2022_01_18 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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also were lands that were going to be more available to the people, cultural resources, hunting resources, land resources, and I’m not one to say, that those lands specifically should only be used for this or that and the other I’m just telling us as I’ve discovered this that here’s this asset right in front of us that we didn’t know was there and, yeah, there’s issues, don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty issues in terms of managing directly – but even getting permits and so forth – I don’t want to diminish that – but there it is and they’re not trivial. I started looking at the USGS Soils Maps – the new ones – they’re online – I’m not really good with my computer but I could stumble around and see, but those – I could see what those lands look like, I mean, I’ve been there but not – it’s hard to get through that waiwi – it’s hard to go in there. You look at them from a soils perspective and see what soil productivity index is there and what other – you know there’s hundreds and hundreds of waterfalls, of course, but I’m imagining the cultural sites are plentiful as well – that’s a terrific, terrific resource that we haven’t accounted for – at least I haven’t accounted for. I know when I brought it up to other land managers and other regents that we’d always kind of looked at those Conservation lands as one do-not-go kind of place. And so that’s what made me really want to get together with this group and with others – the cattlemen included. I just think it’s a great public opportunity that needs to be explored more and I’m not saying the road – to getting even access is easy – I’m not saying that the government has money – all I can tell you is that I’ve seen what 60 local families can do on 23,000 acres of land – pretty impressive. So, if these are truly meant to be the lands of the people – well – we’re wrecking ‘em by neglect – and that’s not right – and, so, yes, I would have come here regardless, ah, just as myself – but I am a part of the Forest Industry Association and those lands, like I said, were set aside for commercial forestry as well as recreation. It seems like we have something in common – that we want to work on to improve and so that’s what brought me here and that’s kind of the end of that for now. Oh, I could say this too, I, I, you know I consider myself of a - somewhat knowledgeable. But this is all – this is very new. These lands are new – how to manage them is new – how to do it properly and productively, creatively – we haven’t done this and so it would be a mistake to look at, you know, me as the guy that’s had anything but experience and a passion, but that’s why to me it’s an all-in kind of discussion and the opportunities are really large for the community and, I just hate to see them diminishing. So that’s, oh, the waiwi – whether we all said, you know what, you know, we’re not gonna, we don’t want that bug up here but we’re gonna manage that place – hey, I’d be a happy guy – it would be expensive – there’s a tool that’s out there that we know may have a use – but we’ll discover other tools – but the main thing is my goodness – here’s a landscape that’s been set aside – now what are we gonna do with it? That’s a discussion I’d like to engage in overtime and get smarter about those lands and smarter about the laws and, understand how one could handle – like we’ve seen and you’ve seen agricultural, you’ve seen farmers clearing the land with heavy equipment and tools and they seem to be able to keep the waiwi out – so it’s not impossible but we just can’t turn our back on those lands and they climb up and abut the Conservation P lands – good – you know, it’s all one place and if they’re better managed and we have better control of what’s going on there – I think this would be – that would be very beneficial everywhere – it’s on all 5