Skagway-area advisory board flags Tyre River erosion; borough to study risks to Nelson Slough, bridges and campground access

The Daee Community Advisory Board on June 11 discussed borough manager notes reporting that the Tyre River is eroding the bank adjacent to Nelson Slough and that, over time, the river’s main channel could connect with the slough, altering access to the Dye Flats and nearby campgrounds.

The issue matters because managers and board members said a newly formed or reconfigured channel could change evacuation routes, strand visitors and affect private access such as the Nelson Slough footbridge used by nearby property owners. Jonathan Flood read the manager notes into the record, quoting that borough staff “intend to work with [the National Park Service] to understand potential effects of the slough downstream, effects on the Nelson Slough Bridge and the Dye Flats and access to private property,” and that staff “will report back with recommendations, findings, and future mitigations.”

Board members and municipal staff discussed what a breach would mean for visitor safety and infrastructure. “All it takes is a little bit of water to start going that way, and then it’ll just eat it out really fast,” one member said while describing past rapid bank erosion. Chief Hague of the fire service emphasized emergency planning needs, telling the board that rescue and evacuation logistics are already under discussion and that the borough recently took possession of a shallow‑water rescue vehicle intended to help reach stranded people in flooded standing water.

Participants noted that a breach could occur quickly during a high‑water event: board members recalled past floods that rapidly cut new channels and said the slough was close to reconnection as of the borough manager’s May 15 notes. They discussed practical local consequences including the possibility that an existing footbridge and vehicular access might become unusable, and that private owners and campground guests could be isolated until rescue resources arrive.

Borough and park‑service roles were discussed but not changed at the meeting. Flood said the manager’s notes indicate staff and the park service would coordinate studies and return with findings. The board asked that the site be included in a planned field trip so members could view the flats and assess access and evacuation concerns firsthand.

No formal policy or engineering decision was made; the board recorded the matter for follow‑up and recommended adding the location to the July/August field trip agenda so members and staff could observe conditions on the ground.