Governor Palin’s Gasline Team will hold Town Hall information meetings around the state.
Come learn what the state is doing to advance the project.
These meetings are not part of the public comment period under AGIA and are not public hearings.
There are multiple meetings on the same date in different locations.
All meetings will be 6-8 p.m. except Anchorage, which will be 7-9 p.m., and Barrow, which will be 2-5 p.m. For more information contact Allison
Iversen at 907-257-1304.
Monday, February 18
Palmer: The Palmer Depot
Tuesday, February 19
Anchorage: UAA Lucy Cuddy Hall
NOTE: Anchorage will be 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, February 20
Sitka: Harrigan Centennial Hall, Maksoutoff Room
Kotzebue: NWAB Assembly Chambers
McGrath: Cap’n Snow Center
Assembly Room
Thursday, February 21
Ketchikan: Cape Fox Lodge
Mountain Room
Nome: St. Joseph’s Church
Bethel: UAF – Kuskokwim Campus
Yup’iit Piciryarait Cultural Center
Friday, February 22
Juneau: Centennial Hall,
Hickel Room
Monday, February 25
Delta Junction: Community Center
Kenai: Kenai Peninsula College
Tuesday, February 26
Barrow: Inupiat Heritage Center
NOTE: Barrow will be 2-5 p.m.
Dillingham: Dillingham Middle School Gymnasium
Wednesday, February 27
Fairbanks: Carlson Center
Kodiak: High School Commons
Thursday, February 28
Valdez: Valdez Convention and
Civic Center, Ballroom 1
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A new toll-free number will allow Alaska residents to contact the Governor’s Office
from anywhere in the state:
1-877-423-5514. Toll-free service extends the reach of the
Governor’s Office to all Alaskans, especially those in rural areas, said Kris Perry,
director of the Governor’s Anchorage Office. There is no charge to users of the number.
This is the latest effort to find more efficient ways to serve the citizens of Alaska.
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About 2,000 Alaskans from more than 100 communities are serving on the 122 state boards and commissions,
from the Alaska State Board of Public Accountancy to the Yukon River Panel. With 10-15 board terms expiring every month,
recruitment is ongoing. All Alaskans are encouraged to apply or make a recommendation.
CLICK for more information on all
of the boards and commissions and the application process.
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The nomination period for the second annual Governor’s Peak Performance Denali Awards, which recognize outstanding
employees and teams for excellence in service to the state, will close Feb. 15. Outstanding State of Alaska employees
can be nominated in four categories – coworker recognition, excellence in customer service, exceptional performance
and leadership.
Nominations, which must be made on the official nomination form for the appropriate award category, can be made by
any employee, including self-nomination.
CLICK for more information
about the nomination process.
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Governor Sarah Palin signed an Administrative Order on Jan. 22 authorizing disaster relief funds for the city
of Kivalina, which was damaged by a fall sea storm Sept. 12-14. A high surf and storm surge severely
damaged more than half of a 1,600-foot seawall and caused erosion in the Northwest Arctic Borough’s city.
The Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development will coordinate with other state and
federal agencies to propose long-term solutions to the ongoing erosion issues in the city and other
affected coastal communities in the state.
CLICK to see
Administrative Order 239.
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‘We have such great potential because the State of the State
is great, and our potential even greater’
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Governor Sarah Palin delivered her State of the State/State of the Budget address to a joint session of
the Alaska Legislature, asking lawmakers to look beyond partisan and geographical differences. She
called for unity to help restore public trust in Alaska.
In a call for self-sufficiency, she said that Alaska must not continue to rely on federal earmarks, a
theme echoed in President Bush’s State of the Union address on Jan. 28.
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The Governor also said that Alaska must be able to develop its natural resources for the benefit of Alaskans
and the entire United States.
“An AGIA license gets the ball rolling on our terms – and opens the door to innovative and strategic
partnerships. We are reasonable and open to those partnerships that, at the end of the day, will get
that long-awaited gas line built," she said.
The governor focused on delivering student success in K-12 education. She also made a strong appeal for
Alaskans to take personal responsibility for healthy choices.
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CLICK TO LISTEN
Governor Palin delivers her 2008 State of the State address before a joint legislative body on January 15, 2008.
READ THE SPEECH
2008 State of the State Address
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Doug Larsen, Director
Division of Wildlife Conservation
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Q: Will you tell us about yourself?
I was born and raised in Juneau. My father immigrated from Denmark and my mother from Canada. They settled in Juneau in the early ‘50s and raised my two sisters and me. After graduating from Juneau-Douglas high school, I attended the University of Idaho and later, the University of Alaska Fairbanks. My career as a wildlife biologist and pilot took me from Sitka, to Kotzebue, to Ketchikan, and eventually back to Juneau.
