WTH Alaska Department of Fish and Game

[Ben Lamb]

Was this ever in question?

 

[LopeHunter]

I meant it’s a different story in terms of expense.

3 Rules of Attracting a Sugar Mama while a college student to obtain hunting funds:
1. Be attractive
2. Be attractive
3. Be attractive

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Sue them for emotional pain and suffering. Damages awarded to be a Dall Sheep tag not subject to being accompanied by an outfitter.

I settle with a 'in-writing' quote from the state of Alaska that it's not in the public best interest to know where the boundary lines of their big game units are, beyond an 8x11 .pdf map.

If that's the standard then they have to hold troopers to that otherwise it's arbitrary and capricious. I'm not even saying OnX, like if a trooper wants to say you're out of the unit they need to do it with an 8x11 map they can't have a paper map at a different scale.

 

[Irrelevant]

Point now is that I made a Public Records request and it's not being responded to, denied or accepted, within the statutorily defined time frame.

If you're serious, a letter reminding them of their own statutory requirements from your preferred legal counsel, with the appropriate 'cc's might get you a quick response.

 

[Ben Lamb]

If you're serious, a letter reminding them of their own statutory requirements from your preferred legal counsel, with the appropriate 'cc's might get you a quick response.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

 

[FairWeather]

3 Rules of Attracting a Sugar Mama while a college student to obtain hunting funds:
1. Be attractive
2. Be attractive
3. Be attractive

Truer words were never spoken.
So, like I said, times were hard.

 

[44hunter45]

It’s public data that per state law should be released, so that’s my point.

Further I’ve worked for state gov and dealt with data requests, therefore I feel like I have a decent handle on what’s reasonable.

Use your work email domain and tell them you need it for O&G exploration. They will have a guy in a helicopter deliver to you on a thumb drive.

 

[Bambistew]

If you're serious, a letter reminding them of their own statutory requirements from your preferred legal counsel, with the appropriate 'cc's might get you a quick response.

Include the DNR commissioner. Its a small state, and you may even get a phone call back.

We were in the processes of moving offices a few years back. I had to pull a building permit to do some minor work on the interior and needed fire marshal approval to move an exit sign. We are in the "state" area vs the municipality, so it had to go through the local state office for approval instead of walking in the door and talking to someone. They had a ton of layoffs and turnover and permits were getting delayed. In my previous life I got a lot of fire marshal approvals and it was pretty easy. No such process on the state level, take a number and get in line. After 3 times of getting told I was a week out of getting a review (this was after 4 months, and being in the que, and then moved to the back of the line because they gave me the "wrong number") I emailed the state fire marshal and cc the commissioner. I got a phone call back in about 20 min later and had a permit in hand by the end of the day. The state FM wasn't impressed with me, but I wasn't going to take his worthless apology, the state was holding up commerce due to their inability to perform. It couldn't have taken the FM more than 3 min to review the plans if that and approve it.

 

[Akcabin]

I suspect that there may not be any documented boundary lines. And that the gmu boundary lines were set by the board of game. Most seem to follow a river or if there is a road it could be used. But most of the state is pretty remote and mountains.
I guess if I thought I could possibly be near a boundary I would call ak troopers wildlife division with coordinates n ask them.
My thoughts are FnG manage the wildlife but do not set the boundary lines for gmu. But hey still lots of great places to hunt. Remember take one make one

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I suspect that there may not be any documented boundary lines. And that the gmu boundary lines were set by the board of game. Most seem to follow a river or if there is a road it could be used. But most of the state is pretty remote and mountains.
I guess if I thought I could possibly be near a boundary I would call ak troopers wildlife division with coordinates n ask them.
My thoughts are FnG manage the wildlife but do not set the boundary lines for gmu. But hey still lots of great places to hunt. Remember take one make one

The boundaries are defined by a legal, written, description. As they are in literally without exception every other state. These written descriptions are interpreted by a GIS technician at the state, and they create the maps that Alaska Fish and Game disseminates. The legally binding boundary is the written description, if it says "the river" and the line on the map is the old centerline and the river moves the boundary moves with it. The boundary is the centerline of the river not what it was at point in time.

This is well established. All states provide maps of their units + their source data. The maps exist and therefore the source data exists.

If Alaska says hey commercial fisherman took X tons of salmon this year, anyone can go to the department and say "please show me your receipts, show me the source documents that you used. This is part of the state statutes.

Here I'm asking for the source data, they have it obviously because they make maps and specifically because they have told me they do, their department has said it won't release it.

The pubic should be able to request this data, you might have to pay a fee for the use of staff time, but you are entitled to the information. If it is 'protected' you have to be told why, and you have to be given a process to appeal. That's the law, the state has to follow the law, I have to follow the law, you have to follow the law.

My request has nothing to do with wondering where a boundary is in the field, finding a spot to hunt, trying to hunt easier.

It's about requesting records created by the state, that they are bound by law to release, unless they demonstrate that they have sufficient reason not to.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Include the DNR commissioner. Its a small state, and you may even get a phone call back.

I got a phone call from the/a assistant director about my request. He said he was going to look into the issue and request, but on the face of it didn't know why unit boundaries were restricted and agreed that they are not in other states.

He did mention that in general Alaska, because of the federal subsistence issues, has a more complicated regulatory environment and that because of that fact has to be more careful with data of all kinds.

That's an angle I hadn't considered, but which I'm very sympathetic.