The most recent public comment period for plans to expand facilities around the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center has closed, and a draft decision will be issued in June according to Paul Robbins, public affairs officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
The Forest Service has ambitious plans for the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, the area around Mendenhall Lake, the glacier and Dredge Lakes including additional visitor centers, more trails and the expansion of existing parking lots to accommodate an increasing number of tourists.
The Forest Service has received 134 comment letters which can be found on the project website, according to Robbins. Because an analysis of the comments has not yet been completed, Robbins was not able to speak to the nature of the comments.
However, reading the comments reveals many Juneauites have reservations about the Forest Service’s plan.
“We also encourage the Forest Service to avoid a new high volume, marine transportation system on Mendenhall Lake unless it is electric-powered. We see no mention or provision for this in your conceptual drawings,” wrote Margo Waring, board president of Renewable Juneau.
Part of the Forest Service’s plan involves building a “glacier access zone” on the west side of the glacier. It would transport visitors there using boats launched from three different docks on the south and west sides of the lake. The Forest Service says in its master plan visitors have expressed a desire to touch the face of the glacier. The proposed access zone would allow people to do that by creating viewing platforms within reach of the glacier.
But several commenters expressed concerns about boat travel on the lake and having large numbers of people touch the glacier. Those included fears touching would cause the glacier to melt faster.
One commenter who opposed was the former lead naturalist at the Mendenhall Visitor Center, Laurie Craig.
“The boat-docks-remote center plan is the most absurd, expensive, foolhardy, and useless aspect of the entire project! The idea of ‘chasing the ice’ is a forlorn hope. Sadly, the glacier is melting at a rate that makes this idea impractical,” Craig wrote.
[‘It’s like we’re loving this to death’: Commenters say Mendenhall plan has drawbacks]
Similarly, former Mendenhall Visitor Center Director John Neary was critical of the way the Forest Service had presented some of its ideas. Neary said in his public comment there were many aspects of the plan he thought would make excellent additions, but the Forest Service should do more to highlight renewable energy.
“You could have taken this opportunity to show community leadership in sustainability but instead, it looks like just another expansion of asphalt and concrete to serve an endless stream of tourists, who will cumulatively impact the natural resources negatively in the long run,” Neary wrote.
Several commenters said any expansion of the MGRA should follow the City and Borough of Juneau’s Renewable Energy Strategy, which hopes to have 80% of Juneau’s energy come from renewable sources by 2045.
“Incorporating the perspectives and concerns of the most affected and connected stakeholders of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is important to ensuring the project is successful,” Robbins said in an email.
However, some wrote to voice support for the plans.
George Schaaf, director of CBJ Parks and Recreation Department backed the plan.
“Parks and Recreation supports expansion of the MGRA to allow for continued recreational opportunities as the glacier advances. Juneau residents benefit not only from the recreational activities provided by the MGRA and facilities, but we also benefit from the economic opportunities that result from the tourism industry,” Schaaf wrote, encouraging the Forest Service to work with the city on transportation networks.
Plans for expanding the MGRA have not been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Robbins. Following a draft plan released in June, a final plan will be released in September, he said.
• Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnoEmpire.
