Bear Creek I to Dry Creek - Alaska Department of …dnr.alaska.gov/.../mgtplans/denali/pdf/Central_Bear.pdfBear Creek to Dry Creek R68 General Description Management Unit 17 is an

Management Unit 17 I

Bear Creekto Dry Creek

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General DescriptionManagement Unit 17 is an 8.4 mile stretch of thecentral Richardson Highway between Bear Creek andDry Creek. It is a relatively straight, wide cor-ridor through dense spruce and spruce-hardwoodforests that parallels the Copper River located 1to 2 miles to the east. Despite the proximity ofthe Copper River, the traveler has limited viewsbeyond the densely forested right-of-way edge.The Gulkana Airfield clearing offers the onlyexpansive view to the Copper River basin and theWrangell Mountains to the east. The ChugachMountains to the south and the Alaska Range tothe north line the horizon for forward viewsalong the highway.

The wide, straight highway alignment creates a rela-tively monotonous view of this landscape. ..

All noticeable land uses - besides powerlines, aradio tower and the highway itself - are concen-trated at the Gulkana Airfield. Dry Creek Camp-ground is located on the southern end of thisunit, but it is not visible from the highway.

In summary, this is not a particularly scenicpart of the central Richardson Highway. However,the driving experience could be enhanced throughsensitive land use, development and view manage-ment.

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17 Bear Creekto Dry Creek

Assessment Units R38 — R43

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KEYM - Impact MitigationT— TurnoutRec - Recreationn_/"~\-View Management

State Owned Land

Native Corp. Land

Native Selected Land

Federal Land

Private Land

12 mi.

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Land Ownership &Management ResponsibilityMost of the land surrounding the highway in thisunit is managed by the BLM or the State. Thereare Native village and regional corporationselected lands and one Native allottment, as wellas State classified private residential/recrea-tional land located near the radio tower. Thenorthernmost mile of land adjacent to the highwayis in interim conveyance to Gulkana Village. TheGulkana Airfield is located on state land. Atotal of approximately four miles of the highwayare bordered by future Native and other privatelands. DOTPF manages a 300 foot right-of-waythroughout this management unit.

Visual ResourceManagement ObjectivesThe management recommendations for this unitfocus on the themes of enhancement, appropriateroadside management and sensitive land use anddevelopment.

Enhancement: To respond to the many opportuni-ties to enhance the visual experience of thislandscape's natural and man made features .

Appropriate Roadside Management: To adoptright-of-way management practices which willcreate a positive visual impression of thelandscape for the highway traveler.

Sensitive Land Use And Development: To encouragesensitive land use and development which willincrease visual interest and diversity and mini-mize negative visual impacts along the highway.

The Gulkana Airfield clearing offers travelers theopportunity for expansive views of the WrangellMountains.

ManagementRecommendations

Right-of-Way Management__________Most all of the lands which are visible from thehighway are within the right-of-way corridor.Therefore, DOTPF plays the most significant rolein the management of scenic resources along thisportion of the central Richardson Highway and hasthe opportunity to maintain and enhance thetraveler's experience of these resources.

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rCurrently, the practice of completely clearing awide (35-50 foot) strip of land on either side ofthe highway accentuates the enclosed, linear, andmonotonous character of the road and sets thehighway apart from the surrounding landscape.Cleared slash left in the right-of-way is anadditional distraction and a fire hazard aswell. The drainage clearings left from therecent highway upgrading project are also clut-tered with cleared slash and leave an abrupt edgewhere natural vegetation begins.

Right-of-way management within this unit shouldprovide for safe and efficient travel whilemaintaining the natural character of thelandscape and enhancing the traveler's drivingexperience. The following recommendations forbetter management practices are designed toaccomplish this objective:

• Vary the widths of vegetation clearing inthe right-of-way to respond to site specificconditions (e.g. wider clearings on theInside edge of curves, deeper clearing inareas of known moose movement, etc.). Wherethe road alignment consists of very longtangents and sweeping curves, the field ofview should be sufficient so that excessive-ly wide clearings are not necessary.

