Photo: UAS student Lillian Thorington testifies before the Senate Resources Committee on March 17 to oppose SB 105, a bill that would open up state land for private use (Credit: GAVEL ALASKA)

By Taylor Saulsbury

Alaska state lands would be opened for private use if Senate Bill 105, “State Land for Recreational Cabin Sites,” is approved by the Alaska Legislature. So far, the bill has garnered strong opposition, including from UAS students. 

SB 105 would allow Alaska residents to buy or lease up to 10 acres of public land for a recreational cabin site.

“Part of the purpose of this bill is to help streamline the process that we have for both leasing and purchasing recreational cabin sites,” Natural Resources John Boyle told the Senate Resources Committee. 

Christy Colles, DNR Director of Mining, Land and Water, referenced Article VIII, Section 1 of the Alaska Constitution, which says “it is the policy of the State to encourage the settlement of its land and the development of its resources by making them available for maximum use consistent with the public interest.”

Walter Maakestad, of Lake Minchumina, is a second-generation Alaskan who owns a trapping cabin and has lost numerous cabins to wildfires. He told the committee he was glad to see the bill because he has experienced increasing regulation and costs in his efforts to own land. 

“This is the first glimmer of opportunity of being able to take personal ownership of a little piece of state ground,” he said. “It’s not going to impact anybody.”

However, testimony has mainly opposed the continued opening of public land, referencing the need to preserve these areas for all Alaskans and as critical wildlife and bird habitats. 

UAS Environmental Studies major Lillian Thorington opposed the bill. Thorington uses her platform as Miss Juneau Volunteer America to advocate for equitable outdoor access through her campaign “Nature Without Limits.” Her testimony to then Senate Resources Committee emphasized the importance of public lands regarding accessibility for all and the healing quality of nature for mental health, noting Alaska’s higher than average rates of suicide and depression. 

“Growing up, I spent a significant amount of my time on public lands,” she said. “I also grew up in a low-income household, and I would not have achieved nearly as much in life if I did not have access to public lands.” 

Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced the bill in February. On his website, he encouraged residents to testify in favor of his legislation, citing that “Alaskans currently own about one percent of state land, and after 60 years of statehood, we need to change that. I encourage Alaskans waiting for their opportunity to participate in the Alaskan dream to testify for the bill.”

When talking about the notion of private ownership to the Senate Resources Committee, Thorington referenced how throughout her childhood her parents rented homes, which made her excited about one day owning property.  

“I was really engaged with the idea of owning land. I think at a young age, I saw that and thought of that as the American Dream. But I think it was really eye-opening to learn that we all technically own land. We’re all public land owners,” she said. “I’d rather cultivate public land ownership because that is something that everyone can all engage with.” 

Thorington disagreed with the verbiage surrounding the bill, stating “there was kind of an undertone of Manifest Destiny, the idea of a more pioneer-style staking.” 

Manifest Destiny, a phrase coined in 1845, was the idea that the United States was destined to expand its dominion and territory by God. This philosophy was used to justify the forced removal of Indigenous people from their land. 

DNR Commissioner Boyle told the committee that only 1 percent of Alaskans own state land. But Sen. Forest Dunbar (D-Anchorage) corrected Boyle, whose figures did not consider Alaska Native Corporation land ownership. 

“According to the Division of Forestry, 12.1 percent of Alaskan land is in private ownership, not 1 percent. Of course, the majority of that, more than 10 percent, is Alaska Native land,” Dunbar said. “I think it is important for us to acknowledge that Alaska Native Corporations are private landholders.”

In addition to putting public lands into private hands, SB 105 would change public notice requirements after leasing or purchasing land: DNR would not have to notify certain groups near the area, including Alaska Native regional and village corporations. 

“I was taken aback, or I guess disappointed, to be hearing the proposal given the fact that we live in a state with such a large Alaska Native population and a state that more recently went through the effects of colonization,” Thorington said after the hearing.

Dozens of testimonies on SB 105 strongly opposed one section of the bill where existing personal use cabins in protected areas would be “confirmed and ratified” on a case-by-case basis. This includes cabins within a “state park, state forest, state game refuge, state wildlife refuge, state game sanctuary, state recreational area, state recreational river, state wilderness park, state marine park, state special management area, state public use area, critical habitat area, bald eagle preserve, bison range, or moose range,” according to the legislation.   

Director Colles said there are no personal-use cabins in state parks. She said the 421 confirmed personal cabin sites in protected areas are all within a game refuge or critical habitat area. 

Mary Glaves, the Alaska Chapter Coordinator for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA), was concerned the program would lead to habitat fragmentation and degrade wildlife habitat, especially in critical wildlife areas. 

“Removing public lands from public hands is not in the best interest of the public. Alaska BHA urges the Senate Resources Committee to reject this bill as well as consider the precedents set by these types of bills, for all Alaskans,” Glaves stated in written testimony to the committee. 

Photo: Mary Glaves and Lillian Thorington outside the Capitol building after public testimony for SB 105 on March 17. Thorington is an intern at Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA). During the testimony, she wore a sash reading “Miss Juneau Volunteer”, where she uses her pageantry background to advocate for outdoor access for all

Homer resident Nina Faust said Alaska’s “special areas should remain protected with their special designations and not be overrun by a bunch of conflicting and unenforceable uses that may occur by having multiple holes in the donut of the protected areas. You would be potentially creating an expensive nightmare of enforcement and litigation.”

In an interview after the hearing, Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage), Vice Chair of the Senate Resources Committee, said he does not support the bill. 

“I think fundamentally, you have a tremendous amount of public land that Alaskans use to fish, hunt, hike, and pick berries. That’s part of being an Alaskan,” he said. “It’s what makes our state great, and I think Alaskans universally don’t want to see huge chunks of our land going into private hands.” 

Both Glaves and Thorington used the slogan “Public Lands in Public Hands” when describing their stance on SB 105. Thorington’s one minute of testimony was cut off before she could fully recite a quote from conservationist and naturalist Henry David Thoreau. Born in 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts, Thoreau was a prolific writer and is recognized for “Walden” and the essay “Civil Disobedience,” which influenced Martin Luther King and Gandhi’s activism. Thoreau’s work and philosophies are clearly discussed in Literature and the Environment, a UAS course taught by Professor Kevin Maier. 

Sen. Dunbar asked committee chair Cathy Gissel (R-Anchorage) if the committee could hear the rest of the quote, earning numerous laughs of approval from other members. Given the floor once more, Thorington smiled. 

“Thank you! I have been really excited about this and my teacher is going to be happy,” she said as she launched into one of Thoreau’s most famous writings, Walking. 

“At present, in this vicinity, the best part of the land is not private property; the landscape is not owned, and the walker enjoys comparative freedom. But possibly the day will come when it will be partitioned off into so-called pleasure grounds, in which a few will take a narrow and exclusive pleasure only,—when fences shall be multiplied, and man traps and other engines invented to confine men to the public road, and walking over the surface of God’s earth shall be construed to mean trespassing on some gentleman’s grounds. To enjoy a thing exclusively is commonly to exclude yourself from the true enjoyment of it. Let us improve our opportunities, then, before the evil days come.” 

SB 105 remains in the Senate Resources Committee. According to Legislative Aide Maxine Laberge, the bill has not been scheduled for a second hearing. For more information and public testimonies, visit the Alaska State Legislature website at 

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=Sb105#tab5_4.