Legislature(2011 - 2012)BUTROVICH 205
04/06/2011 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearings | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
April 6, 2011
3:36 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT '5$)7
Senator Joe Paskvan, Co-Chair
Senator Bill Wielechowski, Vice Chair
Senator Bert Stedman
Senator Lesil McGuire
Senator Hollis French
Senator Gary Stevens
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Thomas Wagoner, Co-Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
KAREN POLLEY, nominee
Big Game Commercial Services Board
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Nominee to the Big Game Commercial Services
Board.
KELLY VREM, nominee
Big Game Commercial Services Board
Chugiak, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Nominee to the Big Game Commercial Services
Board.
TED SPRAKER, nominee
Board of Game
Soldotna, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Nominee to the Board of Game.
NATHAN TURNER, nominee
Board of Game
Nenana, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Nominee to the Board of Game.
STANLEY "STOSH" L. HOFFMAN JR., nominee
Board of Game
Bethel, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Nominee to the Board of Game.
NICHOLAS YURKO, nominee
Board of Game
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Nominee to the Board of Game.
DICK ROHRER, representing himself
Kodiak, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of Karen Polley and
Kelly Vrem to the Big Game Commercial Services Board and Ted
Spraker and Nathan Turner to the Board of Game.
MIKE CRAWFORD, Chair
Kenai Soldotna Fish & Game Advisory Committee
President
Kenai Peninsula Chapter Safari Club International
Soldotna, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of the appointment of
Ted Spraker to the Board of Game.
JOSEPH SEBASTIAN, representing himself
Petersburg AK
POSITION STATEMENT:
JOAN KAUTZER, representing herself
Petersburg, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to the confirmation
of Ted Spraker and Stosh Hoffman to the Board of Game.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:36:32 PM
CO-CHAIR JOE PASKVAN called the Senate Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:36 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Wielechowski, French, Stevens, McGuire, and
Paskvan. Senator Wagoner was excused and Senator Stedman arrived
during the course of the meeting.
^CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN announced the business before the committee
would be to review the Governor's nominations for the Big Game
Commercial Services Board and the Board of Game. He thanked the
six nominees for being willing to serve and first welcomed Karen
Polley.
3:38:21 PM
KAREN POLLEY, nominee, Big Game Commercial Services Board, said
she was asked to serve as a public member of the board. She has
been in Alaska for more than 40 years and has traveled the state
extensively. She has enjoyed the resources that Alaska offers
and believes it is important that big game commercial services
guides and transporters manage the state's [big game] resources
well and perform in a professional and ethical manner.
MS. POLLEY informed the committee that she has served on other
boards and commissions and believes she would contribute to this
board as a representative of the public and as an educator.
Having previously served on the Professional Teaching Practices
Commission, she understands the ethics and potential difficulty
associated with taking a license from someone who has
demonstrated unethical behavior in their profession.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked what she hopes to accomplish if
confirmed.
MS. POLLEY replied that she was asked to sit on the education
committee working on the testing and assessment process as well
as the instructional materials for guides. Another priority is
to work on good management and cooperation with other state and
federal agencies.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked makes her suited to serve on this board.
MS. POLLEY offered her belief that her experience makes her a
good representative of the public. She has worked in education
for more than 25 years and has previously served on a variety of
boards, commissions, and advisory councils; she is interested in
natural resources and is a hunter and fisher. Now that she is
retired, she has time to commit to public service.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if she is new appointment.
MS. POLLEY answered yes.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if she had attended any meetings of the
board.
MS. POLLEY answered yes.
SENATOR FRENCH asked her impression of the meetings.
MS. POLLEY summarized the agenda of the meeting she attended as
well as the discussion that took place; she acknowledged that a
lot of the information was new so she expects there will be a
learning process, but nothing was difficult to follow.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN thanked Ms. Polley for her commitment to serve
the state. He then asked Kelly Vrem to describe why he would
like to serve on the Big Game Commercial Services Board.
3:44:13 PM
KELLY VREM, nominee, Big Game Commercial Services Board,
testifying via teleconference, informed the committee that he is
a life-long Alaskan who became an assistant guide in 1972 and a
registered guide in 1977. He's attended most of the guide
regulatory meetings since 1974 in an ongoing commitment to the
longevity of guiding in the state. This historical perspective
provides a basis to understand how guiding got where it is
today. He's been an active a member of the Alaska Professional
Hunters Association since 1979, serving several terms on that
board. Serving on the Big Game Commercial Services Board is a
way to give back to the profession that has provided him a
pleasant lifestyle, he said.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked what priorities he might want to
accomplish if confirmed.
