CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE  March 6, 2017 3:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Cathy Giessel, Chair Senator John Coghill, Vice Chair Senator Natasha von Imhof Senator Bert Stedman Senator Shelley Hughes Senator Kevin Meyer Senator Bill Wielechowski MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR  CONFIRMATION HEARINGS BOARD OF GAME Ted Spraker Lawrence van Daele - CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED BIG GAME COMMERCIAL SERVICES BOARD Adam Trombley - CONFIRMATION ADVANCED PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  No previous action to record WITNESS REGISTER TED SPRAKER Soldotna, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Appointee to the Board of Game. LAWRENCE VAN DAELE Soldotna, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Appointee to the Board of Game. ADAM TROMBLEY, Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Appointee to the Big Game Commercial Services Board. BOB MUMFORD, representing himself Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Supported Mr. Spraker's and Mr. van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game, as well as Mr. Trombley's appointment to the Big Game Commercial Services Board. MARK RICHARDS, Executive Director Resident Hunters of Alaska (RHAK) Fairbanks, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Supported Mr. van Daele's appointment to the Board of Game. MICHAEL CRAWFORD, Chairman Kenai-Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee Kenai, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Supported Mr. Spraker's appointment to the Board of Game. SAM ROHRER, President Alaska Professional Hunters Association Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Strongly supported Mr. Spraker's and Mr. Van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game. DICK ROHRER, representing himself Kodiak, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Supported Mr. van Daele's and Mr. Spraker's appointments to the Board of Game. JASON BUNCH, representing himself Kodiak, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Supported Mr. van Daele's and Mr. Spraker's appointments to the Board of Game. PAUL CHERVENAK, Chairman Kodiak Fish and Game Advisory Committee Kodiak, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Supported both Mr. van Daele's and Mr. Spraker's appointments to the Board of Game. DOUG MALONE, representing himself Homer, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Heavily supported Mr. van Daele's appointment to the Board of Game. VIRGIL L. UMPHENOUR, representing himself Fairbanks, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Supported both Mr. Spraker's and Mr. van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game. BRIAN SIMPSON, representing himself Fairbanks, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: He supported Mr. Spraker's and Mr. van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game. Wanted a more experienced person than Mr. Trombley on the Big Game Commercial Services Board. ACTION NARRATIVE 3:30:33 PM CHAIR CATHY GIESSEL called the Senate Resources Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Present at the call to order were Senators Stedman, Coghill, Von Imhof, Hughes, Meyer, Wielechowski, and Chair Giessel. ^CONFIRMATION HEARINGS: BOARD OF GAME CONFIRMATION HEARINGS: BOARD OF GAME    3:31:01 PM SENATOR GIESSEL announced the hearing for the Board of Game appointees and an appointment to the Big Game Commercial Services Board. She noted a fact sheet from the Board of Game that says the purpose of the board is conservation and development of the game resources of the state. This board takes action in establishing open and closed seasons, setting areas for the taking of game, setting bag limits, and regulating methods and means of taking game. The board has an important role in setting policy and is a regulatory body. Members serve staggered three-year terms and the board generally meets three times a year. Occasionally they meet jointly with the Board of Fisheries. Compensation for members of the board is standard travel plus per diem in a range of 20 A for regulatory meetings. 3:32:41 PM TED SPRAKER, appointee to the Board of Game, Soldotna, Alaska, said he has lived with his wife in Soldotna for many years and has three grown children. He retired after 28 years as a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). His wife works for U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan. MR. SPRAKER said he was raised in Wyoming and attended the University in Laramie. He received a Bachelor's degree in wildlife management in 1970 and a Master's degree in range management in 1973. His dream career was to move to Alaska as a wildlife biologist and he was eventually offered a permanent position with Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) in 1974, providing an opportunity to be involved in a developing and growing fish and game department. In that capacity he learned to work with the public, which is important now that he is on the board. This will be his sixth and final term on the board if he is confirmed, Mr. Spraker said. He is currently the chairman. He has been in the fish and wildlife management business for over 40 years and has thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Board of Game process and hopes to serve one more term to give what he can back to the state that has given him and his family so much. 3:37:16 PM SENATOR COGHILL said he appreciated Mr. Spraker's willingness to serve on the board. However, he had heard that he pushed a personal agenda more than other chairs and asked if he could easily defend that. MR. SPRAKER replied that he has always tried to listen to the public and has a strong respect for the advisory committee process, but he also has strong opinions about conservation and active management based on good science and solid evidence. He wasn't sure that that qualifies as a personal opinion. He believes in getting things done in a timely manner and based on good science. SENATOR COGHILL said the two issues that he hears most about are intensive management and management of Dall sheep and that a lot of people are saying that conversation is largely ignored by the board. He wanted to know if that is the case and if it is, is it a science problem or who speaks the loudest problem. Senator Coghill asked what his perspective is on these two issues. 