Legislature(2007 - 2008)BARNES 124
02/26/2007 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearings:|| Big Game Commercial Services Board | |
| Board of Game | |
| Big Game Commercial Services Board | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 26, 2007
1:03 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Carl Gatto, Co-Chair
Representative Craig Johnson, Co-Chair
Representative Vic Kohring
Representative Bob Roses
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative David Guttenberg
Representative Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
Big Game Commercial Services Board
Leif Wilson - Tok
Richard Rohrer - Kodiak
- CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED
Board of Game
Bob Bell - Anchorage
Ben Grussendorf - Sitka
- CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to report
WITNESS REGISTER
LEIF WILSON, Appointee
to the Big Game Commercial Services Board
Tok, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke as an appointee to the Big Game
Commercial Services Board.
BOB BELL, Appointee
to the Board of Game
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke as an appointee to the Board of Game.
BEN GRUSSENDORF, Appointee
to the Board of Game
Sitka, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke as an appointee to the Board of Game.
RICHARD ROHRER, Appointee
to the Big Game Commercial Services Board
Kodiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke as an appointee to the Big Game
Commercial Services Board.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CO-CHAIR CRAIG JOHNSON called the House Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:03:11 PM. Representatives
Johnson, Gatto, Roses, Wilson, Seaton, and Kohring were present
at the call to order. Representatives Guttenberg, Edgmon, and
Kawasaki arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^CONFIRMATION HEARINGS:
^Big Game Commercial Services Board
1:03:19 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON announced that the first order of business
would be the confirmation hearing for the Big Game Commercial
Services Board.
1:03:35 PM
LEIF WILSON, Appointee to the Big Game Commercial Services
Board, stated that he has served on this board for the last year
and two months. He is honored that Governor Palin has decided
to re-appoint him. He said that he feels the board is having a
positive effect on raising the standards and improving the
industry, and that it will continue to do so. Most of the
problems facing the industry do not have easy solutions and they
often involve people's livelihoods.
MR. WILSON stated that he is the president and director of
operations for Forty Mile Air, a commuter air taxi that holds
big game transporter license number six. He is an airplane and
power plant mechanic, and is an airline transport pilot. He is
a lifelong resident of Alaska and has hunted, trapped, and
fished throughout his life. He spent 14 seasons as a deckhand
on a gillnetter in Bristol Bay. He said that for the last 10
years he has served as a member of the Upper Tanana/Forty-Mile
Fish & Game Advisory Committee. He has been involved with the
transportation of hunters for the past 23 years. He is very
familiar with the guiding industry because his father was a
guide in Alaska during his childhood. Mr. Wilson said that he
has flown for several different guides throughout the years.
1:05:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG inquired whether a perceived conflict
of interest might be seen due to Mr. Wilson's being in the air
flying and guiding business and being on this commission.
MR. WILSON explained that when transporting hunters, his
business is operating under its transporter license and must
comply with all of the associated regulations and must have a
"135 air taxi certificate". He remarked that it gets down to
having a limited resource and that one of the biggest problems
is conflicts between user groups and the types of access that
people have. There is, and will be, conflicts between guides,
transporters, guides that use horses, and guides who use
airplanes, and with residents who are out on their four-
wheelers; therefore he cannot say that there are no conflicts
between people who use airplanes and people who do not. He
stated that he chooses to transport his hunters by air because
it is a low-impact way to get people out to uncrowded areas. He
acknowledged that there is some conflict amongst other groups
and his group, but that those conflicts will be there no matter
who it is.
1:09:11 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON reminisced about the four years she lived
in Tok and the time that she flew over the Tok River with Leif.
She thanked him for doing a good job at what he does.
1:09:52 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO noted that Mr. Wilson's application is dated
3/15/06 and asked if it is typical for an application to take a
year to come before the legislature.
MR. WILSON explained that he was originally appointed a little
over a year ago by then-Governor Murkowski. He was appointed
late and only served a portion of a term. Therefore, he
surmised, it is his original application that is probably before
the committee.
CO-CHAIR GATTO inquired whether there is anything that Mr.
Wilson would like to add to his application.
