FAIRBANKS — On Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced a piece of legislation that honors late Sen. Ted Stevens by naming the South summit of Mount Hunter and the northern half of the Chugach Ice Field after him.

“Ted Stevens was one of the true giants of Alaska’s short history,” Murkowski said. “It’s an honor to nominate both a mountain and an ice field to be named in his memory.”

The view of Denali usually permits one to see three great giants at a time. Denali itself, outranks the others in height, and Mt. Foraker comes in second. In between the two is third-highest Mt. Hunter with its north and south summits, steep walls and jagged rocks. The south peak is smaller than the first, but at 13,895 feet, it is still the tallest unnamed peak in Alaska. In a short time, it could be called “Stevens Peak.”

The Chugach ice field spans the Chugach Mountains, east of Anchorage. The southern and western portions of the ice field have already been named for Harding and Sargent. The Ted Stevens Ice Field would cover the northern and eastern part of the mountain range, where the Harvard, Matanuska, Columbia and many other glaciers stem from.

Now the christening is up to the U.S. Geological Place Names Board. The legislation requires the board to name both the peak and ice field within 30 days of its passage.

Murkowski planned to unveil the bill at the Department of Interior’s annual budget markup, but the meeting was canceled for unrelated reasons.

Stevens died this August in a plane crash after serving as a U.S. Senator for all but 11 years of Alaska’s statehood.

“During his more than 40 years in the Senate, he played a significant role in the transformation of Alaska from an impoverished territory to a full-fledged state,” Murkowski said. “While there are a number of facilities named after Stevens, this bill will guarantee that future generations of Alaskans will remember him.”