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Table of Land Ownership in Alaska
FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND PLANNING:
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS)
__________________
STATE PUBLIC LAND PLANNING:
Alaska Dept. of
Natural Resources (DNR)
Division of
Forestry (DOF)
Division of
Mining, Land & Water (DMLW)
Division of
Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR)
Alaska Dept of Fish
and Game (ADFG)
Habitat
Division
Office of the
Governor
Coastal
Management Program (CMP)
Alaska
Public Lands Information Center
Planning Alaska's
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DIVISION OF GOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION: ALASKA COASTAL |
HISTORY
Congress passed the federal Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972. With this act it intended to create a "partnership between, state, and local governments in the planning and management of coastal resources." Each of the thirty-five states with coastal waters was encouraged to develop a Coastal Management Program (CMP). To gain state support, Congress incorporated several incentives in the act, including federal assistance in planning, federal aid in coastal land acquisition, and a consistency provision that provided states with a measure of control over federal agency actions once the state CMP was approved.
The Alaska Legislature passed the Alaska Coastal Management Act, establishing the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP), in 1977. Since then the state has been actively involved in coastal planning under the direction of the Alaska Coastal Policy Council, comprised of the commissioners of five state departments, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and nine elected officials from the coastal area (for a current list of members see: http://www.gov.state.ak.us /dgc/Contacts/cpclist.html). The Council has adopted standards for development in the coastal area and approves district programs before they are forwarded for federal review.
The ACMP is implemented through coastal districts, which include boroughs; unified home rule municipalities; home-rule, first class, and some second class cities; and Coastal Resource Service Areas (CRSAs). CRSAs were necessary to perform planning functions in areas where no borough was organized. There are thirty-five coastal resource districts in Alaska of which four are CRSAs, special forms of local government enabled under the 1977 act. As of 2001, thirty-three of the thirty-five coastal districts have approved coastal management programs in place. Wrangell and Petersburg are the only two districts that have yet to develop a local program.
District coastal management programs include a coastal management plan and the ACMP statewide standards. In addition, the district program can include special area plans that focus on a particular area, resource, or use issue within the coastal zone and provide possible management solutions. There are four types of special area plans:
Special Area Management Plan; and
Sensitive Area Policies within a district plan.
By offering four types of plans, the ACMP provides flexibility to use the type of special area plan that best meets the needs of a particular area. There are currently thirty-three approved special area plans of which thirty are AMSAs. Nine of the thirty-three special area plans are extraterritorial AMSAs, all located in Southeast Alaska.
Although the original incentive began with the federal CZMA of 1972, the Alaska Coastal Management Act of 1977 is the primary authority for state and coastal district activities. Under the direction of the Coastal Policy Council, the ACMP has developed statewide regulatory Standards (6 AAC 80) that govern resource development activities in Alaska's coastal zone. The Council also established regulatory Guidelines (6AAC 85) that establish content and process requirements for developing district coastal management programs. In the mid 1980's regulations for a coordinated consistency review process were developed (6 AAC 50) to clarify the process used to determine a project's consistency with the statewide Standards and coastal district plans.
District plans pass through a local, state and federal review. At the local level the plan must be approved by coastal cities and the borough in that district. At the state level the plan must be approved by the Coastal Policy Council. The plan is finally forwarded to the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management for federal approval.
The plan, to be approved, must be consistent with both state and federal standards. These standards address the following: coastal development; recreation; energy facilities; transportation and utilities; fish and seafood processing; timber harvest and processing; mining and mineral processing; subsistence; coastal habitats; air, land, and water quality; and, historic, prehistoric, and archaeological resources.
The significant amendment process was developed in the late 1980's to provide guidance to coastal districts as they wrote or revised their local coastal management plans. In the mid-1990's, participants in the ACMP identified the lack of a process for making minor changes to a district plan as a significant barrier to keeping plans current. As a result, state regulations were changed in 1999 to create a process for making minor changes to existing district plans. The major amendment regulations are found at 6 AAC 85.121 and the minor amendment regulations are found at 6 AAC 85.160. The significant and minor amendment processes are described in detail in a publication titled, "Guidebook 2: Preparing a District Coastal Management Program." This publication can be requested from the Division of Governmental Coordination.
