Legislature(2007 - 2008)BARNES 124
02/25/2008 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s)|| Board of Game | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 25, 2008
1:53 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Carl Gatto, Co-Chair
Representative Craig Johnson, Co-Chair
Representative Anna Fairclough
Representative Bob Roses
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative David Guttenberg
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Alaska Board of Game
Craig Fleener - Fort Yukon
Lewis Bradley - Palmer
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
EXECUTIVE ORDER 114 - TRANSFER HABITAT DIV FROM DNR TO F&G
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to report
WITNESS REGISTER
CRAIG FLEENER, Appointee
to the Board of Game
Fort Yukon, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Board of
Game.
LEWIS BRADLEY, Appointee
to the Board of Game
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Board of
Game.
TOM BANKS, Executive Director
Defenders of Wildlife
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed Mr. Lewis Bradley's appointment to
the Board of Game.
JOHN TOPPENBERG, Executive Director
Alaska Wildlife Alliance
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed Mr. Lewis Bradley's appointment to
the Board of Game and, for now, supported Mr. Craig Fleener's
appointment to the Board of Game.
WADE WILLIS
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed Mr. Lewis Bradley's appointment to
the Board of Game and supported Mr. Craig Fleener's appointment
to the Board of Game.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CO-CHAIR CRAIG JOHNSON called the House Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:5301 PM. Representatives
Edgmon, Kawasaki, Fairclough, Wilson, Seaton, Roses, Gatto, and
Johnson were present at the call to order.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
^Board of Game
1:53:18 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON announced that the committee would consider the
appointments of Mr. Craig Fleener and Mr. Lewis Bradley to the
Board of Game [Packets contained biographical information on the
appointees.]
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON asked Mr. Fleener to state why he is interested
in being on the Board of Game.
CRAIG FLEENER, Appointee to the Board of Game, stated he has
been interested in leadership positions, regardless of the
issue, throughout his life. To have the best impact a person
needs to be in a position where a big difference can be made, he
said. He does not like just talking about problems; he likes
the idea of working on problems and working with other people to
solve those problems. So, when he was presented with this
opportunity he thought it would be a great way to put into
practice what has been important to him for a long time and to
share some of his ideas about wildlife management.
1:55:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked for Mr. Fleener's opinion on the
cow and calf moose hunts in Game Management Units 20A and 20B.
MR. FLEENER responded he could not give a definitive answer as
to whether he is for or against it because he has not looked at
the issue in detail, but he knows from talking to biologists and
other people that it is definitely a debated issue. If the
population is high enough to sustain a cow hunt, then he would
support it; but if the population could not support it, then
sound principles of wildlife management would dictate there not
be a cow hunt. He said he would have to see all of the
information in detail to give a better answer. However, if any
population can sustain harvest, then there is no reason to not
allow harvest.
1:56:29 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON requested a synopsis of Mr. Fleener's
duties when he served on the Eastern Interior Subsistence
Federal Regional Advisory Committee.
MR. FLEENER said he served on that committee for about 10 years.
When he was made chairman he took the opportunity to reorganize
how the committee functioned. He did not like how the committee
rushed through debate and sometimes did not allow certain people
to give their opinion. He thought there needed to be broad and
fair debate on all of the issues to ensure the committee made
the best decisions possible. Therefore, he reorganized how the
committee ran things so that all of the staff that was scheduled
to speak spoke in the same order each time, which allowed them
to plan their presentations accordingly. Then community members
were given the opportunity to speak because their opinions were
important as well. The committee dealt with many controversial
issues about which the House Resources Standing Committee is
probably aware. He said he enjoyed being chairman, but resigned
in protest because he felt the federal system was not really
meeting the needs of the committee's people. He said he is now
unsure whether that was a good decision because stepping down
from a position of authority results in losing a say in matters.
A lot of tweaking is needed to make the federal advisory system
better, he added.
1:59:16 PM
MR. FLEENER, in response to Co-Chair Gatto, said he is a tribal
member of the Gwich'in Council. [He served four years on the
Gwich'in Council International.]
CO-CHAIR GATTO inquired about the Gwich'in Council's position on
subsistence as well as Mr. Fleener's position on subsistence.
MR. FLEENER replied he cannot speak on behalf of the Tribal
Council in Fort Yukon. However, subsistence is vitally
important and wildlife, fisheries, and waterfowl must be managed
in a way that produces enough animals to meet subsistence needs.
