Plans for new trails in Denali National Park connecting the Riley Creek Day Use Area and the Murie Science and Learning Center to facilities at the park entrance are available for public comment.
An environmental assessment of the plan evaluates the proposed action as well as a no-action alternative.
The proposal calls for some 6,500 feet of trail connecting buildings and trails in the park's entrance area. It's intended to minimize safety concerns for pedestrians on the Denali trail system.
The environmental assessment is available at on the park's planning, environment, and public comment site. Comments can be submitted through May 29 directly on the site or e-mailed to dena_planning@nps.gov.
Contact Molly McKinley at 907-683-6241 for information.
Stikine king fishery shuttered
The Federal Subsistence Board has approved an emergency special action closing the Stikine River king salmon subsistence fishery in Southeast.
The 380-mile long Stikine River flows from British Columbia to the Inside Passage just north of Wrangell.
A preseason forecast calls for 18,300 kings bigger than 30 inches to return. The U.S./Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty calls for a closure if the preseason estimate is fewer than 28,100 kings.
However, the Wrangell District of the U.S. Forest Service, the federal in-season manager, can reopen the season if more than 24,500 kings are counted during the season.
Since 1975, spawning abundance has ranged from 5,723 to 63,523 kings and averaged around 25,500 of the largest salmon, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
For more information, contact Robert Dalrymple, U.S. Forest Service, Wrangell District Ranger, P.O. Box 51, Wrangell, Alaska 99929.
Kodiak girds for grim king run
Kodiak king salmon anglers are being told by state biologists to expect another miserable season — in places king fishing is still legal.
Sport fishing for kings in the Karluk River drainage is closed. Another major Kodiak drainage, the Ayakulik River, is catch and release only, with bait banned.
Meanwhile, fishing for stocked kings in Monashka Creek and Bay are closed to help biologists collect brood-stock that can help boost king runs to road-accessible fisheries.