Antlerless Moose Hunts, Snowmachine Use Among Board Of Game Meeting Topics

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

(Fairbanks) – The Alaska Board of Game (board) will meet in Fairbanks on March 4-12, 2022 at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge located at 1850 Hoselton Drive.  During this nine-day public meeting, the board will address more than 100 proposals requesting changes to statewide provisions related to hunting and trapping and some region-specific topics including reauthorization of antlerless moose hunts. Written comments from the public on specific proposals are encouraged to be submitted by Friday, Feb. 18, 2022.  

The proposals to be considered by the board include three proposals deferred from the January 2022 Central & Southwest Region meeting  (Proposals 22, 100 as amended, and 199) and a board generated proposal (Proposal 271) which provides a definition for the term “position” as it applies to using snowmachines for harvesting games.  All of the proposals are available online at: www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.meetinginfo&date=03-04-2022&meeting=fairbanks,

In addition to the proposals, the board will review the wolf and bear management policies (#2016-214-BOG and #2016-215-BOG) set to expire March 31, 2022.

All meeting information including the agenda, roadmap, agency reports. public and advisory committee comments, and registration and testimony sign-up, will be available online at: www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.meetinginfo&date=03-04-2022& meeting=fairbanks. The website will be updated as the meeting approaches, and throughout the duration of the meeting. Additionally, the meeting will be streamed live at www.boardofgame.adfg.alaska.gov.

Oral Testimony

The board will now allow oral testimony via phone, for those individuals who are unable to attend in person due to the risks associated with transmission of the COVID-19 virus and/or any variant.

Limited time-periods for remote testimony will be scheduled to occur late afternoon on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, beginning at 3:30 p.m. on a first come, first serve basis determined by registration order. The board is providing this opportunity to hear diverse comments on topics scheduled for the meeting from those who are unable to attend in person because of the COVID-19 virus. It is not intended to be an opportunity for stakeholders to line-up large numbers of testifiers on single subjects.

The registration deadline for remote public testimony is 5:00 p.m. Monday, February 28, excluding representatives for Fish and Game Advisory Committee and federal Regional Advisory Councils who are allowed to testify remotely later in the meeting. Anyone not registered by the February 28 deadline may still submit written comments and provide testimony in-person at the meeting.

For those testifying in-person at the meeting, the deadline to sign up will be Saturday, March 5, at 10:00 a.m. In-person testimony is scheduled to begin Friday, March 4, following staff reports, and will continue until everyone who has signed up and is present when called has been given the opportunity to be heard. Deliberations on proposals will begin following public testimony and will continue through the remainder of the meeting.

All public participants, including remote testifiers, must register for the meeting online at: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.meetinginfo&date=03-04-2022&meeting=fairbanks.

Written comments

Those who wish to provide written comments on proposals are encouraged to do so by Friday, February 18, 2022. Comments for Proposal 271 can be submitted through March 6, 2022.  Written comments submitted by the February 18, 2022, deadline will be made available to board members before the start of the meeting; they are also indexed, cross-referenced with proposals, and have a page limitation of 100 single-sided pages. Comments submitted as “record copies” will be accepted after the deadline but will be limited to ten single-sided pages. As a practical matter, comments submitted after the board begins deliberations on relevant proposals are likely to receive less consideration than comments submitted earlier.

Comments may be submitted online at www.boardofgame.adfg.alaska.gov (prior to the deadline only); via email to dfg.bog.comments@alaska.gov (PDF attachments preferred, or contact ADF&G Boards Support for assistance), by fax to 907-465-6094, or in person at the meeting. Comments must include a full name, community of residence and proposal numbers for which the comments pertain.

Comments previously submitted on deferred Proposals 22, 100 and 199, do not need to be resubmitted.

Mitigation Measures

In an effort to fully conduct this meeting and provide a safer environment, the Department of Fish and Game and the meeting venue management will work together to enact a number of temporary COVID-19 mitigation measures. It is imperative all attendees comply with the mitigation measures to reduce the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus and/or any variant which could potentially cause the meeting to be delayed or postponed. The full mitigation plan will be posted on the board’s meeting calendar page prior to the meeting and shared with meeting registrants.

Meeting registration is required of participants for the purpose of communicating meeting updates to attendees and, in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, provide contact information for contact tracing. At the time of registration, attendees will be able to select a time period for providing in-person or remote testimony. Advanced registration is recommended but participants can also register and sign up for in-person testimony at the meeting venue.

In addition, testing for COVID-19 and ensuring negative results prior to travel and attending the meeting is strongly encouraged. Anyone demonstrating symptoms associated with COVID-19 are asked not to attend and instead watch or listen to the meeting online. The board’s staff has implemented the ability to video stream the meeting for public viewing.  

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.