Comments Received to Date

Below are the written comments we received at the December 11th public open house, and the comments that we have received to date through the comment collector or email.

December 11th Public Open House – Received Comments

These comments were written on comment cards at the open house.

In-Meeting Comment 1

• I live by 17 mile lake. By FAR the biggest concern in my neighborhood is the sound. I highly request & suggest a restriction on muzzle brakes.
• On a 300 yard put metal targets at different distances that represent vital zones of game [animals]. The Glennallen range has this.
• A skeet range would be fantastic!

In-Meeting Comment  2

• JPUA needs more toilets planned in phase 1 of construction for campers around the lake and for day users (ATV riders).
• Create a sound barrier on the "back" side of the firing line for 1) Landowners and neighbors on the south side of JPUA, 2) safety for the shooters to have a "solid" area behind them.

In-Meeting Comment  3

• Putting a shooting range in a residential area is insanity! Expand the upper knik range and make it truly useful. We need a good place to shoot, but the proposed range in jonesville is the wrong place!

In-Meeting Comment  4

• Please make use of the range free so that users do not go "next door" or "somewhere else" to do unsafe shooting.
• More toilets for all users.
• Trail heads for all users.

In-Meeting Comment  5

• The State land in the area around the JPUA needs to be closed to 'recreational shooting' when the JPUA shooting ranges are made. Currently there are multiple other locations in a few miles of JPUA where 'recreational shooting' has caused conflicts with other users (trail hikers, non-motorized bikers, ATV riders, and horseback riders). There are serious safety concerns because of recreational shooting on state land. Please make it not allowable!

Received Online (As of December 16th, 2025)

Order of comments is from oldest at the beginning to newest at the end.

Online Comment  1

I've used the Jonesville shooting area/pit quite a bit in the past and agree there are safety risks with the shooters there. I fully support a formal range there, particularly if it includes ranges longer than 300 yards.  There is obviously and interest and need for a shooting range in that direction or it wouldn't be so popular.

Online Comment  2

A safe place to shoot is long overdue. Range Safety officers would be very helpful in maintaining safety as well as keep unwanted trash from being dumped and shot at. A method to rent a range/bay by training companies would be very helpful because there are not many options for companies that do not own a private range. renting the range/bay(s) would benefit local competition clubs also. Long Range Shooting is the fastest growing part of the shooting sports and having a safe place for residents to practice their craft would be ideal. Long Range Shooting has many different definitions depending on who you talk to and the ideal distance would be 1,000 yards.

Online Comment  3

the pictures don’t share the filth and trash people leave here in our backyard

Online Comment  4

My Online Comment for context to the question below is there is realistically very little danger right now with shooting because people typically are polite and spread out pretty good, so there is little to no risk of cross-fire.  If we are going to build a dedicated shooting range and essentially confine or encourage people to mainly shoot in one particular area, how will you mitigate the potential for accidental shootings when, for example, someone wants to walk up and check their target when sighting their rifle in?  Right now it's not really a problem because typically people are so spread out there is no real danger and the whole range doesn't have to go cold.  Also, it's difficult to understand how I would be able to verify that all other people on the line would actually have their gun unloaded, thereby eliminating or greatly reducing the odds of someone getting shot by accident.

Online Comment  5

I would like to have a safe clean place to bring family and friends to enjoy firearms please.  I would like to see organized events here. Shooting rifles and pistols from 50 ft to 600 yards.  I would like to have all manner of shooting disciplines able to reserve the range for State and z regional matches  This area could easily be a destination event area!!

