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March 26, 2007
Re: Upper Stehekin Valley Road in the North Cascades National Park Dear Congressman Hastings, I have previously
written to you regarding the decision by the North Cascade National Park
to close the Upper Stehekin Valley Road. This eliminates fully one third
of the day hiking opportunities and trail access within the park. With
the closure is a request to re-designate the existing road corridor, along
the river, as Wilderness. This will require an act of Congress. That same
act of Congress is an opportunity to trade Wilderness along the river
for an equal amount of non wilderness allowing the road to move to its
pre 1930's location. This dirt road is still largely intact and away from
the river and the continual maintenance issues associated with flooding.
Relocating the road would preserve access to the upper valley trails for
families with children, elderly, day hikers and those not able to carry
full packs for long distance backpacking. It would also preserve the opportunity
to see the valley from a National Park Shuttle for anyone of any physical
ability. "Regarding
your question, I believe the information you are seeking is found in the
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA; public law 96-487).
ANILCA established, among many things, the 1.9 million acre Denali Wilderness
– but it exempted the 88-mile park road corridor. According the
Denali park staff, the legislation affixed the location of the wilderness
boundary to varying distances from the centerline of the Danali Park road,
as opposed to a specific location on the ground. In the event of a flood,
the NPS could relocate the road and wilderness boundary would move with
it. I believe this is the example Mr. Paleck was referring to, although
Denali National Park and Preserve has an alternative authority for moving
the wilderness boundary. Designating a non
Wilderness Road corridor boundary as an inflexible point on a map or as
something that moves as needed with changes in the landscape are both
enacted laws. The "National Park System Preparation of Wilderness
Maps and Boundary Descriptions" actually provides a hierarchy of
desirability of Wilderness Boundary methods with "natural features
which are locatable on the map and on the ground" (read that as rivers
and shorelines which move) number one, "semi-permanent man-made features
which are locatable on the map and on the ground" (read that as road
centerlines, trails, etc as in the Denali example) number two, and "previously
surveyed or legally determined lines" number three etc. So, if we
simply move to the first two preferred options there would have been flexibility
to relocate the road without needing to insert Congress into the management
issue. We could even argue that leaving the road in the river corridor
and the river corridor out of Wilderness is one of those "mapping
errors" that needs to be corrected. Sincerely,
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