Fairbanks, AK - The State Department of Natural Resources hosts a meeting in Fairbanks Tuesday to present a draft of the proposed Eastern Tanana Area Plan. When completed the plan will outline management of state land and water on roughly 6.8 million acres throughout the Tanana River Valley and surrounding uplands. Some of that includes property within the Fairbanks North Star Borough north of the Tanana River. Brandon McCutcheon is a state Land Use Planner. "The Eastern Tanana Area Plan is revising the eastern portion of the larger Tanana Basin Area Plan that was adopted back in 1985 and updated in 1991.”
McCutcheon says the old plan is outdated because land ownership has changed. The state has hosted a series of meetings in last month in communities across the region.
“In Delta Junction we had some discussion on agricultural land identified in the plan," he says. "In other communities like in Northway Village, we heard some concern over another settlement area that maybe in an area where individuals have hunted in the past and developed trails in the area.”
The new plan identifies close to 340,000 acres that could be sold through the Department of Natural Resources of the Division of Agriculture. As well, it identifies 4.7 million acres with potential for habitat and public recreation development. According to the state, mineral resources or existing mineral developments occur on just over a million acres of land within the Eastern Tanana Area.
The public can submit comments on the draft plan through November 14th. A meeting takes place at Ryan Middle School Tuesday from 6:30 to 8.