MR. WILSON said that the only thing he would add is the
experience he has gained by being on the board for the last 14
months.
1:11:14 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON asked Mr. Wilson to state why he would like to
be re-appointed.
MR. WILSON responded that he is thankful the legislature
reinstated the board because it is necessary and people are
needed to make a difference and do some good.
1:11:52 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO inquired as to whether Mr. Wilson, his children,
or employees have had any past violations of fish and game laws.
MR. WILSON stated that he did not, and that he did not know of
any violations by his family members or employees.
^Board of Game
1:12:19 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON determined that the second nominee for the Big
Game Commercial Services Board was not yet on the teleconference
line. He then announced that the second order of business would
be the confirmation hearing for the Board of Game.
1:12:47 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON declared a conflict of interest because Bob
Bell, a Board of Game appointee, is a constituent who
contributed to his election campaign. He requested that he be
excluded from voting.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON noted that the committee does not vote on
confirmations, it only reviews the qualifications of the
appointees and forwards the names of qualified applicants to a
joint [floor session].
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON declared that she personally knows two of
the appointees.
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES stated that he also knows Mr. Bell.
1:14:22 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON asked Mr. Bell to state why he would like to be
appointed.
BOB BELL, Appointee to the Board of Game, stated that he has
been hunting in Alaska for 37 years. The main reason, he said,
is that he sees a lot of things happening for which something
could be done and that the Board of Game is the best vehicle to
do that. He said that he could help make things better and that
he would bring the perspective of a "wildlife user".
1:15:07 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO asked whether the four individuals listed as
references on page 2 of Mr. Bell's November 2006 application
would still be current.
MR. BELL stated yes.
1:16:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON inquired whether the term "user" means
that Mr. Bell is a hunter or a guide.
MR. BELL responded that he has never been a guide for any
commercial activity as far as fish and game is concerned, so his
experience is as a user. For example, he has a moose camp in
Unit 16B that he and his friends set up twenty years ago. He
said that this unit is now closed to moose hunting because of
predation by both humans and animals; therefore he sees the
impacts of policies that did not protect the moose quickly
enough. "That is the kind of thing that I think I can bring to
the board," he said, "... we should have done something about
this sooner." In response to further questions from
Representative Seaton, Mr. Bell stated that he was a trapper as
a kid in Washington, but never in Alaska. He confirmed that his
use of wildlife is as a sport hunter.
1:18:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG directed attention to Mr. Bell's
application where it states that he is a strong advocate for
predator control. If science indicates that problems are due to
habitat or disease and not predators, will you stand behind the
science, he asked.
MR. BELL answered yes, that he is an engineer and so he tends to
side with science. He said that he thinks predator control is a
good tool that can be used to manage game populations properly.
This is done by studying the population to determine what needs
to be done. If predator control is not the right tool, then it
should not be used. He noted that there are 208 proposals
coming before the board next week and the field work for several
proposals shows that in some areas the moose have eaten the
willows down to the point where there is not enough to recover.
For example, he said, this is happening on the lower Yukon River
where the [moose] population is jumping by 27 percent a year, so
predator control would not be warranted there.
1:20:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG requested Mr. Bell's opinion on
expanding the boundaries of the McNeil River State Game
Sanctuary, an issue that is before the Board of Game.
MR. BELL explained that his knowledge of the McNeil River
situation is what he has read in the newspaper, a couple of
short discussions with board chairman Ron Somerville, and a
brief discussion with the governor. He stated that he has not
had the opportunity to sit down with Alaska Department of Fish &
Game (ADF&G) staff to go into the details. He said that he
knows there is considerable controversy on the issue, both in
the Lower 48 and Alaska. The biology must be reviewed to
determine what is best for the population and the political
realities must also be looked at. He said that these two things
will drive the board's decision.
1:22:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES inquired whether he heard correctly that
there are 208 proposals before the Board of Game.
MR. BELL stated yes.
1:23:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON presented a hypothetical example in the
McNeil River area where biologists determine that bear
populations are declining and should not be hunted. He asked
Mr. Bell whether his user philosophy would over-ride the
biologists' recommendations.
