Ever want to change a hunting or fishing regulation?

Outdoors in Alaska, by Howard Delo

Have you ever been reviewing the fishing, hunting or trapping regulations and come across something you didn't think was right? Perhaps your experiences led you to think, "there oughta be a law" covering some aspect of fishing, hunting or trapping not found in the regulation books? How do you go about proposing these regulation changes?

Alaska has one of the most open public processes for establishing or changing hunting, fishing and trapping regulations of any state in the union. The Alaska Constitution delegates the authority to develop and implement these regulations to the Legislature who, in turn, have established the Boards of Fish and Game to handle these tasks.

More than 70 local Fish and Game Advisory Committees all around the state were established to review and address local wildlife regulation concerns and to make recommendations to the main Boards about regulations affecting their local areas as well as statewide issues.

Members of the Boards of Fish and Game are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature. Members of the local Advisory Committees are elected from among local area residents who have accepted nomination to run for the committee.

These elections occur as necessary during the regularly scheduled Advisory Committee meetings. Anyone attending the meeting can vote. The next advisory committee meeting for the Valley is March 17 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wasilla City Hall. Nominations are being taken for one vacancy on the board.

The respective committees and boards meet several times each year to address proposals made by individuals, Fish and Game, Public Safety, and the committees themselves to better manage and allocate our fish and game resources.

The boards usually have a revolving schedule, where they meet in different parts of the state to address issues affecting that region of the state, as well as issues with a statewide impact that have been proposed during that period.

If you want to learn more about the board structure, schedules of meetings, access the proposal books for upcoming meetings, comment on proposals or contact the folks working for the boards section of ADF&G, go to www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/.

That's the "bureaucratic" structure, but how does one propose a regulation change? Actually, there are several ways an individual can approach this. If you already have a good understanding of the change you want to see made and access to the Internet, you can go to the ADF&G, boards web site, at www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/bbs/forms/formpg.php and download the proposal form.

Fill out the form, explaining the regulation you want to see changed or added/deleted and why, answer all the questions and send the completed form to the address listed.

If your idea is a little less concrete and you're not comfortable doing everything yourself, you can contact the nearest Fish and Game office and ask for assistance. The folks at these offices will help you get the necessary forms, research the regulation you want to change or propose, and can provide necessary background research information.

Depending on their work schedules, they may even help you compose your proposal, but don't expect them to do everything.

After all, it's your proposal. Usually, it's a good idea to bring your proposal to your local Advisory Committee for discussion prior to submitting it to the main Board.

Generally, a proposal that comes up in front of the board has a better chance of being implemented if it has the local Advisory Committee's approval and recommendation for support.

There are other advantages to making your case in front of the local committee. You will hear some good discussion of the pros and cons of your recommended change. You might receive some suggestions about how to improve your proposal and you will probably get a feel for the "political atmosphere" surrounding your proposal and its chances of passing the main board process. You might hear some perspective on your proposal you had never thought of and which could influence your original idea.

The lead-time on submitting a proposal is usually measured in months and possibly years, depending on which board will address your proposal and the cycle of issues being addressed by that board.

Be patient. You will be heard.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. To leave a message for him, call 352-2268 or e-mail editor@frontiersman.com.