02/17/2025 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

         HB 79-NAMING VIC FISCHER SHOUP BAY MARINE PARK                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:08:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE announced that the next order of business would                                                                  
be HOUSE BILL NO. 79, "An Act naming the Vic Fischer Shoup Bay                                                                  
State Marine Park."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:08:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS, as prime sponsor, paraphrased the sponsor                                                                
statement for HB 79 [included in the committee packet], which                                                                   
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     House  Bill  79  recognizes the  contributions  of  Vic                                                                    
     Fischer  to Alaska  by naming  Shoup  Bay State  Marine                                                                    
     Park in Valdez after him.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     In the 1960s, Vic Fischer  was recruited from Alaska to                                                                    
     serve  as the  Assistant Secretary  of the  Housing and                                                                    
     Home  Finance  Agency  in  Washington,  D.C,  where  he                                                                    
     managed Regional Planning for  Urban Centers across the                                                                    
     nation. On  March 27,  1964, Alaska  was struck  by the                                                                    
     largest-ever  recorded  earthquake  in  North  America,                                                                    
     known as  the Good  Friday Earthquake. Situated  in the                                                                    
     epicenter  of the  earthquake, the  town of  Valdez was                                                                    
     devastated by an underwater  landslide and tsunami that                                                                    
     deemed the townsite uninhabitable.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Upon hearing the news,  Vic Fischer immediately secured                                                                    
     a  seat  on Air  Force  One  from Washington,  D.C.  to                                                                    
     return  to   Alaska  to  survey  the   damage.  Fischer                                                                    
     witnessed  overwhelming destruction  to infrastructure,                                                                    
     businesses,  and   schools,  and  noted   that  without                                                                    
     significant  intervention, the  area would  not survive                                                                    
     economically.  Through his  position,  Vic Fischer  was                                                                    
     instrumental in  directing the federal finances  of the                                                                    
     reconstruction of Valdez, Kodiak, and Anchorage.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Shoup  Bay  State Marine  Park  is  located five  miles                                                                    
     southeast  of  the Port  of  Valdez  and is  where  the                                                                    
     largest  tsunami   wave  of   the  1964   earthquake                                                                       
     measuring  over  200 feet  in  height    was  recorded.                                                                    
     Today,  Shoup  Bay  State   Marine  Park  boasts  alder                                                                    
     forests, flower-filled  meadows, stunning views  of the                                                                    
     Shoup  Glacier,  and  is  visited  by  roughly  100,000                                                                    
     visitors a  year, contributing an estimated  $5 million                                                                    
     to the local economy.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     One  of Vic's  legacies was  sponsoring legislation  in                                                                    
     1983 to  establish a new  system of state  marine parks                                                                    
     across  Alaska.  His  legislation  designated  thirteen                                                                    
     state  marine  parks,  and more  have  been  designated                                                                    
     since.   Because    of   Vic's   dedication    to   the                                                                    
     reconstruction of  Valdez and preservation  of Alaska's                                                                    
     marine  parks, visitors  for  generations  to come  can                                                                    
     enjoy Shoup Bay State Marine  Park and other wonders of                                                                    
     Alaska.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS also  presented a  PowerPoint titled,  "HB
: Vic  Fischer Shoup Bay  State Marine Park,"  which summarized                                                               
Mr.  Fischer's career  serving  Alaska  as well  as  his role  in                                                               
rebuilding   Valdez  following   the   1964   earthquake.     The                                                               
presentation  also  highlighted  Vic Fischer's  role  in  passing                                                               
legislation to establish 13 marine  parks in Alaska including the                                                               
marine  park at  Shoup Bay  which  would be  renamed Vic  Fischer                                                               
Shoup Bay  State Marine Park  in his honor.   A zero  fiscal note                                                               
was included with HB 79.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:12:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BENNET  PIERCE,  Staff  to Representative  Fields,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Representative Fields,  prime sponsor,                                                               
presented  the sectional  analysis  for HB  79  [included in  the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Sectional Analysis: HB 79                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1:  This section modifies AS  41.21.304 to name                                                                    
     the marine  park in  Shoup Bay,  Vic Fischer  Shoup Bay                                                                    
     Marine State Park.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:13:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR BURKE opened public testimony on HB 79.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:13:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 1:13 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:13:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JANE ANGVIK, representing  self, spoke in support of HB  79.  She                                                               
briefly described some of the  many outdoor adventures she shared                                                               
with her  husband, Vic Fischer, and  how he kayaked all  over the                                                               
world.  She  explained that Valdez was special  and described how                                                               
he and  Valdez Mayor Kelsey  walked all  over the area  after the                                                               
1964 earthquake in order to locate a  new site for the city.  She                                                               
said he led  the fight for marine parks in  Alaska and would have                                                               
recommended  that all  members of  the  Alaska State  Legislature                                                               
find water and play in the water.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:16:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  BURKE, after  ascertaining there  was no  one else  who                                                               
wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 79.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
[HB 79 was held over.]