State parks officials say they’re seeking a creative solution to a controversial plan to replace a Chilkat River boat launch area near 25 Mile with one closer to Wells Bridge.

Officials from the state Department of Transportation, Division of Parks and Department of Fish and Game are behind the proposal that would eliminate a boat-launch site on the river’s south side that crosses one fish stream and sometimes puts boat trailers in a salmon-spawning channel nearby.

Regional parks superintendent Mike Eberhardt said the idea is to do the work in conjunction with highway widening and bridge relocation at Wells.

"The point is we have a problem. People are launching boats into a spawning channel. That’s illegal and we have to find ways to stop that behavior. One of the ways is to build a new river access," Eberhardt said.

Instead of just closing off the problematic launch site, the state wants to provide a new area for launching, he said. "We’re trying to negotiate our way through people’s concerns and see what options are available. The problem hasn’t gone away."

Klukwan tribal council president Kimberley Strong has testified against the state’s proposal to move the access site close to the reconstructed Wells Bridge, citing potential impact on village fisheries and lifestyle. The existing site is about 300 yards below the bridge.

"The village of Klukwan is primarily a subsistence community. We rely on fish in the river to sustain us through the winter. Putting a ramp right there will influence more people to come up the highway and put a boat in the river. It would be a lot more inviting to go downriver than ever before," Strong said.

Strong said the put-in would be an encroachment that would push Native people aside. She said the state should look at other sites near 8 Mile Haines Highway or in the Kelsall area. "Are there no other places along the river they can use?"

Eberhardt said the state’s plan wouldn’t necessarily attract more boat traffic to that section of the river. "It’s not like we’re going to put a sign on the highway. We’re just going to put a different road in. Hopefully, people’s concerns can be addressed through design."

To use the existing site, motorists – including representatives of state agencies – drive across one salmon stream, and when the river is high, they launch into the spawning channel, he said. "That’s something we need to stop doing."

Chilkat Guides owner Bart Henderson also questions the state’s plan. Henderson said his company’s rafts represent by far most of the river’s boat traffic. He’d like to see improvement near 19 Mile, where his company takes out rafts. A better put-in at that site would attach to a new parking lot near a boardwalk there.

The state put in a gravel ramp at 21 Mile a few years ago, but it’s too steep and isn’t used because boat trailers get stuck there, he said.

Henderson said he’s been after the state for years to create designated put-ins. "If there’s money to build a boat ramp, they should build it where it’s most advantageous. (25 Mile) is not even close... (but) I don’t see why they couldn’t have one at (25 Mile) and one at 19 Mile."

With permanent, designated launches, the state could block off other, makeshift ones, reducing environmental impact, Henderson said. "Otherwise you get a whole lot of places getting trashed."

Riverboat company owner Duck Hess said he supports the state’s plan and said he doubted that a changed site would result in a significant increase in boat traffic. Hess said he launches most of his boats directly from his property above the bridge using a crane, but that he occasionally uses the one at 25 Mile.

Hess said the existing put-in gets lots of use, including by sport fishermen, subsistence fishermen and moose hunters. An improved put-in would make the river easier to use, he said. "I’m good with it. I think there should be a boat launch there. I"ve always believed we’ve needed better access and designated boat landings."