Tundra travel closed on state NS lands

On Nov. 6 the Alaska Department of Natural Resources issued its first off-road tundra travel status report for the winter of 2009-10. All areas of state-owned land on the North Slope and in the Brooks Range foothills are currently closed for tundra travel, DNR said.

Tundra travel opening in the foothills requires 9 inches of snow, while in coastal areas 6 inches of snow is required; all areas require soil temperatures at or below minus 5 F at a depth of one foot.

Although the snow depth has met the tundra opening requirements in the Upper Foothills opening area, the snow depth is insufficient elsewhere. And none of DNR’s monitoring stations indicate soil temperatures below zero F, DNR said. The snow in most areas is very light and could easily be blown away by strong winds. Companies that want to use summer-approved, off-road vehicles to pre-pack ice roads for the coming winter should submit a request for approval to DNR, the department said.

—Alan Bailey