the area, McPherson said. Before World War II, the area was public land administered by the BLM. But in 1942, during World War II, the entire area was withdrawn for military purposes. After the 1964 earthquake damaged its office building downtown, the BLM moved back, and the following year it got official permission to use 165 acres. In 1982, another withdrawal expanded the BLM tract to 730 acres. That agreement ends in 2002.
Meanwhile, the military gave the rest of the land in the area to the state, and the state gave the land to the city, which made it parkland in 1981.
So far, the BLM has just posted a request to use the land for another 20 years. The announcement was listed in the Federal Register on May 26. The comment period will continue for 90 days.
Dworsky said Wuerch wants the agency to do a full study examining alternative uses for the land. BLM officials said they plan to do a study and also hold public meetings. If the BLM decides as a result to request a smaller piece of land or none at all, the property would revert to the state. In that event, the city would ask the state for the land, Houle said.
"I think this will be one to watch," he said.
Reporter Elizabeth Manning can be reached at emanning@adn.com.
[Federal Register: May 26, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 103)]
[Notices]
[Page 34230]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26my00-124]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[AK-932-1430-ET; A-062024]
Proposed Extension of Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting; Alaska
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to extend the
withdrawal for 730.13 acres of public land known as the Campbell Tract
Administrative Site, for an additional 20 years. The land is withdrawn
from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws by Public
Land Order (PLO) No. 6127, until February 11, 2002. The purpose of the
extension is to protect the existing Bureau of Land Management Campbell
Tract Administrative Site. This Notice gives an opportunity to comment
on the proposed action and to request a public meeting.
DATE: Comments and requests for a public meeting must be received by
August 24, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Comments and meeting requests should be sent to the Alaska
State Director, BLM Alaska State Office, 222 W. 7th Avenue, No. 13,
Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7599.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan J. Lavin, BLM Alaska State
Office, 907-271-5049.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 28, 2000, a petition was approved
allowing the Bureau of Land Management to file an application to extend
the PLO No. 6127 withdrawal for the Campbell Tract Administrative Site,
as it affects the following described land, for an additional 20 years:
Seward Meridian
T. 12 N., R. 3 W.
Sec. 2, W\1/2\W\1/2\E\1/2\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\E\1/
2\W\1/2\SW\1/4\, W\1/2\W\1/2\SW\1/4\;
Sec. 3, Lots 1 through 4, inclusive, S\1/2\N\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\,
S\1/2\NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\,
SE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\NE\1/4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, S\1/2\SW\1/
4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, SW\1/4\, E\1/2\SE\1/4\;
Sec. 10, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\NW\1/
4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\NW\1/4\NE\1/4\, N\1/2\N\1/2\N\1/2\NW\1/4\;
Sec. 11, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\SW\1/4\NW\1/4\NW\1/4\.
The area described contains 730.13 acres.
For a period of 90 days from the date of publication of this
notice, all persons who wish to submit comments, suggestions, or
objections in connection with the proposed withdrawal extension may
present their views in writing to the Alaska State Director of the
Bureau of Land Management.
Notice is hereby given that an opportunity for a public meeting is
afforded in connection with the proposed extension. All interested
persons who desire a public meeting for the purpose of being heard on
the proposed withdrawal extension must submit a written request to the
Alaska State Director within 90 days from the date of publication of
this notice. If the authorized officer determines that a public meeting
will be held, a notice of the time and place will be published in the
Federal Register, at least 30 days before the scheduled date of the
meeting.
This application will be processed in accordance with the
regulations set forth in 43 CFR part 2300. The land will continue to be
subject to the terms and conditions of PLO No. 6127, until February 11,
2002.
Dated: May 16, 2000.
Donald W. Baggs,
Lands and Minerals Group Supervisor, Division of Lands, Minerals, and
Resources.
[FR Doc. 00-12884 Filed 5-25-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JA-P
(My! That was fun reading!)