Legislature(1993 - 1994)
04/17/1993 08:00 AM House STA
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HB 248: AERIAL HUNTING OF PREDATORS Number 091 CHAIRMAN VEZEY then read the title to HB 248, and not seeing its sponsor present, invited public testimony. Number 107 MCKIE CAMPBELL, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, testified in opposition to HB 248. He stated the department could not support HB 248 because it, and SB 77, were both created in reaction to the aerial wolf hunt controversy. The department believes both bills to be in error because HB 248 would effectively preclude predator control except under the most extreme circumstances, and SB 77 would mandate it. He also stated the powers involved in each bill are already built into the department's duties, making them unnecessary. REPRESENTATIVE G. DAVIS asked if HB 248 effectively tied the hands of department officials. Number 150 MR. CAMPBELL stated there are already some regulations in effect that are covered by HB 248. He stated there were several problems with HB 248, including the phrase stating predator control could only be undertaken if predators are the primary cause of ungulate population depletions. He stated that predators are not always the primary cause of a depletion, but they can put prey into the "predator pit" model of populations after weather or other Outside factors kill off significant numbers. He also said getting written assurances from the federal government to undertake population control would be near impossible to do under HB 248, and not likely to be done in a timely manner in any case. Number 186 CHAIRMAN VEZEY asked if it seemed HB 248 made wolf control almost impossible until ungulate populations were extinct. Number 194 MR. CAMPBELL felt HB 248 was "ungulate unfriendly," and that the phrases built into the bill made it unlikely any predator control could occur. He stated any controls might be delayed unreasonably by HB 248. Number 207 BILL BURKE testified in support of HB 248. He stated HB 248 is a comprehensive game management effort that stops the needless killing of wildlife for hunters. Number 225 IRENE MORRIS OF THE ALASKA ENVIRONMENTAL LOBBY testified in support HB 248. She supported the use of scientific data for game management and believed single species management supported by hunters was wrong. She noted the need for wildlife to be protected as the eco-tourism movement grows, and stated aerial hunting of wolves is unethical. Number 255 REPRESENTATIVE DAVID FINKELSTEIN, PRIME SPONSOR OF HB 248, presented his sponsor statement. He stated the intent of HB 248 was to develop a system similar to the one now in use in the Yukon Territory in Canada. He stated the intent of HB 248 was to take into account several factors in game management, including subsistence use, tourism, hunting and consumptive use. Accordingly, control would not be done by private citizens under the direction of the state, but by Fish and Game officers. In addition, he stated the intent of HB 248 was not to eliminate wildlife control, but rather to set up guidelines for its use. CHAIRMAN VEZEY asked if HB 248, as written, seemed to be "anti-ungulate" and written more in favor of predators. REPRESENTATIVE FINKELSTEIN stated it was his intent to achieve a balance between predators and prey, and the bill was not written in favor of one species. He admitted HB 248 is written in favor of predators. Number 335 BERNADETTE ZIMMERMAN testified by teleconference from Mat-Su in favor of HB 248. She stated there is a mentality in certain sectors of the population that yearned for the "Gold Rush Days," in which if it competed with man for food, it (predators) should be shot. She stated this mentality was antiquated, and the Board of Game was more concerned about moose and caribou populations than total system management. She stated aerial hunting of wolves is morally and ethically wrong. Number 388 CATHERINE RICHARDSON testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in support of HB 248. She liked HB 248 because it opposed wolf control in general, restricted subsistence hunting, was consistent with federal law, set up an annual review, and any control program would be carried out by the government and not the public. Number 408 CHARLES DERRICK testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in opposition to HB 248. He stated the need for effective control programs, especially in light of the drop in Fairbanks area caribou populations by more than 50% in the last few months. He expressed concern that the populations might be falling into the "predator pit," and he was worried many calves would fall prey, which could restrict the population further. He stated this was an example of an "emergency condition" and called for HB 248's defeat. Number 431 REPRESENTATIVE G. DAVIS asked how long Mr. Derrick had been working on the wolf management plan that had been agreed upon. Number 436 MR. DERRICK stated he had been working on such a plan with others since 1974, but specifically on the latest plan for at least two years. He stated the Strategic Wolf Management Plan was the product of testimony from several groups and that it had been wrongly struck down because of pressure from those who simply didn't have the facts. Number 451 RALPH SEEKINS, PRESIDENT, ALASKA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION, testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in opposition to HB 248. He said any bill that states the ungulate population must be in serious jeopardy is sophomoric and obviously anti-human consumption. House Bill 248, he stated, is anti-consumption and not tourism friendly, because hunters are statistically responsible for less than two and a half percent of any population loss, and predators take the