3:39:36 PM MR. SPRAKER answered he has always been a strong supporter of active management based on good science, and the board has a good record of supporting good science brought to it by the department to improve caribou and moose populations, and to provide for more animals to take for subsistence. He has been criticized by people who don't support active management. The Denali buffer was a recent issue that has quite a divergence of opinion and the board did a good job of dealing with that and justifying its decisions. MR. SPRAKER said there is no questions that he played a major part in some of the sheep management decisions. One issue was to close the 207 area due to a lot of complaints about people using aircraft in an unethical manner. He found that about 86 percent of resident sheep hunters do not use aircraft to spot sheep and about 14 percent do. There were a lot of complaints about guides and non-resident clients and so forth taking such a large number of sheep; probably 60-70 percent of those use aircraft to spot sheep. He thought it was a good decision, because it levels the playing field among sheep hunters and addresses the complaint of competition. He has always said he truly believes that a sheep can get away from a hunter on the ground, but it can't get away from a super cub. This proposal promotes good ethics and works well since it has been implemented according to public comments. The sheep hunt is now a quality hunt rather than a foot race to get to the sheep. SENATOR COGHILL said that was a reasonable solution. He has heard about the tension between guides - especially out of state hunters - and in-state hunters, especially from a new group in the state. Their concern is that the board seems to favor outside guides. He asked Mr. Spraker to explain what that looks like from the board's perspective. MR. SPRAKER said he has heard those criticisms, as well, and in- state hunters have a priority for some species in Alaska, but not for sheep. He thinks the board does a good job in making sure residents have a first shot at game in general and there are literally hundreds of examples where residents get a benefit over non-residents. The board in 2007 developed a policy for dealing with allocation and permits for non-residents, which really benefits residents. A couple of sheep hunts they have authorized provide 10 percent of the animals to non-residents. He said this new group was organized to try to get more benefits for residents, but the board already does a good job of providing a substantial amount of opportunity for residents. 3:45:32 PM SENATOR COGHILL said a drawing is actually a way of weeding out applicants whereas permitting out-of-state applicants seems to favor a quota. He asked if there is a difference in quantity for out-of-state permits or what residents get by either drawing or other permitting. MR. SPRAKER explained that he would like to go through the book with him, but in most cases residents have the benefit. When the board issues permits to non-residents it looks at the historical use by non-residents and allocates permits based on that equation. Most of the areas have a limited number of animals for non- residents and a more generous number of permits for residents. Many times non-residents are on a drawing permit whereas residents are on a registration hunt, and there are several cases across the state where resident hunts start five days earlier than for non-residents, especially for moose. Non- residents are restricted to 50-inch and four brow-tines. Spiked or forked moose are not allowed to be taken anywhere in the state. SENATOR COGHILL thanked him and said he would be in touch as things percolate up to his office. 3:48:49 PM SENATOR HUGHES also thanked him for his service and added that some things have percolated up to her office, as well. She often hears it seems like the pie is shrinking on places for good Alaskans to go to hunt. Access to land is tougher, especially for people who have been in the state for years and think about how it was when they were kids. One of her concerns is the Nelchina Basin community subsistence harvests and Senator Hughes asked Mr. Spraker to explain why that is needed. She hears that even the people for which it was created want to do away with it as well as some folks in her area. MR. SPRAKER said he remembers when the regulation book was the same size as a tide book and agrees that things have really changed. The demand for harvest has increased along with the competition. He appreciates that people can't hunt where they used to. To the second part of her question, the board will convene a meeting on March 18 in Glennallen on Unit 13 community subsistence harvest issues. He has reviewed the proposals several times and a couple of them will lead to quite a bit