The tribe supports any management regime that allows members to
meet the subsistence needs of their families, he said.
2:00:25 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO asked if Mr. Fleener's personal position is that
subsistence users are defined by the area they live in, or by
the background that they come from, or by some other attribute.
MR. FLEENER said subsistence can be looked at from a number of
perspectives. From the federal perspective all rural residents
have the right to subsist. Under state law every resident of
the state has the right to subsist, and this is based not on a
person's region but on being an Alaska resident. As a tribal
member in addition to that, he supports the ability of tribal
members to subsist. Although subsistence can be a very
controversial issue, he has been able to bridge the gaps between
a number of the arguments. While in the federal system he
brought his perspective as a tribal member and learned a lot and
worked with non-tribal folks to ensure that their subsistence
needs were also met. The Board of Game is a state board and he
will abide by state laws when making decisions, he said, but
this controversial issue can be answered in a number of ways.
2:02:20 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO inquired whether Mr. Fleener believes there
should be a rural preference over game.
MR. FLEENER allowed he has had a problem with rural preference
for quite a while because he supports some components and has a
problem with others. He said the rural subsistence preference
has created a lot of debate and argument instead of allowing
people to work together to solve problems and get to providing
more meat for the table.
2:03:28 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO asked whether the zip code in which someone lives
should be considered as far as subsistence is concerned.
MR. FLEENER answered that from a state perspective it cannot.
Fair consideration must be given to all residents in Alaska.
CO-CHAIR GATTO asked what Mr. Fleener's consideration is.
MR. FLEENER replied everyone in Alaska has a right to the
resources.
2:04:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH noted that 90 percent of Alaska's
revenue comes from the oil industry and there is quite a bit of
money from the federal level. No other economy in Alaska is as
vibrant as the oil industry in terms of percentage of the state
budget. She asked whether Mr. Fleener believes Alaska is a
resource state and that is how the state will continue to
thrive, or does he see the state as something else.
MR. FLEENER responded it would be impossible to argue with the
fact that the majority of Alaska's revenue is extracted from the
earth and that this is vitally important to the existence of
Alaska and funding state government. Right now the Yukon Flats
area is pretty much a no-industry area, he said, and ways to get
more revenue to the area are being looked at.
2:06:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked for Mr. Fleener's position in
regard to listing the polar bear as an endangered species.
MR. FLEENER replied he is not a polar bear expert, but he thinks
every species in the state should be looked at from time to time
to see how they are doing as a population and as subpopulations
and to determine whether or not to make such drastic decisions.
He said that as far as he knows the polar bear population in
Alaska is stable and he would be cautious in listing a stable
population. Although wildlife populations should be managed
cautiously, he does not recommend listing a species as
endangered based on the idea that the population might be
declining. He did not know if polar bears have the ability to
adapt to the changes that are coming. There have been some big
changes in the Yukon Flats, he noted. Climate impacts have
changed weather patterns, wildlife patterns, and fire patterns.
Each broad group of animals needs to be looked at individually,
he said.
2:08:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH commented that extinction and life
cycles are part of normal evolution. She asked Mr. Fleener if
he would, as a Board of Game member, jeopardize Alaska's entire
revenue stream by labeling a species that he knows would tie
Alaska's hands in accessing those resources.
MR. FLEENER said he would hate to be labeled as the guy who tied
Alaska's hands, but as a Board of Game member he would
absolutely have to look at how to protect a species that is in
decline. The goal of his position is to provide hunting
opportunities, so his number one priority on this board must be
to ensure that populations are safe and stable. He said he does
not want to do something that would jeopardize Alaska's
government or residents, but as a Board of Game member he must
make recommendations that would prevent the decline of a
population, stabilize it, and, if possible, increase the
population.
2:11:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH noted there are natural ebbs and flows
of wildlife populations, and that it concerns her when only the
upward movement of populations is considered. She inquired how
Mr. Fleener would balance wildlife when it intersects with
providing the means for Alaska's residents.
MR. FLEENER responded he has grappled with that issue for quite
a few years and wildlife populations do fluctuate. Hunted
populations must be monitored much more closely than non-hunted
populations because the human impact is much greater on the
hunted populations, especially if those hunted populations
fluctuate a lot. Wildlife management is primarily managing
people, he said. If it is an unhunted population there is not
much management and nature is allowed to take its course.
