Senator relates salmon-population crash study, gets updates on agriculture, infrastructure, ambulance service
Alaska U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan stopped by Delta Junction this weekend during a road trip around the Interior to meet with constituents. The senator talked about a new study on declining salmon populations and other issues. And he heard residents’ feedback about agriculture, infrastructure and emergency services.
It’s August and the Senate is in recess, so Sullivan and his staff embarked on a road trip Saturday to talk with Alaskans around the state about what’s on their mind.
“We’re going to be in Glennallen, Gulkana, Valdez,” he said, “taking the Marine Highway to Whittier, back to Anchorage. And we’re going to be heading to St. Paul, Kotzebue, the North Slope.”
Sullivan said in an interview that he wants to among other things share a new report by the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force that outlines its plans to investigate declining salmon run causes and find solutions.
“We’ve seen some devastating runs on some of our most important rivers, the Yukon-Kuskokwin, and some of our iconic species – think Yukon kings.”
The senator sponsored legislation two years ago that created the study group, which he said calls for more federal research and funding and a variety of perspectives on the issue.
“We know different stakeholder groups have different interests, different views,” he said. “Let’s all put down our swords and trust each other here to know that we’re going to the same goal, which is strong healthy sustainable salmon fisheries throughout our state.”
Sullivan said the task force report is the first step in what’s likely to be a long path to solutions. Meanwhile, he heard an upbeat report on food security from a group in Delta Junction.
“I just was on a farm with a thousand head of cattle! Pretty amazing – who knew?”
Sullivan says area farmers and ranchers asked him about funding for Alaska in e farm bill that Congress is working on. And they emphasized the importance of maintaining support for the Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“Y’know, we have the potential to turn Alaska into a really big farming state!”
He says farmers and others voiced support for better transportation infrastructure, including a railroad extension to bring in supplies like fertilizer, and to export locally produced grain and other products. Sullivan says he supports a rail line extension because it would benefit the state and take pressure off the highway system that’s increasingly being used to haul heavy loads.
“In so many ways – our military, our national security, our resources-development sector, our ag sector -- just our overall economy.”
Sullivan says the Defense Department’s buildup in Alaska will continue, because the National Defense Authorization Act before Congress includes 800-million dollars for military construction in Alaska.
Delta-area residents and community leaders also asked for funding to support ambulance service.
“This is always a challenge with regard to health-care delivery in our rural communities. … And we want to be able to try to work with the community and brings some solutions to an issue that I think is concerning a lot of people.”
Sullivan is likely to hear more about the issue in Glennallen, which also is struggling to pay for ambulance service.