Online Comment  6

This is a complex situation, but it doesn’t seem like you’re addressing the fundamental issues as much as making things worse by trying to put a shooting range where it simply does NOT belong.   There are nearly two thousand residents in Sutton, and thousands more within earshot of the endless barrage of shooting and assorted explosions. Let’s see, it’s a RESIDENTIAL area, there’s a grade school close by, there’s a lake for fishing and camping, and people riding everywhere on ATVs.   Putting a shooting range in the middle of that residential zone and multi-use area, is absolutely and patently ridiculous!  Absolutely NO-ONE within five miles of this proposed range, wants to listen to guns going off all day!  We LIVE here, and have to put up with the obnoxious NOISE, constantly already, and now you want to dramatically ADD to it?  That’s insanely short sighted, and intensely disrespectful of this area’s residents!  No-one wants to live next to a shooting range, a landfill or a nuclear waste site, for God’s sake.  How would YOU like it if we put one next to your home and your kid’s school?  It’s deplorable that you consider the residents of Sutton expendable in your equation of compatible activities.  I think it’s criminal, in fact. The first problem to address here, is the “Wild West” aspect you’ve mentioned.  The area is constantly being abused with people dumping trash, uncontrolled shooting, irresponsible trail riding, and frequent alcohol-fed hooliganism. It’s pathetic.  That situation clearly needs to be addressed by restricting certain activities (especially shooting) and establishing responsible behaviors.  Part of that simply requires adequate law enforcement and a clear set of rules that ensure everyone’s safety and ability to share the resources without impacting others (including local residents). The second issue is to establish compatible activities for use of this area.  Peace and quiet for area residents is clearly at the top of the list!  You certainly should never even consider throwing us all under the bus to accommodate visitors!  This once lovely area cannot be allowed to be a lawless playground for all the city people. The idea of enhancing the camping areas around Slipper Lake, is a fine compatible use.  Bicycle trails with no motorized vehicles allowed?  Another good idea.  Public restrooms and perhaps a community grassy area for things like impromptu football games, tossing a frisbee, or other quiet, non-intrusive activities, are also on the list of compatible things in a multi-use location close to town and schools.  Maybe a covered picnic area, similar to what’s at Mirror Lake, is also on the list of compatible uses.  Perhaps even a small 3-hole golf course.  But putting a shooting range in the middle of all that, is hugely disruptive, and frankly, just plain dumb. Nobody camping or fishing at the lake wants to have guns going off next to them.  Neither do people who might want to enjoy a family picnic together, or people quietly riding a bicycle trail.  And I promise you, those of us that actually LIVE there, sure as hell don’t want to listen to shooing!  We are all sick to death of negligent mismanagement of our back yards!  Do NOT compound the problem by trying to put a damn shooting range in the middle of it all.  It is NOT appropriate..  It seems to me there’s a need for bigger/better shooting facilities, but Jonesville/Sutton is NOT the right place!  The good news is, you already have a properly located public shooting range in the Knick Public Use Area.  It’s too small and not well laid-out, but it’s wisely far away from houses and schools and campers.  The most cost-effective and intelligent option is to expand that range.  There’s space available to put longer range options, and room for both pistol and rifle areas.  Access is reasonably good if someone maintains the road properly.  And, in that location, it’s not competing with people who want to camp peacefully by the lake and do some fishing, nor with residents who live across the street and are entitled to peace and quiet.  It’s an obvious facility to upgrade and address the need for a proper, safe shooting range.  In my view, you can make this situation a win-win, by doing some smart planning.  Clean up the lawless renegade bullshit that’s happening in the Jonesville area now, and put in a pleasant, safe park-like facility for visitors who can share COMPATIBLE activities, and not be offensive to the area residents.  Expand and properly design the Knick Public Use Area range to accommodate the shooting community in their  location that’s appropriate.  Everyone wins.  But trying to jam a shooting range into Sutton’s back yard, will NOT work, and conflict will ensue.  Be smart about this!

Online Comment  7

The sport of precision long range rifle shooting is the fastest growing portion of the firearms industry. Alaska is no different. Alaska lacks the infrastructure for safe places to practice their long range skills and to compete. There are 2 established 1,000 yard ranges in the state (non-military). One is in Kenai and is a members only club and the other is in Talkeetna. The Talkeetna range is the only public 1,000 yard range in the state. Since it is the only public range that has targets out to 1,000 yards many organizations rent the range. The Jonesville area provides an opportunity to provide infrastructure to alleviate some of the burden. If a bay that offers up to 600 yards is available to the public it would offer a place for clubs to host events and schools to host classes.  There appears to be 2 exhibits in contention for the site development and each have a 300 yard bay which is good and I urge consideration of a 600 yard area.  Regarding the 2 exhibits, it is suggested that the firing lines not be offset for safety. While it is understood that there will be berms separating the shooting areas the concern comes from 2 points of view; (1) people bringing firearms to the firing line will most likely be pointing them at people at other ranges, and (2) rounds that impact the infield have a tendency to bounce over the berms and could strike someone at a range.   (1) Since this range will not have staffed RSOs this will be a problem only exacerbated by the staggered firing lines. (2) This a known issue which has led to rules on other ranges that are enforced by staffed RSOs. One range had to shut a bay down because of the ricochets.  For Option 1 [October 6th version] please consider moving the shorter ranges even with the 200 & 300 yd firing lines with the building behind the firing lines and the parking areas parallel.

