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Proposed realignments to straighten and widenthe road,as in this photo, would oreate a lessvisually interesting driving experience acrossthe gently rolling terrain. Views of thepipeline, seen here, are among the highlightsalong the highway.

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Ivisually interesting and enjoyable drive. Theroad edge is softened by good right-of-waymanagement practices which allow vegetation togrow close to the roadbed. A key issue in thisunit is the proposed upgrading to major highwaystandards which would straighten out most curvesand increase traffic speed and volume. ; V;

Land uses in Unit 12 are predominately indus-trial and recreational. The most visually domi-nant land use in this unit is the Trans-AlaskaPipeline and associated clearings and right-of-ways. The pipeline itself is an interesting

Management Unit 12

Meiers Lake

General DescriptionManagement Unit 12 begins at Paxson Lake Camp-ground and extends south for 13.3 miles. Theroad winds across the gently rolling terrain ofthe Gulkana River Uplands, covered primarily byspruce forests. Many lakes, including MeiersLake, highlight the driving experience, and thelandcover around these lakes adds anotherelement of visual diversity. The setting isframed by rolling foothills and low peaks andridges with Mt. Paxson located nearby. Distantviews of the Wrangell and Chugach mountainsenrich the southbound driving experience whilethe Alaska Range lines the distant horizon inthe northbound direction. Visual qualityratings for this portion of the centralRichardson Highway are slightly above average.Because of spruce and brush vegetation andgently sloping terrain, the visual absorptioncapability is high for most of the unit.However, the area surrounding Meiers Lake haslower vegetation and steeper slopes andtherefore could not absorb development asreadily.

The road design conforms well with the surround-ing topography, and the somewhat winding road

R30 with frequent changes in point of view creates a

L__ _ _ _ ___ _

12 Meiers LakeAssessment Units R7-R13

NORTH0

12 mi.

KEYT- TurnoutR- ReclamationROW- Right-of-Way Mgt.

State Selected Land

O Federal Land T-5 R31

element in the landscape, but many of the oldconstruction clearings (though "reclaimed") arein contrast with their surroundings in terms ofline, color, and texture. Material sites alsosignificantly detract from the natural sceniccharacter of Unit 12. Recreational uses in thisunit include Paxson Lake Campground, the JuneLake Trailhead, and the Gillespie Lake Trail-head. Also located within Unit 12 is an oldabandoned cabin across from Meiers Lake; thecabin and its associated out-buildings areinteresting and historic human landscape fea-tures.

Land Ownership &Management ResponsibilityMost of the land in Management Unit 12 is feder-ally owned and managed by BLM. The right-of-wayfor the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is visible frommuch of the unit; Alyeska Pipeline Companymanages these lands. The state DOTPF admin-isters a 300 foot right-of-way and severalmaterial sites adjacent to the road. There arealso two parcels of private land located nearthe southern end of Meiers Lake.

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Visual ResourceManagement ObjectivesManagement of the visual resources in Unit12 should be guided by these general objectives:maintenance, reclamation, enhancement and sensi-tive land use and development.

Maintenance: To maintain the natural characterof the scenic resources within this unit.

Reclamation; To reduce the adverse visualimpacts resulting from pipeline construction andmaterial extraction.

Enhancement: To increase the enjoyment of driv-ing through this unit by creating additionalviewing opportunities while screening unpleasantlandscape disruptions from the traveler's view.

Sensitive Land Use and Development; To providefor additional recreational uses along the roadin a manner that is sensitive to the area'sscenic quality.

ManagementRecommendationsRealignmentsRoad realignments as proposed by DOTPF in a May1982 preliminary plan will significantly reducethe recreational enjoyment of driving the high-way. A straighter alignment will reduce theamount of view and point of view diversity aswell as the sense of anticipation created by theroad as it presently winds through the rollingtopography, opening a series of changing views.Also, upgrading the road will result in highertraffic speeds which are not conducive to land-scape appreciation.

It is recommended that the proposed realignmentsbe reevaluated taking recreational and scenicvalues into consideration. Perhaps widening theexisting road and slightly smoothing rather thanstraightening curves would be adequate to meetboth multiple use highway and scenic resourcemanagement objectives.

If the realignments are constructed, the follow-J

ing actions should be implemented to minimizethe loss of scenic and recreational values:

• Remove pavement from old road sections andencourage revegetation.

• Leave as much natural vegetation Intact aspossible between old and new road alignments.

• Plant tall brush and trees between old and newalignments where additional screening Is neces-sary.

• Where appropriate, utilize the old road align-ment to provide turnout opportunities (seeturnout recommendations).

Right-of-Way Management (ROW)The right-of-way in this unit is generally wellmanaged. Low plants and brush are allowed togrow close to the road edge which minimizes theintrusion of the road upon the landscape. Thispractice should be continued. Other guidelinesfor future right-of-way management include:

9 Adopt selective clearing practices for roadsidevegetation to maintain safe visibility and openup views.

'• Vary the height and depth of vegetation cutsalcng the road to produce a visually interestingright-of-way edge.

• Develop a yearly Richardson Highway right-of-waymaintenance program Involving the operations andmaintenance supervisor In conjunction with alandscape architect.

Site specific recommendations are as follows:

ROW-1 The right-of-way In the southernmost AssessmentUnit (R-13) has several sections which are sig-nificantly Impacted with spill-over gravel. Thegravel should be removed and the edge morenaturally contoured to encourage revegetation.