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Working with wildlife over the years, I have been incredibly fortunate to have seen and experienced some of the very best Alaska has to offer, from tens of thousands of caribou aggregated tightly on ridges in the Brooks Range, to brown bears splashing and feeding in coastal streams, to moose jousting in tundra meadows. It’s been a truly incredible and memorable career.
Q: What do you do for fun?
I enjoy hunting, hiking, fishing and camping. I also enjoy wood working and taking walks with my wife and two yellow labs. I have enjoyed being involved in Boy Scouting with my two sons and have great memories of kayaking in Seymour Canal, canoeing in Kootznahoo Inlet, canoeing down the Yukon River and hiking over the famous Chilkoot Trail.
Q: What are among your most favorite memories?
I have many wonderful memories, including flying low over the arctic’s snow-covered tundra in our ski-equipped Supercub, counting and capturing mountain goats in the rugged mountains of Southeast Alaska, radio-collaring and studying brown bears and wolves, stalking Dall sheep, mountain goats and caribou with my wife and sons, flying to remote rivers to fish for lunker char, and boating along Southeast Alaska’s rugged and beautiful coastline.
Q: What was your least favorite job and/or experience?
While working in Ketchikan during the mid ‘90s, I was faced with the problem of numerous black bears moving into the community in search of food after the closure of the local landfill. Although I was able to relocate more than 50 bears off Revilla Island with the help of Ketchikan Pulp Company helicopters and pilots, I also had to dispatch several bears. Though necessary, I found this very distasteful. As a result, I became a crusader for properly and responsibly handling human refuse in and around communities.
Q: What do you do for Fish and Game?
I now serve as the director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation. My job involves overseeing the division’s management and research activities, along with personnel and budgeting details. The division has just over 200 employees, and it’s a pleasure and honor to work alongside some of the most hard working and dedicated people in state government.
Q: Why is predator control used in Alaska?
Wild game is an important source of meat for many Alaskans throughout the state. Not only is it less expensive than store-bought meat in many instances, but many people prefer the taste and the fact that it is organic and unaffected by additives. Recognizing this, the Alaska Legislature and the Board of Game created laws and regulations to manage some specifically identified populations of moose, caribou and deer for high levels of human consumptive use. In instances where these identified populations are at lower levels than available habitat can support and where predators are determined to be the cause of the low numbers, control efforts are implemented to reduce the numbers of predators. Temporarily reducing numbers of predators allow more moose, caribou and deer to survive and reproduce, thereby enabling populations to increase. Higher numbers of these species allow for higher levels of human harvests.
Q: What happens if predators are not controlled?
Predator and prey populations can and do self-regulate, and predator control efforts are often not necessary or desired. In some instances, however, both predators and prey may exist at low densities. Failing to reduce the numbers of predators in such instances can result in persistently low numbers. If these areas coincide with those where determinations have been made to provide for high levels of human consumptive use of moose, caribou or deer, failure to control predators will prevent this objective from being achieved. Currently, predator control is allowed on slightly less than 10 percent of Alaska’s land mass.
Q: What is the difference between predator control and hunting?
Hunting is a common and long-accepted activity in Alaska and elsewhere in the world. It involves “fair chase,” whereby hunters are expected to use stealth and woodsmanship to stalk and harvest animals, and animals are afforded a reasonable chance of avoiding detection. Predator control, on the other hand, does not involve “fair chase.” The objective is to locate and kill targeted numbers of predators as quickly and humanely as possible. This can involve the use of techniques forbidden under hunting practices, such as shooting from aircraft or landing an aircraft and then shooting. Whereas hunting can be undertaken by any member of the public who purchases the required licenses and tags, predator control can only be undertaken by specially-permitted and monitored Alaskan residents.
Q: What other programs are critical to protecting Alaska wildlife?
The Division of Wildlife Conservation undertakes a number of programs as part of its management and conservation efforts. These include aerial and ground-based surveys to assess the status of predator and prey populations across the state, and research studies to learn about the movement patterns, reproductive capabilities, feeding habits, and habitat use and needs of various species and populations. Wildlife education programs and materials are important for providing information to interested members of the public, and administering and monitoring hunting seasons, hunters and harvests are important for ensuring long-term sustainability of wildlife populations. Additionally, enforcement efforts by the Department of Public Safety’s Alaska Wildlife Troopers are critically important for ensuring adherence to established hunting seasons and bag limits.
Q: Where can Alaskans go to find information about wildlife and wildlife issues?