of change in that unit. He is concerned about providing a reasonable number of animals for subsistence. The number of animals in Unit 13 are there because the department started active management back in 2004, and it has been very successful. All the subsistence issues have changed since then and things are much more positive now. The board uses a term "tier 1-plus," which means there are sufficient numbers of animals in the population to allow for a greater harvest and still sustain the population. He couldn't predict where the board will go, but in reading the public and department comments, it seems pretty clear that the majority of the people - certainly the MatSu Advisory Committee - would like to do away with the community subsistence harvests and replace it with something new. SENATOR HUGHES thanked him for that and noted that Article 8, Section 3, of the Constitution, says folks have a right to that game and her understanding is that about 70 percent of the folks that hunt up there are actually from Big Lake to Palmer, to Chugiak, to Anchorage, and they rely on that game. Filling a freezer is really becoming more important now than ever with the budget difficulties the state is facing. 3:53:39 PM SENATOR HUGHES asked him to talk about how the Ahtna agreement with the Department of Interior impacts the board's authority to manage and allocate game. MR. SPRAKER replied he isn't familiar with all the details, but he has looked it over and if it goes too far in letting the Ahtna Corporation set their own seasons and bag limits on their lands - and they own over 1 million acres - it could have quite a profound impact on the board, the ADF&G, and that 70 percent of the public from the MatSu Valley that hunt there. Those decisions haven't been finalized yet, and he is paying close attention. 3:55:24 PM CHAIR GIESSEL thanked Mr. Spraker for being on line with them and invited Mr. van Daele, a new appointee, before the committee. He is replacing a partial term of a member who resigned and that term would expire at the end of 2018. LAWRENCE VAN DAELE, appointee to the Board of Game, Soldotna, Alaska, said he was born into an Air Force family in Okinawa. His dad was a fighter pilot and they moved every three years or so. Three things were very consistent in his life: his family, his church, and the fact that they would go hunting, fishing and camping wherever they were assigned. His dad had remote assignments in Galena and King Salmon and would always come home with stories about Alaska and bays full of King salmon or crab. When it came time for him to leave the nest, Mr. Van Daele said he headed toward Alaska. He got a Bachelor degree, a Master's degree, and a wife in Idaho, and they came to Alaska in 1981 where he worked on version 1 of the Susitna Hydroproject. In the next 34 years of working as a wildlife biologist for ADF&G he was stationed in Kodiak, Dillingham, and Anchorage, and they have selected Kodiak as their home town. During his time with ADF&G Mr. Van Daele said he had the good fortune of living in both rural and urban locations working with elders, both Native and non-Native, and a wide variety of people. He managed the Round Island Walrus Sanctuary, the Mulchatna caribou herd, Kodiak brown bears, deer, goats, and a whole variety of different animals. He worked with the Northern Forum Brown Bear Workgroup, which took him to Siberia, Sweden, and Japan where he represented the state and its management system and often bring them over here to exchange management system practices. He also wrote a book on the history of Kodiak bears on the Kodiak Archipelago and earned a PhD on 25 years of bear research that he did with his colleagues on the management of Kodiak bears. The last three years of his career he worked as a regional supervisor for the South Central part of the state, based in Kodiak but commuting to Anchorage every other week. He retired in 2015. 3:58:46 PM MR. VAN DAELE said his wife, Hilary, shifted her profession in 1985 from a biologist to a full time mom. Their son, Matt, graduated from Kodiak High School and got a Master's degree from the University of Idaho in Zoology and returned to Kodiak where he works as a lands manager for a Native Corporation. He has been elected as an assemblyman with the Kodiak Island Borough and is becoming a politician. Since his retirement, Mr. Van Daele said he has worked part time for Kodiak Native Corporation to help them in developing a bear viewing program; he has also volunteered for Kodiak Electric Association in helping them analyze the impacts of expanding the capacity of their hydro project on bears and other wildlife. He is the vice chairman of the Kodiak State Parks Citizens' Advisory Board and helped a friend write a book on photographing bears, which has just been published and is on the Rebuild the Bear Committee, a citizens group that is putting up a commemorative bronze bear statute and several other projects around home since he retired. Because of his positions with ADF&G, he has opted to refrain from having memberships or positions in any organizations directly impacted by his decisions in working for ADF&G. He dropped his memberships in the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, and Rocky Mountain Elk, not because he was opposed to what they were doing but because he felt that could possibly sway his decisions in some peoples' minds. However, he is an active member in the Wildlife Society and the International Bear Association where he was selected as a co-chair on the North Asian Brown Bear Expert Team, and many other organizations listed in his resume. MR. VAN