Exit Glacier Area Trails

Kurtz, Deborah

In 2006 Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ) implemented trail improvement work that was detailed in the 2006 “Improvement to Trails and Overlook Areas in the Exit Glacier Area Environmental Assessment” (NPS 2006a). As of the end of the 2008 season, all work outlined in this document is nearing completion. In accordance with the environmental assessment (EA), the KEFJ Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT) is carefully monitoring progress of the project for impacts and changes to exotic plant infestations along the trails. The 2006 FONSI (“Finding of No Significant Impact”) report states, “Park exotic plant personnel will pay particular attention to the project areas during routine survey efforts for at least three years following completion of the projects to ensure that any weeds inadvertently transported to the site are promptly detected and treated. Since trucks will be driven up the paved trail and to/from the off-site brush disposal site, intensive survey attention will be paid to areas along the paved trail. (NPS 2006b)” The report also mentions the importance of monitoring the trails for exotic plants: “With the addition of new trails and overlooks, exotic plants may find avenues for invasion of new areas (NPS 2006b) and gives direction for surveying the area: “Efforts will be utilized to control exotic species. The park’s exotic plants inventory and monitoring program currently surveys all trails and developed areas in the park for the purpose of early detection and rapid removal of non-native invasive plant species; this survey effort will continue under the selected alternative.” This is the final report summarizing survey and control efforts during the 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons. Monitoring will continue into 2011 since the Harding Icefield Trail portion of the project was not completed until 2008.