management unit 14: stony river - alaska...

MANAGEMENT UNIT 14: STONY RIVER

BackgroundLocation and Land Ownership. This unitcontains the land in the watershed of the StonyRiver from the western edge of the AlaskaRange to the Kuskokwim River. Most of theeastern and western thirds of the unit are stateowned, with small areas of state selections.The central region is Native-owned and Na-tive-selected land along the Stony River andaround Lime Village and Tundra Lake; theremainder is federal land. Lands on the Kus-kokwim River and the lower reaches of theStony River also are Native owned. There areabout fifty parcels of private land, mostly Na-tive allotments on the Stony River, at LimeVillage, or on Tundra ("6-0") or Trout Lake.Four of the parcels are federal homesites ortrade and manufacturing sites.

Resources and Land Use. The Lime Hillscut across the unit near Lime Village, andmountains up to 3,800 feet elevation ring theupper boundary. The remainder of the unit islow country. A narrow band of white spruceand hardwood forest lines the Stony and Stinkrivers, but most of the unit is covered byshrublands and vast muskegs.

Stony River Village is on the northern edge ofthe unit, at the confluence of the Stony andKuskokwim rivers. Lime Village is on theStony River in the center of the unit. Resi-dents of these communities, and to a lesser ex-tent Sleetmute, Red Devil, Crooked Creek,Chuathbaluk, and Aniak residents, use theStony River watershed for hunting, trapping,and fishing for salmon and whitefish. Sporthunting by individuals and guided parties hasincreased rapidly in recent years. Portions ofsix registered guiding areas are within the unit.There is some use of the upper Stony Riverfor recreation, primarily float trips by huntingparties. Settlement suitability and forestrypotential are very low on most state lands.Potential is limited to forested, riverfrontlands along the Stony River downstream fromLime Village, and the lower Stink River.Mineral potential is low to very low

throughout the unit, and there are no miningclaims. Materials have been extracted fromstate submerged lands at the confluence of theStony and Kuskokwim rivers in the past.

Access. The Stony and Kuskokwim Riversare navigable, and provide the main access tothis unit. In addition, a number of large lakeson state and Native lands provide plane ac-cess, and a public airstrip is maintained atLime Village.

Management Intent_______State lands in this unit will be retained inpublic ownership and managed for multipleuse with emphasis on fish and wildlife habitatand harvest, and, along the river, on timberharvesting for local use. Remote cabin per-mits will be allowed in a portion of the upperwatershed to provide opportunities forprivate recreation. Although much of the landalong the major waterways in this unit is Na-tive owned or selected, the beds of the Kus-kokwim River, the Stony River, and othernavigable waters are state owned and are sub-ject to the guidelines of this plan.

Subunit 14a - Stony River Corridor

This subunit consists of state-owned lands andstate and overlapping state and Native selec-tions along the Stony River downstream fromLime Village. Forests along the banks of theriver provide houselogs and firewood, and areimportant moose winter range. This subunitwill be retained in public ownership andmanaged for multiple use with emphasis onprotection of fish, wildlife, and forest resour-ces, and continued personal and commercialuse of these resources. Approximately 4,480acres of land adjacent to the northern edge ofthis subunit are proposed for selection be-cause of habitat and timber resources, and inorder to consolidate state land holdings in thisarea. If conveyed to the state, these lands willbe managed as part of subunit 14a.

Management Unit 14: Stony River 3-119

Subunit I4b - Tishimna Lake

Subunit 14b covers three blocks of high valuehabitat lands west of Lime Village that are notalong the main river corridor. They includethe Stink River drainage and land aroundTishimna Lake. The lake is an important sitefor local harvest of whitefish. These lands willbe retained in state ownership, and managedfor multiple use, with emphasis on fish andwildlife habitat and personal and commercialharvesting offish and wildlife resources. Onesection (640 acres) of land surrounded by thestate lands in subunit 14b is proposed forselection for its habitat resources and in orderto consolidate state land ownership in thisarea. If conveyed to the state, this section willbe managed as part of subunit 14b.