MR. VREN replied he would like to streamline the hodgepodge of
overlapping regulations and statutes and he'd like to explore
the idea of putting more of the statutes related to guides into
regulation. He opined that the board has the time and personnel
to more adequately address the existing needs of the guiding
industry as well as problems it sees ahead. He acknowledged that
if the board were to sunset, the regulations would revert to
statute.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked what challenges and opportunities he
anticipates.
MR. VREM replied resource use is oversubscribed in some parts of
the state while other areas have relatively light guiding
pressure. Something needs to be done in the more heavily used
areas to regulate the guiding pressure. Working together, the
Department of Natural Resources and the Big Game Commercial
Services Board can find a way to balance the pressure.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN thanked Mr. Vrem for appearing before the
committee. He then asked Ted Spraker to tell the committee why
he would like to serve on the Board of Game.
3:48:51 PM
TED SPRAKER, nominee, Board of Game, Soldotna, said he moved to
Alaska in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in wildlife management
and a master's degree in range management. Working for the
Denver Wildlife Research Unit, he spent several months in
Southeast followed by another short assignment at the Kenai
Peninsula Moose Research Center. In 1974 the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game (ADF&G) hired him as a wildlife biologist. He
was subsequently promoted to assistant area biologist and then
to area biologist. He's lived in Soldotna since 1978 and that's
where he raised his family. After 28 years of service he retired
from the ADF&G in 2002 and was first appointed to the Board of
Game in 2003. Mr. Spraker noted that he has served as the Board
of Game representative on the Big Game Commercial Services Board
since it was reestablished in 2004.
MR. SPRAKER stated that it's been an honor and privilege to
serve on the Board of Game for three terms and he looks forward
to serving another term to address the challenging issues facing
the state.
3:52:09 PM
MR. SPRAKER highlighted his membership in the Alaska Trappers
Association, the Kenai Peninsula Safari Club International, and
the NRA. In addition, he and his wife dedicate time to youth
firearm safety and educational hunting programs.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN referenced page 2 of a document Mr. Spraker
submitted and asked him to explain the meaning of his statement,
"the needed changes to benefit wildlife population and their
habitats and a variety of users across the state."
MR. SPRAKER said one of the challenges the board has to address
is crowding conditions from both resident and nonresident
hunters. He explained that he supports both habitat enhancement
and predator management to increase populations based on sound
science. The board is charged with adhering to the principle of
sustained yield by providing healthy resources for a variety of
users.
3:54:38 PM
SENATOR FRENCH asked what steps were being taken to increase the
moose harvest in Unit 16B.
MR. SPRAKER responded the Board of Game is actively working on
that area and made several changes during the last meeting. The
board implemented a baiting and snaring program for black bear
about two years ago that's been fairly successful and it
[recently] approved a brown bear control program in a small 900
square mile area. Acknowledging that this program is
controversial, he explained that the board is trying to make the
point that, unlike wolves, the ADF&G doesn't have the necessary
tools to reduce the numbers of bears in heavily timbered areas.
He noted that ADF&G data showed that brown bears killed 47
percent of the [moose] calves that were marked in an area and
black bears killed 21 percent.
MR. SPRAKER said he's pleased to report that efforts to reduce
wolf populations in Unit 16B since 2004 have been successful
enough that some moose hunting restrictions have been relaxed
for residents. This year there's even a limited opportunity for
nonresidents to hunt in Unit 16B.
SENATOR FRENCH questioned why Unit 16B would be opened to
nonresident hunters given the fairly extraordinary predator
control measures he described. It seems that such measures would
only be taken if there were an insufficient number of moose.
MR. SPRAKER explained that the moose populations in Unit 16B are
split. One segment is allocated to a Tier II subsistence hunting
and the other population is allocated for a variety of types of
hunters. One issue in this area is that the bull/cow ratio is
fairly high at 48/100. Another is that intensive management
mandates apply in this area. When the board looked at the
history of nonresident use, it found that about 30-40 bulls were
taken by nonresident hunters. The data showed that an additional
100 bulls could be taken from that area so the board decided
that a little nonresident hunting could be reinstated. He noted
that the board took the same position in Unit 13 and instituted
a limited permit hunt for nonresidents.
4:00:51 PM
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked how many resident hunters and how many
nonresident hunters he expects in that game unit.
