Eric Anslinger- Vice President Interior Alaska
As an adult on set hunter, I spent the first seven years of my relationship with the
outdoors simply entranced in natures wonders and beauty. I never paid much attention to why
bag limits were what they were, why private land owners got extra tags, or what the Pittman
Roberston Act was. I was truly just chasing critters without a care in the world. As I changed
states a few times over the years after my departure from Alaska in the mid 2000’s, I noticed
stark differences in rules, culture, and wildlife management. I scoured forums constantly trying
to learn things. I had no mentor or family history of hunting and was constantly hunting new
areas. In my search for knowledge, I found something else. I started to read threads with folks
complaining, not just about gear or blown stalks. They were complaining about access, other
hunters, non-hunters, wildlife managers, and well I think you get the picture. Randy Newberg
soon became my adopted uncle. Although we’ve met, I’m sure he’s unaware of his title. All
jokes aside, watching his videos and seeing him champion public lands really set something a
flame inside of me. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the majority of my adult life in Alaska;
however, living down in “the states” gave me a real appreciation for folks struggling with access
issues or a lack of public land.
I was blessed with the opportunity to return to this amazing state in the summer of 2021. I
immediately began to research issues, and in October of that year I attend my first Advisory
Committee meeting. I was hooked on the process and jumped in both feet first. I started
joining clubs that year, the first was the Resident Hunters of Alaska (RHAK). I soon after joined
AOC and the Chinta Dipnetters Association. I followed the Facebook pages and enjoyed the
newsletters. It wasn’t until 2023 that my smart aleck mouth got me into well, I wouldn’t say
trouble but, my life hasn’t been the same ever since. On Facebook I was going round-for-round
with a few folks on one of the hunting pages that were, at best, ill-informed on some matters. A
gentleman by the name of Michael Quinn felt compelled to invite me to a local meeting that
was known as the Laundry House Gang. For those of you familiar, this group needs no
introduction. This group is a conglomerate of some of the most amazing, influential, and
accomplished folks in Alaska’s interior. My invite was set as a challenge; would I buckle in-
person because I was an alleged internet troll or was I ready to dive head first into the wild
world of outdoor politics?
If you’ve made it this far, you can surmise that I was beyond excited for these new challenges.
My opportunity was volunteering on the banquet committee for RHAK. I was blown away by
the effort folks put into these organizations. It was beyond my comprehension what it takes to
sustain an organization year-to-year. Then, I joined many more local outdoor groups and began
my first conquest, the battle against the Alaska Long Trail (ALT).
For those unfamiliar the trail was proposed to have a National Scenic Trail (NST) designation
and run from Seward to Fairbanks. On the surface, it seems like I would be nuts to oppose such
a thing. I’m glad some folks do believe I’m nuts, and I hope that some of them are reading this
article. This one issue brought to light so many lessons, conflicts, and learning experiences for
me. The first issue at hand is the trail’s designation. A NST designation brings forth tons of
restrictions. The largest of these would be no motorized access on or across the trail. This
would be devastating for hunters, trappers, adventures, or whichever outdoor “ers”.
To jump out a place for a moment, I currently serve as AOC’s VP Interior, and I care very greatly
about the region and the users in it. When looking at the ALT proposed mapping units 20A and
20C were going to be affected greater than any other in the state. So, what do you do? Get the
word out any way you can! Letter after letter left my outbox to both our state and federal
legislators. Another issue here was misinformation, some NGO’s were pushing this as a great
economic opportunity for the state. Under current Alaska law, this just isn’t true. While some
individuals could profit from the ALT, the state and its general fund would see almost zero
dollars.
This brought me down the “990 rabbit hole”. If you’re so inclined, the 990 form is a tax form
used by all NGO’s. Go see where the NGO’s you support spend their money and where they get
it from. This is the dark side of nonprofits folks try to avoid. Some of the groups trying to
restrict your access receive millions in federal grants, pay themselves hundreds of thousands in
salaries, and give out little to no money in grants or programs here in the state. This one issue
alone could take up all the space in this newsletter, but I will digress. From Board of Game
meetings, where I’ve seen public comment sway a vote or be ignored completely, to legislators
trying to assign user groups designated seats on the Board of Fish, make no mistake the realm
of political wildlife management is a mess.
Its not all doom and gloom, though. I’ve peeked behind the curtain and there are rays of light
amidst the chaos. I have met some amazing folks on this journey that care more than you could
ever imagine. However, one thing I see repeatedly is lack of participation. I can go to any
outdoor event, meeting, public hearing, or banquet and know almost everyone there. Yes, yes I
know Alaska and the interior is small. Many of the same people are burning the candle at both
ends trying to help increase or maintain access or open harvest opportunity. It’s not fair to
them, and I have seen way too many outdoorsmen with the ‘head in the sand’ mentality. We
need more voices, lots more. A splash of youth and new perspective is even more critical than
numbers at this point. I could be the son or grandson of most of my counterparts. These folks
all have a wealth of knowledge and most of have even been around since statehood. These are
great qualities in a person that you would choose to represent your interests. The future
landscape of Alaska’s game and fish will be the younger generations to bear. I’ll wrap up this
article with a call to action – Get involved! Even if you’re new to the outdoors – male, female,
young, old, or just uncertain – Volunteer! Our youth and our great state need you!
