APHA March/April E-Newsletter

Dear APHA Members,

Please find below items of interest about issues and concerns that APHA has been working on or monitoring. Please feel free to call the office with any comments or questions you may have.

Very Best,

Robert Fithian

05 Hunt Ballot Initiative: Alert!!

As you should be aware, we are embroiled with another ballot initiative that if passed will basically eliminate the ability of the Department of Fish and Game to effectively manage our precious wildlife populations. Responding to this continued threat, the Alaska Professional Hunters Association Inc. (APHA) has united forces with the Alaska Outdoor Council, Alaska Trappers Association, Alaska Chapters of SCI, Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife and several other groups to develop a concentrated effort to defeat this initiative. APHA holds one of the executive committee seats in the coalition named Alaskans for Professional Wildlife Management.

We are asking for your financial assistance to help defeat this initiative. Our polling shows that we can defeat this anti-hunting, anti-conservation and anti Alaskan way of life initiative. To do so, we need your financial help.

You should be receiving a “Conservation Alert” via email from APHA. We are asking you to help support this fight but also to forward the Alert to your clientele asking for their support as well. Our goal is to raise $50,000.00 with this effort.

If you care about Alaska’s wildlife and our future as guides, hunters and conservationists please help us defeat this initiative.

 

State Lands DNR Guide Concession Development:

Over 100 guides attended the March 11-13, 2008 Big Game Commercial Services Board Meeting in Fairbanks where all lands in Alaska administered by the State were delineated into proposed Guide Concession Areas as part of the development of a comprehensive allocation program.  Department of Natural Resources staff provided maps and rules. The state was divided into five subcommittees, each who dealt with five Game Management Units. Industry service providers reviewed the maps, and delineation of the proposed new Guide Concession Areas and the number of guides per area was established. Additionally, a several hour session was conducted by DNR to develop input regarding selection criteria.

As it currently stands, the maps showing the proposed concession areas will be developed by DNR and sent to ADF&G for conservation oversight concerns. Once this process is completed, they will be posted for public review and comment. It is our understanding that final comment may be concluded at the Dec. 8-10, 2008 Big Game Commercial Services Board Meeting in Anchorage.

Additionally, development of the selection criteria will continue to where there will be a proposed draft for public review and comment as well. The proposed timeline for implementation is to have the selection criteria and final mapping developed with all public notices completed by June of 2009. Development and solicitation of the prospectus offerings and awarding of the concessions could happen by Fall/Winter/Spring of 2009-2010 for implementation by fall of 2010. Please keep this in mind in relation to current or future bookings.

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Legislative Concerns:

There are currently six important bills active in the State Legislative process that APHA is substantially involved with. Pat Carter, our Juneau lobbyist, Joe Klutsch and Paul Johnson have all been very active in testifying on a broad range of important legislation. As this is being written there are only twenty-four days left in this legislative session and they will be busy ones. Here is a link for you to review the scope of some of the current bills that are important to our industry. Once you arrive to the bill search site navigate to the Fish and Game (Game) search.

http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/sub_sum.asp?session=25 

HB 256 and SB 176 are the active management bills introduced by Governor Palin that re-write the guidelines for intensive management of wildlife. In short, they will allow for ADF&G to actively respond to wildlife imbalances for whatever reason without having to wait for a biological emergency to occur. APHA was instrumental in encouraging development of these bills and we have been strongly promoting their movement through the legislative process. Currently, they have both moved through the Resources committees, SB176 is hung up in Senate Judiciary Committee (Hollis French, Chair) and HB256 has also passed through Judiciary and is hung up in the House Rules Committee (John Coghill, Chair).

HB 348 is a “wildlife asset” bill sponsored by Wes Keller that would classify our wildlife, means and methods of harvest, season dates, and bag limits as a state owned asset. As such they would not fall under the prevue of citizens. The merit of this bill is substantial and APHA has taken a very supportive role in energizing movement. The bill has gone through several revisions and APHA has had our Washington DC Council review and comment on their merits. HB348 has now passed through the House and is headed for the Senate. A companion Bill, SB306 has been introduced and APHA is strongly supportive of its movement and hopefully the eventual passage of this important legislation.

