HOUSE BILL NO. 6 "An Act establishing the Jonesville Public Use Area." 4:17:36 PM REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE RAUCHER, SPONSOR, thanked the committee for hearing the legislation. He provided information about the legislation. The bill provided an opportunity to make a public use area for the community of Sutton in conjunction with the Matanuska/Susitna Borough, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (AMHTA), and all of the user groups. The bill simply authorized a public use area that allowed the community to design a management plan in the future. Co-Chair Foster OPENED public testimony. CAROL CARMAN, SELF, PALMER (via teleconference), testified in support of the legislation. She relayed information about a man who had been shot and killed in the Jonesville mine area about one year earlier. She shared that the area was popular with campers, four wheelers, and shooters. The area lacked management and was littered with trash, unsafe with frequent shooting incidences, experienced stray gunfire, and out of control, which created safety issues for residents living in the area. She shared another story about an individual shooting into a crowd around a bonfire. The area was heavily used. She discussed that the police needed to have the ability to take preventative measures instead of merely responding to negative events after they took place in the area. She remarked that the legislature passed bill's dealing with honoring indigenous people and African American soldier's efforts to build the Alaska Highway during World War 2 and opined that HB 6 was "passed over." She urged the committee and legislature to pass the legislation. 4:23:47 PM RYAN BRETT, AK MUDSLINGERS, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), spoke in favor of the legislation. He provided information about the organization and noted that the group conducted an annual Jim Creek/Knik River area cleanup where over 1000 people participated. He reported a large decrease in trash. He shared that the same issues in the Sutton area were present in the Jim Creek/Knik River area prior to management. He had personally seen bonfires and out of control activities in the unmanaged area in Sutton. He believed the bill would have a positive impact on the area and all user groups. He spoke to protecting the community of Sutton. He reported that his organization was conducting a Jonesville area cleanup in June. The annual cleanups provided more exposure to the issue. He asked the committee to pass the bill. Representative Tilton thanked Mr. Brett for coordinating the cleanups and for the way he ran the organization. 4:26:45 PM PATTI BARBER, SELF, MAT-SU (via teleconference), testified in support of the legislation. She stated that the area was popular and needed direction to contain the uncontrolled use. She spoke to the burned out vehicles, trash, and bullets in the area. She related that the community of Butte had the same problems until the Knik River Public Use Area was established. She believed that creating the Jonesville Public Use area would educate the public about using the area safety and advocated for funding in the future. 4:27:56 PM KENNY BARBER, SELF, MAT-SU (via teleconference), spoke in support of the bill. He believed it was a positive effort and hoped for financial support of the area in the future. 4:28:54 PM Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony. Vice-Chair Gara addressed the four zero fiscal notes from the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Fish and Game. Representative Kawasaki asked for discussion regarding the two fiscal notes from DPS. 4:31:20 PM AT EASE 4:31:33 PM RECONVENED 4:31:47 PM CLARK COX, NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGER, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (via teleconference), introduced himself and asked Representative Kawasaki to repeat his question. Representative Kawasaki noted that the DNR fiscal note from the Division of Mining, Land and Water discussed that troopers were unlikely to provide enforcement in the area. Mr. Cox explained that the departments gauged HB 6 to the Knik River Public Use area when creating the fiscal notes. The Knik River area was very successful due to the funding appropriated when the area was established. The appropriation afforded one DNR staffer and funding for troopers for enforcement. Representative Kawasaki indicated that Mr. Cox's response clarified his question. He remembered that previously a fiscal note attached to the establishment of the Knik River Public Use Area was roughly $400 thousand in 2007. The major portion of the funding was for creation of the management plan. He asked how DNR would prioritize the planning work for Jonesville with a zero fiscal note. Mr. Cox answered that the Knik River planning took several years with ample funding and the Jonesville area would take much longer with a zero fiscal note. Representative Kawasaki cautioned the Jonesville Public Use Area's supporters that without funding the proposal and management plan would take a long time to implement. He noted that troopers and a half-time ranger was necessary for the Knik River area. 4:36:22 PM DARREL BREEZE, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE RAUCHER, noted the letter in member's packet from the commissioner of DNR, Andrew Mack (copy on file) and pointed to the second paragraph that stated without additional funding the process was expected to take 5 years. He related that the sponsor acknowledged that the plan would take time. He favored taking five years to work with the community, borough, and users to develop a management plan that met the needs of all of the users. Representative Wilson asked whether the sponsor was expecting the borough to play a large role in developing the plan to present to DNR and participate in fundraising efforts unlike the development of the Knik River area. Representative Raucher answered in the affirmative. He referred to Page 2, lines 10 through 11 of the bill: …the commissioner may designate incompatible uses and shall adopt and may revise a management plan for the Jonesville Public Use Area…. Representative Raucher expounded that the bill did not stipulate that DNR should write the management plan. The Matsu Borough was committed to developing the public use area and was willing to help write the management plan and help facilitate the public process among user groups. There was currently a 30 page plan developed from surveys and previously meeting and working with user groups every other week. The same process would be used to continue building the comprehensive plan to present to DNR for their review and approval. Representative Wilson thanked the representative for working with local government, the community, and user groups. She thought that everyone would understand that the project would not happen overnight. 4:41:40 PM Co-Chair Seaton MOVED to report CSHB 6(RES) out of Committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. CSHB 6(RES) was REPORTED out of committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with three previously published zero fiscal notes, FN1 (DNR), FN 2 (DPS), FN3 (DPS); and one new zero fiscal note from the Department of Natural Resources. Co-Chair Foster reviewed the agenda for the following meeting.