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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 112
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
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Question Do you think the minimum wage should be raised? n Yes; or n No. To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com. Results and selected comments will be posted each Tuesday in the Clarion, and a new question will be asked. Suggested questions may be submitted online or e-mailed to news@peninsulaclarion.com.
BY ELWOOD BREHMER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
In the news Bill would allow Alaskans to invest in pipeline
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JUNEAU — An Anchorage senator has introduced legislation that would allow Alaskans to use parts of their Permanent Fund dividends to invest in a North Slope natural gas pipeline. Sen. Lesil McGuire says SB164 would essentially allow Alaskans to buy stock in the pipeline and earn interest on their investment. She said in a release that she wants to get Alaskans “reinvigorated” about the state’s oil and gas industry by allowing them a chance to have an equity share, or a “piece of the pipe.” The state is currently weighing an ownership stake in a liquefied natural gas project.
Senate Education Committee to hear ed bill JUNEAU — The Senate Education Committee is slated to continue hearing Gov. Sean Parnell’s omnibus education bill. The massive bill to be heard Monday, among other things, proposes raising the base student allocation and repealing the high school graduation exam. The bill also would also increase the stipend for boarding schools. The committee also is scheduled to continue hearings on state kindergarten through third grade reading program requirements. — The Associated Press
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Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Brent Johnson, a commercial setnetter from Clam Gulch, talks about his proposal to allow setnetters to fish an experimental type of setnet he calls special harvest modules, Thursday during the triennial Board of Fisheries meeting on the Upper Cook Inlet.
Fishing for a change
stock healthy. In the chaos of closure and the subsequent disaster decANCHORAGE — Change laration, some of the longestis hard. The evolution of com- running commercial fishers in mercial setnetting in the Cook the Cook Inlet decided it was time for a change. Inlet is no different. As king salmon runs continue to decline, keeping nets Cutting back out of the water and fishers off Gary Hollier has known he the Kenai River, the East Side Setnet Fishery has seen its has a king salmon problem for time reduced, gear restricted some years. The 43-year vetand full-on closure in the past eran of the commercial fishfew years as Alaska Depart- ing in the inlet watched red ment of Fish and Game man- salmon jump on the beach in agers struggle to put enough 2012 when the setnet fleet was fish in the river to keep the largely shut out of its season. By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
So, he bought some twine and spent his time before the 2013 fishing season, holed up in his shop cutting foot after foot from his nets. He shortened about half of the 24 nets he and his crew fished last season. At five hours of modification time per net, the task was daunting. Staff at ADFG gave Hollier logbooks and he kept track of how many red salmon and how many king salmon he caught in his nets, how deep the net was and the stage of the tide. “We tried to be as accurate
as we could,” Hollier said. “So if all my compliment of nets would have been shallow nets, I’m saying I would have conservatively had a savings of 50 percent.” It’s a reduction in red salmon as well, but Hollier is all about business when he talks about the experimentation. “We’re in a tough situation, Board of Fish is in a tough situation, all users are in a tough situation. We need to fish when the reds are there and keep our sockeye to king ratio high. Last year on our peak day, we See FISH, page A-10
In-step with Gov. Sean Parnell’s message of fiscal restraint, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Deputy Commissioner John Binder said the Statewide Aviation division is returning to its basic responsibilities. “Along the line of the governor’s State of the State address (Jan. 25) is a focus a lot on our core competencies and our core mission — making sure we’re providing that rural access, fix and maintain the things we have and finishing everything we’ve started without a whole lot of emphasis on going out and looking for new projects,” Binder said. After joining DOT in June 2013 as aviation operations manager, Binder took over for former deputy commissioner and head of state aviation Steve Hatter Jan. 7. He will address the Alaska Air Carriers Association Feb. 18 at its annual convention in Anchorage. Winters with several freezethaw cycles, such as the one the state is experiencing now, strain localized airport operations budgets by forcing additional resources and money towards sanding, de-icing and surface maintenance, Binder said. The funds not used in winter typiSee DOT, page A-10
