Chapter 1 - Introduction

1 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT Chapter 1 - Introduction September 2018 1 chapter 1 - Introduction 1 2 3 Regional Characteristics and Planning Area Overview 4 5 Located on the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska, Kachemak Bay 6 extends 40 miles easterly along the base of the Kenai Mountains on the east side of Lower 7 Cook Inlet. The uplands on the north side of the bay are characterized by rolling forested 8 hills sloping down to the bay. In contrast, the snowcapped Kenai Mountains, rise 9 dramatically on the south side of the bay, to heights of over 5,000 feet.

2 Heavily forested 10 forelands, steep rocky slopes, and glacially scoured fjords continue uninterrupted as 11 Kachemak Bay merges into lower Cook Inlet and onto the rugged outer coast on the Gulf of 12 Alaska. 13 14 On May 9, 1970, the Legislature approved 105,387 acres as Kachemak Bay State Park 15 (KBSP). The Legislature set aside these lands as special purpose to protect and preserve .. 16 [its] unique and exceptional scenic nature. Two years later, the Legislature added nearly 17 200,000 acres of remote and rugged land and waters adjacent to KBSP to the state park 18 system through creation of the Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park (KBSWP).

3 Today, 19 augmented by several legislative additions, these two park units encompass about 371,000 20 acres (see Map 1 - Boundaries on page 3 of this Chapter and Appendix B Enabling 21 Legislation). 22 23 Located also within the boundaries of the KBSP and the KBSWP are 201 privately owned 24 parcels totaling approximately 845 acres of land. Another 189 acres (7 parcels) are owned by 25 the University of Alaska, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Seldovia Native Association, and (Bureau 26 of Land Management (BLM). While these private and agency owned lands are within the 27 planning area, the plan policies and recommendations do not apply to them.)

4 28 29 30 Plan Scope and Purpose 31 32 Management responsibility for the park units is assigned to the Department of Natural 33 Resources (DNR), Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR) for the purposes of 34 control, development and maintenance. The purpose of this management plan is to provide 35 management direction that facilitates recreational use opportunities while conserving the 36 natural and cultural resources through a set of policies and recommendations that guide 37 permitting activities, uses, facilities, and trail development on all the state owned and 38 managed land and waters within KBSP and KBSWP.

5 In addition to the above described park 39 units, the Management Plan (the plan) for the Kachemak Bay State Park and Kachemak Bay 40 State Wilderness Park addresses several small administratively designated park system units 41 Chapter 1 - Introduction PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 2 September 2018 located on the north side of Kachemak Bay.

6 These State Recreation Sites (SRS) include the 1 Eveline SRS, Diamond Creek SRS, Overlook Park SRS, and two relatively small State-2 owned parcels directly adjacent to the KBSP (see Map 2 - General Land Ownership on page 3 5 of this Chapter ). The term park units used in this plan refers to all the lands within 4 KBSP, KBSWP, and the smaller park units and recreation areas. 5 6 Management issues or opportunities to be addressed in the park units are identified and 7 facility and management recommendations are provided. This plan provides a framework for 8 management and permitting decisions made by DPOR staff.

7 The plan is intended to be a 9 twenty-year document; therefore, it should be periodically reviewed to determine the 10 effectiveness of management recommendations and adapted to reflect changing use 11 characteristics and new issues that affect resources, management, and public use of the park 12 units. 13 14 15 Reason for Revision 16 17 Plans are more than a tool to address issues the planning process allows DPOR to reassess 18 its management policies to determine if they are meeting the needs of the recreating public 19 while ensuring that uses and activities are not significantly impacting the natural and cultural 20 resources.

8 This plan, therefore, addresses several significant issues that have arisen since the 21 last management plan. The primary reason for revising the management plan is to update the 22 management guidelines and trail and facility recommendations where necessary to support an 23 increasing number of visitors to the park units and to provide diverse recreational 24 opportunities consistent with the mission of the agency and the purposes of the units. 25 26 27 State Park Unit Purpose and Definition 28 29 Kachemak Bay State Park and Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park were created via 30 legislation in the early 1970s.

9 The founding statute for KBSP provides that it was created to 31 ..protect and preserve this land and water for its unique and exceptional scenic value, the 32 park is established and shall be managed as a scenic park. (Alaska Statute (AS) ) 33 A scenic park is defined in statute as: 34 35 ..relatively spacious areas of outstanding natural significance, where major values 36 are in their natural geological, faunal, or floral characteristics, the purpose of which is 37 directed primarily toward the preservation of its outstanding natural features and 38 where development is minimal and only for the purpose of making the areas available 39 for public enjoyment in a manner consistent with the preservation of the natural 40 values such as camping, picnicking, sightseeing, nature study, hiking, riding.

10 And 41 related activities which involve no major modification of the land, forests, or waters, 42 43 S011S011WS008S011WS011S013WS011S014WS011 S012WS011S010WS007S011WS010S011WS006S011 WS009S011WS005S011WS011S015WS008S016WS00 8S012WS008S014WS008S013WS008S010WS008S00 9WS007S012WS007S016WS007S013WS007S014WS0 07S009WS007S010WS010S015WS010S014WS010S0 13WS010S012WS006S012WS010S010WS010S009WS 006S013WS006S014WS006S016WS006S008WS006S 010WS006S009WS008S015WS009S014WS009S015W S009S012WS009S013WS009S010WS009S009WS005 S012WS005S016WS005S014WS005S013WS005S010 WS005S008WS005S009WS007S015WS010S016WS00 6S015WS009S016WS005S015WS007S008WS011S01 6WS008S008WS009S008WS010S008WS004S016WS0 04S015WS004S014WS004S013WS004S012WS004S0 11WS004S010WS004S009WS004S008WS012S011WS 012S013WS005S007WS004S007WS006S007WS012S 014WS012S015 WKachemak Bay State Park & State Wilderness ParkMap 1:General BoundariesState Park (AS )State W ilderness Park (AS )State Park Managed AreasState Critical Habitat AreaRoads BayState ParkKachemak BayState ParkKachemak BayState Wilderness ParkKenai NationalWildlife RefugeKachemak BayState ParkGulf ofAlaskaThe State of Alaska m akes no expressed or im plied warranties(including warranties of m erchantability and fitness) with respectto the character, function, or capabilities of this product or itsappropriateness for any user s purposes.