DAELE said when he was asked to put his name in for the Board of Game, he had to think about it seriously, because he knows how contentious the position is. But it is an "incredible honor and an awesome responsibility," because everything they do is going to impact people's lives. The more he thought about it the more he realized that Alaska has provided him with an education, opportunity, and a very secure retirement, and he would like to offer his talents and services to the board as a way of giving back to the people of Alaska and the wildlife of the state. As a board member, his primary goals will be: 1. food security, 2. economic opportunity (including guiding, tourism, and filling the freezer), 3. a return of state management, and 4. revitalizing the trust by all groups in the Board of Game process. He has seen wide polarization in recent years, and wishes to reinstate trust and respect for these institutions. 4:03:28 PM SENATOR COGHILL thanked him and said his work with Alaska National Interest Land Claims Act (ANILCA) and Native Corporations will be very valuable. As a biologist, though, one of the questions that has arisen in his area is about antlerless moose hunts. He grew up in Nenana, so antlerless moose hunts were the thing you just didn't do. So, he has a natural prejudice. MR. VAN DAELE responded that antlerless moose hunts are an important management tool. When he managed the moose in Dillingham they didn't have antlerless hunts, but that is because they were trying to build up the populations. In certain times, there are more moose than a range can handle. In that situation, you have to look at alternative ways to allow the herd to stay at a stable high population that is sustainable, but also allow people to get meat in their freezer. The best way to do that is to take some of the cows. He knows there is a strong bias against taking cows, because they are the producers, but it's an easy sell because there are times when using this tool keeps the population healthy and puts meat in the freezers. It works the same for brown bears. When he modeled the Kodiak brown bear for his PhD thesis he found out that in order to have enough big trophy bears you have to take a certain portion of the females. Taking some females produces a healthier population. His opinion was that having the checks and balances of having an annual reauthorization of antlerless hunts and forcing the department to prove that these are viable and a necessary tool is a good way to continue. SENATOR COGHILL said he would be open to that discussion, but in his neck of the woods partly the discussion is because some areas have easy access and others not so easy. However antlerless moose are authorized within a complete unit, which distorts the science. He asked if he had been involved in that discussion. MR. VAN DAELE said he is very aware of those concerns - especially from the Laundry House Gang - during a board meeting in Fairbanks a couple of weeks ago, but at this point he didn't have any answers. SENATOR COGHILL said the Interior has places with huge black bear populations that don't have a natural predation. And yet some areas don't have as many, and asked if he had done any study on the movement and over-population of those black bear. MR. VAN DAELE answered no, but he is familiar with what has been done. Last week the board specially asked the department how they will spend some of the new found money. Will some be spent on bears and the impacts of bear predations on ungulates, specifically moose and caribou? Another thing they need to recognize with black bear in particular and brown bears to a lesser degree, this is an important food item. These bears should be considered as much for food security as they should as predators. He thought more could be done to encourage folks to take bear for food maybe through recipes or working with co-ops and meat processing plants. His dream is that at some point in time they won't be talking about bears as predators but about how to slow down the bear harvest because people like to eat them so much. SENATOR COGHILL said he appreciated him being willing to look into it. 4:10:05 PM SENATOR HUGHES said she noticed on his resume under special skills and qualifications that he has extensive experience with aerial surveying and taking censuses and asked if he has had any experience in using drones for counts. Is it a better tool than manned aircraft? MR. VAN DAELE replied that he has no experience with drones, but flying them when people are flying super cubs is dangerous. He is "old school" in that he thinks a lot more information can be gained from looking around than by remote sensing. SENATOR HUGHES said she will keep an open mind, but her understanding is that those who have done both have found that using drones actually is beneficial because you get better imagery and more accurate counts; they are so quiet that the animals don't scatter. SENATOR HUGHES said she was curious, because his notes say he has had frequent appearances on TV and film. MR. VAN DAELE replied that his most infamous appearance was on the Grizzly Man, because he led the investigation on the Timothy Treadwell incident. He has done hunting videos with Jack Frost and others. He can't remember every time he has been on TV or radio or given presentations, but it's quite common in his career. He was bear safety coordinator during the Exxon Valdez oil spill and was in two videos they did on bear safety and electric fences. CHAIR GIESSEL thanked him for his service and for being there today. ^BIG GAME COMMERCIAL SERVICES BOARD BIG GAME COMMERCIAL SERVICES BOARD    4:13:00 PM  CHAIR GIESSEL announced the appointment to the Big Game Commercial Services Board (BGCSB). She said the purpose of BGCSB is the license and regulating activities of providers of commercial services to big game hunters in the interest of the state's wildlife resources. The board regulates hunting guides, assistants, and transporters. Members serve four-year terms and have a diverse membership including outfitters, transporters, etc., as well as two public members. She invited Mr. Trombley to the table. 