On Saturday Jan. 14, the 55 Conference of Young Alaskans delegates are gathered in a meeting reminiscent of a legislative session in order to discuss and vote on goals developed for the five conference topics. Each topic; education, natural resources, family and community, leadership and Alaska Spirit, was prefaced by a keynote speaker.
The second topic addressed this evening was the development and conservation of the natural resources of the state. Fairbanks mayor Jim Whitaker began with a moving improvisational speech in which he reminded the delegates that the wealth of the state lies in its natural resources and that the keys to resource ownership are embedded in the Alaska Constitution. This launched an hour-long discussion between the delegates, moderated by head conference facilitator Brian Rogers.
The opinions on the management of natural resources varied widely among the delegates, as did the definition of natural resources. One COYA delegate pointed out that it's not just what is taken out of Alaska, but what's left in.
"I think we need to remember that our undeveloped lands are a great resource in the sense that they provide for tourism, recreation, subsistence, clean air and clean water. I think we also need to remember the role Alaska plays in the world. A lot of what we're referring to is how these resources can help us, but we are still a part of America and still receive a lot of Federal money. And also just the fact that there's not a lot of undeveloped, large, whole-scale ecosystems left and Alaska's one place where those exist."
Another delegate suggested that Alaska's location was one of its best resources.
"If you just look at a globe, Alaska is located basically in the dead center between Europe, Asia and North America and planes that are going to Seattle to Europe or Los Angeles to Europe fly over Alaska basically. Boats...that go from Beijing from San Francisco basically go along the Aleutian Chain. Alaska is right in the middle of all of this. But because we don't have the transportation infrastructure built, we don't get any part of it. Just by building the infrastructure, we can use the natural resource of our location. That's something that will never go away, that won't have any effect on other natural resources other than the impact of building that infrastructure and maintaining that infrastructure and the people that will be coming through the state."
After more than an hour of debate, one topic continued to resurface, conservation. COYA delegate David Dunsmore, of Anchorage, summed it up.
"It is important that we maximize the value of the oil and the gas and the minerals that are in our soil, but we also have to realize that Alaska is unique and that we have the vast undeveloped mental lands and the vast natural beauty of ecosystems and that is going to be our most valuable lasting resource."
Tomorrow, delegates will reconvene and continue to narrow down their issue goals, and from there will brainstorm action plans.
Delegates discuss natural resources
Delegate and ATMI staffer Drew Cason discusses natural resource management.