Alaska Board Of Game Set To Meet From Jan. 19-24

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Board of Game:

Alaska Board of Game Meeting scheduled in Ketchikan, January 19-24, 2023

The Alaska Board of Game (board) will conduct its annual Work Session and the Southeast Region meeting in Ketchikan, January 19-24, 2023, at The Landing Hotel located at 3434 Tongass Avenue. The board’s annual Work Session will occur on January 19 followed by the five-day Southeast Region meeting.

Topics scheduled for the Work Session include setting the 2023-2024 meeting schedule and locations, presentation of agency and board reports, policies, and other administrative and miscellaneous items.

During the five-day region meeting, the board will consider over 50 regulatory proposals related to hunting and trapping regulations for Game Management Units 1-5. Proposals were submitted by the general public, local fish and game Advisory Committees, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The public is encouraged to review proposals available on the meeting webpage at: www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.meetinginfo&date=01-20-2023&meeting=ketchikan.

All portions of the meetings are open to the public and a live audio stream will be provided on the board website at www.boardofgame.adfg.alaska.gov. Meeting material for the Work Session and the Southeast Region meeting, including agendas, proposals, staff reports, and public and agency comments on proposals can be viewed online at www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.meetinginfo.

The board welcomes the public to provide comments to assist in its decision-making process on the regulatory proposals. Written comments on proposals are encouraged to be submitted by the Friday, January 6 on-time comment deadline. Comments on proposals must include a first and last name, community of residence, and the proposal number(s) for which the comments pertain, and must not exceed 100 single-sided or 50 double-sided pages.

Written comments may also be submitted during the meeting as record copies, with a limitation of 10 single-sided pages. Individuals who cannot attend the meeting may submit comments through the meeting website provided above, or via fax to (907) 465-6094. As a practical matter, comments submitted after the board begins deliberations are likely to receive less consideration than comments submitted earlier.

In-person oral public testimony will be taken for the regulatory meeting only, beginning Friday,

January 20, following oral reports. Remote testimony will be allowed only for state fish and game advisory committees (ACs) and federal regional advisory councils (RACs).

Anyone wishing to testify before the board, including AC and RAC representatives, must sign up before registration closes at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 21. Public testimony will continue until all who have signed up have received the opportunity to be heard. Deliberations on proposals will begin following public testimony and will continue through the remainder of the meeting.

The Department of Fish and Game and the Board of Game are pleased these meetings are open to the public. However, the COVID-19 virus still poses a serious risk to certain segments of the population, and could potentially halt the meeting. To help minimize the spread of COVID-19, any person who is experiencing flu-like symptoms is encouraged to stream the meeting online.

For more information about the board meeting process, please contact Kristy Tibbles at 465-6098, or via email at Kristy.tibbles@alaska.gov. She and other ADF&G Boards Support staff will be available throughout the meeting to assist the public with the process.