Juneau Ranger District Wilderness Rangers Develop Best Management Practices

Wilderness Rangers work with partners to create Best Management Practices for Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness in Alaska

By John Neary

Having no authority doesn't make us powerless in protecting the character of our Alaskan Wilderness areas. Juneau Ranger District wilderness rangers received a growing number of complaints over many years regarding noise, overcrowding, and air quality in the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. They heard from ship captains and kayakers who felt crowded on the water and concerned for the future of these once-pristine fjords.

Huge increases in the numbers of ship visits, for example, seemed contrary to the intent of the Wilderness Act to preserve opportunities for solitude. Yet most visitors to Tracy Arm don't set foot on the national forest when they arrive on the larger ships to view tidewater glaciers from their floating deck. So what can be done about issues for which the Tongass National Forest has no jurisdiction?

Throwing up our hands was the easy answer but that didn't seem to be in the public interest. Considerable public complaints kept arriving on the doorstep (kayak-step) of the only visible public management agency in the Wilderness. Crew leader Tim Lydon developed partnerships with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to monitor air quality, and with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and NOAA to study seals on icebergs, in an effort to draw interest to the changes occurring.

He worked with vessel captains to provide information aboard ships about their effect on wildlife and other wilderness values. Wilderness Program Manager Ed Grossman then proposed working with the cruise industry to develop voluntary practices that would benefit this Wilderness, similar to flight guidelines previously developed for a portion of Admiralty Island near Pack Creek.

A focused discussion began in April 2007, when Forest Service officials met with representatives of large cruise ship companies in Ketchikan to present a proposal for what became known as Wilderness Best Management Practices for Tracy Arm-Fords Terror.

The initial Forest Service proposal included the following:

* Avoid using external public address systems and unnecessary horn blasts.

* Burn the cleanest fuel at optimum engine conditions to minimize stack emissions.

* Keep away from seals on icebergs and move slowly to avoid wake disturbance.

* Schedule arrivals and destinations to avoid crowding.

At that meeting we began to understand some of the operating limitations the industry faces, while industry representatives learned of our concerns and provided feedback. They asked us to further develop guidelines for the program and to include small and mid-sized tour operators in the discussion.

In February 2008, the Forest Service hosted a much larger Seattle meeting of interested tour company representatives that also included the smaller vessel owners. This meeting was a work session, facilitated by Ed Grossman, John Neary, Tim Lydon, and Pete Griffin. Forest Service interest was in getting tour operators to agree on possible actions to help:

* Preserve quiet

* Curtail flightseeing tours

* Maintain clean air

* Protect wildlife

* Preserve solitude

The discussions were heartfelt. Those on opposite sides of issues were not only attentive and respectful, but willing to offer solutions as well. We wrote up the draft agreement and circulated it among the parties for comments. After a few tweaks, the result was a set of Wilderness Best Management Practices for vessel operations within Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. We intend to meet annually to discuss how well the parties are adhering to the principles and to fine tune the agreement.

In the beginning there was some skepticism that all the interested parties could work together, but we found that having no authority doesn't necessarily mean we are powerless to help protect the wilderness qualities the public expects when they visit Alaska.