Additional Comments Received

Received via Online Comment Collector (As of January 21st, 2026)

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

Use this link to see previous comments: https://msb-jonesville.blogspot.com/2025/12/comments-received-to-date.html

Online Comment 22

Hello great start! We appreciate everyone's efforts! This complex can turn into an Alaskan premier destination to host great events AND provide great recreational shooting! Thank you!  NRA and CMP State and Regional tournaments can be accommodated by a 100/200/300/500 yard rifle distances and 50 and 25 yard pistol ranges. Turning targets at 25 yards for pistol would be wonderful.  High power Silhouette matches would need targets at 200/300/385/500 meters for steel and 40/50/77/100 meters for 22 LR.  Small Bore Rifle NRA matches would need 25/50/100 yard meter ranges,  Rimfire Long Gong requires a 300 yard steel range.    Please keep those thoughts in mind for short term and long range planning.  th small shoring bays are great for action and cowboy events!!  Thank you!!!

Online Comment 23

Unless this shooting range charges money for users and is monitored by an employee, similar to Anchorage, the result will be vandalism and unsafe shooting.

Online Comment 24

As a long time owner of a secondary property and home in the 17 mile lake area I can attest that the primary problem with a designated shooting area lies with the principle of self regulation.  Back in the early 2000's I began taking my kids to slipper lake for recreation.  While it was relatively quiet then there were still issues with unregulated and unsupervised shooting.  As the years progressed the issues of safety due to unregulated shooting forced me to quit going to the slipper lake area.  Without on site, human  supervision of shooting, this will not deter unsafe behavior by some.  Having also seen the continued abuse of this area by some, dumping of appliances, cars, and trash, as well as the unsafe use of firearms, I can't imagine that any "improvements" to the shooting area will not be damaged or completely destroyed in short order.  And finally, the noise-even in the 17 mile lake area- is night and day and includes automatic weapons fire, and even the use of large ammunitions that create explosive sound that rattles windows and destroys the peaceful enjoyment for all those who live around me.  If the state wishes to keep people safe and ensure a safe place to shoot, there must be on site regulation as well as the ability to limit the hours of shooting.  Overall, I am strongly opposed to this idea for so many reasons beyond what I have indicated here. 

Online Comment 25

We used to live on Stayton Avenue just above 17-mile Lake. The gunfire started with a few 22 shots now and then but over the years changed to all hour's gunfire and explosions and gunfire after dark.    Make it a park and expand the existing shooting range.  Sutton residents deserve peace and quiet after many years of gun noise.  Thank you for considering my suggestions.

Online Comment 26

I have used this area to shoot many times. I go here in the winter because maud is dangerous to drive to, the final hill down is an ice rink. Paying to shoot when ammo is so expensive is something I cant afford, I reload ammo just to be able to shoot. The best location for a range is somewhere flat, easy to access in all seasons and above all safe. This place hits the first 2, but misses the last by a long shot.

Online Comment 27

We live on 17 mile lake and already have to listen to shooting all hours. 2:30am. We have an Airbnb in the summer, tolerating the noise. More shooting/ noise is not something to look forward to. Maybe somewhere further out without the noise traveling to us.

Online Comment 28

Read online comments and have gone to two meetings. I support the range in general, but the location might be sub-optimal. Now I have lived in Palmer for years and work in Sutton, and have shot at the JPUA a few times. I have never even heard the words "Wishbone Hill" until tonight (21 JAN 26). The argument for placing the range on the opposite side of this hill from Sutton might please the most people; as long as the shooters KNEW about it! I would happily drive the extra whatever distance it is to this place to shoot recreationaly and safely. I recommend if this alternate site is suitable, and I realize it will cost more to build there looking at the sat maps, just mark the way with signs. Vandalism is an issue yes, so don't use those cutesy brown wood and yellow letter signs like the NPS / NFS use for the tame places Outside... 1" thick, relief cut stainless steel plates on 8" stainless round traffic light poles filled with cement and set in 55 gal drums full of rocks and buried 6' deep. We could also mark the larger trails (to Eska Falls, Coyote Lake and the like) with admonitions against shooting in those areas.  

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The Jonesville Public Use Area (JPUA) is located approximately 58 miles north of Anchorage near the community of Sutton. The land encompassed by the JPUA is owned by the State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), with collaborative management between DNR, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB). Surrounded by exquisite views of the Matanuska Valley and immense wilderness within a short drive of Alaska’s most populous city, the JPUA has all the makings of a quintessential Alaskan recreation site. The site attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, who participate in outdoor activities such as camping, off-roading, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, and shooting. Over time, the area has experienced progressively destructive and unsafe behavior by some users, including indiscriminate shooting, vehicle burning, and vandalism. These activities have created safety concerns that have had a negative impact on the local communi...
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