BLACKERBY RIDGE TRAIL ACCESS PROPOSAL

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2 BLACKERBY RIDGE TRAIL ACCESS PROPOSAL CONTENTS Page I INTRODUCTION 1 Alpine Working Group 1 Mission Statement 2 II GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2 III SCOPE OF WORK 2 Construction Specifications 3 IV COST ESTIMATE 3-5 V SPECIAL COSIDERATIONS 5 Commercial Use 5 Hazards and Risks 5 Terrain 5 Snow Dynamics 6 Mountain Weather 6 Safety Precautions 6-7 Wildlife Habitat Impacts 7-8 Mountain Goats 8-9 Land Use Permits 9-10 Signatory Page 12 Page Appendix A Information Resources Appendix B AWG Meetings Appendix C Public Comments 19 Photos Fold-out Map 22 1

3 PROECT PROPOSAL November 2008 BY THE JUNEAU ALPINE WORKING GROUP FOR A NEW TRAIL TO ACCESS BLACKERBY RIDGE I. INTRODUCTION The Juneau Alpine Working Group formed to find an alternative to the issue of snowmobile use at the Eaglecrest Ski Area and surrounding lands. The issue developed during a public meeting at Centennial Hall on May 1, 2007, when a presentation was made by the Juneau Snowmobile Club for using certain lands to access the higher alpine areas after the ski season ended. Considerable opposition to the proposal was expressed at that meeting by many people, and the Ski Area Board of Directors later denied the Club s application. 1.1 Alpine Working Group (AWG): Soon after the May 1, 2007 public meeting, an ad hoc group of concerned people formed a volunteer Alpine Working Group (AWG). AWG works with back-country and cross-country skiers, snowshoers snowmobilers, and hikers. The group explored possible access to one or more winter recreation areas with terrain diverse enough to allow for different user groups to safely enjoy the country. Participation in the AWG was open to everyone. The AWG investigated a number of possible areas, including the Bessie Creek and Yankee Basin areas, Lemon Creek, Sheep Creek Basin, and areas near Thane. The Lemon Creek area was selected as the best prospect. On January 19, 2008, a proposal was made to Trail Mix, Inc. to construct and develop a new access trail from the Lemon Creek Trailhead, near Home Depot, to Blackerby Ridge. The proposal for Trail Mix Inc. to adopt this project is pending. Executive Director George Schaaf has been authorized to cooperatively work with AWG for the purpose of arranging public meetings and developing this project. The project plan is expected to be a dynamic document, and will be updated as new information becomes available. The 2

4 findings contained here will guide the AWG as it proceeds with the proposed project Mission Statement: The AWG adopted as its mission statement the following on May 31, 2007, To collaboratively identify recreational access to high elevation alpine terrain to benefit as many users as possible. II. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The primary goal of this project is to construct a new trail up the northwest side of Blackerby Ridge. The proposed new construction begins on CBJ land at the rock quarry saddle Control Point #2. See Map Page 19. It ends on Blackerby Ridge at approximately 2,500 feet elevation (Control Point #4). It would replace the existing Blackerby Ridge Trail, which starts behind Jack s Plumbing Company on Wire Street. That particular trail is very steep and is not suitable for the types of use proposed in this plan. The total length of new construction is approximately 3.1 miles. This includes 0.8 miles of 4WD road from Control Point #2 to a parking lot at Control Point #3, and 2.3 miles of trail from the parking lot to Blackerby Ridge. More details on the 4WD road are found in Section below. The system would be available for year-long use. This project plan attempts to accommodate a variety of user groups, including, but not limited to, the Juneau Snowmobile Club, Juneau Alpine and Nordic Ski Clubs, Juneau Alpine Club, organized hiking groups, and individual outdoor recreation users. III. SCOPE OF WORK Work now underway (spring/summer 2008) consists of field trips and data gathering. Several snow machines were transported by helicopter to the west end of Blackerby Ridge in the spring of Trips were made into the headwaters of Sawmill Creek and Canyon Creek by way of spur ridges heading northeasterly off Blackerby Ridge. A survey report from Ray Howard, president of the Juneau Snowmobile Club, indicates that it is feasible to access the upper alpine areas of Sawmill and Canyon Creek. This determination was based on a field trip conducted on April 24, Access to the Juneau Icefield via Blackerby ridge would be open to independent back-country travelers who have used the area for many years. 3