HB 315 is the reinstatement bill for the Big Game Commercial Services Board sponsored by Legislative Budget and Audit. It will reinstate the Big Game Commercial Services Board for another four years. This bill has passed from the House with a 37-0 vote and on March 31, 2008 passed the Senate 20-0.  We expect passage of this Bill and the continuation of the Board.  

HB 165 sponsored by Gabrielle LeDoux is referred to as the “Cabin Bill” and will allow a person who owns a cabin or lodge on private land to be legally able to rent the structure to big game hunters. Under our current guide and transporter law, they are not able to do this, and it has become a property rights concern. To stem the impact on the industry from the public and because it is the right thing to do, APHA has been very supportive of the bill but we have had to watch it close to make sure it is not amended to include additional services or scope. This Bill has passed through the House and is nearly through the Senate.

SB 214 sponsored by Senator Charlie Huggins, is a bill intended to give military personnel who are stationed in Alaska on permanent active duty resident licensing status for hunting and fishing. As originally written, it made available the guide required species for newly arriving military personnel.  APHA sent the Bill to our legal council who generated a letter showing the potential failure of establishing a special exclusion of the “guide required” law. APHA and the Alaska Department of Law brought these concerns forward but also supported the basic concept of the bill. The sponsor agreed to remove the guide required species (Brown/Grizzly Bear, Sheep & Goat) from the bill and that has occurred. The bill as currently written would provide a reduced rate non-resident licensing status with resident tag fees for non guide required species. APHA has supported the bill in this form. Currently the bill has moved from Senate Resources to Senate Finance Committee.

We urge you to contact your legislative representatives and show support for these important bills. If you need talking points, please contact the APHA office for copies of our written testimonies. You can access your representatives through the following link:

http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/index.php

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State Board of Game Roundup:

APHA continues to provide full time representation in the Board of Game process. Since the last E-News was sent there have been two meetings. Had the APHA comments and presence not have been there, it would be quite probable that the guiding industry would have suffered several substantial setbacks. The following are comments highlighting a few of the important changes and concerns.

Statewide Meeting January 25-28, Anchorage.

APHA commented on 27 proposals which directly affected the guiding industry. You can review the meeting results via this link:

 http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/gameinfo/meetinfo/20072008/finalroadsw08.pdf

Baiting of Wolves:

Drawing Permit Alternate Lists, Bonus Points, Preference Points etc.:

A number of proposals were submitted with concerns related to administration of drawing permit programs. These were deliberated as a whole and deferred for ongoing development from the Department. A proposal will be brought forward at the next statewide meeting which is supposed to reflect input from this meeting. In summary, we will eventually see a proposal that has addressed a number of concerns brought forward and have opportunity to review and comment.

Spring, Interior Region Meeting, February 29 – March 10, Fairbanks:

APHA commented on 44 proposals addressed at this meeting which directly affected the guide industry. You can review the meeting summary at the following link: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/gameinfo/meetsum/2007-2008/march08-summ.pdf

Reduce Non-Resident Sheep Season by two days to start Aug. 12 and add five days to resident season through Sept. 25.

This proposal failed on the first day of deliberation but was brought up on a reconsideration request the second day and passed with an amendment to keep the season end date as Sept. 20. This gave resident hunters, air-taxis and transporters a two day head start over the non-resident hunter. APHA asked for yet another reconsideration, which was granted, and with strong support from the Department, squeaked by with a 4-2 vote.  The proposal was based on conflict concerns. If you provide sheep hunting services and operate in an area where there are resident hunters, it is important that you work to eliminate conflict or we could very well eventually loose allocation to this concern.

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The APHA office has an image file available of our black and white logo which you can use in your correspondence and websites to denote your membership with APHA.  Contact us to receive it via email. Deadline for advertising in the Summer/Fall Issue of the Alaska Professional Hunter is June 15, 2008. Hunter Gallery Photos can be submitted either digitally via email or regular photos in the mail. Hunter Gallery photos need to be received in the office by June 15, 2008