Alaska Lands

April 1, 1979 Resolutions

Number: 1979-36

 

WHEREAS, the protection of Alaska lands under provisions of Section 17(d)(2) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act expired on December 19, 1978; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Branch of the Federal Government used existing law to protect certain lands until the Congress can act on designating suitable areas for incorporation into the National Park, Wildlife Refuge, Forest, and Wild and Scenic River Systems as envisioned by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; and

WHEREAS, this organization remains convinced that conservation units can be set aside in Alaska with a minimum of conflicts over needful commodity uses affecting the livelihoods and well-being of Alaskans;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 22-25, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario, hereby re-emphasizes its strong appeal to the Congress to incorporate the following principles into the Alaskan lands legislation currently under consideration:

  1. Management by the State of Alaska of fish and resident wildlife;
  2. Placement of areas determined by wildlife managers to have significant harvestable wildlife populations under those designations that mandate continuing sport hunting, fishing, and trapping opportunities;
  3. Guaranteed public access to and use of public rivers, lakes, conservation units, and oceans;
  4. Consideration of the traditional sports of hunting, fishing, and trapping equal to that of other types of outdoor recreation;
  5. Recognition that fish and wildlife and wilderness and outdoor recreational resources constitute values of importance to Alaska and the Nation which are at least equally significant–if not more so–than any other land and water values and should thus be protected;
  6. Mineral extraction and timber harvest where permitted on Federal lands, only under strict environmental controls which protect wildlife habitat, surface values, and water quality; and
  7. Inclusion of complete ecosystems insofar as possible in the selection and designation of the several Federal land systems, when consistent with the above-listed points.