Snowshoe hare is one such example - it has big ups and downs
that are regulated a lot by the lynx population which in return
is regulated by the snowshoe hare population. Nature takes care
of itself in a lot of ways and sometimes humans just get in the
way. If humans drive a population down because of overharvest,
then there must be more active management to ensure the
population recovers, such as reducing access or bag limits and
sometimes stopping hunting altogether until the population
recovers.
2:14:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked Mr. Fleener to speak to
populations that are located in other countries and are on the
increase, such as polar bear, but are being affected by climate
change rather than hunting.
MR. FLEENER said he does not know how polar bear populations are
doing in other countries. As far as he is aware, polar bear
hunting is still allowed in Canada which he assumes means that
the population there is stable.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH clarified that she is only using the
polar bear as an example, but it could be any species. In
regard to managing just Alaska's region, does a population have
to be on the incline, or is there consideration that a
population may be moving because of climate conditions, she
asked.
MR. FLEENER replied that for adjacent populations like in Alaska
and Canada, it would be wise to consider the entire range for
that population. Management should not be stopped just because
of a border, but unfortunately that happens. However, there are
good mechanisms in place for working with Canada, he said, such
as the Forty-Mile Caribou Herd and salmon issues.
2:16:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI inquired whether Mr. Fleener would go
along with a recommendation by the local advisory committee to
stop the cow and calf moose hunts in Game Management Unit 20,
and what would be the process and procedure for making a
decision.
MR. FLEENER answered he would have to look at the carrying
capacity of the habitat, the predator populations, the human
harvest of the resource, the moose population itself in
comparison with historic numbers, and the health of cows such as
rump fat thickness and twinning rates. He said he would take
the committee's recommendation into consideration because that
is the purpose, but he would first take a look at the biology
and then consider the management regime that is set in place in
order to make a decision.
2:17:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked whether Mr. Fleener's opinions
would be based on the scientific approach to management.
MR. FLEENER said he would use his science background, his
upbringing, and the consideration of people's needs. Sometimes
a decision cannot be made solely on science, especially for
controversial issues like cow or doe hunting.
2:18:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI requested Mr. Fleener to comment on
aerial wolf hunting.
MR. FLEENER responded that if wolf populations can sustain
hunting, he thinks people should be allowed to hunt them in a
lot of different ways. Provided a population can withstand
harvest, he said he does not like the idea of controlling
methods and means too much.
2:19:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked whether Mr. Fleener would prefer
the state or regular hunters to do aerial wolf hunting.
MR. FLEENER replied that in regard to predator management as a
means of reducing wolf populations for the sake of the prey
population, no tool should be taken out of the Alaska Department
of Fish & Game's tool bag. There should be equal consideration
for any good idea that will take care of the problem in the
quickest, safest, and most cost effective way, he said.
However, what people think must also be considered.
2:20:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI requested Mr. Fleener's opinion on wolf
denning.
MR. FLEENER said his opinion is based on growing up in Fort
Yukon where denning is talked about a lot, along with how
important it is to keep wolf populations in control. It is an
effective and valuable tool to control wolf populations, he
said. Since he is unaware of the specific issues in regard to
the state or what the Board of Game has discussed, he would have
to take that into consideration.
2:22:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI inquired about wood bison and their
sustainability in the Yukon Flats.
MR. FLEENER noted he has supported the reintroduction of wood
bison into Alaska since 1991 or 1992. Wood bison were
indigenous to Alaska up until about 100 years ago and currently
only exist in Canada, he explained. They are not the introduced
plains bison that are presently in the state. The Alaska
Department of Fish & Game is in the process of bringing wood
bison across the border. He said he supports this because, in
the Yukon Flats especially, it brings a large grass-grazing
herbivore which the state does not currently have. Alaska only
has small grazers like mice. It would help the ecosystem and
would provide tourism activities as well. The benefits would
include reorganizing the habitat as it exists right now, such as
creating wallows which are habitat for waterfowl and other
species. The Yukon Flats has either the lowest or second lowest
moose population in Alaska, he related, so wood bison would
supplement the people's food sources.
2:24:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked for Mr. Fleener's opinion of
Executive Order 114 which would move the Division of Habitat
back into the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
MR. FLEENER responded he does not know if he has an opinion. He
said he was surprised when the division was initially pulled
out, but has not thought enough about it to give a good answer.
2:24:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI inquired whether Mr. Fleener thinks the
Board of Game is currently a diverse board and what will he do
to enhance that.
