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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-10-16 KRSMA Board Packetldl li/ Special Management Area "Working together...lor 4he river" *** Nleetins Agenda*** Thursday, October 16, 2003 7:00 p.m. Kenai River Center I. CALL TO ORDER A. Roll Cali B. Approval of ~/15/03 minutes C. Agenda Changes and Approval IL PUBLIC COMMENT ffi. NELV BUSINESS IQDb~~OO Q~ ~ OQG°dD ¢~~ _~ tee... ` ~ ~' A~,..°' r` Y" r 4~~P~a r -~ ~..e._ o ~ w's i A. Gary Mon~ison, Parls Director B. Soldotna Urban Project & Sterling Highway MP 4~-60 Project Updates, DOT Project vlanagers 7udy Daugherty and Miriam Tanaka C. Establishing Board Priot-ities for the 3003-04 season D. Board Vacancies IV. OLD BUSINESS A. 2003 Field Season Repori, Sill Beddlahn B. Kenai River Center Update, Suzanne Fisler V. PUBLIC COMMENT VI. ADJOIiRi~iNIENT A. Board Comments B. Date/Agenda of Next ;Meeting Kenai Area Office, Box 1247, Soldotna, AK 99669, Soldotna 262-5581 ~ s ° ~ Kenai ~ninsWa Borough, Box 850, Soldotna, AK 99669, Soldotna 2624441 p Alaska Dlvlsion of Parks antl Outtloor ftecreetlon, Department of Natural Resources, in oooperatlon with the Kenel Paninsuls Borough. ~ _ Thursday, May 15, 2003 7:00 p.m. Kenai River Center I. CALL TO ORDER A. Roll Call Present: Toe Connors, Ted Wellman, Tim Golden, David Westerman, Ken Lancaster, Pete Sprague, Rick Wood, Robin West, Bill Shuster, Tom Vania, Keith Kornelis, Chris Degernes, Jonne Slemons Tom Vania was welcomed as the new representative for ADF&G. Absent: Roland Maw, Paul Shadura, Linda Snow B. Approval of 4/17/03 minutes Approved as written. C. Agenda Changes and Approval Add under B. elect a new vice chair, and move the River Quest discussion to A. under new business. Bill S.: add under old business a couple DOT projects and FERC relicensing update. II. PUBLIC COMMENT III. NEW BtiSINESS A. River Quest Subdivision Proposal Herman Fandel said he has operated his business out of River Quest (formerly Porter's) for many years. He said thaC making a subdivision at this location is a terrible mistake as the area is in the flood plain and has flooded many times. The difference between a recreational subdivision in which most people remove their trailers and RV's each fall and a regular subdivision is that in the later, a lot more development will occur and it will not be as easy to remove personal property each time the river floods. A subdivision has no business going in there. Ed Beddow of Soldotna provided the Board members with copies of a letter to the tenants of the island from Rob Nash. He is a concerned Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 9 citizen and his concern is with creating a subdivision in a flood zone A, as he feels that this is a disaster waiting to happen. He feels that the use of this site should remain as a seasonal fish camp, and that subdividing it will encourage more year round use. He is very irate about this situation because it seems like people are ignoring this issue. Another concern relates Co the Phase II of the project which includes the rear 26 acres. This is another new subdivision in what seems to be a zone B and C flood zone area and no one can tell him where the septic system will be Iocated. He and his group plans Co take this issue up with the Borough Assembly. Ted W. asked if Ed knows how much this subdivision is in the flood plain. Ed said that every bit of the new subdivision proposal is in the floodway. Ted W. asked if he knows if any of the developmenC over the years filled in any of the flood plain or changed it in any way. Ed said that over the years, tenants have made repairs after floods that have progressively filled in parts of the flood plain. Suzanne Fisler said she tall<ed to John Mohorcich regarding River Quest. She said there were structures built prior to floodplain ordinances and structures built since that. iVewer structures need to meet certain height to pass flood flows and have conveyance calculations done to prove they are not diverting flood flows. Anything built before the 1995 habitat protection ordinance is considered grandfathered in. Anything built after 1995 has to be outside the 50-foot setback or elevated to the habitat protection ordinance standards. Other board comments include the question of the preliminary approval of the plat, what mechanism addresses the social concerns and the tact that it seems that common sense and public opinion doesn't account for anything. Ted Wellman made a motion Co send letter to the Borough and designate someone to provide public testimony opposing this project and that it should be denied based on the fact that it is inconsistent with the 1997 Comprehensive Management Plan and the cumulative impact of this many structures is going to have a significant impact within the floodplain. Motion seconded by Joe Connors. Pete Sprague excused himself from the vote as he is affiliated with the Borough Assembly. Motion passed unopposed. Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 9 B. Kenai River User Study -Potential Study ideas and discussion, Doug Whittaker, Confluence Research and Consulting Doug has been interested in Kenai River social recreation issues for many years, having worked on 199? Kenai River Carrying Capacity Study. He was asked to put together a discussion of how researchers look at conflicts and issues so that the Board would have a better understanding of Che value of conducting moniYOring surveys of river users. Social researchers use two phrases a lot: `use conflict' and `asymmetric antipathy'. Use conflict is mainly about `goal interference' in which people pursuing recreation experience some sort of interference with their recreational activity. The researchers measuring the intensity of Yhese conflicts have found the level of tolerance for interference fiom other people is very high when people are participating in general recreation with non-specific goals for the day. In contrast, people who spend a lot of money on their equipment and a lot of focused time on their goal tend to be very intolerant of other people who get in their way. Asymmetric antipathy is usually aone-way conflict, in which one group perceives a conflict caused by another group, while the other group doesn't feel any conflict. An example of this is that drift boaters are generally more sensitive to conflicts caused by power boaters than the reverse. Finding solutions to eliminate conflicts usually requires modifying the offending behavior. The most common solution in wildland settings is to separate the conflicting uses, which usually means the users coexist with an creasy tru...,. Before researchers ca:, dete^nire hova many people is too many, they must relate the 'impacts that people are experiencing with their tolerance for those impacts. When the tolerance for the impact is less than the amount of. time a person is experiencing the impact, that's a clear sign that action is needed. The relationship between perceived crowding and overall satisfaction is weak at best and sometimes non-existent. If people who have been recreating are asked how their trip was, invariably they say "good" or "excellent". It is always high and research has shown that there is never any variance. There is almost never a good correlation between satisfaction scores and impacts they've experienced or use levels that occurred. The only thing that satisfaction seems to correlate with in all of recreation is the degree of harvest success for anglers and hunters. To measure the impacts, a system of indicators and standards is used. The indicator variables are the impacts you think you care about and then Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 9 standards are set for how much is ok and how much is too much. Then actions are ]inked to standards. Doug said that he compared some of the issues raised in the 2003 survey and compared them to what was found in 1992. Issues such as guided use among unguided users and motorized use among non-motorized users are again key concerns among the respondents a decade later. Although there is a high level of support for limiting guides, it is not clear if Che respondents favor limiting the number of guides, the number of trips they take or the time they spend on the river, as the specific options were not identified. Other studies have been done, such as a phone survey by ADF&G's contractor last winter. ThaC effort documented that the people who use guides are mainly from out of state. More people said they were not going to return when asked what their intentions were in the future, citing crowding and over fishing as reasons. ADF&G's survey also documented two-way antipathy, as guided users did not like the unguided users. Guided users said they got in their way of their fishing and unguided users said the guides were too aggressive. The ADF&G study asked about three specific types of problems between guides and non-guides, and found that aggressive behavior, boat banging and threats were the most commonly stated problems. There was a lot of local support for regulations such as guide limits. Last summer State Parks did a replication of the 1992 study on just the Lower Kenai River. People were catching fish at higher levels than they were in 1992, which means people are getting better at catching fish andlor the fish return was much better. The survey showed similar levels of crowding compared to 1992, similar levels of tolerance for different kinds of impacts, greater supporC for guide limits and a slight increase in support for use limits. Another Fish and Game study on licensing found that there has been a decline in license sales among residents since 1993 even though the population in the state has grown. In contrast, non-resident sales have increased 33% during Che same time. Crowding was the most common reason with almost 50°~0 of the people who had not fished in Che last three years. This was more prevalent among people from south central Alaska. Over half the people who actively fish in the state spend at least some time on the Kenai River. The satisfaction on the Kenai is still high though. Since the Kenai River Board is interested in addressing how the guide population can be limited, there is some