Alaska Legislature votes to correct boundary errors at several state parks, public areas

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R-Tok, and Sen. George Rauscher, R-Sutton, are seen during a break in debate on a pension plan on Apr. 28, 2026. (Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

By James Brooks

Alaska Beacon

State lawmakers are acting to fix technical errors affecting the boundaries of several Alaska wildlife refuges and other public areas.

The errors were caused by the fact that the areas’ actual edges don’t match descriptions in state law and will be fixed if Senate Bill 230 is enacted by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

The state Senate approved SB 230 by an 18-0 vote on Saturday, with two legislators excused absent. Because the House approved the bill on a 40-0 vote Friday, the Senate’s vote sends the bill to the governor for veto or enactment.

SB 230 was originally written by Sen. George Rauscher, R-Sutton, to address “a critical piece of land that was inadvertently omitted from the original legislation” for the Jonesville Public Use Area in his district in 2018. 

At the request of Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, the bill was expanded to cover similar technical changes for laws designating the state refuges at Cape Newenham, Izembek, Palmer Hay Flats, and the critical habitat areas at Port Moller, Egegik, Pilot Point, Fox River Flats, and Kachemak Bay.

“The added changes do not add or extend any land that has been recently acquired, nor does it make any policy changes. It simply corrects boundaries that were previously done in error, as well as the Jonesville bill, which originated this,” Rauscher said.

• James Brooks Cascade is a longtime Alaska reporter who lives in Juneau. He previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.