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Area duck hunters are one step closer to expanding their hunting range after the Jan. 8 Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board meeting.

The board voted unanimously to approve a recommendation decreasing the distance a shotgun may be discharged, from a half mile to a quarter of a mile, of any development or facility on the Kenai River downstream of Skilak Lake. This chiefly concerns the Kenai Flats at the river's mouth, an area frequented by duck hunters.

Jack Sinclair, area superintendent for the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, will send the recommendation to Tom Irwin, commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, later this week.

The process is far from over Sinclair explained.

Irwin must first decide whether to act upon the recommendations.

Assuming he does, Sinclair would then initiate a public input process.

Doing so would include notification of property owners with potentially affected land and at least one public hearing.

After a 30-day comment period, the change in regulation would require a legal review, before it could then go before Irwin for his final say.

Sinclair said he hopes the issue gets nailed down before waterfowl-hunting season begins this fall, but acknowledged there's a chance other issues could slow it down.

"It becomes more complicated if other state parks in the state want to throw other regulations into the process, that could slow things down," Sinclair said. "We hope no one adds anything on and it goes through quickly."

The board also elected new leadership.

Joe Connors was elected board president, and Peter Micciche its vice president.

The board holds elections for the posts each January.

Former board president, Dave Carey, sat on the board as the representative for the city of Soldotna.

Micciche has replaced Carey with himself.

Connors, who's sat on the board for eight years, said he had no intention of being elected as president, but was both pleased and honored by the board's choice.

Connors said he doesn't have an agenda.

"There's nothing I want to do that is not part of the board process," he said. "As chair, I see myself as a guiding member of the board. We have an extensive subcommittee organization."

Connors, who owns Big Sky Charters and Fishcamp in Sterling, said he sees a need to protect the river.

"If you don't have a healthy river and a good economy, people get angry," he said.

The board will further establish subcommittee assignments at their next meeting at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12, in the Kenai River Center on Funny River Rd.

Reporter Phil Hermanek contributed to this report.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com