Student leaders keep an eye on the environment

MAT-SU -- Environmentally friendly AYEA (Alaska Youth for Environmental Action) students from all over the state met together in Juneau in early April to take part in the youth-oriented Civics and Conservation Summit.

Sponsored by National Wildlife Federation, this program flew in a diverse group of 23 Alaskans. The summit had representation all the way from the remote island of St. Paul, to St. Mary's at the mouth of the Yukon River, to Ketchikan in Southeast Alaska.

Participants from Valley schools at the summit included myself, from Colony High School, and Grant Evans, from Wasilla High School.

Adult trainers, youth trainers, and students from a wide variety of backgrounds joined together to discover how much of a difference ordinary citizens can make in Alaska politics. Each participant gained a comprehensive understanding of how our state capital works, and learned how to utilize civics as a tool to encourage a strong, healthy environment.

This opportunity to interact with legislators and share ecological concerns was packed with hands-on activities, guest-speaker presentations, and a lot of fun.

"The summit is a place where kids get to show their politically persuasive skills in a setting not biased toward teenagers, but in support of them," Evans said midway through the event.

The main focus of the intensive four day summit was to study three specific pieces of legislation making their way through the House and Senate, which will potentially affect the environment.

Senate Bill 27 deals with pesticide tracking and safeguarding citizen exposure to harmful pesticides, by creating a record of all pesticide use in public locations. House Bill 395 deals with shallow natural gas drilling in the Mat-Su. It puts regulations on the drilling in support of public interest. Recently in the House Resources Committee, the bill was revised and more drilling regulations added, but it still lacks wording to give private property owners full control over the drilling that occurs on their land. SB 282 pushes for salmon labeling in all restaurants so Alaska citizens are not in the dark to the farmed versus wild status of the salmon they consume.

The conservation summit taught attendees how to use the Internet tool BASIS at www.legis.state.ak.us/basis.htm to track legislative bills, recognize bill sponsors, and view the committee in which each bill currently resides.

Throughout the summit, each student prepared to talk with their local representatives and senators through workshops involving effective communication, role-playing exercises, and group discussions.

On the last day, attendees made appointments to meet with elected officials from each of district, where, using newly acquired skills and extensive research of the legislation, attendees lobbied for changes in certain bills. This occasion provided an opportunity for the participating students to view their legislators in a more personable setting, as opposed to in the newspapers or on television.

Approximately one-third of the student participants were 18 years old and registered voters, and they let their legislators know youth are interested in what happens in Juneau and want their voices to be heard. After all, they are the future of this state.

Students also got to interact with the local Juneau community during off time.

"This experience was wonderful," said Verner Wilson of Dillingham. "Not only did we meet former Gov. Tony Knowles and learn all about the legislative process and how a bill gets passed, but during our free time I played basketball with the locals. I enjoyed myself completely."

Summit participants also got the opportunity to hike Perseverance Trail and wander through the Tongass Rainforest on a sunny afternoon.

A rally on the steps of the capital in support of Juneau Sen. Georgianna Lincoln's SB 236 brought the Juneau experience to a close for summit participants. If passed, the bill would "elevate some of the misdemeanors associated with hate crimes into felonies, a model following many states in the lower 48," said Polly Carr, AYEA coordinator.

Sen. Bettye Davis, D-Anchorage, and Rep. Ethan Berkowitz, D-Anchorage, delivered speeches in support of the cause, and the crowd participated by saying the pledge of allegiance in Tlingit.

"It happens almost every weekend, so I'm pretty used to it," said Natalie Hale, Juneau, on the frequencies of rallies at the capitol building.

Not a person left the training session without having gained useful knowledge on how to influence the political processes of the state.

"I know after this experience, I can walk into any room and accomplish my mission," said Aleria Knudson of Chugiak at the end of the AYEA summit.