Subunit 14c - Hinterlands

The Hinterlands subunit comprises five blocksof land with low surface and subsurfaceresource values and little access. These landswill be retained in public ownership andmanaged for general multiple use. Part of thesubunit will be open to remote cabin permits.The southeastern boundary of this subunitborders Lake Clark National Park. Thepresent boundary between the park and stateland is crossed twice by the Stony River. Thegeneral management plan for the nationalpark identifies some park lands in this area assuitable for land exchange. Exchange of landin the upper Stony River area to clarify thepark boundary would be compatible with themanagement intent for this subunit.

Subunit 14d - Upper Stony

Three blocks of high value habitat -- includingmoose winter range -- between Lime Villageand the front of the Alaska Range form sub-unit 14d. Included are lands along the Stonyand lower Telaquana rivers, and Little Under-hill, Underbill, Rock, and Tunkaleshnacreeks. This portion of the river is also usedfor float trips from Lake Clark National Park.Applications are pending for two guide sitesin subunit 14d. This subunit will be retainedin public ownership and managed for multipleuse, particularly fish and wildlife habitat, per-sonal and commercial harvesting of fish and

wildlife resources, and public recreation. Thenortheastern portion of the subunit will beopen for remote cabin permits. State land inthis subunit is open to new mineral entry. Thesoutheastern boundary of this subunit bordersLake Clark National Park. The presentboundary between the park and state land iscrossed twice by the Stony River. The generalmanagement plan for the national park iden-tifies some park lands in this area as suitablefor land exchange. Exchange of land in theupper Stony River area to clarify the parkboundary would be compatible with themanagement intent for this subunit.

Management Guidelines____The complete set of areawide managementguidelines is presented in Chapter 2, Any ofthe guidelines could apply to uses within thismanagement unit. Those most likely to applyare listed below:

Fish and wildlife habitatForestryPublic and commercial recreation resourcesRemote cabins

Guidelines specific to this management unitare listed by subunit in the following sections.

General

Grazing. Grazing leases or permits generallywill not be allowed in the following areas be-cause of their importance as moose winterconcentration zones (Map 2.1). Temporarypassage of livestock is not prohibited throughthese areas to reach areas where grazing ispermitted. Grazing may be allowed in por-tions of these areas if consistent with theguideline in Chapter 2 ("Grazing on Impor-tant Habitat Lands")

0 Within 2 miles of the Stony River belowLime Village and above Salmonberry Lake.

0 West of the Stony River and north of thenorth half of T15NS.M.

0 T20N R39WS.M. sec. 15-17,19-21,29 & 30

3-120 Management Unit 14: Stony River

T16N R29W S.M. sec. 25-28 & 34-36T15N R29W S.M. sec. 1-3, 10-15, 21-28 &

32-36T14N R29W S.M. sec. 1-5, 7-18, 20-28 &

34-36T13N R29W S.M. sec. 1, 2, 12, 13,24, 25

&36T12N R29W S.M. sec. 1-3, 5-9 & 11-36

Subunit 14a and 14c - Stony RiverCorridor and Hinterlands

Agriculture Potential. Preliminary ratings inthe USDA Exploratory Soil Survey show por-tions of these subunits as having moderatepotential for agriculture but detailed informa-tion to confirm these ratings is unavailable. Inorder to protect options for long-term use ofthese lands, the Division of Agriculture shouldbe consulted prior to issuing permits or leasesfor any activities which would significantlydiminish their capability to support agricul-ture.

Subunit 14b - Tishimna Lake

Commercial Recreation Leases. TishimnaLake (known locally as Whitefish Lake) is animportant whitefish harvesting site for LimeVillage residents. There is an existing lodgenear the lake. Commercial leases for lodgeswill not be granted within one mile of Tishim-

na Lake in order to protect the traditional fishharvesting in the lake.

Subunits 14c and 14d - Hinterlands andUpper Stony

Remote Cabin Permit Areas. Parts of thesesubunits are within the Little Underhill blockof the Alaska Range remote cabin permitarea. Boundaries of the area open for remotecabin permits are shown on Map 2.2. Parts ofsubunits 11a, 11b, and 12a are also within thisblock. A total of 19 remote cabin permits willbe allowed in the Little Underhill block, witha maximum of one remote cabin permit al-lowed in any one township. A building setbackof at least fifty feet will be required from theordinary high water mark of Little Underhilland Rock creeks which are anadromousstreams.