MR. SPRAKER replied he didn't have the exact numbers, but recent
hunting restrictions on the Kenai coupled with the high bull/cow
ratio in Unit 16 B will probably make that area attractive to
resident hunters from Kenai. ADF&G data indicates that even if
100 more bulls were taken, it will take eight years to get the
bull/cow ratio down to 20/100. That's the generally accepted
ratio when the density is one or two moose per square mile,
which is the density in Unit 16B.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked the number of resident hunters compared
to nonresident hunters.
MR. SPRAKER estimated that the historical proportion is 50
nonresident hunters to 500-800 resident hunters.
4:03:17 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if there is a surplus of moose in
Unit 16B that warrants opening the area to nonresident hunters,
or if there is a lack of moose in that area and therefore a need
for an intensive moose management plan.
MR. SPRAKER replied 199-227 moose are allocated to subsistence
hunting and then there's a management objective of at least 240
bulls before it will be open to additional hunting, including
nonresident hunting. ADF&G currently estimates that the area has
more than 240 bulls available for harvest.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he was still having difficulty
understanding how there could be an overabundance of moose such
that hunting would be open to nonresidents at the same time that
there's a need for intensive moose management.
4:05:36 PM
MR. SPRAKER said the board is mandated to look at other parts of
the intensive management program, one of which is the population
objective. They're far below the population objective and that
justifies the intensive management and the management of
predators to continue. The decision to allow a limited number of
nonresident hunters in the area is due to the high bull/cow
ratio and the harvest history by nonresidents. He assured the
committee that nonresident hunting in areas where there is
predator control will be carefully reviewed and if there is a
higher than expected harvest, he would look at reducing the
number of nonresident hunters to ensure sufficient resident
opportunity.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI suggested he or ADF&G follow up and explain
the rationale because it still wasn't clear. He next asked Mr.
Spraker what he meant and why he was so upset when the attorney
general asked the Board of Game not to allow community harvest
of the Nelchina caribou herd until the appeals process was
finished on a case related to the legality of that hunt. Senator
Wielechowski reminded Mr. Spraker that he stated that, "To know
that option is taken off the table as a board member, well they
can have my seat right now if that's the way this game is going
to be played."
MR. SPRAKER responded he was unartful in expressing the hope
that the board would be able to do its job unencumbered, but he
meant no disrespect.
4:10:59 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if in the future he intends to take
advice from the attorney general or if he views that as
political pressure.
MR. SPRAKER said he learned a lesson after making that
statement. While his principles haven't changed, he will adhere
to good advice in the future and refrain from making similar
statements.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN thanked Mr. Spraker for appearing before the
committee. He then asked Nathan Turner to tell the committee why
he would like to serve on the Board of Game.
4:12:24 PM
NATHAN TURNER, nominee, Board of Game, said his mailing address
is Nenana and for the last 22 years he's lived on the Kantishna
and Nowitna rivers. Of late, he's spending more and more time in
Fairbanks with his family. He explained that his lifestyle is
primarily resource dependent - trapping, operating a fish wheel,
some commercial fishing as well as a lot of berry picking and
gardening. He's been guiding since he was about 20 and that is
an important part of the family's lifecycle in the woods.
MR. TURNER said he became interested in serving on the Board of
Game after several people asked him to consider serving because
of his varied use of Alaska's resources. This experience gives
him an understanding of the various user groups and he'd like to
help Alaskans work together on some of the complex issues facing
the state and find solutions that meet the needs of the most.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked what one goal he'd like to accomplish if
confirmed.
MR. TURNER said he'd like to help remind Alaskans that it is
possible to work together on issues. He's taken pleasure at
board meetings sitting with the different user groups and
helping to find compromises. He'd also like to make sure that
there's a future for people in the Bush who want to live close
to the land.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if this was a first time appointment or
reappointment.
MR. TURNER replied this is a first appointment.
SENATOR FRENCH asked when he was first named to the board.
MR. TURNER replied it was last May and since then he's attended
several meetings via teleconference and three or four in person.
4:17:42 PM
SENATOR FRENCH asked his views on intensive game management in
areas like Unit 16B at the same time that nonresident hunting is
allowed.
