Healy shooters likely to lose gravel pit range to state road work next summer

Healy shooters will likely lose their informal range at a Parks Highway gravel pit starting next summer, Denali Borough Community Development Director Stephanie Ford told the borough's Community Outdoor Recreation Committee on Tuesday.

The state-owned Panguingue Creek Pit sits at about Mile 252 of the Parks Highway, just north of Healy. Ford said the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will likely use it as a gravel source or staging site for road projects around Healy in summer 2027 and possibly 2028. DOT told her the pit has good material and a good location, so a contractor is likely to pick it. She said she wasn't sure how long the work would last.

On Oct. 2, the state Department of Natural Resources said it intends to issue DOT a contract for 100,000 cubic yards from the pit. In June, the department said it was considering restricting "the use and discharge of weapons" there "due to safety concerns."

Committee members said losing the pit has built interest in a formal range, and that six or seven residents want to form a nonprofit sportsman's club to run one. Ford said the borough would need a group like that, because it "is not of the size and doesn't have the staff to manage a shooting range."

The range isn't in the borough's capital improvement plan, so no money is set aside, Ford said. The borough could contribute land, hold a master lease or sponsor grant applications. She pointed to federal Pittman-Robertson grants, which cover up to 75% of an eligible project's cost with a 25% nonfederal match. In Alaska, only the Department of Fish and Game can receive and spend that money, according to its Hunter Access Program page.

Attendees mostly talked about starting simple. Two pointed to the range near Cantwell, with concrete shooting benches and berms at 100, 200 and 300 yards. One said a range should sit at least 2 miles from homes, preferably 3. Two others wanted a visible spot on a plowed or busy road, saying more eyes would keep people in line.

The group looked over maps of borough and Alaska Railroad land, including borough land north of the Healy transfer station. Ford said the railroad didn't rule out a range but would want to evaluate any site and doesn't want one next to its tracks.