• Remove or burn cleared slash from theright-of-way.

• Allow trees to Intrude on the cleared areas- both scattered and In masses - to break upthe linear character of the highway corri-dor.

• Encourage low brush and flowering plants Inthe right-of-way, removing only the tallervegetation where greater visibility isneeded. Strive for a gradation of vegeta-tion heights from the road to the edge ofthe management strip.

• Where visibility and protection of the pave-ment do not necessitate wider clearings,allow the right-of-way vegetation to grow asclose as 15 feet from the road edge.

• Except where managed for viewing opportuni-ties, maintain a minimum of 75 feet ofnatural vegetation within the right-of-wayto serve as a buffer for adjacent lands andas a reinforcement to the recommended green-belt.

• Selectively thin additional Individual treesaround stark-edged clearings to "feather"the edge.

View Management (V)Due to the enclosed character of this unit andits close proximity to the Copper River, themanagement of roadside vegetation to open distantviews can be a particularly useful scenicresource management tool. Sensitive and selec-tive thinning and clearing can create excellentlateral views east across the Copper River to theWrangell Mountains or northwest to the AlaskaRange. The small clearings that were made fordrainage purposes within the right-of-way nowprovide very brief, filtered views to theWrangells. More selective clearing and thinningcould further open these views and soften theirblunt edges, mitigating their negative impactsand adding interest to the driving experience.Several specific locations for recommended viewmanagement practices have been identified on theunit map.

In addition, clearings which are the result ofdevelopment can provide very positive viewingopportunities, such as the one at the GulkanaAirfield. Therefore, as discussed under Land Use R71

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and Development, sensitively sited clearings areencouraged.

Greenbblts (6)__________________

Within this densely forested area, a narrow (25foot) greenbelt beyond the right-of-way edgewould be sufficient to maintain the naturalcharacter of the landscape in most of the unit.However, at the Dry Creek crossing, a 100 footwide greenbelt should extend along either side ofthe creek for 1/8 mile. At the Gulkana Airfield,where views are open for a great distance and theairfield is immediately adjacent to the highway,a greenbelt would be inappropriate and unneces-sary o

Since a significnt portion of the lands adjacentto the highway are Native owned, there are nomeans to consistently implement a greenbeltrecommendation throughout the entire managementunit. However, the Bureau of Land Management andthe State have an excellent opportunity to setan example for future development by impleraentat-ing the greenbelt recommendations on publiclands, particularly those which are classifiedfor disposal private residential/recreational usebut have not yet been developed. Native regionaland village Corporations have the option tovoluntarily designate an appropriate greenbeltsetback on their lands and establish guidelinesin the future development of these lands.

The following management guidelines are recom-mended for the greenbelt lands within this unit:

• No permanent structures should be locatedwithin the greenbelt.

• No more than 50% of the natural vegetationshould be removed, except where managed forscenic views.

• Retain deciduous trees to provide filtered' 'views.

• Retain spruce trees to screen undesirableviews, such as near parking areas.

Land Use & Development (LU)_______The overall visual experience and diversitywithin this unit could be improved with theaddition of man-made features which aresensitively sited and designed to blend with orcomplement the landscape. Due to the proximityof this area to the established community ofGlennallen, the potential for future developmentcan be expected to be relatively high. Althoughthe visual absorption capability of the landadjacent to the highway is high and some newdevelopment could add visual diversity andinterest, excessively large scale developments orinsensitive siting could create significantnegative visual impacts. Therefore, thefollowing guidelines are appropriate for futuredevelopment:

• Encourage the development of small scaleresidential, commercial and recreationaluses on land immediately adjacent to thehighway.

• Discourage larger scale or higher densitydevelopment near the highway; instead,locate these uses further from the road edgeIn order to minimize visual congestion andclutter as well as traffic hazards.

• Use the guidelines set forth in the green-belt recommendations to identify theappropriate development setback and vegeta-tion management practices.

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Encourage desirable large clearings - suchas farms on the east side of the highwaywhere there are opportunities to open expan-sive and distinctive views.

