03/01/2024 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

                    SSCR 9-DISAPPROVE EO 132                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:59:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY  announced that the  next order of business  would be                                                               
SENATE   SPECIAL  CONCURRENT   RESOLUTION  NO.   9,  Disapproving                                                               
Executive Order No. 132.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:00:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  GEASE  directed  attention  to  a  PowerPoint  presentation,                                                               
entitled  "Executive Order  132: Eliminating  the Alaska  Chilkat                                                               
Bald Eagle  Preserve Advisory Council,"  dated 3/1/24  [hard copy                                                               
included in the committee packet].  He began on slide 2, "Alaska                                                                
Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve," which read as follows [original                                                                   
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     • 43,921 acres of river bottom near Haines                                                                                 
     • Established by Legislature in 1982 (AS 41.21.611)                                                                        
     •  Primary purpose:  protect  and  perpetuate the  bald                                                                    
     eagle habitat inside the preserve                                                                                          
     •  One of  the world's  largest concentrations  of bald                                                                    
     eagles                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. GEASE continued to slide 3, "Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle                                                                      
Preserve," which read as follows [original punctuation                                                                          
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     •  Alaska State  Constitution Article  8, Section  7:                                                                      
     Special  Purpose Sites:  Legislature  may reserve  land                                                                    
     from the public domain                                                                                                     
     •  Legislature closed  the preserve  to "multiple  use"                                                                    
     and dedicated  area as special purpose  site (closed to                                                                    
     oil and gas leasing, mineral entry) (AS 41.21.610(d)                                                                       
     •   Traditional   uses  including   hunting,   fishing,                                                                    
     trapping, and  other subsistence and  recreational uses                                                                    
     are allowed (AS 41.21.618)                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. GEASE advanced to slide 4, "Advisory Council Members," which                                                                
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  12-member  Advisory   Council  established  by  AS                                                                    
     41.21.625:                                                                                                                 
     • Governor appoints 3 members to 2-year terms:                                                                             
       Haines  Borough resident representing  a conservation                                                                    
     organization                                                                                                               
          United   State    Fish   and    Wildlife   Service                                                                    
     representative                                                                                                             
        Upper Lynn  Canal Fish  and Game  Advisory Committee                                                                    
     member                                                                                                                     
         Haines  Borough   Mayor   recommends  to   Governor                                                                    
     appointee  to  fill  seat  representing  commercial  or                                                                    
     industrial interests                                                                                                       
     •  Ex-officio members  are named  positions in  statute                                                                    
     (or designees):                                                                                                            
       Haines Borough Mayor                                                                                                     
       Klukwan, Inc. President                                                                                                  
       Chilkat Indian Village Council chair                                                                                     
       Chilkoot Indian Association chair                                                                                        
       Haines Borough Assembly member                                                                                           
        Alaska Department  of Fish  & Game  Commissioner (or                                                                    
     designee)                                                                                                                  
        Alaska  Director  of Division  of  Parks  &  Outdoor                                                                    
     Recreation (or designee)                                                                                                   
        Alaska  Director  of Division  of  Forestry  &  Fire                                                                    
     Protection (or designee)                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:01:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.    GEASE   turned    to    slide    5,   "Advisory    Council                                                               
Responsibilities," which read as follows [original punctuation                                                                  
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     • Advisory  council provides  feedback, recommendations                                                                    
     and local insight  regarding management, operations and                                                                    
     facilities                                                                                                                 
     •  Meetings  serve  as  a forum  for  public  input  on                                                                    
     preserve management                                                                                                        
     • Members set  agenda items and discuss  topics such as                                                                    
     user conflicts, resource  issues, proposed developments                                                                    
     and proposed regulation changes                                                                                            
        Council shall  assist the  Department in  monitoring                                                                    
     and    revising    preserve   management    plan    (AS                                                                    
     41.21.625(e))                                                                                                              
     •  Council may  provide feedback  on matters  for which                                                                    
     Division of Parks & Recreation,  Division of Forestry &                                                                    
