SB 265 - MOOSE AS STATE MAMMAL CHAIR JAMES announced the next order of business is, SB 265, "An Act designating the moose as the state land mammal," sponsored by Senator Torgerson. Number 0008 SENATOR JOHN TORGERSON, Alaska State Legislature, said he introduced SB 265 on behalf of Kalifornisky (K-Beach) Elementary School in Soldotna. One of the parents discovered Alaska did not have an identified land mammal as the official state mammal, Alaska does have a marine mammal. He indicated that parent asked him to work with the students of K-Beach in naming a mammal as the land mammal. SENATOR TORGERSON mentioned the process began in October, the faculty divided the students up into teams, each team took a particular animal and researched it and then came together with their ideas, and had interaction with the state biologist. The school then went to a primary vote, then they narrowed that down to four, and held a general election. The final tally was the moose won by 230 votes, the wolfe had 97 votes, the brown bear had 57 votes, and the wolverine had 28 votes. He mentioned the school mascot is the caribou but the caribou did not make the final four. SENATOR TORGERSON pointed out the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the City of Soldotna provided several resolutions in favor of SB 265. The students are certainly learning the legislative process as well as other lessons in primary and general elections. Senator Torgerson said, "I believe we have on-line about 15 lobbyists from that school who would like to make a presentation to the committee to give you more insight on how they reached their decision." Number 0081 REPRESENTATIVE AL VEZEY said, "Don't you think it would be a little more demographic, or democratic, if we narrowed this down to the moose being the state ungulate." SENATOR TORGERSON said the students are prepared to defend their selection of the moose over other species. REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY said he was hoping he would explain how the caribou lost. He indicated the caribou is his favorite mammal and ungulate, the animal that has provided a major part of the food chain in Alaska for hundreds of thousands of years and is symbolic of Alaska's Arctic culture. SENATOR TORGERSON said he would again defer that to the students. Number 0121 REPRESENTATIVE FRED DYSON asked if there was any opposition in the Senate. SENATOR TORGERSON replied no. REPRESENTATIVE MARK HODGINS jokingly replied to Representative Vezey's question, he said the moose has a bigger constituency. CHAIR JAMES noted for the record that both Representative Dyson and Ivan are present. Number 0142 ELYSE DEHLBOM, Fifth Grade student, K-Beach Elementary School, testified via teleconference in support of SB 265. She said, "Honorable members of the House of Representatives, we represent the students of Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, thank you for this opportunity to speak to you. We're here today to explain our reasons for selecting the moose to be the official land mammal and to seek your support of SB 265." BLAKE GABRIEL, Fifth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "Since school began last fall, we have done extensive research on the mammals of Alaska. The moose became our top choice after a primary and general election. Several class representatives will now present some pertinent facts for supporting the moose as the official land mammal." JANELLE BROWN, First Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. She said, "The species, a moose we see in Alaska, is not found in any other state in the United States." ALEX STORY, Second Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "The moose is gentle animal and cares for it's young for a full year." Number 0173 ZACHARY LESLIE, First Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "The moose does not harm other animals, it is an herbivore and eats only plants." ASHLEY RABALAIS, Third Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. She said, "The moose played an important role in the early development of Alaska. Professional hunters supplied moose meat to the early mining camps." CASEY FOSTER, Fifth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "The Athabaskan culture and some Eskimo cultures were dependent on moose for food, clothing and implements." REMINGTON WEST, Second Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "Currently the moose is the most hunted animal in Alaska and provides 3.5 million pounds of meat to the people of Alaska yearly." JESSICA WIGGINS, Sixth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. She said, "The moose is found in 85 percent of the state, from the Colville River on the North Slope to the Stikine River in the Southeast Panhandle." Number 0205 CORTNI BROWN, Fifth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. She said, "Though thought a nuisance for the number of accidents on roadways and railways, the moose is not at fault as man has encroached on their original territory." AMANDA LESLIE, Fourth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. She said, "The current estimated number of moose in Alaska is 170 thousand, they are abundant." HANNA WEST, First Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. She said, "Most tourists expect to see a moose when visiting Alaska. Many are happy to have their wishes fulfilled." LANDON DOVER, Fourth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "Moose are a frequent subject of tourism, tourists, photography and a factor in the growing echotourism industry." ALEXANDER WEST, Third Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "If the moose becomes the state mammal we can expect to see an increase in products of the moose shown on them, like we now see the forget-me-not flowers. This could be an economic boost if promoted properly the moose can increase revenue for the tourism industry." BRIAN HIBBERD, Fifth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School, was next to testify. He said, "During the process of selecting an animal to be the state land mammal, we considered all the animals in the state. We carefully researched the school's top choices, searching for the animal that best represents the state of Alaska. Hopefully you will agree with us that the moose is an excellent choice." RYAN WALTON, Sixth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School was next to testify. He said, "The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly and the Soldotna City Council have both passed resolutions supporting SB 265. As you know the State Senate has also voted in favor of the bill, it is our hope that you will do the same and support the moose as Alaska's official state land mammal." CLYDE FOLLEY, Sixth Grade Student, Kalifornisky Beach Elementary School was next to testify. He said, "From all of us at Kalifornisky Beach Elementary we thank you for this opportunity to speak to you and for your time and consideration of SB 265." Number 0265 REPRESENTATIVE HODGINS made a motion to move SB 265 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY jokingly objected and suggested it be put in a subcommittee. Number 0292 SENATOR TORGERSON gave a brief overview of the student's testimony. He said, "Our students mentioned that the moose is abundant, there's 170 thousand of them across the state, they cover 86 percent of the landmass, they're the number one food source, they have cultural ties to the indigenous people of the state of Alaska, they are a tourist attraction, and passage of this bill would be a huge economic development if selected. I think those are the reasons that came out on top of the caribou or other species." REPRESENTATIVE DYSON said he has a bill coming through the legislature that legalizes the farming of moose and caribou, [laughter] which will make them even more valuable and hopefully plentiful in the state. He said he will be delighted to have the students testify when his bill is up in a committee. He indicated the Department of Fish and Game is mobilizing their forces to stop this bill. SENATOR TORGERSON said he would provide Representative Dyson the school's fax number and they can take it under advisement. CHAIR JAMES asked if the objection was maintained. REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY replied that he would like to vote on it. Number 0318 CHAIR JAMES requested a roll call. All members voted in support of moving SB 265 out of the State Affairs Standing Committee.