(ATTACHMENT VIII) -43 Nunam Kitlutsisti P.O. Box 267 Bethel, Alaska 99559 Jack Chenowith Alaska State Ombudsman Auk Tribe Building 525 Village Street Pouch WO Juneau, Alaska 99811 Dear Mr. Chenowith, After having brought the issue of neglect by the Department of Fish & Game in assisting the rural Fish and Game Advisory Boards to the Joint Board of Fish-. eries and Game for three consecutive years, and having witnessed no concrete action to modify the system, I am compelled to seek the assistance of the ombudsman office. The Legislature, recognizing that travel in the rural areas of Alaska would cause a significant financial burden on cash-poor villages during the winter season when the meetings of the Fish and Game Advisory Committees occur, allocated $200,000 to cover subsistence for village overnights, and per diem for urban community overnight stays for FY 82. The Legislature and the Hammond Administration well understood the necessity to have a strong advisory Board system to allow for adaquate input into the wildlife regulatory system. The legislature insisted through its financial formula that rural input and involvement would be met under both ANILCA's Title 8, and the State 1978 Subsistence Law that made subsistence a priority use of Alaska's wildlife. By encouraging villages to participate effectively in the regulatory system at the State level, compliance with Title 8's mandates would be easily achieved, and the cacaphony of rural discord over regulations influencing rural living conditions being developed in a regulatory vacumm would quiet down. Additionally, the Administration passed through to ADFG ANILCA funds to position one staff member in each of the six regional councils created by the Joint Boards of Fish and Game. The staff person would coordinate the programs and meetings of both the Regional Council and the local advisory committees. He would also assist these groups in presenting their findings to the State and Federal regulatory authorities on wildlife management and allocation. On both tasks, the travel support for rural advisory committees, and in staffing local positions, the actual activity is nil. To this day, the advisory committees sink or swim on their own. Within our region, the Board of Directors of Nunam Kitlutsisti continue to front end money to allow Advisory committee members to attend local Advisory meetings, arrange travel, prepare agendas and work -44 ing papers, and additionally, supply in advance the funds required to sustain both members and their chairman at State authorized attendance at Board of Fisheries and Game meetings in urban centers. Without this advance funding, these rural members of the State's advisory system could not afford to attend the meetings. They simply do not have the cash. The State, with the support of the Board, expects these representatives to pay their own living expenses, and then to bill the state for later repayment. Although the long time delays for repayment have been repeatedly cited to the Boards and the ADFG administration, little if anything has changed. Currently, the members of the Lower Yukon Fish and Game Advisory Committee are still waiting for their subsistence repayments from a September, 1981 meeting in Holy Cross, a November meeting in Hooper Bay, the joint of Fisheries and Game meeting in December in Anchorage; the Central Bering Sea members of their three meetings; and the Lower Kuskokwim for their three meetings. Additionally, local charter companies are still holding outstanding charges for delivering the advisory committee members to the meetings and return flights. The staffs of the various departments have not been given clear orders on subsistence and perdiem, and have left members stranded in Bethel without funds during the travels to and from 50ard approved meetings. The local non-profits are forced to dedicate their limited funds to cover travel expenses. The Chairman of these committees: Harry Wilde, Sr., Joe Chimegalrea, Jack Williams have complained to the local and Statewide staff of ADFG, the legislature, and to me continually that the methodology of Fish and Game is "to strangle the local rural committees". By making it difficult to attend meeting through prudent fiscal mismanagement, interest in maintaining a strong local committee is dwindling, and local members are staying away deliberately. I am charging in this letter a conscious action to destroy the local committees by Fish and Game, and the bureauocracy is insensitive to change. I seek your assistance in investigating this issue, and publicly reviewing the policies and activities of the ADFG staff in this issue. A thorough house cleaning is long overdue. Original sponsors: Fahrenkamp and Bennett Offered: 4/8/81 1 IN THE SENATE 2 3 BY THE RULES COMMITTEE CS FOR SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR SENATE BILL NO. 36 (Rules) 6 For an Act entitled: 7 8 A BILL "An Act establishing the Citizens' Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas in Alaska; and providing for an effective date." 9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: AS 41 is amended by adding a new chapter to read: ON FEDERAL AREAS IN ALASKA. Sec. 41.37.010. CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMISSION ON FEDERAL AREAS IN The Citizens' Advisory Commission on Federal Areas in Alaska is established. ALASKA. (a) (b) The commission is a temporary advisory agency of the executive branch of the state but is not allocated to a principal department of the executive branch. In the exercise of its responsibilities, the commission shall consider the views of citizens of the state and officials of the state. Sec. 41.37.020. MEMBERSHIP AND OFFICERS. (a) The commission is composed of 16 members appointed in accordance with this section. (b) The membership of the commission shall represent each judicial district in the state. (၁) The governor shall appoint eight members of the commission. (d) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint two members of the commission from the membership of the state house of representatives and two members who are residents of the state. (e) The president of the senate shall appoint two members of the CSSSSB 36 (R18) -1 |