Takshanuk Watershed Council announced Monday it is backing out of a wetland mitigation project at the 26 Mile Pond, but State Parks southeast area superintendent Preston Kroes said the state still supports the initiative.

About 30 Haines residents said they were unhappy with the proposed work at an Aug. 8 meeting at Mosquito Lake School and Community Center.

The 8-acre borrow-pit pond near the Klehini River Bridge was isolated from the Klehini River in 1969 by the installation of a steel bridge and construction of a riprap retaining wall. It was operated as a private gravel mine into the early 2000s, according to a watershed council press release. The eastern portion of the pond is State of Alaska Parks and Recreation property and is within the boundaries of the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The western half of the pond is privately owned. The pond is now primarily used for swimming, picnicking and riding ATVs in summer and snow machining in winter, and the gravel pad is used for parking.

The watershed council worked with the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition to create conceptual designs of what the state park-owned half of the pond could look like if it was chosen as a wetland mitigation site.

“Enhancement of the 26 Mile Pond would fill a need for local wetland mitigation opportunities, and would allow development projects to move forward while keeping those compensatory mitigation dollars in the local economy. Mitigation money from the expansion of the Haines Highway was spent on Prince of Wales Island,” the press release said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires compensatory mitigation whenever an existing wetland is filled and destroyed. The coalition proposed financing the project via the Southeast Alaska Mitigation Fund as an in-lieu fee wetland mitigation project.

With in-lieu fee programs, mitigation occurs when a permittee provides funds to an in-lieu fee sponsor, like a public agency or nonprofit organization. In most cases, the sponsor collects funds from multiple permittees in order to pool the financial resources necessary to plan for, build and maintain the mitigation site, said Jessica Kayser Forster, who works as a consultant for the coalition.

Kayser Forester said at the meeting there was no permit application tied to the 26 Mile Pond project, but the pond fit site eligibility requirements.

Rob Cadmus, executive director of the coalition, presented two conceptual designs. Objectives for the mitigation project included enhancing fish and wildlife habitat through wetland creation, maintaining and enhancing recreational activities and improving site safety. Mitigation work would include grading material from the existing parking area into the pond to reduce the steepness of the shoreline and adding soil and wetland plants.

Cadmus said the first option was “more intimate,” with a smaller parking area and long gravel path to the existing swimming area. The second design allowed for more parking than the first to “accommodate higher use” and eliminated the path. Cadmus said the project was “modest in size and scope.”

Planning Commission member Diana Lapham said she was concerned that when new wetlands animal species inhabit the area, people would lose the ability to recreate on the pond.

Liz Cornejo of Constantine Metal Resources asked about industrial uses of the area, citing the borough’s comprehensive plan that recognizes industrial uses in the Porcupine Road and Sunshine Mountain area. Heavy equipment has historically been parked there, most recently during construction of the new Klehini River bridge.

“Constantine has used the area in the past and may use it in the future as a convenient, temporary staging area before transporting loads along Porcupine Road,” Cornejo said. “Having a flexible, secure staging area is helpful when a truck driver wants to first scope out the route or wait for a less busy time to make the delivery.”

Superintendent Kroes said he wasn’t aware the parking area was being used as a “heavy equipment staging area.” He said companies should have a special use permit to park heavy equipment there, and he’s “not sure if we would continue granting that or not,” he said.

Several community members said they were not in favor of a gate proposed in the first conceptual design and a rock barrier proposed in the second, referencing negative feedback on a gate that was installed last year on the Chilkoot Corridor. Upper Highway resident George Campbell asked if there would be a penalty for running ATVs or four-wheelers past the barriers.

Kroes later said running equipment in an off-limit area is a citable misdemeanor violation. “State park regulations apply to any property within the Bald Eagle Preserve that is state owned,” Kroes said.

Campbell cited state Department of Transportation documents about bird waste in water being hazardous to human health. “Everything you’re looking at doing is creating another problem.”

Joe Ordonez said he wished there could be enhancements for recreation at the site, not for a wetland. “We should have been fighting this years ago,” Ordonez said.

“I don’t see anything good about any of this. Leave well-enough alone,” said upper highway resident Don Phillips.

Parks ranger Travis Russell was present at the meeting, but said he couldn’t answer questions or speak on behalf of the parks department.

Kroes said parks has been considering the 26 Mile Pond as a mitigation site since he was the local park ranger in Haines seven or eight years ago.

“We’ve always thought it was a good idea, we just never had the resources for funding or staffing to do it,” Kroes said. “Even our director’s office in Anchorage thinks it’s a good idea.”

After hearing feedback from the community, the coalition, state parks and the Army Corps of Engineers, Takshanuk Watershed Council said Monday it will not further pursue the project.

“While we received numerous comments both favorable and critical, at this time it does not appear that a wetland mitigation project at this location is compatible with current uses, especially ATV recreation, vehicle parking, and heavy equipment staging. At 26-Mile Pond, we will continue to work with the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, as well as community user groups, to determine if a smaller-scale recreation enhancement would be appropriate for the site,” the press release said.

Kroes said state parks still supports the project as proposed. He added that the mitigation project fits the management plan for the eagle preserve, and also the state parks mission statement.