This title applies to all municipal lands and facilities related to commercial recreational use, including Baranof Warm Springs and other locations beyond the Sitka road system. This title also applies to all trails owned by and easements held by the city and borough of Sitka for parks and recreation purposes. This title also applies to trails for which the city and borough holds joint jurisdiction with an agency of the state of Alaska or the United States government.

The full COMMERCIAL RECREATIONAL USE OF MUNICIPAL LANDS AND FACILITIES Chapter (14.10) can be found HERE

The Parks and Recreation Committee is tasked with creating and maintaining a commercial land use plan that identifies which municipal lands allow for-profit activity and under what specific restrictions, such as operating hours and group sizes. The plan must be formally adopted by the City and Borough Assembly. Additionally, the Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing the plan and recommending any necessary updates or modifications to the Assembly for final approval.

2026 Adopted Land Use Plan

The municipality is required to publish an annual schedule that outlines key dates for the permit process, including application windows, public comment periods, and final determinations. To ensure fairness, the application window must remain open for at least 30 days. Once applications are submitted, they are released for public review within 10 days, initiating a mandatory comment period of at least 20 days.

The process concludes with the municipality publishing its final permit determinations. To maintain transparency, any individual who submitted a public comment will receive a direct notification of the decision via email, provided their contact information was shared during the review phase.

2026 Application and public review period dates: 

• November 19 - Applications Open
• January 4 - Applications close
• January 9 - Public Review and Comment period opens on 2026 applications
• February 1 - Public comment period ends
• February 2 - 10 Final determinations and notice for 2026 applications

Following the Leave No Trace Seven Principles, summarized below, can help us minimize those impacts. They can be applied anywhere, at any time, while taking part in recreational activities.

• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• • Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
  • Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
  • Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
  • Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups.
  • Repackage food to minimize waste.
  • Use a map and compass or GPS to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

• Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• • Durable surfaces include maintained trails and designated campsites, rock, gravel, sand, dry grasses or snow.
  • Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
  • Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.

• In popular areas:
  • Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
  • Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
  • Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
• In pristine areas:
  • Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
  • Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

• Dispose of Waste Properly
• • Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite, food preparation areas, and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food and litter.
  • Utilize toilet facilities whenever possible. Otherwise, deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
  • Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
  • To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.

• Leave What You Find
• • Preserve the past: examine, photograph, but do not touch cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
  • Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
  • Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
  • Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• • Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the environment. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
  • Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
  • Keep fires small. Only use down and dead wood from the ground that can be broken by hand.
  • Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

• Respect Wildlife
• • Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
  • Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, [habituates them to humans], and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
  • Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
  • Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
  • Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.

• Be Considerate of Other Visitors
• • Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
  • Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
  • Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
  • Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
  • Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.

These principles were established by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, and built on work by the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management in the mid 1980s. This relationship continues today and has been adopted by commercial operators, outdoor educators, not for profit organizations and many others worldwide. The principles are based on and informed by scientific research in the fields of recreation ecology and human dimensions of natural resources. The science behind the principles on the Leave No Trace website: https://lnt.org/learn/science-behind-principles

Leave No Trace Seven Principles © 1999 by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: www.LNT.org.

Certificate of Insurance FAQ

List of approved operators for the 2026 season is as follows (includes area and proposed number of annual clients for each area).