Only four of nine projects that the state legislature funded this year as part of the planned Alaska Long Trail network survived Governor Mike Dunleavy's veto.

Because of Dunleavy's vetoes, only a little more than $1.1 million remained of the $3.7 million that lawmakers approved in their capital budget for the Alaska Long Trail projects.

Steve Cleary, executive director of the nonprofit Alaska Trails, said the veto decisions left trail and outdoor recreation advocates far short of the funding they had hoped for in the budget.

“We believe many of these projects would be good investments for Alaska, so we were disappointed. Our partners were, too,” Cleary said.

The Alaska Long Trail, an ambitious project pursued by Alaska Trails and other groups, is intended to be a network of interconnected hiking trails stretching approximately 500 miles from Fairbanks to Seward.

At the beginning of the session, Alaska Trails requested about $20.3 million in state funding for 21 projects. When lawmakers finally passed the budget, the list was narrowed to nine, all of which are in the municipality of Anchorage.

Despite the disappointment, Cleary said: “We are grateful for the proposals that have been accepted and look forward to working on them.”

Remaining untouched are projects to improve trails on 3,510-foot Flattop Mountain in Chugach State Park, the state's most climbed peak; to develop a Native American access gate in downtown Anchorage at a proposed trail crossing point; to improve a section of the Iditarod National Historic Trail in Girdwood; and to begin design and feasibility studies for expanded parking at the trailhead in Arctic Valley.

Also surviving the veto were several hiking and recreation projects outside of the Alaska Long Trail plan. These seven projects, totaling about $5.5 million, include support for the Iditarod Trail Committee, maintenance and repair of state park restrooms, grants for winter trail maintenance, and money for the statewide trail program.

In addition, the budget approved by Dunleavy includes $450,000 for parking and driveway improvements on the back side of Flattop Mountain, the alternate trailhead on Canyon Road in Anchorage that is sometimes called “Sunnyside.” That project was not one of those pushed by Alaska Trails, Cleary said. Rather, it was a request from neighbors who were struggling with overcrowded parking there.

In his veto memo, Dunleavy gave the same reason for rejecting the five Long Trail projects as he did for almost all of his vetoes: “Preserve general funds for savings and fiscal stability.”