The Juneau Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Monday in support of keeping Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area federally owned. It also urges the U.S. Forest Service to rehire recently fired workers there.
City officials said earlier this month that Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski specifically requested the resolution after hearing that private entities were interested in taking it over.
Kelby Randall, a glacier guide and student at the University of Alaska Southeast, testified in support of the resolution at the meeting. Randall referenced the photo of the Mendenhall Glacier that adorns the wall of the Assembly chambers.
“When considering a non-public glacier recreation area, I feel the weight of the mural behind you. It is more than just the landscape. It is a defining feature of the land and the people who reside on and around it,” Randall said. “For these reasons, I support this resolution.”
The Mendenhall Glacier is one of Alaska’s most-visited tourist attractions, with more than 1 million visitors last year. It’s managed by the U.S. Forest Service and co-stewarded with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
Assembly member Christine Woll asked to amend some of the language in the proposed resolution to better acknowledge the tribe’s role with the Forest Service.
The Assembly’s resolution comes as some congressional Republicans in other states consider selling off federal lands to pay for President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda. Earlier this month, U.S. House Republicans approved an amendment authorizing the sale of federal public land in Nevada and Utah.
Randall, while testifying, pointed the Assembly to the Matanuska Glacier northeast of Anchorage. While the glacier itself is public, most visitors can only reach it through private land or tours.
“Private stewardship would put this area at the same risk that has been seen at the Matanuska,” they said. “It would paywall this uniquely accessible glacier, and hearing that it was even an option, shocked and appalled me.”
The Trump Administration’s mass federal firings caused the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center to lose most of its staff. Forest Service staff from other departments are maintaining summer operations, along with partner organizations. The Assembly approved a separate ordinance at the same meeting to set aside $200,000 to support staffing at the glacier if needed.