ROW—2 This straight, somewhat monotonous, section ofthe road which is visible as it climbs the faceof a long hill, could be made more attractivewith the addition of tall vegetation adjacent tothe road edge.

Greenbelts____________________Greenbelts can be an important tool to use inconjunction with right-of-way management tomaintain and enhance scenic resource values.

In this unit, because of its natural and recre-ational character, sloping topography, and lessthan dense vegetation, a 100 foot greenbelt isrecommended on all public lands. Within this100 feet, the following considerations shouldguide management actions:

• Minimize vegetation cutting in the greenbelt.

• Allow cutting and selective vegetation clearingfor view management purposes.

• Locate development and permanent structuresbeyond the greenbelt edge.

• Limit access roads through the greenbelt. Thosewhich are constructed should be sensitive to thesurrounding landforms and scenic resourcevalues.

Land Use & DevelopmentPresently this area is one of the leastdeveloped portions of the central Richardson.Because of the importance of the road's naturalcharacter to its scenic and recreational val-ues, it is recommended that the undevelopednature of the unit be retained. Commercial,industrial and residental development should .be R33

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discouraged from locating in this unit, and, in-stead located along other segments of the high-way. Some additional recreational developmentwould be appropriate, including scattered recre-ational homesites. However, such developmentshould conform to guidelines which respectscenic values:

9 Place development outside the tight^of-way andgreenbelt In a manner that minimizes visibilityfrom the road.

• Sensitively design and construct structures toconform to the rustic character of the area.

• Retain natural vegetation as undisturbed as ispractical.

• Limit access routes.

• Provide recreational development signs that aresmall and preferably constructed of wood.

• Limit development in areas which have lowscreening potential such as the Meiers Lakevicinity.

Turnouts (T) _________________Because the Richardson Highway is a high-speed,high-volume thoroughfare, it is particularlyimportant that an adequate number of turnouts beprovided for safe stopping. Turnouts are usedfor emergency stopping, resting, viewing scen-ery, picnicking, walking the dog, and a varietyof other things. Presently there is a shortageof such sites along the highway. This study hasidentified three turnouts which could beinexpensively developed by retaining old roadalignments if realignments are constructed, andtwo existing turnouts which require certainmanagement actions.,

T - I This high priority site would be created by acurve realignment and thereby provide nice viewsof Paxson Lake. There is good visibility forsafe entry and exit.

T - 2 This site has lower priority than (T-l) butcould provide a nice parking area for DickLake. There is an opportunity to construct atrail around the lake.

1 ~ 3 This large curve could be retained to provide anice overlook of Meier's Lake, which is one ofthe most scenic features of this unit. The siteis a high priority for meeting additional turn-out and recreational demands. A fairly longfoot trail could be constructed around Meier'sLake. Garbage receptacles would be appropriateat this large potential turnout.

T - 4 This existing turnout requires signing for saferaccess and requires trash clean up.

T - 5 This unpaved turnout loop offers no significantviews for this area, is littered, and createsmore negative visual Impacts than benefits. Itis recommended that this site be closed to vehi-cular access and encouraged to revegetate.

Material Sites & Reclamation (R)_____Although essential for road maintenance and con-struction, material sites are the mostunattractive land uses in this unit. The numer-ous material sites are in stark contrast to thesurrounding lines, colors, and textures charac-teristic of the area's rolling hills and densevegetation. Because the occurrence of thesesites is so frequent they are not addressedindividually. The following general guidelinesshould be implemented by DOTPF maintenance andoperations crews.

Active Haterlal Sites:

Provide vegetative screening along the road edgeand the edges of the site Itself.

Where appropriate, construct berms along theroad edge to screen the site from view. Thesebenns should be planted to minimize their visual

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contrasts. A good example of this techniqueexists in this unit where a berm at R-l veryeffectively blocks the material sites from view.

• Park large highway equipment in those locationswhich offer the most screening potential fromthe road.

• Design material site access routes to minimizevisual impacts. One road should access amaterial site rather than leaving the whole facecleared and exposed to view from the road.

Old Material Sites :

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• Close vehicular access and encourage the sitesto revegetate.

• Regrade to contours which blend well with sur-rounding landforms and are conducive to vege-tation growth.

• Enhance the revegetation of pipeline associatedclearings with active brush planting.

• If appropriate, plant tall brush adjacent to theroad to help screen the old site until otherreclamation activities have reduced its impacts.

New Material Sites

• Locate new sites outside the right-of-way and.to the extent possible, outside the greenbelt.

* Utilize existing landforms and vegetation toscreen new material sites and the access tothese sites.

"'"'ilarly significant areas have beenjr reclamation:

R - 1 There are numerous small gravel extraction siteslocated in the northernmost assessment unit.These material sites severely impact the scenicand recreational character of this portion ofthe road. Recommendations pertaining to active

Numerous small gravel sites at the road edgeand bare road cuts diminish the naturalcharacter of the landscape. These areas canbe contoured and revegetated to blend withtheir surroundings and add to the apprec-iation of subtle landscape changes.

and old material sites should be applied in thisarea where negative impacts are particularlysevere.

R — 2 Scars associated with pipeline constructionclearing create strongly contrasting lines,colors, and textures on visible hillsides.Reclamation efforts have successfully decreased

_ the contrasts somewhat, but the planted grassesdo not blend well with surrounding landcovers.Brush and other native vegetation should beplanted and trees should be established to help

" heal these scars.

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