Legislature(1995 - 1996)
03/20/1996 03:40 PM Senate RES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 247 USE OF FISH & GAME FUND/COMM'R'S POWERS
CHAIRMAN LEMAN brought SB 247 before the committee.
LYNN LEVENGOOD , Executive Director, Alaska Wildlife Conservation
Association, testifying from an airplane enroute to Dallas, Texas,
said the association is dedicated to the restoration of an
abundance of all wildlife in Alaska. He stated his support and
urged the committee's support of a proposed Resources CS, because
it is good for Alaska's wildlife and will benefit all Alaskans who
seek renewed abundance. The legislation recognizes that currently
nearly 100 percent of Alaska Department of Fish & Game's game
division budget is provided for by purchases of hunting and
trapping licenses. It strengthens current statutory language which
requires that the spending of these user groups' provided monies
must directly benefit the purchasers of those licenses.
Mr. Levengood said passage of the bill would prohibit the raiding
of Alaska's Fish & Game fund monies for developmental research on
an additional road access into Denali National Park, an expenditure
which is currently contained in the administration's 1997 CIP
budget. Passage of the legislation would also prevent the
unilateral shifting and diversion of monies within the Department
of Fish & Game.
He said the legislation was refocused after it was discovered that
last year's legislative appropriations of over $900,000 to the
Department of Fish & Game for intensive management projects was
spent largely on existing routine data collection, and more
recently, that the administration's $300,000 external review of
approved Board of Game projects is scheduled to be paid for by
license revenues. SB 247 will direct funding into the propagation,
restocking, transplantation, and habitat projects that will
directly increase Alaska's wildlife population.
Speaking to changes made in the committee substitute, Mr. Levengood
said it will clarify some of the objections to the prohibition of
funding in areas where federal programs are being instituted; that
language was eliminated. Also, it eliminates a restriction in
administrative funding for projects that are approved under the
theme provided for in the bill, so it provides additional funding
for administrative projects.
Number 345
SENATOR TAYLOR , prime sponsor of SB 247, thanked Mr. Levengood for
his assistance in working on the concept of the legislation. He
added that the first change in the committee substitute was to
provide that there be something in statute at least mandating or
requiring the department to provide and cooperate with sportmens'
organizations across the state, whenever possible, to increase game
populations and to introduce new populations where suitable.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN thanked Mr. Levengood for his testimony, and then
stated SB 247 would be aside and the committee would continue
taking testimony on SB 223.
SB 247 (USE OF FISH & GAME FUND/COMM'R'S POWERS)
CHAIRMAN LEMAN brought SB 247 back before the committee to take
additional testimony on the legislation.
OLIVER (BUD) BURRIS , testifying from Fairbanks, outlined several
programs where hunters' monies have been spent on nonhunting
activities. He said during that time the Department of Fish & Game
should have been planning for increased human populations and
increased numbers of hunters and fishermen, but in the last decade,
mismanagement has been responsible for less hunting opportunity and
reduced harvest. This has resulted in reduced license sales in the
state. From 1984 through 1993, resident license sales dropped 15
percent and nonresident hunting license sales dropped 20 percent.
He said active management is desperately needed to increase
wildlife populations, to increase harvest, and to increase hunting
and fishing opportunities.
BILL HAGAR , testifying from Fairbanks, said the department has
testified many times that they want the politics out of fish and
game management, and SB 247 will do this, as well as to help the
department do a better job.
PETE SHEPHERD , testifying from Fairbanks in support of SB 247, said
over the years he has witnessed a mounting influence of changing
public values in the attitudes of the ADF&G leadership towards
those who provide the operational revenues. He said it is
unconscionable that the fish and game funds are being used in ways
that subvert the interests of the paying hunting population.
TAPE 96-34, SIDE A
Number 010
NOEL PUTMAN , representing the Ketchikan Sports and Wildlife Club
and testifying from Ketchikan, voiced support for SB 247 and the
proposed amendment. He said the Department of Fish & Game has got
way off base during the last few years with fish and game
management, and most of the money from the sale of licenses seems
to be going into research, or going into the hands of people that
would like to see the end of consumptive use within Alaska. He
said SB 247 would see to it that that would end, and he urged it
passage.
Number 030
TONY RUSS , speaking on behalf of the Alaska Chapter of the
Foundation for North American Wild Sheep from Wasilla, stated their
support for SB 247. They support conservation of and proper
management of wild sheep in Alaska for the purpose of putting more
sheep on the mountain. The recent trends or politically based
decisions about wildlife management and disregard for the opinions
of professional wildlife managers employed by the state compels
them to support the bill.