4:13:33 PM ADAM TROMBLEY, appointee to the BGCSB, Anchorage, Alaska, said the main reason he wants to be on the board is because it is imperative that Alaskans aren't placed at a disadvantage to access. He likes hunting and it's important that guides and outfitters who break rules should have strict penalties. SENATOR COGHILL thanked him for being willing to serve and said many who were born and raised here agree that there has to be a balance between serving residents and those who want to come in. He asked if he had been involved in any of the controversy between guides and transporters. MR. TROMBLEY answered that he didn't have any specific experience in that arena, but he knows it exists and doubted there was an easy answer. SENATOR COGHILL said many are concerned that transporters have very little accountability and asked him to watch for ways to solve this issue. MR. TROMBLEY responded that he also serves on the Board of Governors for the Bar Association and has noticed that attorneys are hard on each other when they break the rules. He guessed this board would also be hard on those who break the rules. CHAIR GIESSEL said his application indicates that this board is his fourth choice in terms of appointments behind three other boards that have more of a judicial focus and asked how the Big Game Commercial Services Board come to his mind, because it is so different that the other choices. MR. TROMBLEY answered that goes back to being a hunter and caring about management of and access to game. He is not an attorney, but enjoys the legal aspect of things. He also wants game to be around in the future for his children. 4:18:31 PM CHAIR GIESSEL said her next question has to do with the way the board administers its process: its fiscal matters. As he may be aware, boards and commissions are required to be self- supporting; that is the license fees need to cover the cost of the board's administration of the regulatory process. The Big Game Commercial Services Board is rather renowned for having a large outstanding debt and she asked his feelings about balancing its budget. MR. TROMBLEY answered that having served on the Anchorage Assembly he certainly understands managing the budget. At the end of the day, you need to look outside the box and while he didn't know all the reasons for the debt, his guess is that travel is a huge component. Maybe they can conduct business on line rather than travel for all the meetings. 4:20:42 PM CHAIR GIESSEL opened public testimony. 4:21:45 PM BOB MUMFORD, representing himself, Anchorage, Alaska, supported Mr. Spraker's and Mr. van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game. He had worked with both of them and he couldn't pick two better men to be on this board. Dr. van Daele is "exceptional" and probably has a worldwide reputation for his work with bears and wildlife management. If he did nothing he would still bring a lot of respect to it. He has worked a lot with Ted Spraker who is also an exceptional board member. What separates these guys from some other people is that they bring a "pure heart" and a statewide perspective to wildlife management in making sure the ethics are there and that wildlife management is done with science. They don't have an agenda and are well versed in the Alaska Constitution. He also wished Mr. Trombley well if he should get appointed to the Big Game Commercial Services Board. It is a challenging board. 4:24:46 PM MARK RICHARDS, Executive Director, Resident Hunters of Alaska (RHAK), Fairbanks, Alaska, supported Mr. van Daele's appointment to the Board of Game. 4:26:08 PM MICHAEL CRAWFORD, Chairman, Kenai-Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee, Kenai, Alaska, supported Mr. Spraker's appointment to the Board of Game. He advised that AC is a unique group and they very rarely agree on things, but they are unanimously in support of his reappointment. He has the experience of a field experienced biologist. As chairman of the board, he is a fair and patient person with different user groups. They are lucky to have such a qualified person who wants to stay on the board. 4:27:46 PM SAM ROHRER, President, Alaska Professional Hunters Association, Anchorage, Alaska, strongly supported Mr. Spraker's and Mr. Van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game. Mr. Spraker has always shown himself ready to put Alaska's game resources first. His more than 28 years of experience as an ADF&G biologist is invaluable to his work on the board. Not only does he understand the data side of wildlife management, he understands the social side, as well. He asks probing questions and makes himself available after hours to answer more questions and to learn from the users. That really adds an important dimension when it comes back to the BOG deliberating on issues. He said that serving as chairman of the BOG is a time consuming and often thankless job, however Mr. Spraker is dedicated to it. It's hard to think of a better choice to fill this important role. MR. ROHRER said he also supported Mr. van Daele's appointment to the Board of Game. He is extremely knowledgeable