MR. FLEENER said he was excited after getting the phone call
asking if he would like to be on the Board of Game, so he
started looking online at newspaper articles and saw the concern
that having only him does not make the board diverse enough.
However, since he does not know the members of the board
personally, his opinion regarding the board's diversity may be
premature. Diversity is a good thing and more diversity is
better than less, he said. A good cross section of the Alaska
community is needed, including those people who depend on the
resource, people with commercial backgrounds, people who solely
subsist on the resource, and sport hunters.
2:26:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked whether Mr. Fleener thinks non-
hunters should be on the Board of Game.
MR. FLEENER replied that it is the Board of Game, and the term
game refers to animals that are specifically hunted, they are
there to be consumed. He said he is not opposed to having a
non-hunter on the board, but it may not be in the best interest
of what the board is designed to do and could present problems.
He likes the idea that the resources are being managed because
people are hunting them and that needs to have a priority
consideration, he said. However, he would not have a problem at
least considering other folks and looking at it in more detail.
2:28:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI inquired whether Mr. Fleener considers
wildlife viewing a use.
MR. FLEENER said it is not a consumptive use. Whether wildlife
is managed or not, a picture can always be taken. He said it is
a past-time, so it cannot really be considered a use.
2:29:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked whether Mr. Fleener has ever been
a paying member of the Alaska Outdoor Counsel.
MR. FLEENER answered no.
2:29:46 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO inquired how Mr. Fleener would respond if a
nonconsumptive user testified to the Board of Game that hunters
have taken away his or her opportunity to see moose.
MR. FLEENER agreed that the moose in his freezer would not be
very photogenic. However, he said, Alaska's wildlife
populations are some of the best managed in the country and
there are plenty of photo opportunities throughout the state.
The majority of Alaska's lands are federal lands where there is
limited hunting and lots of opportunities for taking pictures.
There are places for photo opportunities where hunting is
restricted and this opportunity will continue.
2:31:50 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO referred to Mr. Fleener's statement that a
decision should not be based solely on science, and asked
whether Mr. Fleener would not want to hear someone's opinions if
they were not science based.
MR. FLEENER said science and the answers from science are always
changing. A good example of this is the periodic adjustments to
salmon escapement goals because of new and changing information.
Science often gives a hard number and there may be a variety of
reasons for why adjustments are necessary - social reasons being
one big issue. Therefore, he would never say he does not want
to hear someone's opinion.
2:33:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON complimented Mr. Fleener on his impressive
and varied background. He asked whether Mr. Fleener's name was
originally submitted to the Board of Game prior to 2/8/08.
MR. FLEENER stated he did not know the date that his name was
originally submitted. He said he received calls from about 12
people around the state telling him that they were submitting
his name, so he thinks he was considered in the original go
around. However, he was out in the Yukon Flats during that time
period and could not be found and a person's name cannot be
forwarded without first being contacted.
2:34:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON inquired whether Mr. Fleener can devote
the large amount of time that is required for being on the
board.
MR. FLEENER said he has been on lots of boards and committees
and, yes, it will put a lot on him. However, he has adjusted
his life around serving on different boards and committees in
order to have an impact on things. At one time he was on 17
different boards and committees, but he is no longer on that
many. He said he knows it will be a major part of his life, but
thinks it is important.
2:36:11 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON asked Mr. Fleener's opinion on HB 256
regarding active game management.
MR. FLEENER responded he has not looked at it.
2:37:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON asked Mr. Fleener's opinion regarding the
Yukon Flats land swap.
MR. FLEENER said this is a huge, controversial issue and folks
in the Yukon Flats are very concerned about maintaining wildlife
populations and a clean, healthy environment and ecosystem
because subsistence is important. He said he is one of the few
who supports oil and gas development because the Yukon Flats is
one of the lowest income-generating parts of the state with
upwards of 80 percent unemployment and, therefore, financial
opportunities are needed. The development proposed by Doyon,
Limited ("Doyon") would occur in the southern-most part of the
refuge right next to the White Mountains, he related.
Historically, that is one area in the Yukon Flats where there is
the lowest amount of subsistence. However, that does not mean
it is unimportant. People in the Yukon Flats say it is still a
vitally important place because wildlife populations move
around. There does not seem like much hope for generating
revenue in the Yukon Flats region other than this, he said.
While it may be short-term revenue of about 30 years, wise
management of the money can make it last long into the future.
