Alaska Mental Health Trust considers $500 land-use fee for snowmachiners and ATV riders

JUNEAU — The agency that funds Alaska’s mental health treatment programs is considering a $500 per-year fee for using a snowmachine or ATV on its vast tracts of state land.

In a public notice filed last month, the Alaska Mental Health Trust announced plans for a new permit program that would require Alaskans to pay before using trust lands. The trust owns nearly 1 million acres of land statewide, including extensive tracts in the Matanuska Valley, along the Chuitna River, and near Point MacKenzie.

According to information provided by the trust, the new permits are intended to help the organization raise additional revenue and compensate for damage done by those who use the land.

By email, chief communications officer Allison Biastock said the trust does not have figures on how many Alaskans use trust-owned land, but “there is consistent interest in using trust land non-commercially for recreation, firewood harvest, ATV and snowmobile use, and trapping. Also, during field inspections, trust land managers consistently see where new use has occurred on trust land without authorization.”

Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2019/06/18/alaska-mental-health-trust-considers-500-land-use-fee-for-snowmachining/
(Anchorage Daily News)