Jonesville Public Use Area Regulations Update
General Information
The Jonesville Public Use Area (JPUA) is a legislatively designated Public Use Area (AS 41.23.280 - 41.23.289) established in 2017. Like other public use areas in the state, it was set aside to protect, maintain, enhance, and perpetuate the year-round recreation and to protect and maintain fish and wildlife habitat so that the public may continue to enjoy traditional uses of the Jonesville Public Use Area. The JPUA provides opportunities for the public to enjoy the area through a full spectrum of public uses, including the maintenance and enhancement of off-road vehicle and nonmotorized recreational opportunities while allowing continued mineral exploration and development, and motorized access to private property. The JPUA consists of approximately 14,614 acres of state-owned lands located off the Jonesville Mine Road in Sutton, AK, off the Glenn Highway. The majority of the JPUA lies within another legislatively designated area, the Matanuska Valley Moose Range.
In October 2026, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources issued a Notice of Proposed Changes to Regulations on Public Use Areas, focused specifically on the JPUA and incidentally on the larger Matanuska Valley Moose Range Management Plan. These changes would update 11 AAC 96 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with designated public use areas including the following:
- 11 AAC 96.016 is proposed to be amended to make conforming language and citation changes and to add new subsections that regulate activity in the Jonesville Public Use Area.
- To add a new section, 11 AAC 96.017, that regulates activity in the Matanuska Valley Moose Range.
- 11 AAC 96.020(a) is proposed to be changed to make conforming citation amendments.
- 11 AAC 96.030(a) is proposed to the changed to clarify language.
- 11 AAC 96.250 is proposed to be changed to amend and add new definitions for “motorized vehicle,” “explosive,” “firework,” “explosive device,” “designated public use site,” “organic mat,” “permit,” and “wetlands.”
For more information on the proposed regulations, please see:
Notice on Alaska Public Notices Public Notice PDF Proposed Changes to Regulations PDFMap of area impacted by proposed regulations
This map is from the Matanuska Valley Moose Range and Jonesville Public Use Area Management Plan, page 3-25.
Please note that this map does not reflect the boundary change created under SB 230 on 7/1/2026.
Map of Area Impacted by Proposed Regulations (high-resolution)
PDF
(7/2/2024)
Questions & Answers
Question: Can a map of the area in question be made available?
Answer: The Department has now provided a map of the area affected by the proposed regulations. It has been attached to the Online Public Notices Notice and can also be found on this page.
Question: The proposed regulation prohibits target shooting throughout the Moose Range except in a 'lawfully designated shooting area.' Please identify all currently designated shooting areas within the Moose Range and the legal process by which additional shooting areas may be designated in the future.
Answer: None have been designated. Currently, a cooperative resource management agreement (CRMA) for a shooting range is out to public notice between the State of Alaska and the Mat-Su Borough to establish one near Slipper Lake. Please refer to the Notice of Application on Alaska Online Public Notices for more information. Future shooting areas may be designate by administrative decision from the Division of Mining, Land and Water (DMLW).
Question: Multiple questions addressed the proposed speed limit in 11 AAC 96.016(e):
- What specific safety incidents or documented problems support the 10-mph speed limit?
- 10-mph speed limit in designated areas may sound reasonable on paper, but what is the justification for that specific limit? What problems are these regulations intended to solve, and what evidence shows these restrictions are necessary?
- Adding these permitting requirements without public comment or justification is unreasonable. What is the reason for this proposed change to the current policy?
- What is the proposed regulation trying to change or what is the DNRs goal?
- Why were less restrictive alternatives to the 10-mph speed limit not sufficient?
- What does it matter? Who rides it only 10 miles an hour?
Answer: This speed restriction applies only in areas where people and vehicles are in close proximity. In the Knik River Public Use Area at Man-Made Lake, the mix of small children, campers, fire rings, and heavy foot traffic created repeated close-call situations. The 10-mph limit was implemented there to address those issues and has proven effective in reducing conflicts and improving safety.
Because Slipper Lake has the same kind of high-use patterns and similar safety concerns, the same measure was applied to ensure consistent protection for everyone using the area. The goal is simply to maintain safe conditions, using a 100-foot buffer in locations where families and recreationists are immediately adjacent to moving vehicles.
Question: Multiple questions addressed the proposed permit in 11 AAC 96.016(e):
- What objective standards will determine who receives permission to exceed the speed limit?
- What will the permit require; what will cost; who will qualify for the permit; and what are the rounds for revocation?
- One commenter also requested that the department publish the terms of the permit, then re-open the public comment period.
Answer: If a person applies for a permit and proposes alternative safety measures that adequately protect pedestrians and other users, DMLW may review the request and, if appropriate, approve the request in writing. For example, an organized event with clearly defined and effective safety controls may be considered for a permit to exceed the posted speed limit. An example of an existing permit type for events is the OTC Events Form PDF , which can be found on DMLW's Forms Page.
At this time, DMLW has not drafted a specific permit under 11 AAC 96.016(e) for exceeding the speed limit. Because no permit language currently exists, details such as requirements, qualifications, costs, and grounds for revocation have not yet been established. Should DMLW develop such a permit in the future, the department will provide the terms and conditions at that time. However, DMLW does not intend to extend the public comment period.