Consider outdoors issues at ballot box

Next Tuesday is the primary election. I want to encourage you to vote for the candidates and issues you support. I also encourage you to find out about your candidates and the issues beforehand so you can cast an informed vote.

While I get political on occasion here, the politics has always been specifically directed toward outdoor issues affecting us here in the Mat-Su. The upcoming election will have definite overtones on how well represented the Mat-Su will be in Juneau regarding these same outdoor issues.

I understand folks have many reasons why they support any particular candidate. I also understand that, while one issue may be important to an individual, a second issue may have even more meaning and will ultimately be the influencing reason someone casts their vote as they do. I will leave the oil and gas debates, social ills, educational issues and crime bills commentary to other writers. I will talk about our outdoor issues representation and how I see the candidates fulfilling that representation.

Rep. Mark Neuman and Sen. Charlie Huggins are my two district House and Senate legislators, respectively. As I understand it, Sen. Huggins has no declared challengers, either Republican or Democrat, for his senate seat. That should be a no-brainer on being re-elected, but there’s good reason to support Sen. Huggins regardless.

Huggins served as vice-chair of the Senate Resources Committee, among other legislative assignments, this past session and put a lot of effort into trying to assure our fish and game resources were managed on a sustainable yield basis, as our state constitution mandates. His efforts in the fisheries realm were recognized this past July by the Kenai River Sportsfishing Association (KRSA) when it announced him as the group’s legislator of the year in the area of natural resources legislation.

Being recognized by one of the most well-known natural resource-oriented organizations specializing in fisheries management and research in the state as the best of a field of 60 legislators should give you at least a hint why you should support Charlie Huggins’ return to Juneau.

I had several discussions with Rep. Neuman over the three years I served on the Board of Fisheries (BOF). While we didn’t agree completely on some issues, he was always willing to listen and offer his point of view. In spite of our occasional differences, Rep. Neuman was probably my most ardent legislative supporter for a second term on the BOF.

If you have been following fisheries issues here in the Northern District of Cook Inlet, you will remember seeing Neuman’s name listed for virtually every fisheries related meeting held in the area. Rep. Neuman, as House Resources Committee co-chair and a member of the Fish and Game Subcommittee of the House Finance Committee, has also been very active in looking out for our fish and game resources in the Valley, as well as statewide.

Rep. Neuman has some competition in the primary election from another Republican candidate. I plan on supporting Neuman because of his tireless efforts in trying to get better management of our Northern District salmon stocks and his work on predator control programs.

Other Mat-Su incumbents running for re-election include Rep. Bill Stoltze and Rep. Carl Gatto. Since I don’t live in either legislator’s district, I haven’t followed who has filed for their seats as closely. However, I do know both men have been very active in looking out for the health and well-being of our local fish and game resources.

Rep. Stoltze has probably filed more fisheries-oriented legislative bills over the past several years than any other legislator. All of these bills had the good of the resource in mind as well as trying to improve the escapement of fish stocks into the Northern District of Cook Inlet. While I haven’t personally spoken with Rep. Stoltze as much as I have my own legislators, I have spent a lot of time discussing issues with his chief of staff, Ben Mulligan, who has kept me up to speed on legislative topics.

Rep. Gatto is the least well-known to me of the four legislators mentioned. He held a seat on the House Resources Committee, indicating an interest in our natural resources and how they are managed and developed. I was impressed listening to his comments toward the end of the meeting with Fish and Game held on Aug. 11.

As I mentioned last week, Rep. Gatto told the ADF&G staff that folks from the Northern District are tired of studies and rhetoric, and want to see an action plan on specifically how ADF&G plans to bring Northern District salmon stocks back to a healthy status. He received an ovation from the public after his statement.

I have heard from a few Juneau sources that our Mat-Su legislative contingent has been very outspoken in their efforts to secure the best possible management and fairest possible allocation of our local valley fish and game resources. A lot of work still remains to change some long-standing imbalances in how many salmon return to various systems in Cook Inlet, among other resource issues. Since our current legislators are having an impact and know the situation, I will be supporting my district incumbents to continue to fight the good fight.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by e-mailing sports@frontiersman.com.