5 3.1 Construction Specifications: Construct approximately 0.8 miles 4WD road from Control Point #2 to Control Point #3 parking lot at approximately 1,000 feet elevation. Construct a parking lot 300 feet long and 50 feet wide (approximately ¼ acre) to accommodate 30 vehicles with snowmobile trailers. The road will be two-lane 24 feet wide, not to exceed an 8% grade. During winter-time use the Juneau Snowmobile Club will be responsible for snow removal maintenance Construct approximately 2.3 miles of snowmobile corridor from Control Point #3 to Control Point #4 on Blackerby Ridge at approximately 2,500 feet elevation. Aim for a minimum 2-4-feet tread and 12-feet 8-10% grade, with approximately 6 switchbacks. IV. WORK PLAN COST ESTIMATE AND FUNDING STRATEGY (Covering period June 2007 through December 2009) 4.1 Construct approximately 0.8 miles 4WD road described above Table 1 Work Item Hours Volunteer $ Grants $ Organizing and planning Contacts with CBJ officials and other land managers 100 1,750 Engineering and flagging ,750 5, Helicopter trips (6) Clearing brush and timber ,000 3,500 18,200 6 Equipment: (trucks, excavator, dozer/loader 700 3,000 83,535 4

6 with operators. 7 Fuel: 3,168 (18 GPH) 12,672 8 Materials: Rock aggregate, 4 D-1 (3,600 cy) 52,000 9 Materials: Culvert, 100 linear $55/LF 5, % profit by contractor 11 Maintenance-snow removal by JSC 35, ,625 Total 1,952 $16,500 $211,907 Footnotes (1) The monetary value of volunteer work = number of hours x $ The number of volunteer hours = monetary value divided by Construct approximately 2.3 miles of snowmobile corridor described above. Table 2 Work Item Hours Volunteer $ Grants $ Organizing and planning Contacts with CBJ and other land managers Engineering CBJ and Trail Mix Inc 100 1, Contacts for permits Clearing brush and timber (labor) 100 1, ,250 73, Helicopter trips (10 hours of time) 15,000 Materials: Rock aggregate, 4 D-1 (3,600 CY) 52,000 5

7 8 Materials: Culvert, 100 5,500 9 Snow removal by Juneau Snowmobile Club 100 1, Hazards and risks: Implement safety precautions Section ,750 10,000 Total 800 $14,000 $155, PROJECT COST SUMMARY TOTAL COST $367,407 V. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS Total hours 2,752 Volunteer hours 1,500 Volunteer dollars $27, Commercial use: Any future applications for commercial use would be considered and acted upon by the appropriate land management agencies in accordance with land ownership policies that exist at that time. 5.2 Hazards and Risks: Natural hazards exist in the areas made accessible by this project. This goes with the territory. With this project we are considering as the primary use area the terrain from the end of Blackerby Ridge over to Canyon Basin. This includes Blackerby Ridge, Sawmill Basin, and Canyon Basin. When users enter this mountainous terrain, risks of danger to lives and/or property may become survival issues. Therefore, users who choose to use the area at any time of the year must recognize and be aware of these inherent dangers. Every effort will be made to educate the public with advisory information relevant to the area. Cautionary signing may be used where needed Terrain: Steep mountain terrain exists in much of the area, as it does in does in many other popular outdoor areas surrounding our 6

