^Board of Game CO-CHAIR RAMRAS announced that the next order of business would be to consider the appointment of Richard Burley to the Alaska Board of Game. [Contains discussion of SB 85] RICHARD BURLEY, Appointee, Alaska Board of Game, said he served on the board in the 1990s and would like to continue serving. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO noted that Mr. Burley took flying lessons in 1961, and asked if he has flown the Dalton Highway. He said there is legislation, [SB 85], that may be before the committee, and he asked if there has been abuse of the highway that would require significantly more monitoring. MR. BURLEY asked if he was referring to abuse of fish and game or the entire corridor system. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO spoke of pending legislation to increase access along the Dalton Highway, and he surmised it will be used by hunters and recreationists. He asked if Mr. Burley has seen people poaching or herding animals along the Dalton Highway. MR. BURLEY said he thinks there are reasons to open up the corridor, because the Dalton Highway is one of a few ways to access Alaska. He said he hasn't seen major infractions. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said that observation is important and asked if he has seen snow machines or other vehicles herding animals. MR. BURLEY said he has not observed it, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER asked how long it takes to fly the Dalton Highway. MR. BURLEY said from 1.5 hours to 3 hours, depending on the type of airplane. 2:21:11 PM CO-CHAIR RAMRAS said he has known him for a long time and he thanked him for his contributions to the community and state. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to advance the name of Richard Hurley, appointee to the Board of Game, to the joint session for consideration. Hearing no objections, it was so ordered. [The returned attention to the confirmation hearings on the Board of Game later in the hearing.] 2:22:10 PM ^Big Game Services Board [Contains discussion of SB 85] ROBERT MUMFORD, Appointee, Big Game Services Board, said he worked for fish and wildlife protection with the state troopers for 18 years. He is retired and interested in serving on this board. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked if Mr. Mumford has seen abuse during his patrols around the Dalton Highway. MR. MUMFORD said he has sent emails in opposition to SB 85. He lived and worked in that area for many years, and his major concern is ATV use on the north side and the scaring it would leave in the tundra. He said he hasn't seen much herding of game, because there isn't much use of that area except by snow machines in the winter. He has seen people running wolves down with snow machines. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked if running wolves down is illegal. MR. MUMFORD said it can be, and he was never able to make a case against someone, although he has seen tracks in the snow where it happened. Because of weather, "it's hard to catch a day that you can actually fly and track one of these guys down." There is legal use of snow machines too, he noted. 2:25:59 PM REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked about ATVs south of Atigun Pass. MR. MUMFORD said that is not as much of an environmental impact- -if it is regulated. Otherwise the territory would be torn up "so bad," and it is impossible to removes the scars. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked if an ATV was a single individual on a four-wheeler or a track vehicle. MR. MUMFORD said he is talking about both. "I'd say no ATV-use, just a single person on an ATV--that tundra is pretty fragile." 2:27:04 PM CO-CHAIR SAMUELS said the Big Game Commercial Services Board was created to set ethical standards for guides and to resolve the conflicts between guides and transporters, especially in the Northwest Arctic Borough. He asked how he would address both the ethical standards for guides, "to make sure that some of the local folks out in western Alaska can get and keep those jobs, and the conflict between the guides and the transporters." MR. MUMFORD said ethical standards need to be specific, attainable, and definable. He said he would like to read the tenets of the Alaska Professional Hunters Association and see if they could be adopted. He said he believes heavily in ethical standards and breaking them should come with a cost. Many resident hunters use transporters, and they should have priority over non-resident hunters, he added. 2:29:29 PM CO-CHAIR SAMUELS moved to advance the name of Robert Mumford, appointee to the Big Game Commercial Services Board, to the joint session for consideration. Hearing no objection, it was so ordered.   2:29:59 PM