Citizen board that advises the state on the Kenai River meets Nov. 12 in Soldotna

The citizen board that advises the state on managing the Kenai River meets Thursday, Nov. 12, in Soldotna, and residents can attend in person or online or send written comments ahead of time.

The Kenai River Special Management Area Citizen Advisory Board advises the governor and the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources on the Kenai River watershed, according to a state public notice. Fisheries allocation, or how fish are divided among user groups, is outside its role.

The special management area takes in more than 105 miles of rivers and lakes, including Kenai and Skilak lakes and the Kenai River down to four miles above its mouth on Cook Inlet, according to Alaska State Parks. The Legislature made it a state park unit in 1984 in response to growing use of and strain on the river, one of the most heavily used freshwater fisheries in Alaska. The Kenai also produced the sport-fishing world record king salmon, a 97-pound, 4-ounce fish caught in 1985, according to the agency.

The first board, created in 1985, helped develop the river's comprehensive management plan, and a later board helped update it in 1997. The board now has 12 public members and five non-voting agency representatives, and it meets the second Thursday of each month from September through May.

The Nov. 12 meeting starts at 5:30 pm at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Written comments can be emailed to Alaska State Parks before the meeting, and the state will pass them to board members, the notice says.