Management Unit 19 ]

Copper Center

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General DescriptionManagement Unit 19 begins 2.3 miles south of thesouth Richardson and Glenn Highway junction andextends for 19 miles to a point 1/2 mile north ofWillow Lake. (Six miles of the RichardsonHighway passing through Copper Center wereomitted from the study. This portion of thehighway is planned for realignment to bypass theCopper Center commercial and residential area.)Throughout most of this unit, the highway closelyparallels the Copper River. It also crosses theTazlina and Klutina Ravers.

The land use intensity is relatively low outsidethe Copper Center area. However, a fewindustrial sites have created significantnegative impacts on the visual landscape quality.

To the south, the Chugach Mountains are often framed bythe nearer vegetation and gently sloping terrain.

Most of the highway in this unit traversesa fairly enclosed corridor of spruce-hardwoodforests. At irregular intervals, however, thisenclosure is broken by highly distinctive views.To the east, there are expansive vistas acrossthe Copper River Valley to the distinctive peaksof the Wrangell Mountains. To the south, theChugach Mountains are often framed by the nearervegetation and gently sloping hills. And to thenorth, the traveler can at times see as far asthe Lake Louise plateau. ,

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KEYM- Impact MitigationRest- Rest AreaRec~ RecreationT~Turnout6 -Greenbelt

i/iew Management

State Owned Land

Native Corp. Land

Federal Land

Private Land

19 Copper Center AreaAssessment Units R46 — R57

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Land Ownership &Management ResponsibilityOverall, the pattern of land ownership withinthis unit is complex, since it is divided intomany small tracts. Those lands immediatelyadjacent to the highway are predominantly underNative, other private or University ownership.There are several parcels of land which are understate management at this time. However, all buttwo of these, near the Tazlina River, are eitherexisting land disposals or have been surveyed inpreparation for disposal in the near future. TheDOTPF manages a 300 foot right-of-way except forwithin the Copper Center area and adjacent toprivate lands which were patented prior to 1952.Additionally, the DOTPF Tazlina MaintenanceStation is located within this unit.

Visual ResourceManagement ObjectivesThe management recommendations for this unitrelate to the themes of sensitive land use anddevelopment, impact mitigation and enhancement.

Enhancement: To respond to opportunities I,enhance the experience, understanding and appre-ciation of this landscape's distinctive naturaland man-made features, particularly those withhistoric significance.

ManagementRecommendations

Land Use & DevelopmentOutside the Copper Center area development isfairly sparse and scattered along the road;consequently, where the highway corridor isenclosed in dense forest, sensitive land use anddevelopment could add visual interest and diver-sity to the landscape. Properly sited clearingscould open distinctive scenic views from thehighway. Within this unit, there is the poten-tial for a variety of future developmentsresidential, commercial, agricultural, industrialand timber production. Each of these couldpotentially have positive impacts on the drivingexperience.

Following are some general guidelines for sensi-tive land use and development within this area.All development should avoid locating in theareas of highest scenic quality.

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Sensitive Land Use and Development: To encouragesensitive land use and development which uses thecharacter of the landscape to minimize negativevisual impacts and instead create visually dis-tinctive additions to the views from road.

Impact Mitigation: To take appropriate actionsto mitigate the negative impact of existing landuses and developments on scenic resource values.

Residential Development

• Maintain a setback of at least 25 feet beyond thehighway right-of-way for all permanent struc-tures •

• Remove no more than 25% of the natural vegetationbetween structures and the roadside.

• Retain deciduous trees to provide filtered views.

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Incorporate colors and materials which complementor blend in with the natural landscape.

Commercial Development

• Maintain a setback of 25 feet beyond the highwayright-of-way.

• Utilize the right-of-way vegetation to providescreening for parking areas.

• Retain deciduous trees to provide filtered, butadequate, visibility.

• Maintain some distance between commercialestablishments to avoid strip-like developmentof the roadside.

• Utilize materials and designs for structures thatconform to the cultural character of the regionwhile maintaining a level of diversity (e.g. theGrizzly Bear Pizza establishment Is a goodexample of this concept).

Agricultural Developnent and Timber Production

• Selectively remove spruce trees between thedevelopment and the highway and retain deciduoustrees to provide filtered views, especially ofagricultural fields.

• Where possible, locate clearings on the east sideof the highway where they can provide expansiveviews across the Copper River Lowlands to theUrangells.

• Retain masses of natural vegetation betweensmaller clearings to provide diversity ratherthan making one large scale open clearing.

Industrial Development

Locate all clearings for material extractionbeyond the recommended greenbelt and utilizevegetation and landform to screen activities.

Avoid visible development near rivers and creeks.

Greenbelts (G)Due to the densely forested landcover adjacent tothe road, the generally level to gently rollingtopography and the wide (300 foot) right-of-way,a relatively narrow greenbelt management strip(25 feet) would be adequate throughout most ofthis unit. However, a wider greenbelt width (100feet) is necessary at the major river crossings(Klutina and Tazlina Rivers) and around an openview to a small lake (see G-l on map).

