Glacier Point ATV Tour Permit approved with conditions

The Haines Assembly advanced a tour permit application that drew a large amount of public comment and controversy at a meeting Tuesday. Alaska Excursions will be able to move forward with its plans for a new ATV tour in a remote area of the Haines Borough. But, the company will have to adhere to several added conditions. 

When Skagway-based Alaska Excursions applied for a permit to operate a new ATV tour at its Glacier Point property, it faced some unexpected challenges.

The area is across the Chilkat Inlet from Haines, at the foot of the Davidson Glacier.

Former employees of the company, many who had worked at Glacier Point, reached out to the Haines assembly. Through letters and public comment, they raised concerns about Alaska Excursions’ safety practices and the company’s workplace culture.

Joe Aultman-Moore was a guide at Glacier Point for three years. He spoke at this week’s assembly meeting.

“All these Glacier Point guides have come up to speak. It’s not because we hate Glacier Point and we’ve got a bone to pick with this company or Mr. Murphy. It’s because we love Glacier Point,” said Aultman-Moore.

Alaska Excursions already operates a canoe tour in the area around the Davidson Glacier, bringing up to 12,000 tourists across the inlet each year.  

Haines residents have also raised concerns about adding to that. 

“Fifteen thousand people a year, we can do that. But why double it?” asked Tom Faverty. “And then, when’s it going to be doubled again? And again and again. And to the point where we don’t want to live here anymore.”

There are also environmental worries. Particularly over potential disturbance of an arctic tern colony at the point.

But just as complaints came pouring in during the few weeks this was on the assembly’s agenda, many people – including current and former employees of the company — have voiced support and offered character references for the company’s owner.

Blake Bottle disputed claims about the company’s safety practices.  

“A safety record is very different than a safety allegation,” said Bottle. “And our safety record is  crystal clear and pristine. We wouldn’t be in business after 25 years if we were an unsafe company.”

The company did have a serious accident in Skagway last year, when a tour vehicle overturned. More than twenty people were injured.

“I also want to speak a little bit to the wildlife,” said Bottle. “We intend to be good stewards to the wildlife we share the Glacier Point area with.”

Others outside the company spoke in support of the ATV excursion.

Alaska Mountain Guides owner Sean Gaffney encouraged the assembly to permit the tour. AMG runs an ice climbing tour at the Davidson Glacier.

Bart Henderson also encouraged the assembly to take that direction.

“Mitigate, don’t eliminate,” said Henderson. “If you’ve got a problem or you have a concern with a permit like this, figure out first how can we mitigate that? How can we work with the operator to mitigate and to solve that issue, rather than just deny it.”

But serious questions still remained for some assembly members, like Tom Morphet.

“I seriously question whether this company can change its culture within the two month window before you would start operating this tour,” said Morphet.

Company owner Robert Murphy pushed back.

“I will 100 percent disagree that we have a bad culture in our company,” said Murphy.

But, he said he’s looking at new ways of improving communication within the company, and making it easier to file anonymous complaints.

“And we certainly want to work with you and the neighborhood, the people around us,” said Murphy. “We don’t want to be doing a bad thing. For many reasons. For the bad PR – we just don’t want to do it, it doesn’t make any good sense at all.”

It was a tie vote on whether to allow the permit to move forward. Mayor Jan Hill broke the tie, voting in favor of the tour. That means the permit will be processed and the tour can move forward this summer.

But, the permit is contingent on several new conditions added by the assembly. Alaska Excursions has to submit a safety plan and adhere to an inspection to verify safety equipment recommended by Haines EMTs is on site. And ATV trails need to avoid the tern colony.

The company’s request to bring up to 15,000 tourists was downgraded to 8,000 this year.

And, the permit needs to be renewed in one year.

 

Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify that the Glacier Point property is owned Robert Murphy, owner of Alaska Excursions.