State closes part of Jonesville Public Use Area to shooting for cleanup day
The temporary closure is the first of its kind.
What you need to know:
- The state will temporarily close shooting across about 700 acres of the Jonesville Public Use Area near Slipper Lake outside Sutton from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday so volunteers can safely participate in an annual cleanup event.
- About 200 volunteers are expected at the cleanup, which organizers said removed multiple dumpsters of trash and several abandoned vehicles last year.
- The Jonesville area has long struggled with trash, abandoned vehicles and unsafe shooting activity. The borough and state are planning a regulated shooting range in the area, with construction expected next year.
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The state will temporarily close shooting in a portion of the Jonesville Public Use Area often used for target practice so residents can volunteer at a cleanup day without worrying about gunfire.
The closure is the first of its kind in the area, state officials with the state Department of Natural Resources said. It will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday across about 700 acres near and around Slipper Lake. It does not affect other sections of the roughly 16,000-acre recreation area.
The closure coincides with the annual Jonesville community cleanup, officials said.
Once known for coal mining, the Jonesville Public Use Area near Sutton has long attracted indiscriminate shooting, as well as junk and trash used for target practice and then abandoned. While most people use portions of the area for safe shooting and recreation, some engage in “lawless behavior,” according to one borough management plan.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough and DNR are working to develop a portion of the Slipper Lake area into a regulated shooting range, with construction expected to begin next year. Plans for the development are under review following a public comment period earlier this year.
About 200 volunteers are expected to help with the cleanup Saturday, said Ben Dale, who has helped organize the event with the Alaska Off Road Toyota group since 2024. Last year, the group filled three 40-yard dumpsters with junk and trash and removed seven abandoned vehicles, a fifth-wheel RV and a trailer, he said.
Dale, who lives in Palmer, said helping with the cleanup is a way for community members to meet other outdoor enthusiasts and show they care about the places they enjoy.
“It’s honestly a convenient way to make a public-use area cleaned up and show that we care,” he said. “We have made a huge difference in that area.”
The event will start at 10 a.m. and include lunch and raffle prizes donated by local businesses, Dale said.
A similar cleanup at Knik Public Use Area overseen by the borough earlier this month drew about 100 volunteers, filled a dumpster and cleared three abandoned cars, borough officials said.
The state will station a DNR employee on the road to Slipper Lake to enforce the six-hour shooting closure Saturday, said Rachel Longacre, who manages DNR’s Division of Land, Mining and Water.
Public comment on the closure was open in April. DNR received five comments supporting the plan and none opposing it, she said.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com
This story was updated May 13 to correct the closure end time. The closure ends at 4 p.m.