SB 57-MARINE PARKS ADDITIONS/HUNTING ALLOWED  5:12:48 PM CHAIR HUGGINS announced SB 57 to be up for consideration. SENATOR KIM ELTON, sponsor of SB 57, said it adds some small Juneau islands that stretch from the edge of Auke Bay north to the base of Lynn Canal to marine parks. The islands are frequented by locals and visitors and most of them have deer hunting and fishing, gathering of subsistence foods, recreational activities like picnicking and camping and have commercial fishing in the adjacent waters. 5:14:13 PM He has heard of no opposition to this measure and it is supported by the Territorial Sportsmen, which is one of the groups that work with the state to add enhancements to the state park lands. The Southeast Alaska Land Trust, the State Parks Advisory Board and Goldbelt Corporation support it and the CBJ Assembly has also passed a resolution in support of it. The one in-holder supports it. 5:16:05 PM SENATOR ELTON pointed out that language on page 2, section 2, provides that the DNR commissioner may not prohibit hunting within a marine park unit of the Alaska State Park System and adds that to existing language "fishing, hunting, or trapping rights permitted under law or regulation." He said the House companion bill added another layer of protection to commercial fishing in waters adjacent to the islands that are being added, but he didn't think it was needed. However, he would leave that up to the committee and had no problem with that additional language. 5:17:16 PM CHAIR HUGGINS asked what restrictions the state parks have now. 5:18:01 PM MIKE EBERHARDT, Superintendent, Southeast Area, Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), answered that state marine parks are open to hunting and fishing. They don't allow commercial use of the park or resource extraction and fire pits are limited. 5:20:19 PM CHAIR HUGGINS asked if aircraft was restricted. MR. EBERHARDT replied no; parks are specifically open to aircraft. SENATOR STEDMAN said asked why 20 fathoms was selected on page 2, line 13, instead of 10 fathoms, which is usually clearly delineated on most charts just by color. MR. EBERHARDT replied that the impetus was to not garner a lot of water under the jurisdiction of State Parks, which is entirely focused on the uplands. A park unit is designated via aliquot parts of land. In this situation just to encompass all of the uplands, there were huge blocks of water that commercial fishers might want to use that don't really meet the statutory reasons for making the park. So, the acreage has been kept as small as possible. 5:22:10 PM SENATOR STEDMAN said 10 fathoms is shallower than 20 fathoms and is clearly delineated on the charts and it would be easier for people to know when they are in the park and out of the park. Also, most people try to anchor at 8 or 9 fathoms, not 20 fathoms. MR. EBERHARDT replied that the division was trying to exclude as much water as possible. 5:23:17 PM SENATOR WAGONER said he has experience with state parks and asked why he didn't just make the boundaries at mean low water. He has unhappy people now because there is more water in Kachemak Bay State Park than land. SENATOR ELTON attempted to explain that using 10 fathoms made sense to him for two reasons - it's clearly delineated on marine charts and most people anchor in 10 fathoms of water or less. It also makes sense to include adjacent waters when you're talking about a marine park, because one of the issues is anchoring buoys and other things that may or may not need to be added to enhance the park and make it easier for people to use. Using mean low tide might make park enhancement more difficult in the future. 5:26:14 PM SENATOR STEDMAN asked if "fishing" should be added to "hunting" on line 6 so if a person is trolling, he can troll by the beach. SENATOR ELTON said he had no problem with that either. CHAIR HUGGINS asked what he has to do to camp with a troop of 20 boy scouts. MR. EBERHARDT replied that he would need a permit to assemble within the park with more than 20 people. It doesn't cost anything; they just want to know where people are assembling so they don't interfere with the normal use of the park units. SENATOR ELTON added that interference with other park users is often not an issue on these small islands. 5:27:52 PM CHAIR HUGGINS asked if they would have a wolverine trapping problem in this area or some other critter that somebody wants to trap. MR. EBERHARDT replied that marine parks don't have a trapping issue. CHAIR HUGGINS said SB 57 would be held and he adjourned the meeting at 5:28:48 PM.