History

Denali Citizens Council is a 501(c)(3)-membership organization incorporated in 1974 to provide citizens’ conservation voice in the management of Denali National Park and Preserve. Much of the inspiration for the founding of DCC came from longtime local residents and business owners Celia Hunter and Ginny Wood. The organization’s first concern was the expansion of the original Mount McKinley National Park through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which dealt with the status of federal public land throughout Alaska. When signed by President Carter in 1980, ANILCA added valuable animal habitat and wilderness scenery to the park and changed the park’s name to Denali National Park and Preserve.

Over the years DCC has been active on many Denali issues, particularly those related to management of the park road, development in the park entrance area, backcountry management, concessions contracting, private inholdings in the Kantishna area, and unresolved problems  originating with ANILCA. Presently DCC has close to 300 members, the majority of whom are in Alaska. Volunteer Board members perform virtually all the organization’s work. DCC maintains a website and social media feeds, participates actively in park planning processes, and articulates a vision for the park to federal, state, and local agencies and the general public. DCC organizes an Annual Meeting every summer, providing networking opportunities for its members, fostering discussion of important issues, and presenting speakers and forums on current issues of concern.