Talkeetna tussle.

• Author: Maschmeyer, Gloria
• Position: Controversy over planned visitor center at Denali National Park - Includes related article

Proposed plans for a visitor center outside the community are dividing residents.

One year ago, Lynn and Marty Terstegge bought the Talkeetna Roadhouse. They looked forward to raising their children in a rural village much like the fictitious community Cicely on the popular television show Northern Exposure. They don't want their lifestyle to change.

The Lees, David and Julie, have lived in Talkeetna for 13 years. They own a local flying service and have two small children. They would like to see more opportunity in the area, so that when their children grow up they won't have to leave home to find work. They don't mind if their lifestyle changes to accommodate growth in the community.

These two families sit on opposite sides of the fence regarding an issue that could change Talkeetna. The point of contention is whether the U.S. National Park Service should build a large visitor center on the out-skirts of the community.

Talkeetna lies 147 miles north of Anchorage. A spur road off the George Parks Highway dead-ends in the town of roughly 250 people. Since its inception as a mining and trapping community at the turn of the century, Talkeetna has retained a quiet relaxed atmosphere. Residents come from every walk of life and include small business owners, retirees, and Bush trappers and miners.

Talkeetna is a renowned jumping-off spot for Mount McKinley climbers, and each spring Talkeetna residents see a flood of outsiders when mountaineering enthusiasts from all over the world invade their tiny community. While residents may prosper from such influxes of people and spending, their current dilemma is how the proposed visitor center would affect their lives and livelihoods.

The site near Talkeetna is one of four alternative plans being considered by the National Park Service for development on the south side of Denali National Park and Preserve. According to Russ Berry, Denali park superintendent, a general management plan for development of the area was created in 1986. That plan called for later completion of a development and conceptual plan, followed by an environmental impact statement to address the development of park facilities and park access.

A 1990 U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee directive requested design and concept plans. A 15-member committee was formed of individuals from the Alaska regional office of the National Park Service, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Parks & Outdoor Recreation, and the...