MR. BELL replied that he would tend to follow what the
biologists are suggesting. As a user of fish and game, he wants
to make sure these populations are sustainable, and this cannot
be done if the science is not followed. He said that when the
"take" is too high, neither the [wildlife] population nor the
users are helped. He said that he will listen very carefully to
what ADF&G has to say.
1:25:04 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON addressed the next Board of Game appointee, Ben
Grussendorf, and asked him to state why he would like to be
appointed.
BEN GRUSSENDORF, Appointee to the Board of Game, responded that
this is something he has always been interested in. He grew up
in northern Minnesota and has spent 40 years in Alaska. Even
when he was in the legislative body, people with questions about
wildlife and birds would come to him. He said he would like to
believe that the people he works for understand that he has
spent a lot of time in the field, that he is knowledgeable about
wildlife and wildlife issues, and that in deliberations he is
thoughtful and fair. When he is in doubt on making a decision
dealing with wildlife management, he said, he will always give
the benefit of the doubt to the beating heart of the critter
that is being talked about. If he is going to err in making a
decision, he hopes it is on the side of conservation because he
does not mind people being upset with him for a season or two,
but he certainly does not want them to be angry for 10 years or
more by a decision that has caused a problem with a game
population.
1:27:02 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO stated that the trouble with predator control is
that it is picking which heart to deal with and therefore he was
puzzled by Mr. Grussendorf's statement.
MR. GRUSSENDORF responded that when he is "in doubt" and unsure,
he will give the benefit of that doubt to the beating heart of
the animal being discussed. He said that sometimes there is not
a doubt; for instance there are five predator controlled areas
in the state where there was not much doubt. He noted that he
did have concern with Unit 16B for awhile, but that biological
information was later received as to which predator was doing
what between the wolves, black bears, and brown bears. If he is
given the data, then he does not have any doubts.
1:28:17 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO said that he is still unsure what Mr. Grussendorf
means because there is a wolf beating heart and a calf beating
heart and the two are in competition with each other.
MR. GRUSSENDORF, using moose as an example, explained that a
decision is made by first determining how many moose are in an
area, the carrying capacity of the habitat, the cow-to-calf
ratio, and the bull-to-cow ratio and whether they are breeding
bulls. Then, you make your decision. A situation was discussed
earlier where a 27 percent increase in the moose population is
causing habitat problems - you would take a different view of
predator activity then, as well as the human harvest. Every
situation is different with the beating of given hearts in
different game management areas.
1:30:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON commented that this takes a lot of time,
especially for people who enjoy being outside, and that she
appreciates their willingness and sacrifice to serve.
1:31:15 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON closed the Board of Game confirmation hearing.
^Big Game Commercial Services Board
1:31:36 PM
CO-CHAIR JOHNSON announced the committee's return to the first
order of business, the confirmation hearing for the Big Game
Commercial Services Board. He asked appointee Richard Rohrer to
state why he would like to serve on the board.
RICHARD ROHRER, Appointee to the Big Game Commercial Services
Board, stated that he is a master guide and has made a living in
the guide industry since coming to Alaska in 1965. He said that
he has served for two years since the board's reinstatement and
that the board is working very well together. It has been a
positive experience, he remarked, and that is why he is willing
to serve another term.
1:32:40 PM
CO-CHAIR GATTO noted that Mr. Rohrer's application is dated July
2005 and was submitted to the previous governor. He asked if
another application was submitted.
MR. ROHRER stated that he did not submit another application and
that nothing has changed since his first application, so he has
no new information. In response to a further question from Co-
Chair Gatto, he confirmed that neither he, his family, nor his
employees have had any fish and game violations, charges,
convictions, or accusations. He assured the committee that
there is nothing in his record that will bring embarrassment to
the legislature or to the governor.
1:34:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved that the nominations of Leif Wilson
and Richard Rohrer, appointees to the Big Game Commercial
Services Board, and the nominations of Bob Bell and Ben
Grussendorf, appointees to the Board of Game, be forwarded for
consideration by a joint floor session. There being no
objection, the confirmations were advanced.
1:35:18 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 1:35 p.m.
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