If done smartly, it will not destroy the environment. Alaska
has some of the best standards in the nation when it comes to
oil and gas development. Additionally, Doyon has a
responsibility to its shareholders to not destroy the ecosystem.
2:40:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked whether Mr. Fleener is a member
of any preservation or conservation groups.
MR. FLEENER replied he is not a member of anything other than
being a Cub Scout a long time ago.
2:41:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH inquired whether the polar bear is
predator or prey.
MR. FLEENER noted it is preyed on by people but it preys on
other things, so the polar bear is both.
2:41:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES said he is impressed with Mr. Fleener's
background and enthusiastically supports his appointment to the
Board of Game, especially after hearing Mr. Fleener's testimony
today.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON complimented Mr. Fleener on his thoughtful
answers to all the questions.
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON echoed Representative Roses' comments and
thanked Mr. Fleener for his military service and his service to
the state.
2:42:51 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON asked the second Board of Game nominee, Mr.
Lewis Bradley, to state why he is interested in being on the
Board of Game.
LEWIS BRADLEY, Appointee to the Board of Game, said he is
retired and has hunted and fished for 35 years in Alaska and
wants to play as big a part as possible in ensuring that the
resource is available for his grandkids and other future
Alaskans. In further response to Co-Chair Johnson, Mr. Bradley
said he does not have a wildlife background like Mr. Fleener,
but he has practical experience.
2:44:14 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH requested Mr. Bradley to address her
previous questions regarding the polar bear and resource
development.
MR. BRADLEY responded that what a person reads and what is
actually happening can be different so he is not sure and that
is one reason why he wants to be on the board. He noted that he
is writing a book and has been unable to get some of the
information he sought, and hopefully he can get better
information by being on the board. As far as the polar bear is
concerned, all animals are important, he said. Global warming
cannot be stopped if it is a natural process. He is concerned
about the polar bear and does not want the species to become
extinct but, on the other hand, humans are part of the equation
and being able to live is important also. He said that with
today's technology people should be able to help the polar bear
and still be able to extract resources in a responsible manner
so that everybody wins.
2:46:14 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH inquired whether Mr. Bradley supports
listing the polar bear as endangered.
MR. BRADLEY replied that, based on what he knows now, he would
have to say no. He said he is aware that the polar bear is
being hunted in Canada and maybe other places and he would have
to hear hard numbers. When listing a species as endangered,
there must also be consideration about what that will do as far
as tying up development and other things.
2:46:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked whether Mr. Bradley is a member
of any groups.
MR. BRADLEY answered no.
2:47:20 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES inquired whether Mr. Bradley brought his
own name forward or was he contacted by someone else.
MR. BRADLEY said he was contacted by Mr. Bailey and told that
his name had been mentioned. When asked by Mr. Bailey if he was
interested, he said yes. He then sent in his résumé and
subsequently received an interview. In further response to
Representative Roses, Mr. Bradley said he taught physical
education and coached mostly boys' sports, and that it was Gerry
Yates who was Governor Palin's basketball coach.
2:48:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked Mr. Bradley to state the
qualifications he will bring to the Board of Game.
MR. BRADLEY responded he has a lot of experience in the field
and he reads and has a lot of thought for the game that he wants
to be here in the future. He said he is willing to put forth
the effort that it takes to become knowledgeable as far as the
biology of fish and game. He is currently writing a book and
conducting quite a bit of in-depth study on sheep, so he knows
the procedures that are undertaken. Between hunting and
collecting horns and antlers for carving he spends two to three
months a year out in the field. He said he knows the animal
population is not what it used to be in most cases and it is no
longer an unlimited supply, and he is concerned about that.
While he does not have a wildlife management background, he
would provide diversity because having all wildlife managers on
the board may not necessarily be a good thing. He would be
honest and try to decide what would be the best. He said he
thinks both people and game should be considered so that the
game will be there in the future, and that management should
also be for abundance. He has a science minor from college and
has a strong interest and can serve in the capacity.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH acknowledged that every person brings
different things at different levels to the table and said she
appreciates Mr. Bradley's willingness to serve the state in this
way.
2:52:05 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON opened public testimony.
