Aleutians West Project Overview

Project Title: Coastal Management Plan Update
Client: Aleutians West Coastal Resource Service Area
Project Manager: Gabrielle LaRoche, LaRoche+Associates
Goal: Strive to retain a local voice in state and federal permitting decisions that affect coastal resources.
Objective: Amend the coastal management plan to conform to new state mandates.

Background
The Aleutians West CRSA Coastal Management Plan (AWCRSACMP) was adopted by the CRSA Board in 1991. The Program allows the CRSA to provide local input and guidance to State and federal agencies involved in developing projects, issuing permits or managing land and coastal resources. Coastal management applies to lands under 1,000 feet in elevation, and waters seaward to the three mile limit. AWCRSACMP enforceable policies are applied to projects requiring state and/or federal permits.

In the fall of 1999, the AWCRSA undertook a scoping process to consider updates to the plan. Revisions to the Resource Inventory Atlas and The Resource Inventory and Analysis were initiated in the fall of 2000, with community meetings in Atka, Nikolski, and Unalaska. Revision work continued throughout 2001, 2002, and the spring of 2003. The AWCRSA Board met on a regular basis throughout the coastal management plan revision process. In addition, the Board held numerous teleconference work sessions to review the draft updated sections of the plan in detail. Additional community meetings were held during the development of the draft. The Public Hearing Draft was produced in August 2002, and formal comments solicited. The Revised Public Hearing Draft was produced in May of 2003, along with a response to all comments. Final edits to the Revised PHD were made in July 2003, and the plan was accepted by a resolution of the AWCRSA Board. Further review, revisions, and State of Alaska approval were stalled due to changes to the Alaska Coastal Management Program in 2003 and pending regulation changes.

What has changed?
The Alaska Coastal Management has recently changed in ways that require significant changes in district plans like the AWCRSACMP. For example, districts may no longer write policies about air, land or water quality issues, as these are regulated by the Dept. of Environmental Conservation. Although mining is a development activity that may be subject to the ACMP and reviewed for consistency, districts may no longer write policies about mining activities, except for sand and gravel. Timber harvest has long been off limits, but now the proscription is more firm.

In addition, in order to have policies for many types of uses and resources, the CRSA must first designate specific areas for these uses and resources. It is no longer legal for a district plan to have enforceable policies about coastal resources that can be applied on a case-by-case basis, anywhere within the coastal district. These resources, or these areas where a use occurs, must be described or mapped at a scale sufficient to determine whether a proposed project is located within the area and then justified by scientific studies or documentation of local usage. This new state requirement applies to recreation, subsistence, natural hazards, tourism, major energy facilities, habitats, commercial fishing and seafood processing, and historical areas.

What must be done?
These major changes at the state level require major changes at the community level. The original timeline was unworkably short. As such the legislature granted an extension May, 2005. The CRSA must now submit its Final Draft Plan Amendment by March 1, 2006.

The Aleutians West CRSA with the help of LaRoche+Associates completed the required plan evaluation and policy analysis in July, 2004. LaRoche+Associates was hired in September to assist in meeting the new state mandates. The enforceable policies were revised to conform to the new requirements in September. Agency consultation was conducted in September and October. A Public Review Draft Plan was released March 3, 2005. The CRSA submitted its Final Draft Plan Amendment on November 21, 2005. Refer to the project schedule and resources web pages for updates as they are
available.