Private landowners are encouraged to voluntarilyadopt the following guidelines for greenbeltmanagement on their land. Native corporationsand the University are urged to formally adoptthese guidelines as part of their managementpractices to set an example to other landowners.

• No permanent structures should be located withinthe greenbelt.

• Retain at least 75% of the natural vegetationexcept where there are opportunities for openingdistinctive views.

• Utilize greenbelt vegetation to screen parkingareas and other unattractive land uses.

Right-of-Way ManagementDue to the complex pattern of small tracts ofpredominantly privately owned lands throughoutthis highway corridor, the managment of theright-of-way lands will play a fundamental rolein maintaining consistency in scenic resourcemanagement. To reinforce the greenbelt concept,the maximum amount of natural vegetation shouldbe retained within the right-of-way, while at thesame time responding to traffic safety needs R85

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and the opportunities for enhancing views. ,v .,...„£-.' v*1 ~'.r ""** ' "''v*-'

Throughout this unit, except where managed forviewing opportunities, a minimum of 50 feet ofnatural vegetation should be retained as a bufferbetween the highway and adjacent lands. *.••<•-,.• c

There are currently two major sources of negativeimpacts on the driving experience within thismanagement unit - the many unvegetated roadcuts and the visual accentuation of the road'slinear character as a result of uniform, wideclearings (35 feet beyond the road edge) oneither side of the road.

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Road cut impacts can be reduced by the followingconsiderations:

• Regrade to shallower slopes, in keeping with thesurrounding natural landscape.

• Seed areas with n i t rogen- f ix ing , soil-buildingplants (vetch, clover, lupine, alder) to initiatenatural revegetat ion.

• R e f r a i n f r o m f u r t h e r c lear ing or th inn ing andallow n a t u r a l succession to take over.

Some appropriate techniques for reducing thelinear feeling of the road as a result of wideuniform clearings include the following:

•• - • Plant or allow intrusion of scattered trees andmasses of trees within the cleared strip.1 ^ ' o * C: '~

• Allow low brush to remain in clearings. ••.< ;;,;.-..-. ,•

• Where brush is not yet established, seed withflowering plants (vetch, lupine) to add visual

; • •• *• diversity and interest. ,••• -,v•, .... o. - ,

. .. • Vary the width of clearings in response to sitespecific needs, such as visibility on the inside - -of curves, known moose movement corridors and V'

• 9fi winter shade patterns on the road surface. = .

The visual impact of roadauts could be reduced byseeding with nitrogen-fixing, flowering plants, suchas clover, vetch, or lupine.

Copper Center Bypass_____________The design for the Copper Center Bypass shouldinclude plans for small information turnoutsnoting the historic points of interest in CopperCenter. It is recommended that a turnout belocated at the north end of the bypass on thewest side of the road for southbound travelers.Another turnout should be located at the southend of the bypass on the east side of the roadfor northbound travelers. The opportunity forestablishing a site with day use recreation faci-lities near the Klutina River should be explored.

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Rest Area /Interpretive Sites (Rest)Two potential rest area sites have been identi-fied in this unit, one of which would providegood opportunities for landscape interpretation.

Rest-1 Old Highway Alignment ! The top priority site forrest area development appears to have been devel-oped as a rest area and subsequently vacated. ItIs located on a paved loop turnout created by avacated alignment and provides outstanding viewsacross the Copper River to the WrangellMountains. It is completely screened from thehighway by dense vegetation. This would be anexcellent interpretive site for the Copper RiverLowlands landscape. Redevelopment, requiringminimal investment, would include the following :

• Selectively thin vegetation on the east side ofthe rest area to open views to the Wrangells andthe Copper River.

• Provide picnic tables, toilets and trashreceptacles on the west side of the rest areawhere vegetation can be used for screening andcreating private picnic sites.

• Construct a walking trail to the Copper River -which would be an approximate 1/2 mile hike forthe most direct route.

Rest-2 Existing Bent Area - Tatlina River: This exist-ing paved rest area offers accommodations forpicnicking and access to the Tazllna River. Thesite Is adequately screened from the road and Issensitively developed, but has limited opportuni-ties for views of the surrounding landscape.Some Improvement of viewing opportunities couldbe accomplished with selective vegetation thin-ning. This site should be maintained as a dayuse facility, but landscape Interpretation of theCopper River Lowlands character type should beprovided at Rest-1.

Turnouts (T)Two turnouts are noted in this unit.

T-l Existing Turnout. This short gravel loop turnouton the west side of the highway has virtually noamenities and serves as an emergency pullout orshort term turnout only. There are no existingor potential scenic views from this point. It Isrecommended that this turnout be retained fortraveler use, but that additional right-of-wayvegetation be encouraged between it and the high-way to reduce Its visual Impact as a clearing.

T-2 Existing Paved Turnout— Willow Creek: It isalso recommended that this turnout be retained.It provides parking and access for fishing at

• Willow Creek. There are nice views to the southof the Chugach Mountains from here.

• Selectively thin the vegetation on the west sideat the north and south ends of the site to openviews of the entrance. This will alert thetraveler to it's location.

• Provide an interpretive Information display withInformation regarding the Copper River Lowlandslandscape as well as the history of the CapperCenter settlement.