TOM BANKS, Executive Director, Defenders of Wildlife, related
that he spoke at length with Mr. Bradley and found him to be
congenial with a good résumé as a teacher, but severely under
qualified to serve on the Board of Game. Although Mr. Bradley
is a sheep hunter, his testimony today indicates he is not up to
speed on the important wildlife issues before the board, said
Mr. Banks. Defenders of Wildlife is made up of hunters and
nonhunters and its members are proponents of rational wildlife
management for the benefit of the ecosystem and all Alaska
citizens and is therefore not coming at this with a
predisposition. Mr. Banks said he could not support Mr.
Bradley's nomination because there are other people with the
necessary experience who are willing to serve. He cited AS
16.05.221 which states that the Board of Game members shall be
appointed "on the basis of interest in public affairs, good
judgment, knowledge, ability in the field of action of the
board, and with a view to providing diversity of interest and
points of view in the membership."
2:54:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES inquired whether the Defenders of
Wildlife's position is that board members must have a wildlife
background and there is no room for a lay person.
MR. BANKS accepted Representative Roses' point, but said that in
this instance Mr. Bradley's nomination does not add any
diversity to the Board of Game because all the other members are
also consumers of the resource.
2:55:58 PM
JOHN TOPPENBERG, Executive Director, Alaska Wildlife Alliance,
said he participated in Mr. Bradley's conversation with Mr.
Banks and found Mr. Bradley to be a very nice man who is
knowledgeable in the specific realm of Dall sheep hunting.
However, from the perspective of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance,
that is hardly an adequate qualification to serve on this board.
The state constitution mandates that the Board of Game represent
all Alaskans and if Mr. Bradley had another area of
specialization, such as tourism or wildlife photography, perhaps
his nomination could be viewed differently. When asked during
the conversation about issues that have been in the media, Mr.
Bradley was totally nonconversant, said Mr. Toppenberg. Alaska
can come up with far better qualified candidates.
2:58:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked whether the Alaska Wildlife
Alliance conducted the same type of interview with Mr. Fleener.
MR. TOPPENBERG responded no, Mr. Fleener's background and résumé
were adequate for the Alaska Wildlife Alliance's purposes. He
said that, for now, his organization supports Mr. Fleener's
nomination.
2:59:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH inquired whether the Alaska Wildlife
Alliance will be issuing a statement of support of Mr. Fleener's
nomination.
MR. TOPPENBERG replied he would not go that far, but that at
this point in time his organization is not going to oppose Mr.
Fleener's nomination. That may change at a later date, he
added.
3:00:03 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO asked whether there is anyone else on the Board
of Game who has spent 3 months of every year out in the field
for over 30 years.
MR. TOPPENBERG said he is not sure that in this context that
amounts to that great of a qualification, and he is unaware of
any other member. To the best of his knowledge, the other
people on the board are members of the Alaska Outdoor Council
and Mr. Bradley is not, so maybe that is a type of diversity,
Mr. Toppenberg allowed. However, Mr. Bradley certainly does not
represent anything vaguely similar to the interests of
nonconsumptive users which is something the Alaska Wildlife
Alliance would be interested in.
3:01:19 PM
WADE WILLIS stated he is representing himself and that he is an
avid moose hunter and subsistence fisherman, and that he makes a
living wildlife watching through a tourism-based business for
sea kayaking, rafting, and hiking. He said he strongly supports
Mr. Fleener's nomination, but cannot support Mr. Bradley's
nomination due to his not being qualified. Mr. Willis said he
is also worried because Mr. Bradley did not actively seek the
position, nor does it appear that Mr. Bradley has ever
participated in the Board of Game process by testifying or
attending a meeting. Mr. Bradley is a wonderful man and a great
advocate for hunting but he is not yet there, said Mr. Willis.
The Board of Game is mandated to represent all Alaskans, thus it
is mandated to represent nonconsumptive users. Diversity is
needed on the board to address user group conflicts which is a
common problem in Alaska, and user group conflicts cannot be
addressed by stacking the board with members that represent 15
percent of the state's residents. Mr. Bradley does not add to
the diversity of the Board of Game and does not have the
background qualifications needed for such an important position.
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON closed public testimony.
3:05:29 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO moved that the House Resources Standing Committee
forward the names of Mr. Craig Fleener and Mr. Lewis Bradley to
fulfill positions on the Board of Game membership to a joint
session for consideration. There being no objections, the names
of Mr. Fleener and Mr. Bradley were advanced.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON reminded members that signing the reports
regarding appointments to boards and commissions in no way
reflects individual members' approval or disapproval of the
appointees, and that the nominations are merely forwarded to the
full legislature for confirmation or rejection.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:06:20
PM.
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