SB 57-MARINE PARKS ADDITIONS/HUNTING ALLOWED    4:32:35 PM CHAIR HUGGINS announced SB 57 to be up for consideration. SENATOR ELTON, sponsor of SB 57, said he would speak to version K and that there were two changes in it. One is substantive and the other is technical. Section 2 in the previous version included redundant language, providing for a restriction to the Department of Fish and Game that was already in statute. The substantive change was the result of changing the boundary for the marine parks to the 10 fathoms from 20 fathoms. The 10 fathom boundary is good for the park system and especially for those who are using it because the 10 fathom line is what is delineated on the marine charts that people use in navigating these areas. This bill is supported by the business community and the Territorial Sportsmen, which is Southeast Alaska's premier group that represents both sport hunters and sport fishers. It is also supported by the only in-holder in the Marine Park System. He has heard of no opposition to the bill. CHAIR HUGGINS moved to adopt version K as a working document. There were no objections. 4:36:15 PM WAYNE REGELIN, Territorial Sportsmen, Inc. (TSI), strongly supported SB 57. He said it contains important language that assures that hunting, fishing, and trapping can continue. TSI has a very close working relationship with the Marine Parks people in Southeast Alaska and its volunteers have built four public use cabins on marine parks. Costs get reduced further through business donations and limited support comes from legislative appropriations. In addition to recreational uses, these cabins serve as emergency use for all recreational and commercial boaters. The user fees cover the four cabins' maintenance costs and since TSI does most of the maintenance voluntarily he thought expansion of the marine park system would provide more places for them to build public use cabins and continue this program. 4:38:28 PM SENATOR WAGONER asked if the 10-fathom requirement in Kachemak Bay Marine Park was different. MR. REGELIN replied that he didn't know what the boundaries are there, but it's a much different program, not a state park. SENATOR WAGONER said he was trying to figure out why the state in some cases didn't have a standard criterion like the 10- fathom line. 4:39:56 PM ROD ARNO, Alaska Outdoor Council, supported SB 57. 4:40:55 PM MIKE EBERHARDT, Superintendent of Southeast Area, Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said the 10-fathom boundary is normally drawn through aliquot parks, which is the way large parcels of land are described in general. The 10-fathom line is fairly new in the marine park system because managing on waters is not the scope of his statutory authority. 4:42:09 PM SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI wanted to clarify section 2 where it says the "commissioner may not prohibit fishing, hunting or trapping within a marine park unit." He asked if there is a crash in the moose population, could that resource still be protected. MR. EBERHARDT replied yes and he would defer those situations to the ADF&G. SENATOR GREEN asked if lines 6 and 7 of section 2 in version A that identify the commissioner of DNR were deleted since she didn't see it in version K. SENATOR ELTON replied that section 2 in version K refers to the commissioner from DNR. A previous version had language that addressed the ADF&G. That was taken out because it was already covered in another part of AS 10.41. 4:43:50 PM GARY MILLER, Juneau State Parks Advisory Board, supported SB 57. He said the Board asked that this legislation be introduced because of the issues already discussed. He explained that at one time, Shelter Island was owned entirely by the State of Alaska. The Division of Mining, Land and Water, which currently manages the land, divided part of the island up and sold it and now it has 152 private lots. He would be trespassing if he hunted, camped, or picnicked on these lands. He said that both Lincoln and Shelter Islands have good dear hunting and he has hunted there for years. SB 57 will keep these lands open so he could continue to hunt there. 4:44:57 PM SENATOR STEVENS moved to pass CS for SB 57, version K, from committee with individual recommendations and the attached fiscal note. There were no objections CSSB 57(RES) moved from committee.