Juneau Shooting Range Reopens Following Renovation Work

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a story on a pair of shooting ranges – one in Alaska – that have reopened following renovations. The Alaska range is Hank Harmon Public Range in Juneau. Here’s more from the USFWS:

Juneau is a community full of avid hunters, backcountry users, and target shooters. The Hank Harmon Public Range, originally opened in 1965, is the only outdoor public target shooting facility in the area. The range is open every day of the year and the facility is regularly reserved for firearms training, organized target shooting competitions, and hunter safety programs. However, years of use and weather began to take a toll on the facility’s amenities and two ranges: the 100-yard short range and the 450-yard-long range. Prior to the modernization effort the two ranges were separated by a severely rotten 200-foot wooden barrier wall full of holes from ricocheted bullets. The wall was wearing thin and would soon be unable to prevent stray bullets from crossing between ranges, requiring one range to be closed effectively reducing the facility’s capacity by half. Looking to keep both ranges open and to make needed modernization changes, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the City and Borough of Juneau worked together to undertake a nearly $1 million facility upgrade. The upgrade was supported through Alaska’s Hunter Access Program funded with Pittman-Robertson dollars, and match funds from the City and Borough of Juneau. 

Increasing the facilities capacity and longevity required replacing the failing wooden range barrier, installing a safety control system with a visual mechanism to notify users when the range is clear, installing new shooting benches, expanding parking capacity, and more. “Overall, the upgraded facility provides a safer, more user-friendly, and environmentally responsible shooting range for Juneau area hunters, target shooters, and outdoor enthusiasts to hone their skills,” said Katie Sechrist-Gaynos, from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Hunter Access Program. “This updated facility provides a place for hunters and target shooters to practice the firearm handling skills necessary to safely explore the backcountry and hunt Alaska’s public lands.”