MR. TURNER said the game management issue in Unit 16B long
predates his tenure on the board, but he believes the intent of
the board has typically been to eliminate nonresident harvest
wherever there is a program of intensive management related to
predator control. He agreed with Mr. Spraker that exceptional
situations allow for some [nonresident] harvest and said it
hasn't been board policy to automatically shut off all
nonresident harvest. He conceded that it seems contradictory to
have predator control and also provide opportunity [for
nonresidents] but his recollection of Unit 16B is the same as
Mr. Spraker's. The very vibrant bull population provided an
opportunity to restore some historical uses to the area in
addition to resident uses. The board actively debated the topic
and discussed potential abuses. The record makes it very clear
that this will be reviewed at the next opportunity to determine
whether tighter controls are necessary.
SENATOR FRENCH encouraged Mr. Spraker to bring a new set of eyes
to the practices of the board and to be alert to opportunities
to make things better. He urged Mr. Spraker, as a new board
member, to work toward a clear rule that says that when engaging
in intensive game management the animals will be saved for the
people who live and want to raise a family in Alaska.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN thanked Mr. Turner for appearing before the
committee. He then asked Stanley Hoffman to tell the committee
why he wants to serve on the Board of Game.
4:22:02 PM
STANLEY "STOSH" L. HOFFMAN JR., nominee, Board of Game,
testifying via teleconference, said he is a lifelong Alaskan and
is now living in Bethel. Currently he's working for the Yukon
Kuskoquim Health Corporation, but previously was an assistant
guide in Unit 19B, a subsistence fisherman, and a commercial
fisherman. He said he'd like to continue to serve on the Board
of Game and believes there is value to the knowledge he gained
during his first three years of service.
4:24:49 PM
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked what one goal he would like to accomplish
in the next three years.
MR. HOFFMAN replied he'd like to establish a better working
relationship with federal agencies. This will make it easier to
implement programs for the benefit of all Alaskans and the
wildlife. He cited an example of the difficulty associated with
implementing a predator control program in Unit 9 south of
Dillingham when over half of the land is under federal
jurisdiction.
SENATOR FRENCH asked how long he had served on the Board of
Game.
MR. HOFFMAN replied he was appointed to fill a vacancy in
January 2009. Responding to a further question, he said the work
is demanding, but he enjoys it. He feels more effective now and
believes he'd be letting the people of Alaska down if he moved
on after such a short tenure.
SENATOR FRENCH asked why the board shouldn't draw a bright line
and say if there is going to be intensive game management, then
nonresidents will not harvest game in that management unit.
MR. HOFFMAN said when he was first appointed he was adamantly
opposed to nonresident hunting in that type of situation, but he
became less emphatic after listening to biologists, other
experts, and the public. Unit 16B has a high bull/cow ratio and
the biologists said more bulls could be taken without
jeopardizing the herd.
SENATOR FRENCH asked why Alaskans shouldn't be given the
opportunity to take two moose.
MR. HOFFMAN said he'd certainly listen to both sides if someone
wrote a proposal to that effect. If it makes sense, he'd agree.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN thanked Mr. Hoffman for participating in the
process. He then asked Nick Yurko to tell the committee why he
would like to serve on the Board of Game.
4:30:04 PM
NICHOLOUS YURKO, nominee, Board of Game, said he moved to Alaska
in 1970 to fulfill a dream. He recently retired from the Juneau
School District and two years ago retired from the
Juneau/Douglas Fish and Game Advisory Committee after serving
more than 30 years. He does a lot of volunteer work and his
involvement with fish and game is mostly in Southeast.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN asked if he would like to accomplish something
specific in the next three years.
MR. YURKO replied that he would like to ensure that children,
grandchildren, and great grandchildren see the wildlife and
other things he's seen here in Alaska.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if he had attended meetings over the years.
MR. YURKO said yes; he'd attended meetings throughout the state.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if he ever found himself thinking that he
would have voted differently than the board.
MR. YURKO answered yes.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if he'd be able to maintain that
independent view once he's sitting on the board.
MR. YURKO replied that's his intention.
4:34:17 PM
SENATOR FRENCH asked why nonresidents should be allowed to hunt
in an area where intensive game management is practiced.
MR. YURKO said he's still neutral on that topic because he
hasn't heard enough about the entire program in Unit 16B. He
asked if it was the Legislature that implemented intensive game
management.
SENATOR FRENCH said it's a legal practice but the basic idea is
that the Board of Game implements intensive game management when
there's a need to increase a population. It seems like it would
be done in areas where the population is low, and if it's done
in areas where the population is not low then the practice is
being misapplied. He asked Mr. Yurko to use his best judgment
when he's asked to authorize intensive game management and to
focus on the people in the state of Alaska when making
decisions.