Online Comment  8

[Comment removed due to not meeting Comment Policy]

Online Comment  9

Please consider putting in a 600 yard lane.

Online Comment  10

While we will greatly appreciate the improvements/regulations on the new shooting ranges what will be done about additional shooting up the motorized trails. There are several trails along the hillside for atv/sxs/motorcycles that often cross with lines where the public currently likes to shoot long range. This is a major safety concern when riding in this area of crossing a shooting line. I look forward to the improvements and efforts to make this area more family friendly as it had been many years ago.

Online Comment  11

As a frequent user of the Jonesville area, I prefer Option 2  [October 6th version]. It provides much safer separation between the range and the ATV/camping traffic that moves through the valley. The access road might be less intuitive, but the benefit of isolating the shooting area far outweighs it. Option 2  [October 6th version] creates a controlled, dedicated environment for shooters and greatly reduces the risk of non-shooting users accidentally entering firing zones.

Online Comment  12

I oppose putting a shooting range in the area that is currently designated. There are a lot of families that enjoy camping in the Jonesville area that would negatively be impacted by this shooting range. How many campgrounds have shooting ranges within their boundaries? I would suggest few to none. If we want to urge people to camp and families to enjoy the area having guns shooting off at all hours of the day and night is not conducive to a family camping atmosphere. Once you make this a known shooting alley it will draw more guns to the area. If DNR believe a run range MUST be made available in this area, I would suggest moving it down the side road where the circle turnout is. (I'm not sure how to describe it.) Although this is one of my favorite areas to see the heart on the mountain, I'd be willing to give up this sight in order to allow others to safely shoot farther away from where children are playing and people are sleeping. Often shooters in that area intoxicated and have little regard for others safety. Even though there will be a "designated shooting area" who is going to maintain the area and assure the families are safe?

Online Comment  13

I love to dirt bike and camp here regularly. I like the idea of a shooting range but don’t want to loose trail access and ability to camp for free.

Online Comment  14

There are concerns in a neighborhood fb page that a range will increase noise

Online Comment  15

Hello!  Please do not put the shooting range right in the front.  We are ALL so tired of hearing the shooting in our neighborhood.  We thought it was going to be tucked in the back, behind the hill, with the hill as a buffer to some of the noise.  By putting it directly by the lake, the lake enjoyment will be restricted as well as nothing at all to block the noise even where we live in the 5mi neighborhood.

Online Comment  16

Hello Sutton community! As professor of public health at UAA and environmental health researcher , I’m seriously concerned about siting a shooting range right next to a lake. That setup creates a high-risk pathway for lead and other heavy metals to move from spent ammunition into the soil, leach through groundwater, and ultimately enter the lake. Once lead gets into aquatic systems, it can disrupt water quality, harm wildlife, and pose real health risks for people. And just to make it clear — there’s no “safe” level of lead in drinking water—EPA is states that any detectable amount is already a red flag.  My UAA students and I  recently completed an assessment of lead contamination at another shooting range in Southcentral Alaska, and the pattern was basically the same. Lead showed up in every sample except one—taken at the far perimeter of the site. That’s exactly what we expect when a range operates close to sensitive ecosystems: the contamination doesn’t stay put.  Given all this, locating a range so close to a lake isn’t advisable —it’s a predictable environmental health hazard that’s fully preventable with better siting, mitigation, and long-term monitoring.

Online Comment  17

We love skating and as well as family/pet friendly wild spaces to enjoy our time outside. Please consider another location so that everyone can continue enjoying skating at Slipper Lake.

