SJR 4: Urging the Alaska Congressional delegation to introduce bills to provide for the exemption of legally acquired walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory from laws that ban the sale, use, and possession of ivory.
00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 4 01 Urging the Alaska Congressional delegation to introduce bills to provide for the 02 exemption of legally acquired walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory from laws that 03 ban the sale, use, and possession of ivory. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 WHEREAS the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 - 1423h) explicitly 06 protects the right of coastal Alaska Natives to harvest walrus and use the walrus byproducts in 07 handicrafts for sale in the United States; and 08 WHEREAS the use by Alaska Natives of legally acquired walrus, mammoth, and 09 mastodon ivory to create tools, handicrafts, jewelry, and artwork is a longstanding tradition 10 that is a vital component of current Alaska Native culture; and 11 WHEREAS the sale of walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory tools, handicrafts, 12 jewelry, and artwork by Alaska Natives is an important source of income in the cash-limited 13 economy of rural Alaska; and 14 WHEREAS, in the effort to stop the poaching of African elephants, certain states in 15 the United States have passed laws banning the sale, use, and possession of all ivory, and
01 other states are considering enacting those laws; and 02 WHEREAS the laws banning the sale, use, and possession of ivory in certain states of 03 the United States do not distinguish between African elephant ivory and the legally acquired 04 walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory used by Alaska Native artists; and 05 WHEREAS the laws banning the sale, use, and possession of ivory may subject 06 residents of certain states to criminal charges for buying, owning, or bringing home legally 07 acquired walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory items from Alaska; and 08 WHEREAS the laws banning the sale, use, and possession of ivory in certain states 09 adversely affect those Alaska Native artists who depend on the sale of ivory handicrafts to 10 obtain the cash necessary to live in cash-limited local economies; 11 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes the inclusion of walrus, 12 mammoth, and mastodon ivory in current and future laws that ban the sale, use, and 13 possession of ivory; and be it 14 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests that the Alaska 15 Congressional delegation introduce bills in the United States Congress to provide for the 16 exemption of legally acquired walrus, mammoth, and mastodon ivory from current and future 17 laws that ban the sale, use, and possession of ivory. 18 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 19 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 20 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.