Navigable Waters

Peregrine Falcon Nest. There is a peregrinefalcon nest along the Kuskokwim River north-east of Stony River village. The HabitatDivision of the Department of Fish and Gameshould be consulted prior to issuing permits orleases on the state-owned beds of navigablewaters in T20N R39W S.M. sections 4-8 and18 and T20N R40W S.M. sections 12-14 and23-24.


RESOURCE INFORMATION SUMMARYManagement Unit 14 - Stony River

Resource14a

Subunit14b 14c 14d

Agriculture

Energy

Fish

Forestry

Grazing

Historic/cultural

Materials

Minerals

Oil & gas

Public access

Recreation

Settlementsuitability

Wildlife

Portions with moderate Low potentialpotential; rest low to unsuitable

Portions w/moderatepotential; rest low

Low to very lowpotential

Stony R.: salmon &resident fish

High potential forlocal use

High potential

High potential

Unknown

Stink R.: salmon &resident fish; majortribs.: salmon

High potential forlocal use along StinkR.; rest unsuited

Most high potential;some moderate

Unknown

Low potential

Telaquana R.: salmon Stony & Telaquana:& resident fish

Unsuited

High potential

UnknownStony River

Low potential

salmon & resident fish;major tribs.: salmon

Unsuited

High potential

High potential along

Unknown


Within Holitnasedimentary basin


Most within Holitnasedimentary basinsedimentary basin


Blocks west of LimeVillage within Holitna


Unknown

Boat along Stony R.poss. Stink R.; planeaccess to several lakes

Low potential

High

Boat along Stony R. &plane access to narrowlakes in N block

Unknown

High along Stink R.;rest low to unsuited

A-2; moose winter range; A-2/B-1; part moosebear, caribou, waterfowl winter range; bear,

caribou, waterfowl

Access limited; poss. Boat along Stony R. insome seasons; plane toone lake

Unknown Moderate use andpotential along Stony R.

Important trails None identified None identified

Unsuited

B-2; bear, caribou,moose

None identified

Most unsuited; pocketsof low and high

A-2/B-1; moose winterrange; waterfowl alongStony R. and LittleUnderbill; bear, caribou

None identified

See glossary for definition of ratings.


LAND-USE DESIGNATION SUMMARYMANAGEMENT UNIT 14 - STONY RIVER

SUBUNIT

14aStony RiverCorridor

14bTishimnaLake

14cHinterlands

LANDOWNERSHIP

Most state;some stateselected/Nativeselected

Most state;1 sectionstate select/Native select.

State

LAND USE DESIGNATIONSPrimarySurface Uses

ForestryWildlife habitat

Wildlife habitat

General use:low resourcevalues

SecondarySurface Uses

Public recreation

ForestryPublic recreation

Remote cabins Inpart of subunit

ProhibitedSurface Usesa Subsurfaceb

Grazing OpenLand disposalsRemote cabins

Grazing In part Openof subunitLand disposalsRemote cabinsCommercial lodgeson Tishimna Lake

Land disposals OpenRemote cabins Inmost of subunit

COMMENTS

Includes proposedselections

Includes proposedselections

I4d StateUpper Stony

Public recreationWildlife habitat

ForestryRemote cabins inpart of subunit

Grazing in partof subunitLand disposalsRemote cabins inpart of subunit

Open

aOther uses such as material sales, land leases, or permits that are not specifically prohibited may beallowed. Such uses will be allowed if consistent with the management-intent statement, the managementguidelines of this unit, and the relevant management guidelines listed in Chapter 2. Grazing may be allowed inportions of closed units when consistent with the guideline in Chapter 2 (Grazing on Important Habitat Lands).

bAII areas are available for leasing for leasable minerals. Statements of whether or not the unit is open tomineral entry refer only to locatable minerals.3-124 Management Unit 14: Stony River

14: Stony River

MoPattern

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Management Unit BoundarySubunit Boundary

State Owned

State Selected

Native Owned

Native Selected

Federal

Proposed State Selections

—•— Trails on public lands

Access easements to public landANCSA 17 (b) easements& State Omnibus roads

Map shows approximate location of easementsto state land and trails across state land.Portions of trails may cross private lands.

Location Map

G.S.G.S. QuadsSleetmuteLime HillsLake ClarkTaylor Mts.

Map Scale:1:500,000


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