While one part of the news was certainly somber at the informal end-of-year Outfitter Guide Meeting at the Wrangell Ranger District, the tone was light-hearted.
First, the somber news. The Wrangell Ranger District faces a 30 percent cut to its recreation budget in preliminary figures. Ranger Bob Dalrymple cautioned that if that number were to hold – although he’s seen budget cuts fail to materialize in the past – the Anan Bear Observatory could be shuttered. The observatory is a marquee attraction for tourism in Wrangell, and drew 2,873 visitors last year, according to figures provided by the Forest Service.
“If these cuts come into being, I don’t have any money to do anything on the ground next year,” he said.
Without Forest Service staff to supervise human-bear interaction, the observatory might have to close over safety concerns, Dalrymple said.
“We don’t want to go back to the bad old days of people messing with bears and bears messing with people,” he said.
Two factors have made Wrangell’s situation particularly difficult, Dalrymple told a collection of tour guides and boat operators.
“The pie is shrinking, but it’s also how that pie is divided up,” he said. “There are two things we need to look at.”
The forest unit has made inroads with contributions from the local community, said Bob Lippert, who supervises facilities work for the district. The Stikine Sportsmen adopted the Middle Ridge Cabin, the Jet Boat Association have adopted another cabin, and the local Boy Scouts have adopted the Twin Lakes cabin.
“A couple of local people are interested in adopting a couple of the other cabins, particularly a couple of the fly-in cabins,” he said.
Officials would look to adopt out or eliminate fly-in cabins first, since they have the highest maintenance costs because of their locations, Dalrymple said.
“We have to get these cabins under a new management system or we’re going to lose them,” he said.
At one point, the push for adoption even moved one meeting attendee to suggest sponsoring the observatory’s bears.
“We could have sponsor-a-bear,” quipped Brenda Schwartz-Yeager.
The end-of-season meeting also listed improvements or accomplishments the district has accomplished over the year, including installing new trailhead signs at the observatory, cutting improved access to the trailhead through the rocks, and replacing camouflage netting on the stairway leading to the photo blind. Workers also improved and adopted the Burnett Inlet Portage Trail, and improved the Yunshookuh shelter and surrounding camp sight. They also worked to improve the camp site at Long Lake.
Lippert singled out efforts at trail improvement made by the Wrangell Cooperative Association for particular praise.
“They have been tremendous,” he said.
The Binkley Slough cabin will also be cut, because it’s no longer accessible and draws no visitors every year, Dalrymple said.
“There’s no legal use of it that we’re aware of,” he said.
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