TONY KNOWLES
Governor
P.O. Box 110001
Juneau. Alaska 99811-0001
NEWS RELEASE
—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 20, 1997
KENAI RIVER CENTER HAILED AS "REVOLUTIONARY IDEA"
Kenai Peninsula Borough to Receive National Coastal Management Award
Hailed as a "revolutionary management idea to study and conserve the world-renowned natural resources of the Kenai River, the Kenai River Center will receive national recognition from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) later this week. Gov. Tony Knowles announced the Kenai Peninsula Borough will receive the Walter B. Jones Memorial and NOAA Excellence Award for Coastal and Ocean Resource Management in the category of Excellence in Local Government.
"The Kenai Peninsula Borough richly deserves this national award for its role in developing the Kenai River Center, a unique cooperative effort between the borough, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources," Knowles said. "By providing one-stop permitting for activities along the Kenai River and innovative programs for streambank protection and restoration, the Kenai River Center is another example of how we in Alaska "do it right."
In addition to the creation of the Kenai River Center, the borough was cited for its use of innovative approaches to advance the goals of the Coastal Zone Management Act. For example, the Kenai Peninsula Borough designated a 50-foot buffer zone limiting development activities to those that will protect and enhance the river.
"As the river's popularity has grown, angler traffic has tripled in the past 20 years, threatening the habitats necessary for the survival of young salmon," the state noted in nominating the borough for the award. "The Kenai River Center leads the way in riverbank stabilization, replacing permanent docks with removable floating docks, and working with nature to protect and restore the river.
"Through permit streamlining and grass-roots projects such as brush layering and the construction of elevated walkways to protect vegetation from angler and tourist traffic, the Kenai River Center strives to achieve a delicate balance between human use and conservation of the river," the award states.
"This award is only possible through the exceptional cooperation of the state and federal governments to streamline the permitting process and protect the streambank, said Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre. "Gov. Knowles deserves credit for the considerable attention he has brought to this matter. Through our coordinated efforts, the Kenai River is being protected for the enjoyment of residents, visitors and future generations".
The Division of Governmental Coordination, which implements the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP), nominated the Kenai Peninsula Borough for the Walter B. Jones Memorial Award. The ACMP and the Kenai River Center share the goal of balancing development with the protection of Alaska's valuable natural resources.
Diane Mayer, director of the Division of Governmental Coordination, welcomed the announcement of this award. "It's exciting to have national recognition for the Kenai River Center, which so effectively brings the economy and the ecology into balance at the local level. This is the central principle that guides coastal management in Alaska."
The Walter B. Jones Awards for excellence are given to individuals, organizations and local governments that have inspired positive change by developing or implementing principles embodied by the federal Coastal Zone Management Act. These principles are effective management, beneficial use and development, and conservation of coastal resources.
The award will be presented to the Kenai Peninsula Borough at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.
Contact: Julie Hammonds Penn, Division of Governmental Coordination, 907-465-8789.