CSHJR 48(RES) AM S: Requesting that the Federal Subsistence Board not adopt the proposed subsistence moose hunting regulations for the Kenai Peninsula, and refrain, until January 1, 1997, from adopting federal regulations that would grant subsistence preferences for fish or game or changing any customary and traditional use determinations.
00CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 48(RES) am S 01 Requesting that the Federal Subsistence Board not adopt the proposed subsistence 02 moose hunting regulations for the Kenai Peninsula, and refrain, until January 1, 03 1997, from adopting federal regulations that would grant subsistence preferences 04 for fish or game or changing any customary and traditional use determinations. 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 WHEREAS the Federal Subsistence Board has proposed granting new subsistence 07 preferences to several communities on the Kenai Peninsula for the purposes of subsistence 08 hunting; and 09 WHEREAS the adoption of any new federal regulation changes for subsistence may 10 create additional conflicts with subsistence hunting and fishing and further divide residents of 11 Alaska; and 12 WHEREAS this will be the first time that communities will have been given 13 comprehensive new subsistence preferences since the federal government took over the 14 management of subsistence hunting on federal lands; and
01 WHEREAS this federal proposal does not address the adverse effects on the 44,400 02 residents of the Kenai Peninsula, most of whom do not agree with this plan; and 03 WHEREAS a petition opposing the Federal Subsistence Board's proposal was signed 04 by 1,800 residents of the Kenai Peninsula within 10 days after the petition began to be 05 circulated; and 06 WHEREAS there was not sufficient opportunity for peninsula residents to testify 07 before the Federal Subsistence Board to address their concerns about these drastic changes in 08 hunting regulations on the Kenai Peninsula; and 09 WHEREAS the public is poorly informed about the process of the regional subsistence 10 advisory councils and the degree of deference given to those regional councils by the Federal 11 Subsistence Board; and 12 WHEREAS the residents of the communities of Hope, Cooper Landing, Whittier, 13 Seldovia, and Ninilchik should not receive special preference over other residents of Kenai 14 Peninsula communities; and 15 WHEREAS Alaskans are working for a comprehensive solution for regaining state 16 management of fish and game; 17 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully and urgently 18 requests that the Federal Subsistence Board not approve any subsistence regulations which 19 conflict with the Alaska State Constitution; and be it 20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 21 Federal Subsistence Board to refrain, until January 1, 1997, unless concurred in by the 22 commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, from 23 (1) adopting any future federal regulations that would grant subsistence 24 preferences for fish or game; and 25 (2) changing any of the customary and traditional use determinations in order 26 to allow the new administration, the legislature, and Alaska's Congressional delegation the 27 opportunity to build consensus among all Alaskans to provide a solution to the subsistence 28 dilemma that will return management of Alaska's fish and game resources to the State of 29 Alaska. 30 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President 31 of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Strom Thurmond,
01 President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the U.S. 02 House of Representatives; the Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of Interior; the Honorable 03 Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable 04 Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 05 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and to the Federal Subsistence Board.