Between January 10 and 17, 2025, the Central and Southwest Board of Game Meeting will be held in Wasilla at the Best Western on Lake Lucille. While the main public comment period for proposals has already passed, there is a public comment period in the first few days of the meeting, where oral testimonies and written comments may be given. Public comments are then closed and the BOG deliberates on all proposals.
AWA has received many emails from folks wanting to get involved in the Board of Game Meeting, and we can’t thank you enough for your dedication to being a voice for Alaska’s wildlife. We understand that many of you are new to the process, and we hope the information below provides the information you need to get involved.
Head to the Board of Game Meeting website for all meeting documents, proposals, department comments, and the agenda. This website will be updated regularly throughout this week and next.
How to Give Public Testimony
On Friday, January 10, the Board will receive region and research-related reports presented by the Department of Fish and Game and then it will begin in-person, oral testimony. Public testimony will continue through January 11 and 12, until everyone who has signed up has been given the opportunity to be heard.
Unfortunately, there is no remote testimony option— you must be in the room to speak. Anyone wishing to testify before the Board must sign up at the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn in Wasilla before Saturday, January 11 at 10:00 am.
If you sign up to give public testimony, be ready to be at the meeting all day, as there is normally a long queue to speak. If you sign up towards the deadline on Saturday, you may not get called until Sunday morning.
Oral testimony is usually limited to 3 minutes; we recommend having your remarks prepared or at least outlined, as the time moves quicker than most people realize. The Board seems to respond to testimony based on lived experiences, and we encourage folks to be respectful and speak from their hearts— this is the time to be a voice for wildlife.
Deliberations on the proposals will begin following public testimony and continue through the remainder of the meeting.
How to Submit a Public WRITTEN Comment
The general written comment deadline passed on December 27th. However, once the meeting brings, written comments will be accepted 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞.
Written comments can also be submitted in person at the meeting, or via fax to 907-465-6098. Comments submitted during the meeting are limited to ten single-sided or five double-sided pages in length from any one individual or group. Comment submissions during the meeting will be logged with a record copy (“RC”) number, distributed to the board, and posted on the meeting page.
WHAT TO COMMENT ON
The most impactful comments are those that speak in favor of or opposition to specific proposals. Below are the top four proposals that AWA is keeping an eye on. For a full rundown of the proposals AWA is keeping an eye on, as well as speaking points on each for your comment, head to our Board of Game Proposals Action Alert.
Proposal 75 - Aerial Gunning Outside of Denali: OPPOSE
Proposal 75 has the potential to become another Mulchatna Predator Control Program, which has so far killed over 200 brown bears in southwest Alaska. The proposal would add department removal of wolves, brown bears, and black bears to Unit 16’s Intensive Management Plan. Unit 16 lies between Denali National Park and Preserve and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.
ADFG would be authorized to kill wolves, brown bears, and black bears with the use of aircraft, including helicopters, to achieve reduction goals. The reduction goals, according to Unit 16’s Intensive Management Plan are:
Wolves: remove 73–80% of wolves in the area (population of 35- 55 wolves)
Brown bears: remove 60% of brown bears in the area (minimum population of 375)
Black bears: remove 60–80% of black bears in the area (minimum population of.
CLICK HERE to see more information on Proposal 75
Proposal 82 - Palmer Trapping Setbacks: SUPPORT
Proposal 82 is a special one for us, as it was originally submitted by AWA in 2022. We are calling for trapping setbacks in Palmer, Game Management Unit 14. Our proposal asks the BOG to establish a 50-yard trapping setback along specific trails in the area, particularly ones that are heavily used for recreational purposes. These trapping setbacks would help keep dogs and people safe from incidental trapping.
Proposal 11 - Shortened Brown Bear Seasons Near Katmai: SUPPORT
Proposal 11 is for Unit 9C, located around Katmai National Park in the King Salmon region. The proposal is to shorten the spring and fall brown bear seasons by one week, back to their previous length. This would re-establish the season as October 7–21 and May 10–25. The hunting season had been previously lengthened in 2022.
The author of the proposal notes that the area is home to the Moraine, Funnel, and Kulik Rivers, which are well-known by photographers, film crews, and wildlife viewing guides. With the current, longer season, sport fishermen and wildlife viewers on the rivers are being dropped off in the same places as hunters. Shortening the brown bear season would prevent further user conflicts and increase public safety.
Proposal 29 - Mulchatna Caribou Herd Population Review: SUPPORT
Proposal 29 concerns the Mulchatna Caribou Herd (MCH) in Unit 17. The MCH has been on a sharp decline since the late 1900s, plummeting from 200,000 animals to an estimated 30,000 in 2019. In 2020, State biologists determined that the main reasons for the decline were disease and a lack of food, as a result of climate change. To save the Mulchatna herd, the State enacted the Mulchatna Predator Control Program, which targets bears and wolves, despite no evidence that predator control programs work or that predation was a main cause of mortality among the MCH.
Proposal 29 calls for a review of the population and harvest objectives for the MCH. Minimum numbers are not being met, and the herd has declined far below lower population objectives. This review could help abate the State’s attempts to increase the caribou herd through predator control, which, in the two years that it has run, has killed over 200 bears in the area.
NEED SUPPORT?
AWA staff will be attending the meeting. Please reach out to nicole@akwildlife.org with any additional questions.
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 Board’s support staff will be available throughout the meeting to assist the public with questions about the board process.