     Fire Protection  and Alaska Department  of Fish  & Game                                                                    
     are required to seek council input                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. GEASE proceeded to slide 6, "DNR's Support Role," which read                                                                
as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     The Division of Parks  & Outdoor Recreation coordinates                                                                    
     and supports the Advisory Council by:                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     • Issuing public notice for meetings                                                                                       
     • Assisting with agendas                                                                                                   
     • Taking meeting minutes and/or recording meeting                                                                          
     • Posting meeting minutes and/or recording meeting                                                                         
     • Coordinating  appointments through  Governor's office                                                                    
     • Filling requests for information from DNR                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  council has  met online  since 2020  and the  most                                                                    
     recent council meeting was November  2022. The May 2023                                                                    
     meeting lacked a quorum.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. GEASE continued to slide 7, "which read as follows [original                                                                
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     WHAT:                                                                                                                      
     •  Sunsets  the  advisory  council;  stakeholder  input                                                                    
     would  be  received  through traditional  channels  and                                                                    
     creation of informal advisory groups                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     WHY:                                                                                                                       
     • Creates  efficiency and  establishes single  point of                                                                    
     contact for preserve management                                                                                            
     • Eliminates duplication within state government                                                                           
     •  Aligns management  activities  with  those of  other                                                                    
     parks                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     FUTURE:                                                                                                                    
     •  Management   processes  don't  change      revisions                                                                    
     subject  to robust  public process  and multiple  input                                                                    
     opportunities                                                                                                              
     • Alaska Department of Fish  & Game remains involved in                                                                    
     management plan development, associated activities                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:04:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. GEASE concluded on slide 8, "Future Stakeholder Engagement,"                                                                
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     DNR has other important engagement tools:                                                                                  
     • Creation  of a local citizen  advisory board covering                                                                    
     the parks in the local region                                                                                              
     •  Citizen  advisory  boards   assist  DNR  staff  with                                                                    
     management and development issues                                                                                          
     • Alaska  State Parks director appoints  members for up                                                                    
     to 3-year terms                                                                                                            
     • Members are representative of multiple user groups                                                                       
     • Currently active boards  in Chugach, Juneau, Kachemak                                                                    
     Bay,  Ketchikan, Kodiak,  Mat-Su,  Northern Region  and                                                                    
     Seward                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:04:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether dismantling these councils                                                                 
would kick the cost of future management plan revisions down the                                                                
line.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. GEASE explained that when there's an opening for RADS to                                                                    
revise a management plan, its covered through operating costs.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  asked  whether updating  the  management                                                               
plans is "a big lift."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR.  GEASE said  it may  take two  to three  years to  update the                                                               
management  plan  with  others  taking upwards  of  eight  years.                                                               
However, once  revised, they  tend to  stay in  place for  a long                                                               
period of time.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:06:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS said  she appreciated the desire  to move to                                                               
less formal and less restrictive  processes for these councils to                                                               
allow  for   more  community  input;  however,   she  said  she's                                                               
concerned  about the  process.   She shared  her belief  that the                                                               
overwhelming public  testimony and concern about  these EOs shows                                                               
that the  process has  not been  followed.   She asked  Mr. Gease                                                               
whether the council is supportive of the EO.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  GEASE  acknowledged  that  people  are  often  resistant  to                                                               
change.  He assured the committee  that the Division of Parks and                                                               
Outdoor Recreation's management  would deteriorate without public                                                               
feedback and  emphasized the importance  of the  citizen advisory                                                               
boards.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MEARS said  she would  be happy  to support  this                                                               
change in  a future  bill when there's  buy-in from  the effected                                                               
communities.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:09:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MCKAY noted  that public  testimony on  the EOs  was heard                                                               
only in the Senate to save time.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
[SSCR 9 was held over.]