There are ten steps to the significant amendment planning process which is used only when a district wants to write a plan or make substantial changes to an existing plan.
Step 2. Preparing a Public Hearing Draft
Step 3. Circulating a Public Hearing Draft for Review
Step 4. Revising a Public Hearing Draft
Step 5. Achieving concept approval
Step 6. Reviewing and commenting on the Concept Approved Draft
Step 7. Obtaining approval from the Alaska Coastal Policy Council
Step 8. Earning federal concurrence
Step 9. Adopting the final plan and
Step 10. Reaching the effective date
When a district wants to make a change to an existing plan that does not make a significant difference in how the plan is implemented by the district or by government agencies, a minor amendment process is initiated. There are six steps to the minor amendment process:
Step 2. DGC analyzes the request and prepares a recommendation to the Coastal Policy Council (30 day time limit);
Step 3. The Council considers the request and the recommendation and renders a decision;
Step 4. The federal Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management considers the request;
Step 5. The district approves the request in its final form; and
Step 6. The Council's Order of Approval is filed with the Lieutenant Governor.
Public participation occurs at numerous points and in several different ways. Methods of participation include surveys, public meetings and hearings, workshops, media announcements, and citizen advisory and technical committee evaluations.
A typical plan, such as that for the North Slope Borough, contains sections titled: coastal area boundary, goals and policies, natural resources, human resources, special areas, coastal management program, and implementation.
The primary form of implementation for municipalities is through zoning and platting, AS Title 29. Other ways to implement the program include the timing and location of capital improvements; land acquisition, sales, or trades; transportation planning; annexation; easements and other less than fee simple rights; eminent domain; and local review of state and federal permitting actions, among others. The primary form of implementation for CRSAs is through participation in the state consistency review process.
A primary benefit of a completed plan is the consistency review. This affects all development proposals in or affecting the coastal zone including those initiated by local, state, and federal agencies. All projects proposed in the coastal zone or that can be shown to affect coastal resources (even if they are located outside the coastal zone) must comply with the standards of the ACMP and with the enforceable policies of approved district coastal management plans. A few districts have designated "permit notification areas" outside their district coastal zone boundaries so they can determine whether their coastal management program would apply to a particular project.
Alaska Coastal Program Site: http://www.alaskacoast.state.ak.us
For information about the Alaska Coastal Management Program contact:
Division of Governmental Coordination
PO Box 110030
Juneau, AK 99811-0030
Phone: (907) 465-3562
Fax: (907) 465-3075
sydney_mitchell@gov.state.ak.us
You can find a web page for each coastal district with plan names and effective dates, coastal district boundary maps, pdf and Word files of the enforceable policies, local contact information, community links, and other useful information at http://www.gov.state.ak.us/dgc/Explore/Tour.html
All coastal management plans, including special area plans, are available from the coastal coordinators of the appropriate coastal district, the Division of Governmental Coordination, the Department of Community and Economic Development, or the Alaska State Library. The enforceable policies, boundary maps, and enforceable policy maps for all of these plans are included in the three-volume series: Alaska Coastal Management Program Enforceable Policies & Standards. Alaska Office of the Governor, Division of Governmental Coordination. September 1997, as revised.
Note: for more information on city planning and city governments, click here.