Changes in works at Kachemak reserve By MICHAEL ARMSTRONG Morris News Service-Alaska Homer News
HOMER — Although Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials have been exploring a new state partner for the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the prospect of declining budgets for the Division of Sport Fish, its current home, does not mean the reserve will close or move. “That’s not the case,” said former research reserve manager Terry Thompson. Thompson ended his tenure as manager this week and is now the statewide communications
and outreach coordinator for the Division of Sport Fish. He will be based in Homer but spend part of his time in Anchorage. As a measure of its commitment to keeping the reserve open, the state seeks to hire a new manager and will begin recruiting soon, said Lisa Evans, assistant director for the Division of Sport Fish. At the Jan. 27 Homer City Council meeting, James Hornaday and Ralph Broshes, two members of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Community Council, the research reserve’s citizen advisory group, made a 10-minute presentation about the importance of
the reserve in which they raised concerns about its future. “The general fund outlook for fiscal year 2015 is uncertain but suggests a shortfall will happen that will necessitate a reduction to the reserve,” Broshes said. Revenues for the Sport Fish Division have been declining over the past five years because of a decrease in sport fish license fees and federal receipts from sales of fishing gear, Evans said. An impact to the reserve hasn’t been felt until this year. Evans said Fish and Game has submitted a fiscal year 2015 budget request that might have some reductions in the reserve’s budget, but that she hopes that does not
mean staff reductions. “Our first and primary goal has always been in this division to preserve staff,” she said. The research reserve was designated Alaska’s first research reserve in 2002. It is the 22nd research reserve in the National Estuarine Research Reserve, or NERR, system under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The reserve does both research and education. Research activities have included studies of Kachemak Bay shoreline erosion, changes in glaciers and monitoring of invasive species. The reserve staff also do educational projects like the popular Discovery Labs.
NERRs are created in partnerships between NOAA and a state entity. In Alaska, the partnership initially was with the Fish and Game Habitat Division. When Gov. Frank Murkowski moved the Habitat Division from Fish and Game, the reserve was moved to the Division of Sport Fish. Funding is 35 percent from NOAA and 40 percent from Fish and Game, Broshes said. Discussions about finding a new state agency for the research reserve started because the Sport Fish Division does not feel it’s the best fit. While there is some overlap in research into issues like salmon habitat or the effect See BAY, page A-10
Kenai Fire Chief Tilly retires By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
After 23 years serving the City of Kenai, Fire Chief Mike Tilly hung his hat up for the last time Friday. The Kenai Fire Department celebrated Tilly’s career with a retirement party at the station on Wednesday. Firefighters from Seward, Nikiski and Soldotna came to offer well wishes. Former Kenai assistant fire chief James Baisden, now chief at Nikiski Fire Department, presented him with an achievement award –a golden
fire ax wall mount. Tilly, 47, said it has been an honor to work for the community and appreciated the opportunity the city has given him. He served as fire chief the last seven years and said while the department has grown, the job remains the same. “We are still running red trucks with wet water out of a fire hose,” he said. “When the bells go off you have a chance to help somebody. That’s what brings a lot of people to the career.” Tilly moved to the Kenai Peninsula from Fairbanks in 1990. He started his firefighting career
at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, working for the university fire department. He said four current firefighters from the Kenai station graduated from the same program. When he started here in 1990, only three firefighters worked on a shift and he was the first paramedic hired by the city. Now one of his last decisions was hiring a seventh paramedic, Ben Nabinger, a local guy who starts Feb 18. Photo by Dan Balmer Peninsula Clarion “I still appreciate the chief who sat at this desk and hired Kenai Fire Chief Mike Tilly retired after 23 years of service to the City of Kenai. On Wednesday the department held a retireSee FIRE, page A-10 ment party and presented Tilly with an achievement award. C
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