The farm, forest, and grazing land of the state is a basic asset of the state. It is the policy of this chapter, in the interest of the health, safety, and general welfare of the people of the state, to provide for the development, use, and conservation of this land in accordance with its capabilities.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the orderly development of land, for guiding settlement, and for conserving soil and water and soil resources and controlling and preventing soil erosion.
The Alaska Natural Resource Conservation and Development Board is composed of five members. The commissioner or, in the absence of the commissioner, the director of agriculture, serves ex officio but without a vote on the board.
The commissioner shall appoint an executive director and clerical staff to assist the board.
The governor shall appoint members of the board subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the legislature in joint session.
Members of the board shall be resident bona fide users of land selected from the five major land areas of the state.
The five major land areas of the state are: (1) the Arctic and northwest Alaska; (2) the Yukon and Tanana Valleys; (3) southwest Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula; (4) southcentral Alaska; and (5) southeast Alaska.
The term of office of members is three years.
The board shall hold one regular meeting annually at the state capital and one or more additional meetings at a time and place in the state selected by the board.
The governor shall fill vacancies by appointment for the unexpired term.
Members receive no salary but receive the same per diem and travel expenses authorized for members of state boards.
(a) At the request of the commissioner, the board shall meet and advise the commissioner in the exercise of the powers, duties, and functions of the commissioner. (b) The board shall also (1) receive and review reports concerning the use of soil resources of the state; (2) hold public hearings and meetings to determine whether […]
The commissioner has the power to (1) conduct land capability surveys and investigations of potential agricultural areas and of soil conservation and erosion control, including necessary preventative and control measures, in the state; to publish the results of these surveys and investigations and to disseminate information concerning the results of the surveys and investigations to […]
A survey, investigation or plan for land may not be undertaken by the commissioner and measures for soil conservation and erosion control may not be carried out without the prior approval of the user of the land.
(a) The commissioner may, on the recommendation of the board, create soil and water conservation districts in the state upon petition signed by 25 or more land users setting out the proposed boundaries of the proposed district. The commissioner shall fix a time for and give notice of a public hearing based on the petition […]
In this chapter, (1) “board” means the Alaska Natural Resource Conservation and Development Board; (2) “land user” or “user of land” means a person who (A) is a producer of renewable resources, including farming and forestry; and (B) has a current cooperative agreement with a soil and water conservation district.
