Alaska Governor Palin Signs Bill for Fort Rousseau Causeway Park

HB 176 Creates Causeway Park in Sitka

April 2, 2008, Juneau, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin yesterday signed House Bill 176 into law. HB 176, sponsored by Representative Peggy Wilson, creates the Fort Rousseau Causeway Park.

The Fort Rousseau Causeway is a group of several small islands interconnected by an 800-foot dirt pathway located offshore of downtown Sitka. The causeway is part of the Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses National Historic Landmark and contains numerous World War II-era fortifications. The area has deep roots in the Tlingit culture as well, and may include grave sites.

In recent years, the causeway has fallen into disrepair. HB 176 will transfer management of 58 acres from the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to the Department of Natural Resources, allowing for needed improvements to be addressed.

The Sitka Trail Works organization will use a $140,000 Alaska Trails Initiative Grant and approximately $340,000 in federal transportation funds to restore and protect the site for public recreation and cultural interpretation. The total cost of the project is expected to exceed $1 million and take four to five years to complete.

Subsistence uses, including a herring roe fishery would not be affected.

Source: Alaska Governor

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