A map shows the state land that the Department of Natural Resources is proposing to sell, near Dog Point north of Sitka. (KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)
The Department of Natural Resources is proposing a sale of state land at Nakwasina Sound, about eight miles north of Sitka.
The period for public comment on the proposal ends at 5pm, Thursday, March 20th.
The Assembly on Tuesday night (3-11-14) heard a brief presentation from DNR resource manager Tim Shilling describing the proposed sale, which includes 485 acres of land on the west side of Lisianski Peninsula, near Dog Point. The land is off Sitka’s road system, about three miles north of the Starrigavan ferry terminal by water.
Assembly member Ben Miyasato asked Shilling what kind of public response the plan had received.
“Has there been any opposition to the 485-acre [sale] and does it affect anyone in that area?” Miyasato asked.
“We did hold a public open house yesterday evening, and we had thirteen in attendance. There was not any objection raised at that time, nor have we received any public comment, as of yet,” Shilling said.
The proposed land for sale wraps around 160 acres owned by Sitka’s Littlefield family. The family first staked it two generations ago, under the Alaska Native Allotment Act. For years they have run the Dog Point fish camp for kids on the property each summer.
Reached by phone, John Littlefield told KCAW that he has concerns about the plan, and will submit comment to the DNR this week. H said he wants to make sure that subsistence and historic sites on the peninsula are protected and that areas are set aside for public recreational use. Littlefield also noted that the proposal calls for dividing the land into no more than 50 parcels. He would like to see smaller parcels, he said, so that individuals can afford to purchase the land, rather than larger developers.
You can submit public comment by faxing your written comment to the Department of Natural Resources at 907-451-2751, or via email at landsales@alaska.gov.
You can find the public notice of the proposed sale here and the preliminary decision here.
