Dear Governor Dunleavy and Senator Shower: 

The Board of Directors of Friends of Benka Lake had the opportunity to review Mr. Weidner’s voluminous letter sent to you and a number of state and borough employees. Mr. Weidner, in his letter, seems confused by who is suing his client. Friends of Benka Lake is a community response to Jan and Britta Brunz's actions to prevent public access to Benka Lake, vacate a road easement, and assume ownership of the only developed public access to the lake. The Friends of Benka Lake's mission is to restore full public legal access to the waters of Benka Lake. 

The six-member board of Friends of Benka Lake are people who live, work, and raise families in the Upper Susitna. We are a retiree and his family who started with a simple cabin next to the lake and over time transformed it into a beautiful home. We are a full-time real estate broker mom raising two boys who values feeding her family wild-harvested foods. We are a father of five energetic children who spends his workday delivering fuel to his neighbors and time off outside with his family. We are a busy small business owner who uses her spare time to also serve as a volunteer firefighter. We are an aviation mechanic and Coast Guard veteran with a dog who enjoys chasing tennis balls into the lake. We are a stay-at-home parent and Army veteran with children who enjoy exploring Alaska.

We represent a community attempting to protect a natural resource they have historically valued. Our community appreciates recreating, hunting, and fishing close to where we live. Some of us are Mr. Brunz’s neighbors who were given no notice by the borough before he constructed his fence. One of us lost access to the property she hopes to build on eventually. We represent future generations of Upper Susitna parents, children, and grandparents who will have access to Benka Lake. We are unafraid of the mortal dangers posed by navigating a dirt road, water, and rocks to enjoy our lives. Mr. Weidner, in his communications, broadly labels us as “the Public.” 

The transcripts of the Alaska Constitutional Convention contain lengthy discussions about Alaska's natural resources. Delegates to the convention recognized the beauty, value, and uniqueness of The Last Frontier. Article VIII of the Alaska Constitution is the product of those deliberations and establishes an executive and legislative duty to protect public resources and investments.

Benka Lake is a natural resource owned by the Public, not Mr. and Mrs. Brunz. He and his wife are attempting to vacate a road easement to take ownership of the road, boat launch, and a water drafting station constructed using public revenues, not Mr. and Mrs. Brunz’s revenue. Community use of the lake, road, and boat launch existed well before Mr. Brunz purchased his parcels. Mr. Brunz has not invested in stocking the lake with fish. His actions caused the Department of Fish and Game to discontinue stocking the lake. In his view, the Public can simply relocate to another easement if we want public access. He is untroubled with forcing the Public to compete for limited funds through the legislative budget process for the planning and construction of new public access, a process that will take years when the Public has already paid for access. 

Governor Dunleavy and Senator Shower, you are constitutionally empowered to protect the Public’s common ownership and investment in Benka Lake. 

Sincerely, 
A Friend of Benka Lake