Since September, members of the public have been able to share their thoughts on the future of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreational Area (MGRA), and the U.S. Forest Service is sharing an update on what that future might look like.
The U.S. Forest Service is holding a meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, meant to provide the public with an update on the long-term planning process for the recreational area. The three previous public meetings have helped develop a plan for the next few decades of the MGRA, and John Neary, Director of the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, said public involvement is essential to this process.
“They can become a part of the proposed action,” Neary said. “That’s the key piece, that people can come to meetings or go on our website and leave feedback. They’re coming up with the proposal instead of reacting to it. That’s why we want early engagement.”
Corvus Design has been working on the Draft Conceptual Development Plan, which is projected to be done by late summer. Tuesday’s meeting is meant to simply inform the public of what the plan looks like at this point. It will be streamed live on Facebook.
Once completed, the document will provide an outline for the MGRA to follow for the next few decades. The plan looks to take into account the visitation needs of the next 20 years while supplying a vision for the next 50 years.
“If I were to boil it down to one sentence,” Neary said, “(we’re) trying to get our facilities right for the next couple of decades, and when I say right, I mean right for the number of people who come, right for the resources we have and right for the economics.”
The plan is one part of the process that projects to finish in fall of 2018. After the completion of the plan, the document is open for formal comments from the public and those at the Forest Service. The plan will also undergo a review to determine whether it meets National Environmental Policy Act Standards.
Public meetings began this past September, inviting members of the community to come to meetings and share their thoughts about the future of the MGRA. Around 75 people attended the first meeting, then 38 at the next and 35 at the third, according to the MGRA website. The company is also accepting input from cruise ship passengers, which is one of the reasons the plan won’t be finished until later this summer.
Tourists and locals have differing uses for the MGRA, Neary pointed out. While cruise ship passengers see the glacier as a unique destination and photo opportunity, those in town use the recreational area to ride their bike or walk their dog. Some aspects of the area — shelter from the rain, safe areas from which to view wildlife — translate to all users of the recreational area, and this process is working to figure out what the most important services are for both audiences.
“What we want to be known for is a place that meets the needs both for the people of Juneau and our international clientele,” Neary said.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com or 523-2271
