Number: 1980-32
WHEREAS, the State of Alaska is blessed with spectacular and varied natural resources, including unmatched land and water habitats, wildlife populations, and scenic wonders; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress is in the process of designating portions of Alaska’s federal lands regarding the future management and use of these resources; and
WHEREAS, it is essential that these lands be managed wisely to provide maximum long range public benefits; and
WHEREAS, this organization remains convinced that conservation units can be set aside in Alaska with a minimum of conflicts over needed 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 20-23, 1980, in Miami Beach, Fla., hereby expresses its conviction that the Congress should initiate applicable legislation in accordance with these principles;
- management by the State of Alaska of fish and resident wildlife;
- guaranteed public access to and use of public rivers, lakes, conservation units, and oceans;
- consideration of the traditional sports of hunting, fishing and trapping equal to that of other types of outdoor recreation;
- 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;
- mineral extraction and timber harvest, where permitted on federal lands, must be conducted under strict environmental controls which protect wildlife habitat, surface values, and water quality; and
- inclusion of complete ecosystems insofar as possible in the selection and designation of the several federal land systems, when consistent with the above-listed principles; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization finds the Senate Energy Committee’s approach (S.9) to the management of Alaska lands to be unsatisfactory because it is overly representative of development interests; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports the expeditious consideration and enactment of legislation which best incorporates the above-listed principles and which is similar to H.R. 39, as passed by the House of Representatives on May 16, 1979.