Congressional bill establishes Kenai Mountain and Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area
By Jim Richardson and Mona Painter
Special to the Turnagain Times
In 1997, Jackie Sewell, Janet McCabe, Mona Painter and other members of the Kenai Peninsula Historical Association (KPHA) talked about the National Heritage Area Program in the eastern United States in relation to local historical sites, such as Alaska Nellie's place on Kenai Lake. Jim Richardson congratulated the group on their presentation at a 1998 KPHA meeting in Seward and was quickly appointed chair of a committee to study the possibility of a peninsula National Heritage Area.
Six means of historic transportation became the focus of the committee, which formed the non-profit Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm Corridor Communities Association (KMTACCA). The six: 1. Native Americans came from the Copper River to trade copper nuggets with Natives of this area, and others came up the Kenai River to hunt, fish, and to seasonal settlements. 2. Captain Cook's exploratory ship “turned again” near Indian. 3. Gold discoveries near Hope caused a miners' rush before the Klondike. Miners came by boat up Turnagain Arm in the summer and used Native trails in the winter. 4. The Iditarod Trail from the open water port of Seward inland to the gold mines in Iditarod was established. 5. A means to get to Fairbanks led to the construction of the Alaska Railroad. 6. The final means of transportation was the construction of the Seward Highway linking Seward to Anchorage in October 1951.
A map defined the area. Starting in Seward and taking in Moose Pass, Cooper Landing, Hope, Indian, Girdwood, Whittier and the area between the communities to make a rectangular shaped block.
KMTACCA presented their project at many meetings in the mapped area, and beyond, and received resolutions of support for the proposed heritage area from 25 different groups. Jim Richardson and others testified in Washington D.C. KMTANHA passed the U.S. Senate twice, but not the House.
Last year it was bundled with 48 other bills and passed both Senate and the House. President Obama signed the bill March 30, 2009. It can be found on the Internet under Public Law 111-11- Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, Provisions Related to the National Park Service, Sec. 8010 Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, Alaska.
While KMTACCA was working on the bill, an earmark from congress for $350,000 was received for funding museum work, historic parks, preservation studies, interviews of long-time residents, and the book describing the area, “Trails Across Time,” by Kaylene Johnson. These funds were divided between all of the communities, with the exception of Whittier, which was not involved at the time.
Under terms of the law, KMTACCA, working with the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, must develop a detailed plan that is expected to take up to three years to complete. Input from all of the communities and interested groups is needed. It is important to remember that there is no impact on private, borough, state, or federal properties.
When the plan is approved, KMTACCA will be eligible for funds to work with all interested parties to cooperatively preserve historic areas, and to provide information about them to the public. Communities are encouraged now to identify historic places, peoples, and happenings. KMTACCA meetings are advertised in the Anchorage Daily News, Turnagain Times, and the Seward Phoenix Log. All interested are invited to attend.
Keith Tryck represents Girdwood and Sue Cogswell is the Whittier representative on the KMTACCA board. The email address for the board is: KMTANHA@gmail.com.
