Chena River State Recreation Area: Stiles Creek Outdoor Shooting Range Improvements
The State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DNR DPOR), with federal funding support from the Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation (ADF&G DWC) Hunter Access Program, is preparing an environmental assessment for improvements at Stiles Creek outdoor shooting range in the Chena River State Recreation Area near Fairbanks, Alaska. The existing range is located at mile post 36.4 of Chena Hot Springs Road and is one of only a few outdoor shooting ranges that serve the greater Fairbanks-North Star Borough.
DNR DPOR and ADF&G DWC seek to expand capacity and improve safety at the Stiles Creek range through the construction of side berms, end berm, firing line roof structure, additional parking, ADA compliant parking/bench/path, expansion of the range footprint to add shooting lanes, and resurfacing the parking and down range areas.
Public Comment
DPOR and DWC are providing a 30-day comment period to give opportunity for the public to provide feedback on the proposed improvements. Additional information regarding these improvements can be obtained from DNR DPOR contacts listed below.
How to Comment
Written comments concerning the improvements will be accepted for 30 calendar days which begins following the publication of this announcement in the State of Alaska Online Public Notices system. The comment period will begin September 27 and ends on October 27, 2023. Written comments must be emailed to DFG.DWC.HunterAccess@alaska.gov either as plain text or in Word document format and must be received by the close of the comment period.
Background
The Stiles Creek shooting range began as an unmanaged gravel pit used by locals for recreation that eventually turned into an undeveloped outdoor range which has been owned and actively managed by DNR DPOR since the late 1960's. Over the years DPOR has turned the range into a serviceable shooting range which has grown in popularity attracting users within the greater Fairbanks North Star Borough to include recreational shooters, hunters, law enforcement personnel, and both public and private firearms training programs.
Increased use and management, however, came with minimal upgrades to the facility. The few improvements made were performed by volunteer groups and fell short of meeting any type of standard conventions. Currently the site does not meet any established outdoor range guidelines, has unstable ground due to lack of drainage, is often littered with garbage, has limited parking and access, and fails to meet user expectations.
The Chena River State Recreation Area Management Plan identifies improvements to the shooting range as a management objective. Chapter 3 of the plan directs the division to '[s]eek funding and volunteers to upgrade or extend the shooting range.'
Proposed Improvements
The purpose of this project is to construct an improved shooting range that conforms to current National Rifle Association (NRA) range guidance, has environmental protection measures to increase safety, is sustainable, and accommodates a broader range and number of users. Additionally, the proposed improvements are intended to foster safe and respectful use of firearms by providing a clean, safe, and high-quality facility that promotes these positive values.
Currently the existing range has three rudimentary shooting benches that are used by public members who do not bring their own and they are not ADA accessible. This project would widen the existing footprint of the range to install additional benches, including an ADA compliant bench, to create additional shooting lanes allowing more people to use the facility at one time. A portion of the firing line will be covered by an open roof structure to accommodate range use in inclement weather.
Currently there are no side or backstop berms at the existing range and newly constructed protective berms will contain rounds on the range which will increase safety for range users, those recreating in the vicinity of the range, and reduce the chance of igniting a wildfire.
The existing gravel parking area is also limited and does not provide accessible parking or access to the range. The parking area will be hardened and 11 parking stalls and one ADA parking stall constructed. The access road to the current range is poorly drained and is often muddy in summer months, as well as the range itself, which limits usability of the site especially by handicapped or disabled shooters. Both the access road and range will be resurfaced, hardened and drainage measures installed. Together these additional improvements will greatly increase the capacity of the facility and accommodate more shooters at this remote interior range.
Ninety percent of this construction project is funded through a United States Fish and Wildlife Service grant, which is administrated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation. This Federal Aid is provided by the Wildlife Restoration Program through the Pittman-Robertson Act and is funded by taxes on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment.
Documents and Additional Information:
Stiles Creek Shooting Range Proposed Site Plan (PDF)
Chena River State Recreation Area Map
https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chena/chenarsrmap.pdf
Chena River State Recreation Area Management Plan
https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/plans/chena/chenapln.htm
Chena River State Recreation Area
https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/northern/chenariversra.htm
Brochure
https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/brochures/chenariverbrochure.pdf
Hunter Access Grant Program Overview
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunteraccess.grantprogramoverview
Hunter Access Program – Stiles Creek Shooting Range Project Page
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunteraccess.chenarange
Contacts:
For more information about the project please contact:
Katie Winter
Project Manager
Department of Natural Resources – Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Email: katie.winter@alaska.gov
Phone: (907) 269-6410
For questions on area management and facility use:
Ian Thomas
Northern Region Superintendent
Department of Natural Resources – Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Email: dnr.pksnorth@alaska.gov
Phone: (907) 451-2695
For questions about ADF&G Hunter Access Program:
Katie Sechrist
Program Coordinator
Department of Fish and Game – Division of Wildlife Conservation
Email: katie.sechrist@alaska.gov or DFG.DWC.HunterAccess@alaska.gov
Phone: (907) 267-2541
