03/31/2008 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

         CSHJR 31(RES)-OPPOSE FED LAW RE AERIAL HUNTING                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:40:18 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   HUGGINS   announced   CSHJR   31(RES)  to   be   up   for                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WES KELLER,  prime  sponsor of  HJR  31, said  in                                                               
September   2007   Congressman   George  Miller   of   California                                                               
introduced  HR   3663.  The  Defenders   of  Wildlife   said  the                                                               
resolution expressly  prohibits aerial gunning or  land and shoot                                                               
gunning  of  wolves  and  other  predators  for  the  purpose  of                                                               
inflation of the game species  populations. The Wolf Conservative                                                               
Center says  that this resolution  bars states from  using aerial                                                               
hunting  to  artificially  boost  game  species  populations  for                                                               
hunters.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
He pointed out  the resolution has an  exemption, however, saying                                                               
if the wolves  are a problem for livestock in  the Lower 48, then                                                               
airplanes can  be used to go  out and shoot them.  This just goes                                                               
to show how our culture where  moose and caribou are just staples                                                               
of the diet is not understood.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER  said it's  the state's  job to  manage the                                                               
game populations  for maximum  beneficial use  of the  people. He                                                               
said Alaska is  a sovereign state with sovereign  borders and the                                                               
legislature  has been  given the  job of  setting the  policy. He                                                               
said  HR 3663  has 111  co-sponsors  in Washington  D.C., but  it                                                               
hasn't had a hearing yet.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:40:49 PM                                                                                                                    
Senator Green and Senator Stevens joined the committee.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:41:32 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MCGUIRE  asked what  groups introduced  this and  if they                                                               
targeted Alaska.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER  replied he had  no specific names,  but he                                                               
found,  through an  acquaintance in  California who  works for  a                                                               
public relations firm,  that it hires a huge staff  and they look                                                               
for issues like this to build  a media campaign around. They will                                                               
take any side of an issue and sometimes both.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he  doesn't appreciate Congress telling                                                               
Alaska what to  do. He asked if he had  any concern that Alaskans                                                               
had voted twice to ban airborne hunting.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER replied  that  airborne  hunting has  been                                                               
banned except  for predator  control and he  didn't view  that as                                                               
defiance of the will of the people.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WAGONER  stated that  while a lot  of people  are against                                                               
airborne hunting, a lot of  his constituents say they wouldn't be                                                               
opposed  to  the  state hiring  helicopters  and  doing  predator                                                               
control of wolves or  having a bounty on them. He  said this is a                                                               
good resolution.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:44:06 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GREEN  asked if this  issue was opposed to  an individual                                                               
flying.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WAGONER  said concerns  have  been  expressed that  they                                                               
aren't sure  how many wolves  actually get shot compared  to what                                                               
is  reported -  although  he  didn't see  any  advantage for  not                                                               
reporting the number of wolves killed.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HUGGINS  agreed sometimes it's just  semantics because most                                                               
people understand the  dire condition of the  game population. It                                                               
has to  be addressed or  the herd  goes away. He  queried whether                                                               
there were any  wolves in California where  Congressman Miller is                                                               
from. He  has heard they  had some  problems there with  big cats                                                               
mauling  people.  They  reproduce  quickly  and  don't  have  any                                                               
natural enemies and aren't they doing some predator control.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:46:35 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  STEVENS moved  to report  CSHJR  31(RES) from  committee                                                               
with individual recommendations. There were  no objections and it                                                               
was so ordered.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:47:04 PM at ease 3:50:14 PM