SCR 10 SUPPORTING USE OF FURBEARER RESOURCE   CHAIRMAN HALFORD announced SCR 10 to be up for consideration. SENATOR WILKEN, sponsor,  said SCR 10 calls for the legislature's endorsement of continued harvest and use by Alaskans of the State's renewable furbearer resources, consistent with the principles of sustained yield. Not only is trapping an important management tool for helping to maintain healthy furbearer populations; it is also a traditional activity for many Alaskans that helps to promote self-reliance by providing income, food, and clothing. Trapping ties Alaska to its pioneer roots, and helps to keep alive the very values that built the forty-ninth state. CHAIRMAN HALFORD said he thought that Canada had taken action of some sort. There was an international protocol on furs. Other countries with a fur bearing interest have exempted themselves from that and the United States has not. He asked if there was some way to add that to the resolution. SENATOR WILKEN replied that he was speaking about the European sanctions which he didn't know a lot about. He understands the sanctions are against furs that we would normally get in our normal Alaskan way. Canada, specifically, has acquiesced to harvest in ways that are not compatible with our life style. We don't want to give up traditional trapping methods. MR. DICK BISHOP , Alaska Outdoor Council, supported SCR 10. He said it is extremely timely, because last fall the Fish and Wildlife Service put out a general invitation for comments on trapping on federal refuges. Eighty-five percent of the United States federal refuge system is in Alaska and this was an opportunity for anyone who wanted to restrict trapping to comment. If any restrictions were put on trapping in federal refuges, it would be a real imposition on Alaskans. People both in and outside of Alaska have started a campaign to take advantage of this opportunity and have sent out propaganda opposing trapping on federal refuges. Number 512 MR. WAYNE REGELIN, Director, Division of Wildlife Conservation, endorsed the resolution. He said for the past few years they have worked closely with a lot of Alaskan trappers, especially the three Alaska trapper associations. He thought it was time that trappers get some well-deserved recognition for the good they do, because they get a lot of negative publicity and they have a very legitimate activity. He thought the resolution should be sent to all the newspapers in Alaska, too. MR. REGELIN explained that they have been working on international humane trapping standards for almost four years through the International Union of Standards. The European Union said they wouldn't import furs that were caught unless they met an international humane trapping standard. They thought they were close a few years ago to having a standard developed and through international politics they allowed the anti-trapping people into the debate and we lost. We have been treading water since then. Canada just folded their tents and gave up saying they would ban leg-hold traps. Alaska does not want to do that; it would devastate our martin trapping industry. In Canada, he said, the decision was made in Ottawa, and he didn't think many provinces were pleased. He said the European Union is in extreme turmoil at this point and we have an alternative plan to proceed if they take action. He said there is a strong green movement in some countries over there and they will probably win. We are working on developing a standard with Russia and Greece. They are getting great support from the Alaskan delegation. SENATOR LEMAN moved to pass SCR 10 with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.