Haines Borough Manager Debra Schnabel recommended the borough assembly challenge the Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ attempts to withhold a parcel of land the borough selected as part of a municipal land entitlement allotment from the state.
In a preliminary decision of land conveyance letter to the borough, DNR’s Southeast Regional Land Manager Benjamin White wrote that conveying William Henry Bay to the Haines Borough is “not in the best interest of the state.” The bay is about 36 miles north-northwest of Juneau. “In 2011, reconnaissance geological field work indicated a high probability for gold mineralization,” the conveyance letter says.
At last week’s regular assembly meeting, Schnabel recommended that the assembly hire an attorney to challenge DNR’s decision.
“There’s one decision that was made that I think you might want to seriously address and oppose and that was the selection of land at William Henry Bay…the state of Alaska, which I think as you know always retains the mineral rights, found gold in William Henry Bay and that’s why they want to keep it for themselves.”
In a separate interview, White said if the state owns the land, it will be easier to permit potential mining operations without an additional land owner to consider.
“The borough may say ‘We don’t want to authorize mining activities’ when the state would be supportive of it,” White said. “It’s in the best interest of the state to have minimal conflict or less potential conflict with a landowner.”
If the borough protests the William Henry Bay decision, White said the state “would get the mining folks and the borough folks to sit down and work out some sort of negotiation and compromise. If we could resolve those issues that would change the way our final finding looks.”
The deadline for comment on the land conveyance is Nov. 30. The state will review and address comments before making a final finding.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game also thinks the state should retain ownership of the parcel. Fish and Game recommends all anadromous stream beds remain in state ownership. William Henry Creek, a stream in William Henry Bay, is an anadromous fish stream.
“This is an important spawning stream for pink and chum salmon used by the state as part of an index stream system to access the escapement of pink and summer chum salmon to the northern inside subregion of Southeast Alaska,” a Fish and Game commented to DNR regarding the Haines Borough’s parcel request. “The state should retain ownership of this stream parcel within William Henry Bay to protect important spawning habitat.”
The Haines Borough selected nine parcels of land and DNR’s Division of Mining Land and Water Municipal Entitlements selected four of those parcels, about 2,091 acres, to convey to the borough.
Those parcels include uplands adjacent to Lynn Islands and land in Excursion Inlet.
“Regarding these four parcels, DMLW has determined that there are no over-riding state interests that merit retaining these selections in state ownership,” White wrote.
In 1978 the state awarded Haines 2,800 acres of municipal entitlement land, 1,800 acres of which were conveyed to the municipality. In 2010 the Haines Borough received an additional land allotment of 3,167 acres. The Borough is entitled to receive approximately 3,183 acres under their remaining municipal entitlement.
Comments can be emailed to [email protected] or phoned in at 907-465-3402.
Haines Borough Manager Debra Schnabel recommended the borough assembly challenge the Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ attempts to withhold a parcel of land the borough selected as part of a municipal land entitlement allotment from the state.
In a preliminary decision of land conveyance letter to the borough, DNR’s Southeast Regional Land Manager Benjamin White wrote that conveying William Henry Bay to the Haines Borough is “not in the best interest of the state.” The bay is about 36 miles north-northwest of Juneau. “In 2011, reconnaissance geological field work indicated a high probability for gold mineralization,” the conveyance letter says.
At last week’s regular assembly meeting, Schnabel recommended that the assembly hire an attorney to challenge DNR’s decision.
“There’s one decision that was made that I think you might want to seriously address and oppose and that was the selection of land at William Henry Bay…the state of Alaska, which I think as you know always retains the mineral rights, found gold in William Henry Bay and that’s why they want to keep it for themselves.”
In a separate interview, White said if the state owns the land, it will be easier to permit potential mining operations without an additional land owner to consider.
“The borough may say ‘We don’t want to authorize mining activities’ when the state would be supportive of it,” White said. “It’s in the best interest of the state to have minimal conflict or less potential conflict with a landowner.”
If the borough protests the William Henry Bay decision, White said the state “would get the mining folks and the borough folks to sit down and work out some sort of negotiation and compromise. If we could resolve those issues that would change the way our final finding looks.”
The deadline for comment on the land conveyance is Nov. 30. The state will review and address comments before making a final finding.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game also thinks the state should retain ownership of the parcel. Fish and Game recommends all anadromous stream beds remain in state ownership. William Henry Creek, a stream in William Henry Bay, is an anadromous fish stream.
“This is an important spawning stream for pink and chum salmon used by the state as part of an index stream system to access the escapement of pink and summer chum salmon to the northern inside subregion of Southeast Alaska,” a Fish and Game commented to DNR regarding the Haines Borough’s parcel request. “The state should retain ownership of this stream parcel within William Henry Bay to protect important spawning habitat.”
The Haines Borough selected nine parcels of land and DNR’s Division of Mining Land and Water Municipal Entitlements selected four of those parcels, about 2,091 acres, to convey to the borough.
Those parcels include uplands adjacent to Lynn Islands and land in Excursion Inlet.
“Regarding these four parcels, DMLW has determined that there are no over-riding state interests that merit retaining these selections in state ownership,” White wrote.
In 1978 the state awarded Haines 2,800 acres of municipal entitlement land, 1,800 acres of which were conveyed to the municipality. In 2010 the Haines Borough received an additional land allotment of 3,167 acres. The Borough is entitled to receive approximately 3,183 acres under their remaining municipal entitlement.
Comments can be emailed to [email protected] or phoned in at 907-465-3402.