Deep within ADF&G's Habitat Division, the project to gut the management plans for our 32 Alaska state special areas continues, apparently unabated. These special areas include critical habitat areas, state game sanctuaries, and state game refuges, which the Alaska Legislature has set aside because of their extraordinary habitat values. Now, bolstered by Administrative Order 266, the current management plans for these areas are being drastically transformed into permitting plans, all without the benefit of public process. This marks the beginning of the end of responsible management of our special areas.
First, lack of public process: I've been involved in many of DNR's area planning efforts over the years. Typically, there is public scoping at the front-end, ongoing opportunities for public comment, a public review draft soliciting comment, a "final" draft, and an opportunity for aggrieved parties to appeal. Stakeholders, the general public, and other agencies are integral to the process. The existing special area plans are a product of this type of in-depth, inclusive approach. The result has been a balance between protection and access that fairly considers and reflects the many management tradeoffs, an outcome that generally is in the broad public interest. Randy Bates, head of the ADF&G Habitat Division and the point man for this project, has abruptly ended this constructive process.
Public engagement is often the only check there is on agency misbehavior. Randy Bates is NOT "committed to an open and transparent public process," as he falsely asserts (ADN, July 1 commentary). Instead, Mr. Bates effectuates a brazen affront to the people's right of notice and participation in public land and resource decisions. The public process Mr. Bates envisions is to put a basket of plans (approximately 13) before the public all at once, apparently this December. That's it. No scoping, no ongoing dialogue, no engagement of stakeholders or agencies. The public would be offered an opportunity to comment only after the plans are, for all practical purposes, complete. No reasonable person would call this process "open and transparent."
Better public policy decisions come when informed by local knowledge, good science, and diverse perspectives. Mr. Bates doesn't see it that way. A draft from May 2013 of the gutting of the Dude Creek Critical Habitat Area Management Plan specifically removes the stipulation: "Department [ADF&G] staff will continue to work with users of the area to apply local information and knowledge to management of the CHA."
Here's some of what else is being eliminated. Gone would be:
Mr. Bates considers this "precedent setting" (APRN "The Battle of Dude Creek" Oct. 25, 2013), which is another way of saying that Dude Creek is a template for gutting the remaining special area plans. Of note, the draft rewrite of the Dude Creek Critical Habitat Area Management Plan removes the word "management" from the plan title. This is a clear indication of the state's intent to abrogate its responsibility to the people of Alaska to take good care of our special public lands.
Our special areas are important to local economies, education, scientific data collection and study, hunting, fishing, and compatible recreation. To ensure their biological sustainability over time, our special areas must be managed carefully, with management policy and decisions informed by good science, local knowledge, stakeholders and an engaged public.
In his opinion piece, Mr. Bates chooses his words carefully, and he is carefully misleading, putting a false face on what is going on within the ADF&G Habitat Division. It's a nasty business that puts our special areas at serious risk.
If you value Alaska wildlife refuges, sanctuaries, and critical habitat areas and want future generations to be able to experience their unique splendor, it's time to get involved. For more information please go to www.akhabitat.com.
John Strasenburgh is retired and lives in Talkeetna. He has a strong interest, and years of citizen involvement, in many of the public land and resource-use challenges facing Alaska. He is a former member of the Mat-Su State Park Citizens Advisory Board and the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation Board.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.
Correction: Due to an editing error, the previous commentary incorrectly cited the date of publication for Mr. Bates' commentary as July 14. It was published on July 1. The error has been corrected above.