The U.S. Forest Service Wrangell District will hold a meeting next week to garner public input on how Anan Wildlife Observatory is managed.
The observatory is a popular site to view bears, and currently offers 60 passes a day to visitors between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the peak viewing season of July 5 through August 25.
A major concern, however, is how difficult it may be at times for local residents or visitors of Wrangell, who have not previously signed up for a trip to Anan through a commercial guide, to get a pass to the observatory.
“We’re trying to see if there is a way to make it more consistent availability to truly private and independent/local visitors,” said Dee Galla, outdoor recreation planner for the Wrangell USFS District and the Anan program manager.
At the same time, Galla said, attention also needs to be given to those commercial guides who take visitors to Anan. Galla said the USFS has an interest to provide that availability to Anan for the commercial sector.
The USFS plans to begin a management review this year for Anan, and Galla said next week’s meeting will act as a starting point to try to understand the public’s concerns over how the observatory is run.
“We’re hoping we get some local participation, because one thing we really want to address is this issue with availability,” Galla said.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Nolan Center and will have a facilitator present.
The USFS Anan management review could possibly cause the agency to increase the number of visitors allowed to Anan each day, as well as extend the hours those visitors are welcome to the observatory, Galla said.
The Forest Service tries to conduct a management review of Anan every five years, Galla said. However, no major changes came from the last agency review, and the bear observatory continues to operate under rules implemented in 2003.
Before that management review began ten years ago, Anan was open to the public at no cost, Galla said.
“You didn’t have to worry about ‘Is there room? What is the cost?’” Galla said.
Now the USFS charges $10 for a day-pass.
If any changes to management take place after this review process, Galla said they will not take effect until 2014.
While change may still be years away, Galla said the USFS wants to take the time to understand the concerns of both the private travelers and residents as well as the commercial guides. She said the agency has heard many concerns from local people about their ability to get to Anan for a visit.
“There is the cost issue, but also the issue of getting a pass and being able to get in there when you need it,” she said.
Of the 60 passes available each day at Anan, nearly half are reserved for commercial guides.
People have said getting a pass can be a frustrating process, Galla said, and some local residents have stopped trying because passes are often taken by the commercial guides.
Those hoping to go to Anan during peak viewing months without the help of a commercial company can submit a request to the USFS for a pass at the end of February each year.
Galla said the USFS is considering starting that process earlier in the year so people can begin making plans to visit Anan sooner.
Other ideas include extending the hours people can visit Anan each day. However, the USFS needs to weigh those changes, as that could increase agency staffing at Anan and as a result, costs of paying those staff members, Galla said.
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