Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124

01/26/2024 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= HB 243 BISON DRAW PERMIT APPLICATION FEE TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
-- Public Testimony --
+= HB 201 RESIDENCY REQ: HUNTING, TRAPPING, FISHING TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
-- Public Testimony --
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
            HB 243-BISON DRAW PERMIT APPLICATION FEE                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:04:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY announced  that the first order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 243, "An  Act reducing the draw permit application                                                               
fee for bison to $5; and providing for an effective date."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:04:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY opened public testimony on HB 243.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:05:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DON QUARBERG, representing  self, testified in support  of HB 243                                                               
as a former member of the  Delta Bison Working Group and 40 years                                                               
of  experience  working  with  the Delta  Fish  &  Game  Advisory                                                               
Committee.   He explained the  bison range funding by  the Alaska                                                               
State Legislature  for the purpose of  providing adequate shelter                                                               
and water  through October  of each  year.   He reported  that in                                                               
1984, the  fee to hunt  bison was  increased by $5  to supplement                                                               
the  existing funds.   Those  funds were  never allocated  to the                                                               
Alaska Department of  Fish & Game (ADF&G).  He  stated that ADF&G                                                               
increased the number of permit  applications in 2017 which caused                                                               
a spike in the number of hunters.   He claimed there is a missing                                                               
$170,000 that is  designated for bison management.   He described                                                               
the seasonal round  of the bison which only spend  a month of the                                                               
year on the range then move  to farmland.  He exclaimed ADF&G has                                                               
absconded with those funds, which is unacceptable.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:08:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
VERNON AITON,  representing self, identified himself  as a former                                                               
ADF&G Board member for over 20  years and former president of the                                                               
Delta  Sportsman's Association.   He  stated the  bottom line  is                                                               
hunters have  paid the extra fee  for years but did  not get what                                                               
they paid  for.   He cautioned  the price of  the lost  fees will                                                               
probably never  be known but the  matching Pitman-Robertson [Act]                                                               
funds have been  spent as intended.  He  favored reassembling the                                                               
Delta Bison  Oversight Committee  but not  under the  auspices of                                                               
ADF&G.   He urged  for the bison  range to be  increased.   He is                                                               
also in favor  of a Delta bison feeding program  as a contingency                                                               
plan.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:11:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TISHA  KENNELL,   representing  self,  said  she   has  witnessed                                                               
incompetence and unethical management of  bison.  She stated that                                                               
the original purpose of the $5  addition was to better manage the                                                               
herd on  the bison range.   She stated the bison  range money has                                                               
essentially been  stolen from the  local communities.   She cited                                                               
the bison  range manager said  he did not need  additional monies                                                               
during the 2020-2021 starvation years  and would not know what to                                                               
do with  the funds.   She cited  several mistakes that  the state                                                               
has  made  managing  the  herd.    She  said  other  states  have                                                               
established  successful  hunts  during starvation  events.    She                                                               
informed the  committee that local  residents have  come together                                                               
to hire an outside entity to  manage the herd because they do not                                                               
trust ADG&G to manage their  wildlife or additional funding.  She                                                               
intended  to send  a message  to the  public that  Delta Junction                                                               
does not trust ADF&G and can  better serve the game management in                                                               
the region.  She finished by stating her support for HB 243.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:14:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY asked the previous  testifiers how the money would be                                                               
spent to support the bison range.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:15:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. QUARBERG recounted there were  initially 90,000 acres granted                                                               
for  the  bison range  and  the  legislature gave  [ADF&G]  $1.54                                                               
million  to  clear  3,000  acres for  habitat  development.    He                                                               
insisted that  the Pitman-Robertson [Act] Fund  could have helped                                                               
the  situation.    In  response   to  a  follow-up  question,  he                                                               
explained  that the  Pitman-Robertson [Act]  Fund derives  from a                                                               
nationwide sales tax on firearms and ammunition.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:17:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE interjected that if  the state does not use                                                               
those funds then the funds will be lost.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:17:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked the  three testifiers if reconvening                                                               
a working group would be a sufficient response to the issue.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:18:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DON QUARBERG  responded that there  needs to be a  local advisory                                                               
council other than  ADF&G.  In response to  a follow-up question,                                                               
he explained that  the previous Bison Working  Group was composed                                                               
of 11  or 12 people,  one of which was  from Florida and  did not                                                               
understand the  issue.  He said  that the working group  did come                                                               
to a consensus on how to manage  the range but that plan has been                                                               
lost since  the group has disbanded.   He affirmed that  it would                                                               
be beneficial to reconvene the working group.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:21:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. KENNELL interjected  that there have been  concerns about the                                                               
oversight of  the funds to make  sure it is being  spent properly                                                               
and managed properly.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:21:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENATIVE BAKER urged the committee  to look into the Western                                                               
Arctic Caribou  Herd Working Group  for comparison.  He  said the                                                               
group is  composed of  locals that receive  input from  ADF&G and                                                               
federal agencies and is a good  example for the Delta Bison Range                                                               
Working Group.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:22:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER, as co-sponsor,  made a closing statement                                                               
and thanked the committee for considering HB 243.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:23:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY closed public testimony on HB 243.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY announced that HB 243 was held over.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
HB 201 Research - Requirements to Qualify for an Alaska Resident Hunting, Trapping or Sportfishing License 1.15.24.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Fiscal Note - DFG-DAS 1.20.24.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Research - Examples of Resident and Non-Resident Hunting Regulations 1.19.24.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Research - Requirements for Resident License and Permanent Fund Dividend 1.19.24.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Research - Allowable Absences 1.4.24.pdf HRES 1/24/2024 1:00:00 PM
HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Research - Alaska Resident and Non-Resident License Fees 5.17.23.pdf HRES 1/24/2024 1:00:00 PM
HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Sectional Analysis - Version U 5.16.23.pdf HRES 1/24/2024 1:00:00 PM
HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Research - Southeast Alaska Resident and Non-Resident Sportfishing Regulations 5.12.23.pdf HRES 1/24/2024 1:00:00 PM
HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Sponsor Statement - Version U 1.12.24.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 243 Public Testimony (Corcoran).pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 243
HB243-Letter of support from Don Quarberg.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 243
HB243 Letter of support from Vern Aiton.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 243
HB 201 Public Testimony (Fox).pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Public Testimony (Horan).pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
House Bill 201 Public Testimony (Vorisek).pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201
HB 201 Written Testimony Received by 2.2.24.pdf HRES 1/26/2024 1:00:00 PM
HB 201