The Tripod, November 2018

Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance November 2018 The Tripod PO Box 2323 Seward AK 99664 IditarodHTA@gmail.com http://www.Iditarod100.org The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Annual meeting Ballots for the board of directors' election and proxy forms have been sent to all members. To conduct business at the annual meeting we need at least 25% of the members present in person or by proxy, so it is very important that you send in your proxy if you cannot attend in person. The annual meeting of the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance will be held in Anchorage on November 28 and 29. The first day will be a workshop for the board members at the Campbell Creek Science Center. The annual meeting of the Alliance will be on November 29 at the Lakefront Hotel in Anchorage, 4800 Spenard Road.

Membership If you have not yet renewed your membership in the Alliance, please do so now. If you have renewed your membership: Thank you! The Trail for all Seasons The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance promotes public awareness of the Iditarod Trail and its gold rush and Alaska Native heritage by encouraging education programs and historical research, assisting in the protection, improvement, maintenance and marking of the Trail and developing partnerships that foster stewardship commitments and support. Alaska Supreme Court decision on Iditarod Trail In May 2012 Kelly Dickson and Donna Defusco sought to deny public use of a section of the Iditarod Trail and of a road cutting across their property near Big Lake, about 9 miles west of Knik. Their father Benjamin Cowart received his homestead patent on the land in 1965. The women inherited the property in 2007.

The state opposed their action, which resulted in a nearly month long non-jury trail before Anchorage Superior Court Judge Catherine Easter, who in June 2016 ruled against the plaintiffs, saying, "The Court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the public used the historic Iditarod Trail across the plaintiffs' property for such a period of time and under such conditions as to prove the right-of-way grant has been accepted." the judge also ruled that Homestead Road as it crosses the plaintiffs' property is a 20-foot "public prescriptive easement." That is to say, the road became public by continued use. Kelly Dickson and Donna Defusco appealed the verdict and in October 2018 the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the Superior Court's decision recognizing the right of way for the historic Iditarod Trail and the prescriptive easement for the road.

You can read the complete decision of the Supreme Court by typing in your browser: recent alaska supreme court slip opinions. You will find this case under October 5, 2018, case # 7307, Dickson v. State, Dept. of Natural Resources. 1 Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance From the past… "Iditarod Pioneer" November 22, 1913 November 2018 historic and use information to the City to help in the preparation of the grant application. AmazonSmile Remember the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance is a nonprofit registered with the AmazonSmile program. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the Alliance. On your first visit to smile.amazon.com, you need to select the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

Hike the Hill 2019 Trail advocates from across the nation gather in Washington, DC, each year, to learn, to network, and to urge Congress to protect trails and the hiking experience at American Hiking Society’s Hike the Hill. The 2019 Hike will be held on February 10-13. Participants learn about current trails issues, meet with federal partners, and spend some time with their members of Congress sharing your perspective on trail bills. New long trail City of Seward applies for grant The Chilean government just announced the creation of the Route of Parks, a 1,700 mile hiking trail that runs through Patagonia to Cape Horn. The entire route connects 17 national parks and winds through lakes, volcanoes, rainforests, and the Andes Mountains.

On October 19, 2018, the City Council of Seward passed Resolution 2018-085: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Seward, Alaska, authorizing the City Manager to apply for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to refurbish the Iditarod National Historic Trail and Bike Path. This applies to the section of the Iditarod National Historic Trail that runs through Seward. The Seward Iditarod Trail Blazers supplied 2