majority, and if nothing is done to control those predators, there will be fewer animals for tourists to see. Number 484 GREG MACHACEK testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in opposition to HB 248. He said he was an active outdoorsman who has seen firsthand the dramatic drop in populations, and predators appear to be taking over in the absence of wolf control. He said more aggressive control programs are needed, and there is no logical reason to wait for populations to crash to institute management controls. Number 510 KENNETH FORBES testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in opposition to HB 248. He stated HB 248 appeared to be more of a people control bill instead of predator control, and the sponsor's concerns were in the wrong place. He stated that 20 year veterans of wildlife management had come up with a viable plan, only to see the plan quashed because of Outside interests like Westours, and that was not in the best interest of Alaska wildlife management. Number 524 DAVID MACHACEK testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in opposition to HB 248. He stated HB 248 is unnecessary because its provisions are already covered in Chapter 92 of the hunting regulations. He stated it was absurd to consider waiting until populations crash to institute population controls, and it was also unrealistic to expect changes in populations in one year, the time required for recertification of the program. He called on the state to do predator control in the most efficient manner for both wildlife's and the budget's sake. Number 556 DAVID VANDENBURG OF THE ALASKA ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER testified by teleconference from Anchorage in support of HB 248. He stated he was not opposed to control, but to reckless management of wildlife. He stated HB 248 was based in biology and was a balanced and fair approach. He also stated HB 248 mirrored the Strategic Wolf Management Plan the most, would not tie any hands, and should be adopted. Number 575 STEVEN WELLS OF THE ALASKA WILDLIFE ALLIANCE testified by teleconference from Anchorage in favor of HB 248. He stated HB 248 reasonably addresses wolf management, including the increasing demands of hunters for more moose and caribou. He said he objected to the practice of aerial hunting, and it ought to be obvious now that most Alaskans do as well. TAPE 94-41, SIDE B Number 000 WAYNE HALL testified by teleconference from Anchorage in support of HB 248. He stated aerial control measures are unpopular and unnecessary, and that any extreme measure must be monitored. He said HB 248 simply sets up and defines when those measures must be taken. He stated it was wrong to allow the greed of hunters to justify predator and wolf controls. Number 041 TERRY BURRELL testified by teleconference from Anchorage in favor of HB 248, stating it is friendly to all Alaskans. She claimed hunters are the biggest reason for the decline in ungulate populations, and HB 248 takes the politics out of wildlife management. Number 066 MARILYN HOUSER testified by teleconference from Anchorage in favor of HB 248. She stated the Game Board is nothing more than a bunch of "yes men" for Fish and Game, which is controlled by hunters. She stated it is clear guidelines are needed to be set up for predator control, and that HB 248 does that. She stated the only reason predator control was entertained in the first place was because of poor management, overhunting and poaching. Number 090 JOHN PETER CREIGHTON testified by teleconference from Bethel in support of HB 248. He stated a majority of Alaskans were against predator control, and it was not in the best interest of the environment. He commented that those who claim Outsiders have unfairly influenced the outcome of the aerial hunt should look at themselves, since it seemed to him that third generation Euro-Americans were trying to dictate policy to Natives. Number 135 AMELIE REDMAN testified by teleconference from Bethel in opposition to HB 248, and stated any wolf management is against God's will, and the use of radio wolf collars is a violation of a wolf's privacy. She stated slaughtering any wolves was a violation of the commandment, "Thou Shall Not Kill." Number 159 CAROL JANSEN testified by teleconference from Anchorage in support of HB 248. She stated HB 248 is a much better option than SB 77, which mandates the use of wolf control. She stated HB 248 is a compromise in line with the original Strategic Wolf Management Plan and it is based in biology. She stated our credibility in Alaska is on the line, and not passing HB 248 would test that credibility. Number 207 MIKE TINKER testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in opposition to HB 248. He stated he was involved in the wolf management plan from the beginning, and opposed HB 248 because it supplanted the process of public input. He also stated that if the state was going to abandon the process of wildlife management in regards to wolf control, it should logically also close all its fish hatcheries. He was also opposed to any one year renewal clause in any management plan, stating that any control program would need more time to take effect. Number 245 DICK BISHOP testified by teleconference from Fairbanks in opposition to HB 248. He stated HB 248 puts the state back to square one when it comes to predator control, and it creates an atmosphere of gridlock when it comes to any hope of predator control in 1993. He also stated HB 248 does not incorporate good biology in its system; all terms used in the bill mean no management of predators; and HB 248 is not worthy of legislative consideration. Number 274 CHAIRMAN VEZEY noted the time and called a five minute at- ease at 9:09 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|