News from the Senate Majority

Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

For Immediate Release: April 4, 1997 Contact: Senator Jerry Mackie, 907/465-4925

Senate Votes To Expand Shuyak Island State Park

Juneau -- The Alaska Senate Friday passed legislation by a vote of 17 to 3 to consolidate all public land on Shuyak Island into the Shuyak Island State Park.

"This legislation is one of the final actions of a long and complex effort by state and federal authorities and locally affected municipalities to compensate for the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill," said Senator Jerry Mackie (D-Craig), who sponsored Senate Bill 64.

Mackie explained that Shuyak Island was the first part of the Kodiak borough to be heavily impacted by the westward streaming oil patches and tar balls from the 1989 accident. One of the provisions of the spill settlement was the establishment of a joint federal and state council to manage remediation and recovery efforts.

These responsibilities include the replacement of lost fish and wildlife habitat with the acquisition and protection of other high value habitat. It is for this purpose that the Oil Spill Trustee Council selected the borough's Shuyak Island lands and purchased them in 1996. The final part of this effort is the consolidation of all public lands under the management of the Shuyak Island State Park.

"There was little controversy in the local Kodiak area over this settlement," said Mackie.

"People from the region feel comfortable about the decision to turn this land over to park management because their rights of access to continue traditional activities such as hunting, fishing, trapping and subsistence use have been guaranteed. In addition, people who have private land holdings on the island will not be affected by the park expansion," Mackie said.

###

Broadcast Note: Radio actualities are available by calling 800/465-6540.