of
Hammond warns ofsubsistence
subsistence repeal , backs amendment
j
JENKINS
LORD
1
Q
(
-
By LINDA LORD-JENKINS
Editof
Tin * Editor
Tundra* Times
Tundf
A warning
rning about the probprob.-.
prob
lems which would accompany
subsis
$ ubsithe repeal of the state subsis.
ubsi$ -.
tence
fence statute was issued by
Cloy.
Cloy
Gov.. Jay Hammond last week
Gov
advo..
along with a statement advo
subsis..
eating amending the subsis
cating
tence law to a need instead
basis..
of customary use basis
"'
Hammond"i warnings about
Hammondi
Hammond
Hammond'
the effects of repeal of the
statute were well received by
those favoring continuation of
as
requirements
subsistence
they are
re , but his comments
the law were met
changing
on
on both sides of the issue with
criticism.
criticism.
In his last ""State
State of the
"
State"
State address before leaving
Hamthe office of governor , Hammond gave hipself an almost
rnond
"
"straight
straight
A"
A" report card and
spoke at great length on the
thorny issue of subsistence ,
an issue which he called ""a
time bomb ticking in the
wings since its passage , and
which has now rolled to center
stage.
stage. "
He was speaking of the efefef
forts by several subsistence
anti-subsistence
'
sportsmens
sportsmen's groups
primar-primar
fly
ily from Anchorage and Fair
Fair--
a
anti
-
-
which have been colbanks
collecting signatures on a peti
peti-tion to require a statewide vote
laws.
on repealing subsistence laws.
That group , Alaskans for
Equal Hunting and Fishing
signa-Rights , has presented the signa
tures to the state elections
commission for verification.
verification.
rere17,000
signatures are re
,
Some 17000
initia-quired to present the initia
lo the legislature.
legislature .
tive to
Hammond pointed out that
born ol
of
the subsistence law was bom
Setthe Alaska Native Claims Set
Setcru-tlement Act which was a cru
cial part of getting permission
oil
to build the Trans-Alaska
pipeline.
pipeline.
He said that the two sides
of the issue are ""partly
partly right
Na-and partly wrong.
wrong. " Alaska Na
tives, Hammond said , view subsub-
Alaska
Trans
( Continued on Page Twelve )
'
'
,
'"
.
,
non
stand
-
*
m
4
'
'
issue
-on subsistence
u
Hammond speech criticized as
assa non-stand
'
\
Continued' from
( Continued
froth Page
One\
One) .
Pale one
'
'rights
rights
'right as- almost
""almost a ,
sistence ' right
wMchshouldnot
wMch'should'not
which' should ' not
sacred "writi
Yvrlt which
writi
while' sportsmen
be changed ,*" while'
unnecessary
""unnecessary' and
"unnecessary'
view It as '"
discriminatory. "
blatantly discriminatory.
''for the sports.
sportssports-.
Theireason
The'ireason
The
[; reason 'fot
for
fot
the
mens
mens'' unhappiness with die
statute
statute.Hammond
statuteHammond
. Hammond said , is the
'
which the statute is
ctiteria'on
criteria'on
ctiteriaon
criteriaon
based - the provision that
persons
must
'must show that they
pcrsom "must
need subsistence usage as part
""customary and tradi
tradlof theif
tradltheti customary
*
,
M use instead
need.
tional
stead of need.
tiott ammond
Hammoim said that if the
as
'
'
'and
'and'
and
lead
lead.
lead., to greater division 'and
confusion..'"*
confusion
Hammond'"
Hammond
tvoid that
that , , Hammond"
.that
, . avoid
,7o.
,jjo
7o.
7o
be
statutebe
suggested drat
tbt the statute
?
priori-(;hanged to a need-based priori
ty system so that those people
who have an economic need
are able to use subsistence
riority instead of basing It in
priority
"unmeasur
' , what be
"unmeasur"unrneasur"unmeasur "unrneasur
he termed an unrneasur
yardstick"" of customary
able yardstick
use.
and traditional use.
