BLM Introduces Gulkana River Education Portal in summer, 2009

Visitors to the Paxson Lake Campground and Gulkana National Wild River will find a new log cabin adjacent to the boat launch this summer.  The cabin will serve as an education and information portal and will be staffed by Bureau of Land Management volunteers.   Maps and brochures, such as the Gulkana River Floater’s Guide, as well as interpretive panels and other information, will be available to assist floaters on their river trip.  Portable toilets will be available for check out to those who do not have one.  The toilets can then be returned to the BLM at the Sourdough Creek Campground at the end of a river trip.  Monitoring efforts over the past few summers have shown that the levels of human waste and litter within the river corridor are exceeding the limits that were specified in the revised plan.  It is hoped that increased educational efforts as a result of the new river portal will help to convince river users that the use of portable toilets and other Leave No Trace river ethics will help to avoid additional management actions and stricter measures that are necessary to achieve  the goals and objectives identified in the revised river management plan.  Contact:  Marnie Graham, Public Affairs Specialist, BLM, Marnie_Graham@ak.blm.gov, (907)822-3217.