Daee advisory board to hold work session on tourism best practices after debate over waterway access, estuary protection and vendor review scope

The Daee Community Advisory Board on March 12 scheduled a separate work session to finalize its contribution to a proposed tourism best management practices document, after members and public commenters pushed for clearer wording on commercial access, estuary protection and safety provisions.

The decision came after a lengthy discussion of two draft versions of the guidance and public comment from Sherry Corrington, who identified herself as “a citizen and part time Daiee Naku Point resident.” Corrington urged language that would discourage commercial operators from using waterways to access areas that are off limits by road access, and asked the board to make estuaries and “quiet enjoyment” explicit priorities in the guidance. “Please refrain from accessing, off limit areas via the water,” Corrington said during public comment.

The board’s motion to schedule a separate work session — made and seconded during the meeting — passed by unanimous voice vote. Members said the separate meeting would allow line‑by‑line editing outside the constraints of a regular board agenda.

Why it matters: The tourism best management practices document is intended to guide commercial operators and inform the assembly and visitor department. Board members said clearer wording on waterways, estuaries, bicycle safety and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance could reduce environmental and public‑safety impacts and set expectations for tour operators.

Board members discussed several specific edits: (1) adding wording that commercial operators should avoid landing above the high‑tide line on beaches where that would place them on private or municipal property; (2) explicitly identifying estuaries as sensitive habitat and recommending commercial avoidance; (3) including a statement putting responsibility on businesses to pass local site sensitivities to their employees; and (4) clarifying bicycle‑safety expectations for guided groups on both the Daee Road and the Klondike Highway.

Board members also raised the Americans with Disabilities Act, noting it is not addressed in the current draft and asking that accessibility language be added where relevant, particularly for docks and loading/unloading areas.

On the scope of board review of vendor activity, members read a response from the clerk’s office clarifying that the advisory board’s annual review authority, as written in the municipal code, applies specifically to commercial permit holders operating on the Daee Flats. The clerk’s message said commercial users outside the flats are not currently within the board’s formal purview for the annual review, though staff provided some non‑required user statistics from other operators for context. The board discussed pursuing a code change so it can formally review a broader set of operators that use the Daee Area beyond the flats.

Several board members suggested bulleted additions that specifically name estuaries, quiet‑enjoyment areas and navigable waterways in the guidance to avoid ambiguity about enforcement and expectations. Members emphasized crafting non‑regulatory “best practice” language that would be useful to tourism operators while avoiding overly prescriptive ordinance language.

The board agreed to prepare edits and hold a focused work session before the packet for the next assembly meeting is finalized, and to coordinate with municipal staff on schedule and outreach to the visitor department.

The board also noted the Daee Flats written management plan remains on a later agenda (the item is currently slated for the first meeting in April) and that edits to the tourism best practices would be returned to the assembly as advisory recommendations.

The board adjourned the agenda item after setting the work session date to be determined with staff availability.