Management of Off Road Vehicles near Port Alsworth

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve » Management of Off Road Vehicles near Port Alsworth » Document List

The National Park Service (NPS) is considering designating existing trails for off-road vehicle (ORV) use in the woodlots near Port Alsworth in Lake Clark National Preserve. The NPS is proposing this action to manage ORV use in this area to minimize adverse impacts to the resources and values for which the park was established while also providing reasonable access to subsistence firewood resources.

The Port Alsworth area is remote and accessible primarily by aircraft. Woodcutting has occurred in the area since the first prospectors arrived to camp near the mouth of the Tanalian River between 1898 and 1910. Today, ORVs are used to access firewood resources near the community of Port Alsworth, especially when Lake Clark doesn't freeze and/or there is not adequate snowcover to use snowmachines to get to more distant timber resources. Local residents have been using tractors since 1945 and ORVs since the mid 1970s to access the woodcutting areas near Port Alsworth for subsistence firewood harvesting. This use has created a network of ORV trails and has damaged vegetation and aesthetic qualities of the area. There is a need to designate ORV trails to protect park resources while ensuring local residents can access locations where subsistence firewood harvesting activities have historically occurred.


Contact Information

Adrienne Lindholm
240 W. 5th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501
Adrienne_Lindholm@nps.gov
907-644-3613