Chilkoot Corridor working group names leaders, hears public concerns about bear-human interactions

Haines Borough tourism director Rebecca Hilton called the Chilkoot Corridor Working Group to order Dec. 16 and led members through organizational business, including the election of a chair and vice chair and an initial definition of the corridor’s geographic scope.

The assembly-appointed working group elected Sean Gaffney as chair and Gwen Souser as vice chair by unanimous verbal assent. Hilton said the group’s first meeting was intended as an organizational session and that members would use future meetings to set priorities.

“The working group is really, just public input and more of a listening role at this point in time,” said Brad Grama, Southeast Region superintendent for Alaska State Parks, stressing that state parks has its own management processes but can collaborate with the borough. “This group can identify help identify some of the management issues … for the managing authorities to work on.”

Public commenters emphasized human and bear safety in the corridor. Patty Brown, who identified herself as chair of the borough planning commission and a former park ranger, urged that bear welfare and human safety be a top priority and advocated “meaningful and effective staffing, which might mean a partnership between the borough and the state, and may include volunteers if it can be made safe.”

Rita, who identified herself as vice president of the Alaska Chilkoot Bear Foundation, told the group she had circulated previous studies — including a Fish and Game vehicle-and-bear-video study — and said the foundation has financed bear monitors and signage. She also raised a past pedestrian-bridge proposal built around a roughly $1,000,000 funding idea that wasn’t pursued, saying a separate fishing-style pedestrian bridge could reduce crowding on the Chilkoot Bridge.

Several members said historical planning documents would be important background. “Dan Egolf has called me, and he will make that available,” Hilton said; she committed to distributing the materials to members.

Members reached a working definition of the Chilkoot Corridor for the group’s work: the state-managed recreation site, the borough-owned property across the river, the bridge area and nearby high-use places such as the dock and campground. They agreed to exclude residential areas beyond the bridge from the group’s scope.

Hannah Manninen, wildlife biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said she would take ideas back to supervisors as appropriate and emphasized public-safety considerations when considering measures drawn from other Alaska bear-viewing areas.

Members identified likely priority topics for the next meeting: coordination between the borough and state on funding and implementation; options for bear monitors; signage and education; and reviewing prior studies and recommendations.

Hilton said she would post an agenda and circulate documents and reminders for a follow-up meeting in mid-to-late January. Participants expressed a preference for daytime hours; Hilton said she would set a reminder and agenda and that members should submit priority topics in advance if they wish.

The meeting closed after members thanked each other and expressed anticipation for the next round of discussions.