• Provide Information signs on the highway locatedapproximately 1/2 mile on either side of theentrance to Inform travelers of the rest arealocation.

Power & Communication Lines____

Powerlines parallel the highway within theright-of-way for most of the length of thismanagement unit. Their visual impact varies withtheir location and the right-of-way vegetationmanagement. Negative visual impacts can bereduced if the following management practices areemployed: R87

• A wide strip of vegetation between the powerllnesand the highway provides an excellent screen -often eliminating all visual impact.

• The placement of the lines close enough to abackdrop of tall trees where the lines and polesare generally lower than the tree tops, reducesthe impact by eliminating the lines from theclose horizon.

• A combination of these two approaches - wherescattered tall vegetation is allowed to growwithin the right-of-way management strip,partially screening the lines and poles - is themost effective management tool.

View ManagementView management, by selectively thinning andclearing roadside vegetation, is a particularlyuseful tool for visual resource management withinthis corridor. The field study Identified sever-al opportunities where this tool could be appliedto enhance existing, but brief filtered views tothe Wrangell Mountains across the Copper RiverLowlands. Selective removal of spruce treeswould Increase the duration of the views and pro-vide an attractive foreground frame.

Impact Mitigation (M)

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Material sites and clearings apparently associat-ed with the highway and the Trans-Alaska Pipelineare the major visual problems in this unit. Thefollowing sites have been identified for specificimpact mitigation actions:

M-l Material Site. This very extensive gravelextraction area is located within one of the mostpanoramic scenic vistas along this stretch of the

highway. In addition to the large scar createdby the gravel extraction, there is a largeunattractive warehouse located on the west sideof the site. Reducing the visual impacts hereis especially difficult due to the elevated roadalignments. However, the impact could be some-what reduced by the following measures:

• Establish additional vegetation on the north sideof the road entrance to reduce visibility fromthe north.

• Construct a berm or fence with tall vegetationwithin the right-of-way adjacent to the site,especially in front of the warehouse structure,to reduce visibility from the west.

• As material resources are depleted or no longerneeded in portions of the site, begin activereclamation through regradlng and revegetation toreduce the size of the clearing.

M-2 Highway Maintenance Storage Yard. The size ofthis clearing on the west side of the highway isout of scale and character with the surroundingdense forests, and there are no views from thesite. Constructing a combination fence and tallvegetation screen within or at the edge of theright-of-way alongside the clearing would helpreduce the impact. This would be an excellentopportunity for DOTPF to set an example to otherlandowners of visually sensitive roadside manage-ment.

M-3 Department of Natural Resources clearing. Theexposed soil in a clearing situated on a steephill below the DNR building creates a strongcolor contrast to the natural surrounding land-scape. This is particularly noticeable from thesouth. It is recommended that this site beactively revegetated to reduce its impact. Thisis another opportunity to display public agencyefforts to manage visual resources on roadsideland.

M-4 Materials Site. This site includes a largedepression created by material extraction. Thenegative visual impact could be significantlyreduced by adopting the following measures.

•Construct a substantial berm within the right-of-way lands adjacent to the site and plant it withtall vegetation.

Kegrade the east side ofrevegetatlon to occur.

the site to allow

M-5 Commercial Garage Structure. The" garage site hasa cluttered and congested appearance. Theproperty owner should be contacted to discussways to reduce the visual problems by site organ-ization and screening while providing for ade-quate business visibility.

Recreation SiteThere are limited recreation opportunities on thecentral Richardson Highway within this managementunit. One site, however, could serve as acampground.

REC-l Potential Overflow Camping Facility. Althoughthere may be ownership conflicts, this formermaterial site could be developed as a small over-flow camping area. There are no existing campingfacilities between the Edgerton Road cutoff andGlcnnallen. This site also has outstanding viewsacross the Copper River to the WrangellMountains. The modifications that would need tobe made in order to develop this site include the ,following.

• Restrict the access to the site from the highwayto one narrower entrance.

• Construct a vegetated berm approximately 50-75,-j feet east of the road edge to screen direct views ;'•''•

from the highway to the site. This would create ,a split in tile entry road which will guide

•'''' entering vehicles to one side and exitingvehicles to the other side.

• Regrade the site and establish masses ofvegetation to break up the expansiveness of thesite and provide some privacy for campers.

• Construct a short trail to the top of the north ;i"ridge (on-site) to provide accessibility for tent '~i ~camping in the small aspen grove above.

• Construct a short trail to the top of the smallridge on the east side for a scenic viewpoint and

"' picnicking area. '

^^^^^^^^^^^^^••pga»s»BmiJiSM?.«vi-• _: . _ • • • ; . , , . , •,.,A«B.BiiaiAdditional vegetation planted in the fight of waywould reduce the visual impact of DOTPF's maintenancestorage yard. ... f - . ; ! i ,><,, ' .:•. >'^ v? i - ; ; i i . - • • * • • - - v ; v '

• Provide an interpretive information display onthe surrounding natural landscape.

• If not developed for recreational use, this siteshould be screened from view from the highway.

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