Alaska Board of Game Meeting announcement

[Dand]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2005
No. 05-010
Contact: Landa Baily, Executive Director, Board of Game, (907) 465-4110

Board of Game to Meet in Anchorage

(Juneau) - The Alaska Board of Game (the “board”) will meet March 4-13, 2005 in Anchorage at the Coast International Inn.  The board will consider over 150 proposals on Southwest and Southcentral regions hunting and trapping regulations, as well as other topics.

Proposals to amend game regulations in Southcentral and Southwestern Alaska have been submitted by the public, state advisory committees, and state and federal agencies.  The board will address trapping seasons for beaver, coyotes, fox, lynx, marmots, marten, mink, muskrat, otter, weasel, wolf, and wolverine for both regions.  The board will also address hunting seasons and bag limits for black and brown bear, beaver, bison, caribou, Dall Sheep, deer, fur animals, goat, lynx, marmot, moose, small game, wolf and wolverine in both regions.   Additionally, the board will consider deferred proposals for deer and moose seasons in Game Management Units (GMUs) 1 and 2 in the Southeast region, reauthorization of antlerless moose hunts in all Units except GMUs 1-5, and reauthorization of brown bear tag fee exemptions.  

The board will also review all closed and restricted areas for the Southcentral and Southwest regions, including controlled use areas, management areas, areas closed to hunting and trapping, and closures in state game refuges.  Other proposals address predation control plans for the Southcentral and Southwest regions and Central Kuskokwim area, predation control activities on all federal lands statewide, the point system for Tier II subsistence permits statewide, and community harvest areas.  

The board will begin taking oral public testimony on Friday, March 4.  Anyone wishing to testify to the board must sign up at the meeting site.  A deadline for signing up will be announced at the meeting by the Chair.  Public testimony will continue until everyone (who has signed up and who is present when called by the Chair to testify) has been given the opportunity to be heard.  Written comments will be accepted on specific proposals up until the proposal is deliberated and may be faxed to (907) 465-6094, or presented to board staff at the meeting.

Deliberations on the proposals will begin following public testimony and continue through the remainder of the meeting.  The proposals, agenda change requests, tentative agenda, “roadmap” for consideration of proposals, and other important meeting information and materials are available online at:  http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/gameinfo/index.php

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Sarah A. Gilbertson
Special Assistant
Office of the Commissioner
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Phone: (907) 465-6137
Cell: (907) 321-5212
Fax: (907) 465-2332

[Daveinthebush]

Dand:  Thanks for posting information like this.  I tried to log onto and get the updates from the board but could not.  Tried to access the proposals and could not.

My internet connection is just too bad right now.  If I am lucky I 46.6kb and maybe a 1/2 hour uninterrputed.

Thanks, Dave

[Sourdough]

I got in and took a look at the proposals that are going to be before the board this session.  There is some good ones, and some sutpid ones.  Friends of Animals are at it again.  Anyway, it takes a long time to download because it is so long.  There is 157 proposals.  Everyone needs to take a look at it and go over the things that are of interest to them.  If they are so inclined they should send a FAX to the Board Of Game and let them know how you feel.  A few really interest me, such as being able to hunt Grizzlies over bait in unit 13.  The extending of no permit requirement in units 20-E and 13 for Grizzlies.  Ane the bag limit of one Grizzlie a year.  Also the overhaul of the subsistance program in unit 13 for Caribou and Moose.

[Dand]

Good point made by Sourdough.  At this late date, the way to send in comments and testimony is by FAX.  I tried to sneak an email to the director a couple weeks ago and it was refused - she told me to fax it.

Yep one thing about our system that's good and bad is that everybody can get involved.  There are some really strange proposals at times.  That's where its important to have a good board and for the public to watch carefully.  Most of the crazy stuff doesn't get through but it pays to be vigilant.  Once in a while something that seems ok on the surface but is actually bad slips through.   Gotta think through every part of each proposal.