Finding balance important in Tier II debate

As the Mat-Su Valley leads the way for a growing Alaska, balancing the area’s increasingly modern lifestyle with traditional practices becomes more difficult.

The latest example came this week when the state Joint Board of Fish and Game narrowly rejected a proposal that could have removed parts of Game Unit 13 from Alaska’s Tier II subsistence hunting program. State law says only hunters who qualify in a points-based system can get a permit to hunt the Nelchina caribou herd in an area bordered by the Richardson, Glenn and Parks highways. Those favoring the proposal want the area opened up to general statewide permit hunting.

Supporters of the change say population, commercial and retail growth, along with continued improvements to the area’s transportation system, have changed the nature of some hunting areas where Tier II status is no longer appropriate.

This makes sense.

While the state Board of Game voted 4-2 in favor of the status change, the Board of Fisheries torpedoed the proposal 3-4. Both boards have to be in favor of the change for it to go through. It’s an emotional issue but one we have to address. As growth continues to find the Mat-Su Valley and the Southcentral region of Alaska, the ratio of subsistence hunters will continue to decline. It is an inevitable reality as infrastructure like roads, grocery stores and access to local jobs becomes more widespread.

It’s important to protect the subsistence lifestyle. That said, the two boards need to also balance what’s practical and reasonable. Let’s protect those areas that truly need it — where subsistence hunting is still practiced and needed. These areas easily accessible to vehicles along three main highways may no longer meet that criteria.

We commend the Joint Board of Fish and Game for considering the issue and recognizing growth brings change — even to political hot-potato issues like protecting subsistence living for those who practice it. We hope this proposal, while failed, is not dead. We encourage the joint board to take the logical next step of considering resource data to examine how such a change would impact the resource and subsistence hunters.

Debate and decisions are needed about how to accommodate a growing population while protecting and respecting traditional practices.