MR. YURKO responded the board is tasked with making sure that
the people of Alaska have priority in both the resident and
subsistence programs.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN thanked Mr. Yurko for appearing before the
committee and then opened public testimony.
4:38:02 PM
DICK ROHRER, representing himself, Kodiak, said he's a master
guide and he served two terms on the Big Game Commercial
Services Board. He encouraged the committee to confirm both
Karen Polley and Kelly Vrem to the Big Game Commercial Services
Board and Ted Spraker and Nathan Turner to the Board of Game.
Ms. Polley asked clear thoughtful questions at the December
meeting and all indications are that she'll be a very good
public member. Mr. Vrem is long-serving, has a good grasp of the
issues, and is well respected in the industry. Mr. Turner and
Mr. Spraker are both committed to the industry and Mr. Spraker
has always given fair consideration to the public. He'd never
met Nick Yurko and therefore couldn't comment and while he'd
only met Stanley Hoffman once, he didn't see anything that would
lead him to oppose the confirmation.
4:40:04 PM
SENATOR STEDMAN joined the committee.
MIKE CRAWFORD, Chair, Kenai Soldotna Fish & Game Advisory
Committee, and President, Kenai Peninsula Chapter Safari Club
International, stated support for the appointment of Ted Spraker
to the Board of Game. He is always well prepared, looks at all
viewpoints, makes himself available outside of board meetings,
has a good knowledge base on predator management issues, and
understands the need for building a good record during meetings.
4:44:19 PM
JOSEPH SEBASTIAN, representing himself, Petersburg AK, said he
is a commercial fisherman, homesteader and hunter speaking in
opposition to the appointment of Ted Spraker to the Board of
Game. His credentials and time served are impressive, but his
actions have made it clear that he has lost the crucial element
respect for the animals themselves, he stated. Mr. Spraker
helped bring bear trapping to Alaska without sufficient data,
science, and peer review - all done to make more room for moose
for sport hunters. The unnecessary cruel treatment of wild game
makes Mr. Spraker an unfit manager of Alaska's precious
wildlife. If the state is going to engage in predator control,
it has to be done so as to minimize suffering.
MR. SEBASTIAN stated opposition to the appointment of Stosh
Hoffman to the Board of Game. He too is missing a critical
element, and that is humility. He voted to open the buffers of
Denali [National Park] to wolf trapping, which resulted in the
famous Toklat pack being all but wiped out by a snow-machine
trapper. In a costly blunder to the state, this unique wolf
pack, which was viewed by thousands of park visitors, provided
just one trapper a half dozen wolf hides.
4:50:41 PM
JOAN KAUTZER, representing herself, said she is a 31-year
resident of the state who is speaking in opposition to the
confirmation of Stosh Hoffman and Ted Spraker to the Board of
Game. Alaska can ill afford to taint its image with the
intensive management policies that Mr. Spraker and Mr. Hoffman
seem so eager to impose. Mr. Hoffman cast a vote to allow
trapping on the Denali National Park boundaries thereby
decimating the scientifically valuable Tolkat wolf pack. During
the last Board of Game meeting both Mr. Spraker and Mr. Hoffman
voted to expand the controversial and inhumane bucket-snaring
program in west Cook Inlet to include both brown and black
bears. She opined that such unsavory policy decisions make
Alaska ripe for another tourism boycott and suggested that the
board needs to diversify its radical, for-profit pro-hunting
perspective to represent the majority Alaskan viewpoint. Most
Alaskans believe that predator control should only be employed
when scientific evidence indicates it is necessary, and then in
a well-documented, humane fashion and carried out by ADF&G
professionals. It should never be used as a tool to maximize
profits for select business interests. She urged replacing both
Mr. Spraker and Mr. Hoffman with Alaskans who take a balanced,
mainstream, and conservative approach to game management.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN closed public testimony.
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN moved to forward the names of the above
mentioned nominees to the full body for consideration. He
reminded the members that signing the reports regarding
appointments to boards and commissions does not reflect
individual members' approval or disapproval of the appointees,
and that the nominations are merely forwarded to the full
Legislature for confirmation or rejection. Finding no objection,
the names were forwarded.
4:54:27 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Co-Chair Paskvan adjourned the Senate Resources Standing
Committee at 4:54 pm.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SEN RES Confirmations WED APRIL ^.pdf |
SRES 4/6/2011 3:30:00 PM |