additional information needed Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 9 about guides that may help in future decisions, including the number of trips or guide days by segment and season, proportion of total use and how it compares to private use, and the rate of increase and the makeup of clients, whether they are residents or non-residents. The state population is steadily increasing which means the visitor use is booming. It can probably be assumed that guide numbers will not decline dramatically on their own. Doug cautioned that while there is support for guide limits and this may reduce conflicts, it is unlikely to eliminate that conflict. Freezing the use may not have a great effect on reducing crowding. The conflicts may be a behaviorally based, which have elements of scapegoating and jealousy involved. It will be important to have a clear understanding of all of this before merely limiting numbers. Ted Wellman suggested that due to the late hour that this issue should be discussed in a future separate work session. Ken Lancaster suggested that the board send their thoughts and suggestions to Doug. Doug concluded by saying that there are two types of studies that have not been done yet that the board should consider also. One is behavioral and the other is a focus on specific behaviors and perceived behaviors. He is interested in working further with the board on this subject. C. USP'S Trail River Campground Improvements, Bill Shuster This project did not get funding for the work in this fiscal year, so this topic is set aside for now. D. Appointment of vice-chair Ted W. nominated Jim Golden. Jim G. declined. Pete S. nominated Linda Snow. Jim G. nominated Joe Connors. Ted W. nominated Robin West. Linda Snow's name was withdrawn since she was not present. A ballot vote was taken, and Robin West was elected with a 7 to 6 count. IV. OLD BliSINESS A. Commercial Operator Committee Report, Joe Connors The committee came up with a recommendation with three parts. These include raising the guide fees, creation of a guide board and the development of a training/education program. Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 9 The committee would like to see a doubling of the guide fees as long as the money stayed in the KRSMA system to support enforcement and provide improved services to river users. The draft guide board proposal was originally presented to the Kenai River Board about 6-8 months ago. This proposal would create a board to include not only the Kenai River but also other rivers and areas managed by State Parks. The board would deal with guide to guide and guide to public issues. This board could also help develop a training program. The training program's objective is to increase the quality and professional behavior of the new guides. The department should set a date for new guides to notify them of their intention to get into the program. There might be two classes during the season. The committee recommends this three-part program in the form of a letter be forwarded to the Director and Commissioner. Board questions included how these guide board members would be selected and whether this will mean regulation changes or the addition of new regulations, etc. Joe Connors suggested that the guide board members could be voted in. Chris Degernes said that it would require a regulation change to increase guide fees and that we should explore Che guide board idea further to see if it can operate under this advisory board. Ted Wellman expressed support for the concept, but said the details need to be worked out. It would be important that the guide board includes agency, public and guide members. Joe Connors made a motion to Forward a letter to the Commissioner and the Director asking for guidance regarding the three parts of the proposed new program. Chris Degemes seconded the motion. None opposed. Motion Passed. B. Boat Wake Study -Phase II Update, Chris Degernes Chris reported that the Army Corps of Engineers is very interested in conducting the second phase of the Boat Wake Study, and are hoping we can secure our portion of the funding for the 2004 season. The state will need to provide half of the funding, which can be a combination of half cash and half in-kind services or donations. The cost is estimated to be about $200,000. C. Kenai River Center Update, Suzanne Fisler The clear span bridge idea that was presented to the Board a couple of months ago has been replaced with a far cheaper two span version. This Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 9 bridge design will have one in-water pier, and is projected to cost 8 million less than the clear span design. The bridge will consist of 5 lanes with additional walking lanes on each side. The Corps has come out with a public notice on the Galbraith "rock vane" project in Cooper Landing. The Corps is bringing someone up from the Waterway Experiment Station in 7uly to look aC the project and there will be an in-depth analysis made at that time. Suzanne anticipates the project will be on hold until after the Corps analysis is completed. More than 200 commercial operators have registered so far. Suzanne offered her opinion that the Commercial Operator's Committee recommendation to implement an educational component To the guide permit process needs to be done in such a way that it will result in more capable and qualified applicants Co the guide pool, and not just serve as a way to limit newcomers into the industry. Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Nlay 1~, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 9 D. DOT Projects update c& Cooper Lake FERC Relicensing, Bill Shuster Last week Bill met with DOT concerning the MP 18-25 Seward Highway project and they have the project nearly designed He suggested that the Board invite DOT to report on Chis project this fall. DOT is searching for gravel sources at the present time, and is considering gravel from the Snow River or Porcupine Creek. There are a lot of interpretive opportunities along the highway and new trailheads. The MP 45-60 Sterling Highway project has scheduled open house opportunities at the Princess Lodge next Wednesday and again the following day in Anchorage. DOT's website contains information on the various alternatives. Ali the alternatives are being considered at this time. They will be getting information at the open houses to start paring down the alternatives. One of the two Juneau Falls alternatives seems to be what they prefer. Bill said they had a meeting in Anchorage today to discuss the Cooper Lake Dam relicensing process that is required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Chugach Electric Association conducted an agency meeting to discuss 19 study plans that are to be completed. Bill promised to keep the Board informed regarding the Cooper Lake relicensinff process. V. PUBLIC COMME~'T Dick Hahn, of Soldotna. Dick said since the last meeting he has been thinking about other options to conserve the resource and to limit pressure on the river. One idea is to close the river fora "salmon lifecycle". The second idea is to impose a lottery for fishing the Kenai, Kasilof and Cook Inlet north of Anchor Point. If you Limit Che number of fish and fisherman, you ]imit the catch. There would have to be some cost for lottery fees, but the resident and non-resident fees would stay the same. Some of the benefits would be that the total anglers by month would be set by the lottery with caps on both guided and non-guided fishers. Down sides of this concept is that enforcement would be difficult, and residents may have difficulty accepting such a concept. Additionally, the marine intercept fishery would need to be addressed as well. Dick thinks that catch and release should not be allowed and the spawning beds should be closed for May and June. Members of this advisory board need to meet with advisory members from other boards that have an interest in the Kenai or Kasilof River or the marine fishery for King Salmon. Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, 2003 Meeting Minutes Page 8 of 9 Herman Fandel suggested that whatever is done to limit use on the Kenai River has to be done fairly and equally to everyone. Herman would like to see a limit to fishing such as a 5 day limit where you pick your days to fish and write them on your license. VI. ADJOURNMENT A. Board Comments Robin W. said that the flood repair project at Jim's Landing is nearing completion. The KNWR staff is planning a meeting to discuss future access issues on the refuge Iands downstream from the Russian River confluence area on Tune 5`h and persons interested should call-him. Skilak Loop road is almost impassible at the current time due Co a severe breakup this spring. The section between Hidden Lake and Upper Skilak Campground is impassable. Pete S. said he would like to welcome Tom Vania of ADF&G to the board. Joe C. said the Kenai River Professional Guide Association is providing the fish for the Return of the Salmon Celebration, a program to provide a meal for elders. On May 18`h the Guide Association is having `take a kid. fishing' day with a few guides on the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. Chris D. wanted to thank the board for helping DNR and Parks manage the river. Keith K. said the City of Kenai has increased the rates for the Kenai Dock. Day use parking on both the north and south side is $10, while the launch fee has increased to $15. Rick W. said that he was not aware that anyone within the City of Soldotna administration has been informed that the new bridge design had been changed. Ted W. said he is wondering if he will live long enough to see the new road around Cooper Landing, and that it is absurd to have taken so long. Bill S. has been monitoring snow levels all winter, and reports that the PTRCS staff predict tl-iat the Kenai River will have aboat 32% of the normal water flows from May through the end of June. Ken L. wished all of the Board members a good summer. B. Date/Agenda of Next Meeting September 18`x'. (note: this meeting has been canceled due to lack of a quorum. Next meeting will be Oct. 16.) Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board May 15, ?003 Meeting Minutes Page 9 of 9