Hammond , a guide prior to
tovemors'
tovemor's
toYemor'
his election to the toYemor
cuschair , said that under the cusrequire.
tomary and traditional require.
subsistence law is repealed as
ments of the law , he might
the sportsmen
want .,
sportsmens groups want.
want
""be
be granted special subsistence
it ""could
could do more Injury to
privileges by simple virtue of
( the sportsmen ) than to those
area residency while , say , an
are
"
they view as their opponents.
opponents .
Anchorage Native with but
la
If the subsistence repeal is
disone-tenth
of my income is dis"
will
passed , ft
"prohibit
prohibit
using
it
qualified "
peed factor in determining
any need
'
'
"
;
.,
based
need
,
-
'
;
j
'
"
*
_
one
tenth
subsistence preference as well
govern-as inviting the federal govern
ment to manage fish and game
resources on federal lands , "
Hammond pointed out and adad
ad""As one who remembers
ded.
ded., As
well that the statehood battle
largely premised on the charge
that we could betiei
thai
better manage
fed-our affairs than could the fed
1
'
can't believe
eral govcrnmem
government l cant
sup-that most Alaskans would sup
thai
port return to such splintered
management which can only
,
Hammond did not present
legislation or the
proposed legis1ati6n
economic criteria to the Legis ,
back up his sugges.
sugges.
lature to lback
tions.., however , and that drew
tions
criticism from Roger Lang ,
Alas..
outgoing president of the Alas
Foundation .
lea
ka Native Foundation.
Lang said the Hammond
Haiti.
speech was ""a typical Ham
Haiti.
mond speech
He
.
tie doesnt
doesn't'
a
suggest anything concrete He
suggest an amendment
doesn't
doesnt' sagest
*
doosn present
to the jhWi
Ile doesn
law: H
'
new
legislationAe
legislationAe'
legislation.
He jus
new legislation
Just com
. 'He
comcom'
' ''well
sub..*
ub.
well without
yeryweB
'without ''-tub
ments , yery'weB
very Important
stance on
on
'on
matter.
matter. "
Lang said that when the law
was
first being discussed In the
wuArst
'
ub
s-
' t
i4
Legislature and at public hear *
"
state
itate , the
ings throughout the "state
need criteria was discussed and
ome
included in this law to carne
extent.
extent.
w
""But
But the Income matter
doesn't
doesnt' mean doodely . . .
The resources still have to be
managed.
managed. The pressure to man
man-age a moose or caribou herd
in--'
is still there regardless of in'
in
come and trying to Ignore the
subsistence ose of those herds
foolish.. "
is foolish
Lang termed the Hammond
."
speech ""a nonstand.
non-stand.
""It's
' hard to
( o tell what he
it..
thinks because he waffles on it
'
initiative
He says 'defeat
defeat the initiatives
'
he's
.
law.
hes*'
but amend the law If he
mend .
serious let him write an amend.
amend
*
ment and talk about that ,'?'
Lang.
said Lang.
Ferguson ,
Sen., Frank Perguson
State Sen.
Federa-president of the Alaska Federa
tion of Natives which is spear *,
Its
a non
stand.
stand
nempaign . to retain
campaign
heading the campaign.
bo was
subsistence
statute also
the
Hammond
'acrltical , of the Hanunond
'critical
critical
said
id simply *"
"there
and.. aa
speechspeech'' and
there
speech
"
senti ,c9mprbmise ,* a ..-sendenti
send
Is no c9mpr6nuse
by\antibyanti-subsis
ubsis
ment
ment. ., echoed
ment
actiidsts"
actiidsts
tence activist
"
tlie fonneif
former
--Nels
-Nets
AndersoUt
-Anderson, the
Nets Anderson
Nels
"
representativewho
was
representative who war
was"
state representative"who
'
'
pro-prw
to coordinate the , pro
hired 'to'
issue',',
side of the issue
subsistence ,; tide
issue
.'