Aleutians West CRSA--Effective 8/30/91
Anchorage, Municipality of--Effective 6/22/81
Angoon, City of--Effective 5/25/90
Bering Straits CRSA--Effective 12/22/89
Bethel, City of--Effective 1/3/84
Bristol Bay Borough--Effective 1/3/84
Bristol Bay CRSA--Effective 2/17/87
Cenaliulriit (Yukon-Kuskokwim) CRSA--Effective 9/24/99
Cordova, City of--Effective 11/24/86
Craig, City of--Effective 5/31/85
Haines, City of--Effective 7/22/93
Hoonah, City of--Effective 3/21/97
Hydaburg, City of--Effective 5/21/84
Juneau, City and Borough of--Effective 10/12/92
Kake, City of--Effective 5/31/85
Kenai Peninsula Borough--Effective 6/30/90
Ketchikan Gateway Borough--Effective 5/1/84
Klawock, City of--Effective 5/31/85
Kodiak Island Borough--Effective 3/15/84
Lake and Peninsula Borough (formerly part of Bristol Bay CRSA)--Effective 10/31/96
Matanuska-Susitna Borough--Effective 2/15/84
Northwest Arctic Borough (previously NANA CRSA)--Effective 1/7/98
Nome, City of--Effective 3/15/84
North Slope Borough--Effective 5/6/88
Pelican, City of--Effective 1/10/94
Petersburg, City of--Comments on projects using statewide Standards, has not developed a local coastal management program.
St. Paul, City of--Effective 4/14/00.
Sitka, City and Borough of--Effective 6/10/97
Skagway, City of--Effective 3/23/90
Thorne Bay, Prince of Wales Island--Effective 8/24/98
Valdez, City of--Effective 2/4/87
Whittier--Effective 2/4/87
Wrangell, City of--Inactive.
Yakutat, City of--Effective 2/24/82
Acronyms used below are as follows: Areas Meriting Special Attention (AMSA) and Special Area Management Plans (SAMP) both described above; Extra-territorial (ET) meaning the area is outside of the coastal district boundary.
Note: for more information on city planning and city governments, click here.
Chaik-Whitewater Bay AMSA, 1992. ET AMSA
Hood Bay AMSA, 1992. ET AMSA
Mitchell Bay AMSA, 1992. ET AMSA
City of Haines
Port Chilkoot/Portage Cove AMSA, 1980. AMSA
City of Hydaburg
Hetta Cove/Eek Inlet AMSA, 1983. ET AMSA.
Hydaburg River/Tidelands AMSA, 1983. AMSA and ET AMSA
Jackson Island AMSA, 1983. ET AMSA
McFarland Islands/Dunbar Inlet AMSA, 1983. ET AMSA
Meares Passage-Arena Cove AMSA, 1983. ET AMSA
Saltery Point-Crab Trap Cove AMSA, 1983. ET AMSA
City and Borough of Juneau
Downtown Waterfront AMSA, 1992. AMSA.
Juneau Wetlands Management Plan, 1993. SAMP
City and Borough of Sitka
Sitka Public Use Management Plan, 1993, 1997. SAMP
Swan Lake AMSA, 1989. AMSA
City of Skagway
Port of Skagway AMSA, 1991. AMSA.
Pullen Creek AMSA, 1990. AMSA
Skagway River AMSA. 1991. AMSA
Yakutania Point AMSA, 1990. AMSA
Municipality of Anchorage
Anchorage Wetlands Management Plan, 1996. SAMP
Andesite Dike at Potters Marsh on Old Seward Highway,
1987 AMSA
Bird Creek Regional Park, 1987. AMSA
Eagle River Valley Lowlands, 1987. AMSA
Fish Creek Estuary, 1987. AMSA.
Old Girdwood Townsite South of Seward Highway, 1987.
AMSA
Point Campbell Dunes and Delta, 1987. AMSA
Point Campbell-Point Woronzof Coastal Wetlands, 1987.
AMSA
Point Woronzof Bluffs, 1987. AMSA
Port of Anchorage Area, 1987. AMSA
Seward Highway/Turnagain Arm Scenic Corridor, 1987. AMSA
City of Cordova
Eyak Lake AMSA, 1986. AMSA
Kenai Peninsula Borough
Port Graham/Nanwalek AMSA, 1992. AMSA
Lake and Peninsula Borough
Nushagak/Mulchatna Rivers Recreation Management Plan,
1992. AMSA and DNR Area Plan
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Point MacKenzie AMSA, 1993. AMSA
