Residents are making their opinions known about the Kachemak Bay State Park and Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park Draft Management Plan. Roughly 80 people attended a public meeting on the plan at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center in Homer Monday. Department of Natural Resource officials gave a presentation on the plan and took questions and official comments from residents.
Concerns about the nearly 200-page plan ran the gamut. Some residents were concerned about plans to build cabins in popular hunting areas, which may limit residents’ ability to hunt near those new structures.
Some attendees thought the plan also had too many recreational proposals and were wore worried about the impact of a potential increase in the number of annual visitors.
Rick Harness, who owns a kayak tour and cabin rental business near the park, said he’s worried about permitting for helicopters. Helicopters are already permitted to land in some areas of the park but the draft plan does leave the door open for heli-skiing and other helicopter-based businesses to operate in the park, though any potential operation would require permits and would operate under specific stipulations according to DNR.
“When the helicopters come over, it just destroys the whole ambiance,” he said. “Then there's the animals, there are studies out there that say it effects the goat population and our habitat and a lot of the critters and even the humans are disrupted by these helicopters.”
Others spoke strongly in favor of adding additional recreation opportunities. Aaron Peterson, a board member of Kachemak Bay State Park Citizen Advisory Board, said he wants a public access point at East End Road.
“Right now if you go to the park you got to a use water taxi to get there or a plane or your own boat so there's not a lot of access to the park so it would be really nice to have public access on this side of the state park,” he said.
Monte Roberts from Soldotna sits on the Kenai River Special Management Advisory Board and was concerned about the Tutka Bay Lagoon Hatchery, which is operated by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association. The aquaculture association’s remote release site at the head of Tutka Bay has drawn criticism. The plan allows the non-profit hatchery organization to continue releasing fish at the head of the bay so long as it’s permitted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
“We're concerned about the Tutka Bay pink salmon enhancement,” he said. “I mean that's one of the biggest ones that affects us as a neighboring state park.”
Roberts also noted that he was concerned about the process towards crafting a new management plan, particularly whether DNR officials will modify the draft plan based upon area residents input.
Residents have until November 16 to comment on the plan.
