The Recreation and Trails Plan (Working Draft) is available for DOWNLOAD.

Comments can be sent to: cvesdplans@chickaloon.org

All comments are due by November 9, 2012.

Project Goal:

To enhance social and economic development and community stewardship through area trails and recreation planning and management.

Results or Benefits:

Development of a Recreation and Trails Planning, Design, Development, and Management Guidelines Manual for the Matanuska Watershed.

Improved collaboration between groups that are interested in the Matanuska Watershed recreation areas and trails.

Greater capacity to manage recreation and trail infrastructure.

Expanded community partnerships.

Understanding of all current recreation areas and trails within the Matanuska Watershed to include their existing conditions and land owners involved.

Conditional assessment of the trails and recreation sites.

Increased understanding of planning and building sustainable and durable trails that will require low maintenance.

Increased Tribal and community stewardship of existing recreation areas and trails.

Increased volunteerism through implenting a recreation and trail sustainable maintenance plan based on community priorities and identified user groups.

Increased knowledge about the numbers of recreation visitors to the area.

Key Development Steps:

Collect recreation area and trails data from existing land planning documents and other sources for the Matanuska Watershed.

Produce a written document compiling all the existing recreation area and trails planning and management information of the Matanuska Watershed.

Gather, inventory, map, and evaluate existing recreation area and trail use patterns.

Gather information on existing dedicated trails in the watershed and trails that have been identified and are currently under state review for dedication. Document status of state review as applicable.

Gather existing trail assessment data and determine missing data based on current conditions and use patterns, recreation and trail management objectives (TMO’s), and document sustainable improvement recommendations.

Facilitate key stakeholders meetings to create a vision for the Matanuska Watershed Recreation and Trails Plan that will maximize opportunities for all user groups while incorporating a maintenance and sustainable operations strategy.

Facilitate public outreach meetings with user groups to identify existing recreation areas and trails, solicit ideas for future developments and improvements, and document concerns, recommendations and potential opportunities for the Matanuska Watershed Recreation and Trails Plan.

Gather and compile public input to maximize opportunities for all user groups while incorporating a maintenance and sustainable operations strategy.

Gather publlic input to prioritize trails that have been nominated and identify new trails to nominate, to fill existing gaps.

Identify land managers/land owners of the recreation areas and trails while incorporating into a seamless all-inclusive document.

Final Matanuska Watershed Recreation and Trails Plan will include:

A supplemental recreation and trail guide insert with legal and recommended Matanuska Watershed recreation areas and trails.

A framework for planning sustainable, durable, low maintenance trails.

Principles of designing quality recreation trails.

Existing trail classifications and general characteristics.

A complete trail action plan for at least one trail that will be a model example for future action plans (TMOs and TRACS).

A prioritized list of improvements and sustainable maintenance recommendations for the recreation areas and trails within the Matanuska Watershed.