Now that the primaries are over, we are entering the fall season of discussing, debating and then voting for who will represent us in the state Legislature, the governor’s office and Congress for the next two, four or six years. Among the issues getting attention, I believe we need to include discussion of how, when and why we develop and manage our natural resources.
Whether we like it or not, Alaska is a resource development economy. We are dependent on nonrenewable resources — oil, gas and mining — and renewable resources — fisheries, wildlife, forestry, tourism and hydroelectric energy. The Permanent Fund is our newest renewable resource contributing to Alaska’s economy.
Alaska’s Constitution wisely includes several requirements for managing state-owned natural resources in Article VIII. First and foremost is the direction to make natural resources available for maximum use consistent with the public interest on a sustained-yield basis. Sustained yield is a natural resource management concept in which harvest rates are kept equal to or below natural growth and regeneration rates. Alaska’s Constitution offers some of the most progressive guidance on how to manage a state’s natural resources for the people on a sustained-yield basis.
In 2023, Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued The Alaska Standard: Inaugural Sustainability Report. In the press release for the report, Dunleavy is quoted as saying, “… we want the world to know that Alaska is the best place on the planet to do business that strikes the right balance between what’s best for both people and our environment.”
I agree with Dunleavy that we need to discuss the right balance for Alaska. I propose Alaskans use the following 12 themes to guide the discussion and action on sustainability. I believe these themes are more suited for Alaska than the 17 sustainable development goals created by the United Nations, as described in the report. I developed these 12 themes after years of experience in environmental management and practicing environmental stewardship in Alaska.
12 themes for sustainability and stewardship
• Uphold the principle of Alaska’s sustained yield
• Practice sustainable ecosystem management
• Cooperatively manage the common state resource
• Integrate sustainability across Alaska’s working landscapes and industries
• Practice environmental stewardship
• Respect Alaska Native knowledge and stewardship
• Enhance intergenerational responsibility
• Build collaborative community partnership
• Support community well-being, resilience and climate adaptation
• Develop education that includes an understanding of ecological and stewardship principles
• Practice sustainable engineering, planning and nature-based design
• Practice community and professional responsibility
Alaskans are already practicing some or all of the 12 themes in the following activities, for example:
• State management of fish and wildlife
• Co-management agreements between Alaska Native groups and federal agencies for marine mammals
• Community cooperation and industry development of the Red Dog Mine
• Cooperative management of Kenai River users, fisheries and watershed
• Regional Citizens Advisory Councils in Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet
• Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy
• Kenai River water quality monitoring
• Mat-Su Salmon Habitat Partnership
In this political season, I believe it is important to ask candidates for their opinions about protecting fish habitat, integrating sustainability into Alaska’s industries and supporting community well-being. My proposed themes are intended to be a middle-way alternative between the extremes of development that degrades habitat and lock-it-up environmentalism. These themes also focus on community well-being and local participation in development decisions. These themes are not proposed as government regulations, nor are they intended to promote a single development project such as the LNG project. Rather, they are intended to be an Alaska-based guide for community, industry and government discussion of cooperation in a growing number of partnerships in Alaska.
I encourage you to think about these 12 themes and identify which ones are most important to you, your family, business, church and community. Then, if you feel so moved, ask your candidates to address your favorite themes. I encourage all gubernatorial candidates to use these themes to guide their resource management decisions and to commit to developing and publishing an Alaska Sustainability Report during each year of their administration. It is in our public interest to have this conversation.
William Ashton is a retired environmental engineer who taught “Environmental Ethics for Engineers” at the University of Alaska Anchorage in the 1990s. He lives in Anchorage and has lived in Alaska for more than 45 years.
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