8 community. Rock outcroppings, knife-edge ridges, and instable footing and snow conditions are common Snow Dynamics: Once the snowpack starts to develop, complex snow 01dynamics can result under the surface. Metamorphic changes in snow crystals can create instable layers leading to dangerous sliding surfaces and snow avalanches. Cornices on ridges can give way suddenly, with drastic results. Strong winds can transport snow and deposit unstable snow pillows on the lee sides of ridges. Users need to be informed about such hazards before going into the area Mountain Weather: We live in a community surrounded by mountains and water that take their toll on unwary travelers at any time of the year. Among the highest dangers is exposure and hypothermia. Low cloud ceilings fog and strong winds can cause white out conditions that lead to disorientation. People may become confused and even lost. During the winter of field investigation with snow machines will be made in the Sawmill Creek and Canyon Creek watersheds to determine if there are any safe egress routes back to the parking lot if it is not possible to return to the trailhead via going back up to Blackerby Ridge Safety Precautions: One of the most effective ways to deal with the hazards and risks of this project is to emphasis public awareness and education. A detailed map will be generated noting use areas, egress routes and other pertinent user information. We intend to have the map posted at the trailhead, and copies will be sent to all anticipated user groups. The Project Plan also will be provided to each of the land managers. Additionally, the document will be posted on-line, including the Juneau Snowmobile Club web site, and the Juneau Alpine Working Group web site. Local resources are available to inform the public about dangerous conditions that may exist. These are shown in Appendix A Page 11 of this document. Some dangers can be mitigated by effective route marking. Knifeback ridges create avalanche dangers below the ridge as well as on the ridge. We intend to mitigate the ridge top dangers by effective route marking and cautionary signing where needed. By identifying the 7

9 ridge top, we can discourage traversing snow that is not supported by the ridge itself. We propose to mark the knife-back ridge parts of Blackerby with tall pole markers to indicate the ridge top to snow travelers. The pole markers would also be very valuable while traversing the ridge in white out conditions. We also propose to mark secondary egress routes from Sawmill and Canyon Basins. See Map Page 16. Should white out conditions develop, users can avoid traversing Blackerby Ridge by utilizing a secondary emergency routes out. Both Sawmill and Canyon Creek basins may offer options for such situations. Emergency egress may be possible from these areas back to the Lemon Creek Trail. Also refer to Section above for more details on mountain weather. The snow machine scouting this winter ( ) should confirm the possibility. Avalanche hazards are present in the proposed area, as with other mountain terrain around Juneau. We expect all users of the proposed area to be familiar with avalanche avoidance and response. Where possible, we will rely on locally available tools for educating the public. Free avalanche safety and survival workshops are offered in Juneau throughout the year. Additionally, the City will provide avalanche forecasting for affected areas close to town. That information should be helpful to users of the proposed area as well. AWG inquired with the Juneau Mountain Rescue organization as to whether they had sufficient resources to respond to emergencies, in the proposed areas of this Project Plan. Juneau Mountain Rescue reports they do have the training, resources and capability to respond, if called upon. Appendix A of this Project Plan contains a listing of important local resources available to everyone. These resources will help users to make good decisions before going into the back-country described in this proposal Wildlife Habitat Impacts: The Juneau Ranger District manages most all of the habitat utilized by this proposal Once recreationists break out from the tree line of the proposed trail they enter the Tongass National Forest. AWG contacted District Ranger Pete Griffin and Dennis Chester on August 13, Both of these 8

10 people are also wildlife biologists. Dennis Chester noted that the primary document that guides their management of the area is the Tongass Land Management Plan. He also noted that they consider three species for potential impacts. The three species noted are mountain goats, brown bear, and wolverine. Mountain goats: During AWG s outreach efforts we received written comments of concern for mountain goats in the proposed area. We reviewed the following documents to identify the potential impacts of our proposed use on wintering mountain goats: Fox, Joseph L; Smith, Christian A; Schoen, John W Relation Between Mountain Goats and Their Habitat in Southeastern Alaska. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-246. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.25 p. Wilson, S.F Desired conditions for coastal Mountain Goat winter range. B.C. Minist. Water, Land and Air Protection, Biodiversity Branch, Victoria, BC. Working Report No. WR pp. We also have first hand observations of mountain goat habitat use in the area through visual contact and tracks. In April 2008, a member of AWG flew by helicopter to Camp 17, accompanied by two partners. The group walked/skied from Camp 17, down Ptarmigan Glacier to the headwaters of Canyon Creek. The group then followed Canyon Creek down to the Lemon Creek Trail. At the headwaters of Canyon Creek there was evidence of at least one goat as well as wolf tracks. As the group descended the Canyon Creek gorge, there were several sightings of goats on the ledges overlooking the creek... This information is in agreement with observations by Fox et al. regarding the winter habitat of mountain goats in the area. Goats seek forested areas with easily accessible escape routes from predators that provide both safety and winter forage. Our proposed use utilizes the open bowls on the north side of Blackerby Ridge, above and away from suggested highest use winter goat habitat. Wilson 2005 indicated that most frequent winter goat 9