'
'week
in' Juneau last weeic
week and
was A.
, in
Monday.
Monday and could not be
Monday
'
comment' .,
reached for comment
Another observer who Asked
tab be quoted by name
name laid
said
not 16
"
'concerned that the
concerned
he was "concerned
does not understand
governor doer
subsistence , economy has
that subsistenceeconarhy
nothing to do 'with
'with ''income
aiwome
income
**
"
welfare..
and welfare
Don Mitchell , an attorney
" Fed
working , for the Alaska"FedAlaska
workingfor
Alaska"Fed
AlaskaFed
; ration of Natives said he ''-felt
eration
'
warhftgs
w'arhftgs
on the
.the
Hammond's' warnings
Hammonds
Hamniondt
Hamniond't
.he
''repeal
elate
epeal
of
problems with state
werte
well
we
found.
found.'
the, initiative
lnitlatlvp
hopes':'''that
hopet
hi hopet'
ed and he said he
hat
that
pay
pay
'AlaUcanf
"Alaskans ''pay
pay'' particular
Alaskans
all "AlaUcanf
'
his expression of
attention'
attentioni; to Us
concern.
concern
concerti.
concerti .
thatthe
But the suggestion , that.the
.,
was
was
amended
witli'-'
met with'
witli'
law be
witli
with
-
,
byanti
\
anti
subsis
by
s-
,
,
,
"
to
A
.
'
,
,
t-
""r-
1
'
,
-
r
byJMitchclLwhoi
.less
bY Mit4hcllwho
less
.Jess concern
*
said "
"that
that wMlusWHarnwasusfIstHartn,
wasusfIstHartn
wMlusWHarn
'
"
,
:
talking.
talking
." ' .
talking
mone t( talking'
mon
,
'
13ondaprant
'
paler? Bondaurant'
Bondaurant 'W
W the
, Pal
Alaska for'.f
g1satHuntIng
EqUalHunting
for . EqUal.Hunting
and. . , w
for.f
and
forf
.,
Fishing RighM
rRights - committee , ,
said he wanted tar
to
, however ,
'
'
'
the
'un'til
'until
comment
until
wait 'for
for
*
groups
group's
board-could
could,
group '! governing , board
analyze the statements 'and
analyle
'and
statement ., '
issue al formal statement.
statement
)
\ t
-
'
board
could
-
Adams ''of
Rep.. At Adam
liep
State Rep
of
ICotzabue , a member1
,
Kotzebue
the
members ofi
of
'coalition who
majority 'coalition
'House inajoritt
House
Sumon
Sum-*
also sat ""on
on a Subsistence Sum
this fall , said the pro
mat
pro--,
mil Panel thi
pra
posal to amend the statute
.would
statute
would put the entire , .statute
"
'
vote"and
he
.legislative1
legislative1
to'slegislative"vote"and
voteand
toslegislativevoteand
up to'
to .,
,
'
,
.,
.
"
.4
opposes that,
oppose
I
'
""I
'" 1 think'wehad
thinkwehad
think we.
we had
hearings i tht
fall"
faU
this'; faU"
fall"
**'
summit.
summit.
,.
'
,
/'
.
,
''sutficient
sutficient
umcien
''with
with"
with
with"!' the
'
that he
/Adam's
agreed
'Adam's ,.agreed
.
Adam's
Adams
,
hi con ,
stdered the, statements nothing
sidered
than , (talk because n6 pro.
more thanalk
pro.?,
posed legislation came down
from Hammond ,, Adams
said '
satd
.,.Adams said'
'
'he
he
he believes"fhls
believes, "
Is'
believesfhls
some..
"this
Is' Jost .s-.-some
Isjust
ome.
ome
this' Is'just
thing he ''Aight"
might'
might dike
Aight
see
like to see
see..,
'
the
Perhaps he wantiE
want ( the.new
'the.new
thenew
., new gov
gal.
gal.
ern oft to do something On it.1'
emb
it.
it.1
it1
it."'
,
1
hg
"
,
,
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