on wildlife issues throughout the state and will be invaluable on the board. Over his long history with the state, he has worked with federal advisory councils, state fish and game advisory councils, Native Corporations, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and various work and study groups. He's also an internationally recognized bear expert. More importantly, throughout his career he has shown himself to be a consensus builder. Few individuals possess the ability to work through controversial issues, bridge divides, and come to fair conclusions like Mr. van Daele. He is approachable, knowledgeable, and fair. 4:31:05 PM DICK ROHRER, representing himself, Kodiak, Alaska, supported Mr. van Daele's and Mr. Spraker's appointments to the Board of Game. He has been on more boards and in more meetings with Mr. van Daele in Kodiak than he can count. He doesn't come with an agenda, but he doesn't give up the farm to build consensus if he feels strongly about an issue. MR. ROHRER said he had interacted with Mr. Spraker on the board and though he doesn't always vote the way he would like him to, there is never a question about whether he will hear his testimony and give fair consideration to it. He didn't know anything about Mr. Trombley, but wished him well on the Big Game Commercial Services Board. 4:32:58 PM JASON BUNCH, representing himself, Kodiak, Alaska, supported Mr. van Daele's and Mr. Spraker's appointments to the Board of Game. He has worked with Mr. van Daele as a Coast Guardsman, an Advisory Council (AC) member, and as a citizen of Kodiak. He can attest to his knowledge and ability to bring people together. He said that Mr. Spraker has gained the respect of many different user groups around the state as an effective member of the Board of Game. He has proven himself to be a valuable asset and an integral part in solving many of the challenges around the state. His experience and values are second to none. 4:34:10 PM PAUL CHERVENAK, Chairman, Kodiak Fish and Game Advisory Committee, Kodiak, Alaska, supported both Mr. van Daele's and Mr. Spraker's appointments to the Board of Game. Both men are very knowledgeable about the BOG process, the ADF&G the resources, and the state's issues. When they don't know something they are willing to learn about it. Additionally, both men are very articulate and interact well with the public. They are both experienced and work out compromises. 4:35:36 PM DOUG MALONE, representing himself, Homer, Alaska, heavily support Mr. van Daele's appointment to the Board of Game. He has known him for over a dozen years and has always been very impressed by his knowledge of not only Kodiak wildlife, but issues outside of his direct purview. He possesses a very well- rounded wildlife education. He recently had the opportunity to observe him for eight full days at the just concluded Interior Region BOG meeting, and what he saw and heard was very positive. He witnessed Mr. van Daele's genuine interest and willingness to hear and interact with the public, his diverse and far-reaching knowledge of statewide game issues, and, best of all, the leadership qualities he portrayed there. 4:37:03 PM VIRGIL L. UMPHENOUR, representing himself, Fairbanks, Alaska, supported both Mr. Spraker's and Mr. Van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game. He personally served three terms on the Board of Fisheries and at times referred to his job as a referee, because there many contentious issues. He said the resident versus non-resident issue was started by people in Fairbanks who wanted to restrict non-residents from sheep hunting. Their big complaint was that the guided sheep hunters have a higher success rate than the unguided sheep hunters. Subsequently, they introduced numerous proposals to the BOG, which caused the department, the board, and the legislature to come up with a couple hundred thousand dollars for the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) to do a study on sheep hunting. Then the board scheduled a special meeting for sheep and then since he is on the Fairbanks Fish and Game Advisory Committee he scheduled a meeting. But everything backfired on those people. The UAF study and special meetings indicated that a majority of the residents complained about being harassed by airplanes. That resulted in Proposal 207, which resulted in a lot of criticism of Mr. Spraker, but he conducted himself with a "very high degree of integrity" throughout the whole process. 4:39:55 PM BRIAN SIMPSON, representing himself, Fairbanks, Alaska, said he is a licensed guide in the Northwest Arctic. He supported Mr. Spraker's and Mr. van Daele's appointments to the Board of Game. He has testified before Mr. Spraker many times over the years and found him absolutely fair, ethical, and knowledgeable. He also supported Mr. van Daele due to his experience. The one he questioned a little bit was Mr. Trombley for the Big Game Commercial Services Board, his only concern being that it is a very complicated and contentious board. He would prefer someone who is well versed on the board's issues. 4:41:54 PM CHAIR GIESSEL thanked the appointees and read the following: In accordance with AS 39.05.080, the Resources Committee reviewed the following and recommends the appointments be forwarded to a joint session for consideration: Big Game Commercial Services Board: Adam Trombley; Board of Game: Ted Spraker, Lawrence Van Daele. This does not reflect an intent to vote for or against the confirmation of the individuals during any further sessions. 4:43:09 PM CHAIR GIESSEL adjourned the Senate Resources Committee meeting at 4:43 p.m.