Alaska Trails Letter Asking Governor Parnell to Keep James King as Director of Alaska State Parks

December 27,2010
Governor Sean Parnell
PO Box 110001
Juneau, AK 99811-0001

Governor Parnell,
Please reconsider your decision to accept the resignation of James King as director of the
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. We strongly feel that Mr. King has been an
outstanding manager and powerful advocate for the division. We believe that he would stay on
as director if you were to ask.
The list of Mr. King's accomplishments is long. During his tenure he has increased
maintenance in state park units, improved staff morale and retention, overseen the construction
and maintenance of many miles of trails, and helped bring agencies, organizations, and
volunteers together to better manage our parks. His efforts have helped make Alaska a better
place to live and visit.
A partial list of what Mr. King has done includes:
• Improving campgrounds, trails, boat launchers, docks, signs, roads, and other facilities.
• Reversing a 25-year trend of deferred maintenance growth.
• Bringing conservationists and developers together in support of the proposed South
Denali Visitor Center.
• Overseeing the replacement of failing outhouses with more than 100 new low
maintenance concrete toilets.
• Successfully working out many contentious issues on the Kenai River.
• Helping complete a new snowmobile trail connection from Big Lake to Denali State Park.
Our group's particular interest is in trails, and Mr. King has been a leader in that arena by
getting trails badly needed maintenance, having many miles of new trails built, and having trails
rerouted to more sustainable alignments. These efforts have benefited both motorized and nonmotorized
users. By capably administering trail grant programs Mr. King has helped agencies,
local governments, and trail groups complete nearly 100 trail projects and groom more than
1,000 miles of multi-use/motorized winter trails. Under Mr. King's leadership, trails have been
improved across the state including in Kachemak Bay State Park, Chugach State Park, Hatcher
Pass, Nancy Lake State Recreation Area, Denali State Park, and Chena River State Recreation
Area
Enhancing the Alaska trail experience by supporting sustainable, world-renowned trails through advocacy and education
P.O. Box 100627 Anchorage, AK 99510 Ph: 907-334-8049 Email: office@a/aska-trails.org
www.alaska-trails.org
Alaska's state parks and other wild lands are some of our most valuable resources. Our state
parks receive more than 5.4 million visits a year. These parks and wild lands improve the
quality of life for Alaskans and help strengthen our visitor industry. Clearly, the Division of Parks
and Outdoor Recreation need strong, talented, and committed leadership so that these valuable
resources remain accessible and enjoyable.
We need a strong and capable leader at the helm of the Division of Parks and Outdoor
Recreation. Mr. King has already proven to be such a leader. Please retain him as director.

Sincerely,

Erin McLarnon, Executive Director
Geoffrey Orth, Board President

Cc: Commissioner Daniel Sullivan