11 habitat use occurs below areas of heavy snow accumulation (<1600 ft in SE Alaska) on south facing aspects with nearby steeper slopes. The south side of Blackerby Ridge is more likely to provide this habitat. In November 2008, one of our members observed two goats at tree line above Salmon Lake. We do anticipate some ski and snowboard use on this terrain, though believe it will be infrequent. The anticipated direct contact with goats would likely occur only if a snowmobile were to utilize one of the emergency egress paths down to the Lemon Creek valley. Fox et al. note that Winter is a period of severe nutritional deprivations, and goats converge into areas with available forage, often within old-growth forest where relatively low snow depths and litter-fall enhance food availability. The group recognizes the critical importance of minimizing negative interactions for goat survival. Because of the actual extent of interaction is not yet known, we will work with land managers to mitigate any potential impacts of the proposed use Land Use Permits: Land managers will be contacted by user groups or individuals in advance for permitted uses. Involved land managers include the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Forest Service. The AWG has contacted officials at the Parks and Recreation and Engineering Departments, as well as the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. As soon as this Project Plan is adopted by AWG, they will notify the CBJ Planning Commission about the status of the proposal. The Juneau Snowmobile Club will contact involved land managers about the proposal and apply for necessary permits to cover the work and use as described in the plan. Ray Howard, President of the Juneau Snowmobile Club, will continue to represent the Alpine Working Group as coordinator and liaison for all involved land managers and user groups. A key factor with the City and Borough of Juneau will be the use of the road system on CBJ land. This includes their road to the rock quarry and the 4WD road extension to the proposed parking lot. 10

12 Since the project proposal contemplates year-long use by many user groups and individuals, the CBJ road to the rock quarry will require special permitting. During periods when rock hauling trucks are operating, public use will likely be restricted. During the winter season, limited use may be possible all the way from Home Depot to the parking lot. This needs to be checked out with CBJ officials. End of Text 11

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14 APPENDIX A SNOW SAFETY RESOURCE LIST (Refer to Page 6, Section 5.2.4) Some Information Resources for Snow Safety Education And Awareness Highly recommended publications and websites: Snow Sense: A guide to evaluating Snow Avalanche Hazard An informative handbook written by Jill Fredson and Doug Fesler, who founded The Alaskan Mountain Safety Center, a non-profit organization specializing in Avalanche forecasting, Avalanche Hazard evaluation and education. The book is hand size and 114 pages long covering key topics such as: Avalanche hazard evaluation Terrain Weather Proper route selection Secrets of the Snow (Edward LaChappelle) An overview of the easily visible aspects of snow in the alpine mountain landscape. Describing visual snow features and textures arising from climate, wind-drift, layering, solar radiation, and melting. Staying alive in Avalanche Terrain (Tremper) To avoid avalanches, says Tremper, think like an avalanche develop a stress-and-strain feel for how they work. A wealth of information easy to understand and accessible in dozens of scenarios, examples, checklists and flowcharts, plus more than 80 photos and 100 illustrations. A practical guide for all activities and abilities, including special considerations for skiers, climbers, hikers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, and more. 13

15 This fully revised and rewritten edition of the Avalanche Handbook continues as the unrivaled resource for comprehensive information on avalanches and snow safety. An outgrowth of the U.S. Forest Service s Avalanche Handbook (published 1976), it replaces that work as the indispensable authority on every aspect of avalanche formation, effects, and control. The extensive text and illustrations are technical, yet accessible, and include the latest information, techniques, and research on understanding and surviving avalanches. Southeast Alaska Avalanche Center Part of the National Avalanche Center network. Advisories are posted when funded, extensive education resources, information, reports, photos, and research. See website at The Alaska Mountain Safety Center In Anchorage (907) Does not have a website but does avalanche hazard management consulting and custom training of very good quality; carries avalanche gear and textbooks at good prices, and is the bulk source for the text Snow Sense and the clinometers/crystal cards used in many avalanche classes. American Avalanche Association (AAA) The national professional association for avalanche workers in the United States. Publishers of the Avalanche Review and Snow, Weather, and Avalanches: Observational Guidelines for Avalanche Programs in the United States. Westwide Avalanche Resource Network 14

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