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Last month, reporters from the Anchorage Daily News (ADN) and the Washington Post came to McCarthy and spent time with the National Park Service (NPS) and with the Pilgrim family. |
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Reporter Tom Kizzia from the ADN and Blaine Harden from the Post talked with NPS officials, McCarthy area residents and the entire Pilgrim family. They rode horseback up the McCarthy Green Butte Road and spent the night at the Pilgrim cabin. Both reporters plan stories on the controversial drama being played out in the Wrangells. Both men say the main problem they are having is, “the story is too big.” Bonnie and I, as part-time editor/publisher/reporters, whole-heartedly agree! |
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Nevertheless, we will try to give a brief synopsis of recent events. McCarthy Annie has very eloquently covered the activities at the homestead with rangers and scientists, so we will avoid that subject and briefly mention access and citations. |
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On June 13, Robert Hale Pilgrim (Papa), David Pilgrim and their attorney J.P. Tangen, met with NPS Regional Director Robert Arnberger in his Anchorage office about access to their property in the McCarthy Creek valley. At that meeting Mr. Chris Bockmon (attorney) stated that all ANILCA permits ever done by NPS went through him, and in response to Mr. Tangen's questions as to what form the Pilgrims should use to request access Bockmon and Arnberger said there is no particular form and to just “send something in asking for access.” |
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Based on the comments made by Bockmon and Arnberger at that meeting, the Pilgrims sent a letter on July 8, 2003, to Superintendent Gary Candelaria asking for a permit for emer¬gency access |
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Meanwhile, the NPS shut off access to the Pilgrim’s underground holdings by closing the Polk adit. Joseph was cited for trespassing and vandalism when he was seen in the vicinity of the adit opening. (Rangers were lying in wait in the bushes.) |
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The Pilgrims were offering horseback and carriage rides to locals and tourists. NPS sent in an undercover agent who booked a horseback trip to the Bonanza Mine with the family. As a result, Joshua Pilgrim and Country Rose received citations for “conduct¬ing business operations within the boundaries of the park without a permit.” |
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As an aside, the agent, who said his name was “Rooker,” also booked two B&B rooms with McCarthy B&B (for two nights) and a glacier hike with the Kennicott Wilderness Guides, saying they were for his family. Apparently the “family” did not exist, as neither reservation was honored by Rooker. So far neither business has been reimbursed for the fraudulent bookings. (John Adams, McCarthy B&B, said that when he phoned Assistant Superin¬tend¬ent Hunter Sharp about the reservations, Hunter told him the Pilgrims were responsible. John said that when he pressed him further, Hunter hung up on him.) |
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Finally, after nearly two months had elapsed, Mr. Bockmon contacted the Pilgrim’s lawyer, J.P. Tangen, and told him the application would need to be made on form SF 299. Bockmon offered to help Mr. Tangen in completing the application. This was done and the application was submitted to Superintendent Gary Candelaria on September 2, 2003. |
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SF 299 is a detailed, two-page form with such questions as, “Describe likely environ¬mental effects that the proposed project will have on: (a) air quality; (b) visual impact; (c) surface and ground water quality and quantity; (d) the control or structural change on any stream or other body of water; (e) existing noise levels; and (f) the surface of the land, including vegetation, permafrost, soil, and soil stability.” |
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Pilgrim’s answers: “Negligible. Very minor. There are no sensitive or thaw unstable permafrost areas. The road crosses very little permafrost of any kind. No significant clearing is needed beyond the existing road. Soil types crossed by the route are such that erosion will be negligible because in areas of significant slope they are generally coarse-grained and not subject to slope instability.” |
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Pilgrim stressed that “there is an immediate and urgent emergency need to transfer supplies between McCarthy and Homestead before freeze up.” He stated that, “an application for permanent access requirements will be submitted at a later date.” |
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This time, Candelaria answered in less than a week. “The application does not provide sufficient information to allow us to address the request,” said Candelaria in a letter to Mr. Tangen. He went on to ask how many trips were planned, when they were planned, what type of bulldozer, and a request to “please explain the nature of the emergency.” Concerns about crossing the stream and about which route the family would take were voiced. |
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Pilgrim sent his reply 6 days later, in the form of a 9-page, hand written letter. (Pilgrims have no computer at “Hillbilly Heaven,” as they call their homestead.) “I laughed when you said the application didn’t provide sufficient info to allow you to address the request,” said Pilgrim on page 3. He went on to answer each item on Candelaria’s letter in great detail. |
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“How many trips? It will take 4 trips of food, for animal hay (dogs, horses, goats and chickens) and feed, and another 4-5 trips to provide food, building supplies, tools, sawmill, personal emergency needs for 17 people; clothing, windows, insulation, roofing materials, bedding and many personal items, such as socks and underwear.” |
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Under “Please explain the nature of the emergency,” Pilgrim waxed eloquent. He told about the cabin burning down last winter. “The older family members were out on the trail at the time and ‘Mama Country Rose’ and her smaller children fought the blaze with courage. Upon return of the rest of the family, only tearful eyes and broken hearts were found standing among the flame soaked smoldering remains of all that we had.” |
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He told about their efforts to resupply last spring, and the frustration they all felt when Chief Ranger Hunter Sharp summarily closed the road just days before their planned trip with supplies. |
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The 9-page letter closed with a plea. “We’ve already had to kill two of our milking goats for lack of feed. Food is very low, windows are broken by marauding bears, temperatures are dropping, no insulation to the point when my wife and I decided to move our bed to another room last night, we found it frozen to the floor.” |
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“We ask you, give us our access that we can begin to work together.” |