CARL BRENT , representing the Alaska Bowhunters' Association and
testifying from Wasilla, voiced their support for SB 247, both for
political reasons and for the benefit of all the fishermen, hunters
and trappers within the state.
JEFF PARKER , a sport fisherman testifying from Anchorage, urged the
committee to hold the bill over to delete the portions that relate
to fish. He believes it will cause a loss of federal revenues,
both on the fisheries side and the game side. He said all of the
sport fish budget is comprised of money from the fish side of the
fish and game fund and a three to one match of federal monies.
That money is not used presently in the majority of four things
contained within the bill. It is used for things like research and
onground management. About one-third of the money is used in
hatchery programs, and what the bill effectively does is it cranks
up the hatchery side of managing the sport fish budget, and it
cranks up the harvest side, but it eliminates, for example, being
able to spend money on mark recapture programs and population
estimates for rainbow trout that are under catch and release
regulation. Those mark recapture programs and those population
estimates are the fundamental basis of about 30 of our very high
quality rainbow and steelhead fishery management programs in the
state, and suddenly spending money to sustain those programs is
eliminated. He said years have been spent in protecting wild stock
management in this state, not hatchery stocks. He believes all of
the sport groups throughout the state will support deleteing fish
from the bill.
Number 160
BILL PERHACH , a volunteer with the Alaska Environmental Lobby,
testified in opposition to SB 247. They believe the bill focuses
on consumptive use of wildlife resources at the exclusion of other
uses. The bill eliminates state funding of any project designed to
provide direct benefits to Alaskans engaged in non consumptive use
of the state's wildlife resources. They believe Alaskans have the
right to expect the state's natural resources to be managed for the
benefit of more than one interest group. He also pointed out that
the bill does not provide immunity from civil actions to members
who serve on the Board of Game.
Number 225
EDDY GRASSER , representing the Alaska Outdoor Council, expressed
their frustration by the general trend away from traditional
management of wildlife resources, and their concern about the lack
of equity that the nonhunting or anti-hunting groups bring to the
table when discussing management of wildlife resources. He said
they fail to recognize that large portions of Alaska are set aside
for nonmanagement regimes, or, in a lot of cases, several millions
of acres are set aside where hunting can't take place at all.
Because of that, and because of the trend away from traditional
management, the council supports SB 247. They believe the
legislation will provide the perimeters to the department under
which they need to operate to get back to traditional management.
Number 260
GERON BRUCE , Legislative Liaison, Department of Fish & Game, stated
the department's opposition to SB 247 because it would
fundamentally change the way the management of fish and wildlife
resources for personal and recreational use is conducted by
restricting the manner in which the two most important sources of
funds used to manage wildlife and sport fishing resources can be
used. These two funding sources are the federal aid funding and
the revenues received from the sale of fishing and hunting licenses
and tags. The federal aid program requires that state hunting and
fishing licenses and tag fees be dedicated to the support of the
sport fishing and wildlife management programs conducted by the
state. The motivation to dedicate these funds to fish and wildlife
management involved more than just a desire to establish a
predictable source of funding; it was also a conscious attempt to
insulate fish and wildlife management activities from the changing
winds of political life.
SB 247 has two major impacts upon the present way of managing fish
and wildlife. The first is that it takes the decision-making
authority on how the available funds should best be spent to manage
fish and wildlife away from the biological staff trained to make
those decisions and basically provides it to the legislative body.
This not only takes the decision-making authority out of the hands
of professionals but it also limits the ability of the staff to
respond during the year to changing circumstances and priorities.
The other impact about which the department is concerned is the
strict limitations on what the fish and game fund and federal funds
can be spent for under this legislation. It removes the ability of
the department to use fish and game funds and federal aid funds to
accomplish many of its functions, and without all those functions,
the department cannot conduct an effective management program.
Mr. Bruce said that while the Legislature is trying to reduce the
general fund budget for the state, and the governor is also looking
for ways to cut general fund spending, this legislation will
increase it by about $30 million a year.
Mr. Bruce also noted the department is opposed to the definitions
of "high level of human harvest", "intensive management", and
"maximum sustained yield" that are contained in SB 247.
Number 380
There being no further testimony on SB 247, CHAIRMAN LEMAN closed
the public hearing and adjourned the meeting at 5:45 p.m.
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