Online Comment 18

I do not support a shooting range here. I enjoy the peace and quiet of ice skating in winter on slipper lake and in summer spending time soaking in nature without the crazy noise caused by a shooting range

Online Comment 19

I am happy to hear of the options and my opinion is the shooting area needs to be completely separated from other none shooters. There’s been many accidents out there and near misses. We have been riding dirt bikes out there, and had people literally shoot across the trail we are riding on. I myself as a dirt biker would be happy to pay a small fee for entry to help support enforcement of the rules and have some basic facilities added like an outhouse or two and a dumpster. I am not sure of where this property lies as far as jurisdiction and enforcement. If rules were enforced and alcohol was not allowed in the shooting area, many accidents could be avoided.

Online Comment 20

I'm opposed to the Jonesville shooting range. My cabin is in the 17 Mile Lake Southridge subdivision, mostly within sight of the proposed range. With shooting ranges already located at Birchwood, Jim Creek, Moose Meadows and private ranges a few miles south of Sutton & a few miles south of Palmer I question the need for another in this area.

Online Comment 21

After viewing the Dec 11th designs, I prefer the one with the 300-yard range closer to Slipper Lake. This should also have a tall berm between the range and the camping area. DNR/Mat-Su Borough should consider developing a second camping area on the south side of Slipper Lake. This would provide a good grouping of facilities (access from Jonesville Road, camping area, shooting area) for people who's primary purpose in visiting is to shoot. What I LIKE about the current site: the Eska Falls trail and potential hiking and fossil viewing. What I do NOT LIKE: I don't use the trail or go out to the fossil areas because of all the shooting and the general sense of being unsafe in the area. I visit Eska Creek every month all year round for work, and hear/view shooting almost every time. What changes would help me use the site: Keep a state trooper or Chickaloon Village Traditional Council police on site. Someone with the authority to fine and arrest. Don't allow people to bring in junk cars and appliances to shoot them up. Any sort of shooting range needs to have hours of operation and entire days when the facility is closed so non-shooters can enjoy the area. The overall scheme of developing the area should be conducive to having vendors (selling food and drink), walk-in camp areas, non-motorized trails for horses/bikes/hikers, camping areas for people with horses that are separate from those where people use ATVs. None of the shooting range designs or overall planning will be effective without ENFORCEMENT. At least two years of funding should be available for enforcement before money is put into the shooting ranges. I realize there is funding for the shooting range and that this is a first step in developing the area, but at least two years of enforcement is also needed during which non-compliant type people will figure out another place to go. There need to be sound barriers so the community of Sutton doesn't need to hear gunfire at all hours of the day. The sound carries for miles up and down the Glenn Highway. Ranges should be enclosed or roofed to deal with the noise issues

Received via email (As of December 19th, 2025)

Email Comment 1

Hello and thank you for your time. I'm wondering if it was possible to move the location of the jonesville mine shooting range.  I'm a property and business owner who lives in the 17 mile lake neighborhood, very close  to the proposed shooting range location. My house and my rental property are not only close enough to hear every gunshot but close enough to see the range location and be hit by any stray fire. The main complaint for years has been the noise. It's the problem that affects the most people. The proposed range complex can accommodate up to 42 people shooting at the same time, 10 hours a day, every day. That hardly seems like a solution to the noise problem. I worked for 30 years to achieve my dream of running a beautiful bed and breakfast with a million dollar view in alaska. That dream came true six years ago and now Fireweed Guesthouse is the only 5 star rated vacation rental out of the almost dozen in the area. The people who seem to want a range surprisingly do not have to live anywhere near the constant, incessant shooting. All the property and business owners do. All the people who come here to vacation do. People who want to shoot have many places they can go, like the perfectly good range right over on Maude road. We in this neighborhood only have one place to live. Here's a solution that could work. Extend the existing campground into the proposed range location and move the range to the north side of Wishbone hill. I was under the impression that the north side was going to be the chosen spot from an article in the MAT SU Sentinel and accompanying photo. People shoot back there all the time and nobody hears them because Wishbone Hill blocks the noise. In the summer people camp in the location of the proposed range. The proposed range will be free, generating no revenue and cost money in maintenance. A campground will generate a lot of revenue. I am begging you to help save the dream I have worked my entire life to make happen.