National Park News

The National Park Service and the Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) are seeking applicants for two research fellowships that are available to individuals wishing to conduct research in Denali National Park and Preserve and national parks in Alaska. The deadline for applications is February 15, 2012, and a decision is expected to be made within the following two weeks. The fieldwork of fellowship program recipients must be arranged before September 1, 2012.

The National Park Service and the Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) are seeking applicants for two accomplished scientists to conduct research in Denali National Park and Preserve. Each Researcher-in-Residence will spend a month or more in the park, conducting self-directed fieldwork and sharing their expertise with park staff and visitors.

Three visual artists and three writers were selected from over 300 applicants to participate in this year’s Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park and Preserve. Deborah Bouchette, Trine Bumiller, Kim Heacox, Marybeth Holleman, Rika Mouw, and Linda Schandelmeir will each have the opportunity to experience and be inspired by the park during summer 2012. They will stay at the historic East Fork cabin, where they can look out onto the braided channels of the East Fork River, multi-colored rock formations of Polychrome Mountain, and the snow-capped peaks of the Alaska Range.

The National Park Service and the Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) are seeking applicants for two research fellowships that are available to individuals wishing to conduct research in Denali National Park and Preserve and other arctic and subarctic Alaska national parks.

Effective January 1, 2012, Denali National Park and Preserve will collect only the $10 per person entrance fee for visitors age 16 and older. The $20 per vehicle fee has been eliminated, because the park does not collect the fee at an entrance station as the majority of national parks do. The fee is valid for seven days.

Recent storms have brought additional snow to the park, and the Superintendent has determined that there is now adequate snow cover for the use of snowmobiles for traditional activities in all of the 1980 additions to Denali National Park and Preserve.

“Vole wranglers, it’s time to head out,” announces Melanie Flamme, biologist with the National Park Service. And so begins the annual effort to monitor the small mammal population in Denali National Park. The small mammal monitoring project has been running for almost 20 years, but it’s just not the large dataset and informative science that makes this project so interesting. Each year, field work for the project is conducted by high school and college students – the next generation of scientists.

The Superintendent of Denali National Park and Preserve has determined that there is adequate snow cover for the use of snowmobiles for traditional activities in areas of the 1980 park additions that are south of the crest of the Alaska Range.

All areas of the 1980 park additions north of the crest of the Alaska Range remain closed to snowmobile use for traditional activities due to inadequate snow cover.

Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, the transportation concessioner for Denali National Park and Preserve, will begin accepting advance reservations for the 2012 visitor season for shuttle buses and the park’s four largest campgrounds on Thursday, December 1, 2011. Reservations will be available by phone, on-line, fax, and mail.

With support from Alaska Geographic, the Murie Science and Learning Center is awarding scholarships to teachers for accredited trainings and seminars taking place in Denali National Park and Preserve.

The contractors working on the culvert replacement project have finished for the season, and the Denali Park Road is now open to the Savage River Campground at Mile 13, weather permitting.

The National Park Service (NPS) intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment regarding the replacement of the utility infrastructure at the Park Headquarters in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Denali National Park and Preserve intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment regarding the replacement of Rock Creek Bridge (MP 3.3) on the Denali Park Road. The bridge, which was constructed in the 1950s, is an essential link on the only road into Denali National Park.

The tenth meeting of the Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council is taking place on Friday, October 28 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Marriott Residence Inn Midtown, located on 1025 E. 35th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska.

In response to requests, the National Park Service is extending the public comment period for the Climbing Allocation for Mount McKinley Environmental Assessment (EA) through Monday, October 31, 2011. The extension will ensure that the public has adequate time to comment on the allocation of climbing permits between commercial guided climbing operators and independent, non-guided climbers on Mount McKinley.

Denali National Park and Preserve is seeking public input on a proposal to simplify the entrance fee structure. Currently the park charges entrance fees of $10 per person, $20 per vehicle, and $15 per motorcycle. The National Park Service is proposing to collect only the $10 per person entrance fee, effective January 1, 2012.

Fire Management staff at Denali National Park and Preserve will burn piles of debris in Kantishna, at the western end of the Denali Park Road, beginning late evening on Monday, September 19 and continuing through Friday, September 23, conditions permitting. The debris pile is located in a gravel pit near the junction of Eureka Creek and the park road.

The busy summer season has ended at Denali National Park and Preserve, and visitors can now drive private vehicles on the Denali Park Road as far as the Teklanika River Rest Area at Mile 30, weather permitting. Visitors are advised to call ahead for weather and road information, as conditions can change rapidly at this time of the year.

An Environmental Assessment (EA) for the allocation of climbing permits between commercial guided climbing operators and independent, non-guided climbers on Mount McKinley is now available for public review and comment, announced Superintendent Paul R. Anderson.

Denali National Park and Preserve recently concluded a multi-year public engagement process regarding a proposed increase to the Special Use Fee that directly supports management of climbing activities on Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker. After a lengthy examination of current program costs, analysis of public comment, and collaboration with national climbing organizations, Denali National Park and Preserve will increase its Mountaineering Use Fee from $200 to $250 for youth ages 24 and under, and $350 for all other Mount McKinley and Mt. Foraker climbers. The fee increase will go into effect for the 2012 mountaineering season. In future years, fees will be adjusted periodically based on actual costs, not to exceed changes in the cumulative consumer price index.

In response to numerous requests, the National Park Service is extending the public comment period for the Draft Denali Park Road Vehicle Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) through Monday, October 31, 2011. The extension will ensure that the public has adequate time to comment on the draft alternatives for managing vehicle use on the 92 mile long Denali Park Road for the next 15-20 years.

Denali National Park and Preserve is seeking applications from visual artists and, for the first time, writers for the 2012 Artist-in-Residence Program.

Fire Management staff at Denali National Park and Preserve will burn piles of debris consisting of trees and brush in the vicinity of the new Birch Creek Cabin beginning Monday, August 22, continuing through Thursday, August 25, conditions permitting.

The National Park Service is holding three meetings on the Draft Denali Park Road Vehicle Management Plan, which is available for review and comment through September 30, 2011. The draft plan describes two action alternatives and a no action alternative for managing vehicle use on the 92-mile Denali Park Road for the next 15-20 years.

Fire Management staff at Denali National Park and Preserve will burn piles of debris consisting of trees and brush in the vicinity of the Moose Creek and Thorofare patrol cabins beginning Saturday, August 13, continuing through Wednesday, August 17, conditions permitting.

The Draft Denali Park Road Vehicle Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be available for public review and comment beginning Monday, August 1, announced Superintendent Paul Anderson. The draft plan describes two action alternatives and a no action alternative for managing vehicle use on the 92 mile long Denali Park Road for the next 15-20 years.

National Park Service to Issue Subsistence Permits in Cantwell

The Eielson Visitor Center, located on Mile 66 on the Denali Park Road, will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 16. The building had been closed for maintenance since Wednesday, July 13 after a malfunction of the sewage system was discovered on Tuesday, July 12.

The Eielson Visitor Center, located on Mile 66 on the Denali Park Road, will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 16. The building had been closed for maintenance since Wednesday, July 13 after a malfunction of the sewage system was discovered on Tuesday, July 12.

The Eielson Visitor Center, located on Mile 66 on the Denali Park Road, will be closed for an estimated 3-4 days so that a contractor can fix the sewage system. The anticipated opening date is Monday, July 18.