Utilize colors, materials and building formswhich complement or blend in with thesurrounding landscape.

JK'-i'„•' ';• *\-.'>< ' i ' rUtil ize right-of-way and greenbelt vegeta-t ion to screen parking areas of commercialestablishments and to frame views toward thefocus of the es tab l i shment .

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Gulkana AirfieldThe Gulkana Airfield is an excellent example ofan area where the visual experience from the roadwas enhanced by opening expansive views. Theairfield clearing provides an open view acrossthe Copper River Lowlands to the Wrangell Moun-tains. Additionally, the activity at theairfield itself is an attraction to manytravelers. These site amenities should beretained and enhanced to maximize their experi-ential qualities. The following minor modifica-tions are recommended to enhance this site:

Litter Control: The turbulent winds created bythe airplanes appear to scatter litter which isalongside the road. Stricter litter controlshould be enforced at the airfield and thereshould be routine roadside litter cleanup.

Airfield-Related Structures: The apparent lackof on-site maintenance around the residences atthe north end of the field has created acluttered appearance. The unnecessary cluttershould be removed and the structures should bepainted. Landscaping around the buildings wouldalso improve the overall site appearance.

Scenic Turnout: A small turnout should beconstructed on the east side of the highway to

Recent construction and upgrading have left visiblesoars in the right of way.

give travelers the opportunity to stop andappreciate both the airfield activity and thescenic views. (See Turnouts, T-2).

Turnouts (T) & Recreation (Rcc)_____The following roadside turnouts are recommendedin Unit 17:

T-l Existing Gravel Turnout. Although this turnoutdoes not offer any scenic views or on-site scenic '' R73

amenities, 1C Is recommended that It be maintain-ed as a turnout for emergency stopping, turningaround, etc.

T-2 Potential Scenic Turnout - Culkana Airfield. TheGulkana Airfield offers the first expansive viewswhen traveling north from Glennallen. Theactivity at the airfield Is also a specialattraction to many travelers. It is recommendedthat a small gravel widening (accommodating 2 to3 cars) be established on the east side of thehighway. Additional cm-site analysis andconsultation with the airfield manager will benecessary to designate the best turnout locationto provide memorable views yet avoid conflictwith airfield operations.

T-3 Existing Gravel Turnout. This existing turnoutoffers an excellent view of Mt. Drum, however,entry and exit visibility is relatively poor.This turnout should be maintained but signsshould be posted next to the highway on eitherside of the turnout alerting travelers of Itslocation. Paving would reduce the difficulty ofentry from the highway. In addition, an Informa-tion sign could be posted at the turnout notingthe facilities available at Dry Creek Campgroundjust to the north.

Rec-1 Pry Creek Campground. Dry Creek Campground is astate managed campground with 58 camping units.This facility is a good example of sensitivesiting which eliminates any visual Impact on theroad.

provide an element of visual Interest and providesoil conditioning until taller and denser vegeta-tion is established.

M-2 The Vacated Road Alignment! This area Is vis-ually distracting because of its contrast withthe surrounding dense vegetation. Since anotherturnout is not needed along this stretch of high-way, it should be blocked from vehicular accessand revegetation should be encouraged. Partic-ular attention should be given to establishingvegetation (tall trees and shrubs) on the stripof land between the two alignments to screen thevacated segment-

M-3 Construction Staging Area and Scales: This siteappears to have been temporarily established forroad construction activity. Regrading andrevegetation should be anticipated for the timewhen the site Is no longer In use. This wouldhelp blend the gravel surfaced clearing in withthe existing low shrub vegetation at the roadsidenear the airfield clearing.

Impact Mitigation (M)The following sites require management attentionto mitigate their negative visual impacts:

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H-l Road Intersection: The large clearing at thisroad Intersection Is out of character with the

. surrounding landscape and appears much largerthan necessary. Natural revegetation at theedges of the site should be encouraged to reduceits visual impact. Introduction of floweringplants, such as lupine, vetch and fireweed would

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