To find out more information about Alaska’s wildlife, predator management and other division programs go to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website at http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/
As part of a final management plan for the Tongass National Forest, Governor Sarah Palin recently joined Forest
Service Chief Abigail Kimbell in signing a "shared vision statement," which establishes a plan for sustainability
of the Tongass and Southeast Alaska's communities.
“This is a tremendous step toward having a sustainable, integrated timber industry,” Governor Palin said.
“Speaking now with one voice, we remain committed to responsible development that protects the diversity and health
of the forest’s wildlife while sustaining jobs and subsistence for residents of Southeast Alaska.”
The 2008 Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan Amendment was ordered more than a year ago by a federal
court that concluded the 1997 plan violated the law. The amended plan adds 90,000 acres to old growth reserves
and protects 47,000 acres of land most vulnerable to development. The amended plan, along with the final
environmental impact statement and the record of decision, will be published in the Feb. 15 Federal Register.
As the planning phase of the process is completed, the State and Forest Service will shift their collective efforts
to Forest Plan implementation. The State will continue to play an important role in this process and will have staff
working with the Forest Service to begin putting the new Forest Plan to work on the ground.
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VISIT ONLINE
http://tongass-fpadjust.net/FPA_ROD.htm
VIEW PREAMBLE
Tongass Management Plan Preamble
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This process will emphasize both the conservation and economic timber aspects of the plan, the two central strategies that must
work together to have a successful outcome.
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CLICK TO LISTEN
Governor Palin unveils the new Alaska license plate honoring 50 years of statehood.
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New Alaska License Plate Honors Statehood
The new Alaska Statehood Celebration license plate was recently unveiled at the statehood celebration kick-off at
the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The new license plate was designed by Sitka artist Dean Potter, the
winner of a statewide logo contest.
To see his art unveiled, Potter was joined by Statehood Celebration supporters, including: First Gentleman Todd
Palin and First Daughters Bristol, Willow and Piper Palin; Lt. Governor Sean Parnell; Statehood Celebration
Co-chairs Kris Perry and Melissa Stepovich; former Lt. Governor Jack Coghill;
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Constitutional Convention Delegate
Vic Fischer; Constitutional Convention Chief Clerk Katie Hurley; Attorney General Talis Colberg; DMVA
Commissioner General Craig Campbell; and DMV Director Whitney Brewster.
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The new license plates will be the standard plates issued through 2009. Motorists who wish to change their current
plates may purchase the new statehood anniversary plates for $5 at the Division of Motor Vehicles.
“This is a great start to what will be a wonderful year leading up to the 50th anniversary of statehood,”
Governor Palin said. “I encourage all Alaskans to take part in the many celebrations that are planned
around the state.”
The Alaska Statehood Celebration Commission, established in 2005, has organized numerous events to commemorate
Alaska’s 50th anniversary of admission as the 49th state. The events will take place across Alaska on dates that
coincide with historical events that led to statehood.
The new Alaska Statehood Celebration License Plate
Dates to Celebrate
May 28, 2008
Celebration event in Fairbanks to commemorate the date Congress passed the Alaska Statehood Act.
July 4, 2008
Weekend event in Juneau marking the July 7 date the Act was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
January 3, 2009
Grand ball in Anchorage to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Statehood.
Communities across the state are encouraged to participate.
For more information, email AK50@alaska.gov or call Colleen Sullivan-Leonard at 907-269-7450.
Governor Sarah Palin and members of her staff, including Rural Advisor Rhonda McBride, recently met with Bethel leaders to discuss public
safety and other issues facing the community. The Governor and Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan
visited the Bethel Police Department and met with Alaska State Troopers to learn more about BPD, which
needs to hire 11 officers. The Governor visited Bethel high school students during their lunch period.
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Governor Sarah Palin traveled to Bethel on Thursday, January 10, to meet with community leaders and discuss public safety and other issues facing the community. Photo by Bethel Regional High School Yearbook Staff.
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At public radio station KYUK, Governor Palin took part in her first bilingual interview, conducted by veteran
Yup’ik newsman John Active. She said she was impressed with Active’s seamless translation of her answers into
Yup’ik. Among the topics of discussion: the rural energy crisis, the Governor’s proposed alternative energy
fund, municipal revenue sharing and meeting the needs of elders.
Governor Palin also met with regional Native leaders at a luncheon hosted by the Yukon Kuskokwim Health
Corporation and the Association of Village Council Presidents.
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Labor Commissioner Click Bishop and First Gentleman Todd Palin also traveled to Bethel with the Governor.
They visited Yuut Elitnaurviat, the region’s first vocational training center, and toured the Yuut Yangungviat
flight school.
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Until next time,
Governor Sarah Palin
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