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One man, doing the right thing
unique authority to manage its rivers. And the court agreed, holding that it is the state of Alas- ka and not the Federal government that sets the rules on Alaska’s waterways. The court thought this issue was so important they took up the case twice, Sturgeon said. “It is very unusual also, they almost never take case a second time. That only happens once every seven to eight years. “What was surprising is that it was unani- mous. We were expecting a narrow decision, but it was very clear when they got done. We hoped for six votes, but never dreamed of nine, espe- cially with the decision written by Justice Kagan. She did ask during testimony why the Parks Ser- vice was trying to manage property owned by the State of Alaska.” Why would anyone take on the daunting task ZQʭRS_TYR_SP@>2ZaP]YXPY_* Sturgeon says they made him mad. “My personal opinion is that the Parks Service has a pretty arrogant attitude. They never once reached out to me once in 12 years. “I guess having been in the timber industry and dealt with the Federal Government for a lot of years and their arrogant attitude. So, when I started exploring this, to decide if I was right, and doing my homework, they (Federal repre- sentatives) would get frustrated. “They’d say ‘You know, if you don’t like what we are doing, sue us. And good luck suing us… we’ve got a building full of lawyers.” He said the recurring and condescending way the Federal government has treated him made the victory even sweeter. It was clear that the court rejected bad behavior by U.S. Parks Service employees, he said. “They (the justices) weren’t very kind to the Parks Service.” Several experts have commented on the rather
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BY LEE LESCHPER Alaskans continue to step up and truly impact the future of our state. Such is the case with John Sturgeon, who just won a second 9-0 unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, reestablishing Alaska’s right to manage its own waterways. Rather than col- lective federal management as one vast national park. Often portrayed as just a moose hunter with a hovercraft, Sturgeon has spent his entire career in the forestry industry and has worked tirelessly on conservation, wildlife and resource develop- ment issues. And, his determination to stay the course and hold federal agents accountable will be a lesson for generations of Alaskans to come. Yet he’s still humble about his role as the David defeating the Federal Goliath. “I wasn’t really surprised, because when the Supreme Court takes a case, that’s the biggest hurdle. They took 41 of about 8,000 appeals this time. But normally they take cases of nationwide interest like the Second Amendment.” In brief, the court ruled that the state of Alaska owns and controls navigable waterways including those that run through Federal lands, whether park or refuge. Sturgeon was using a hovercraft to travel the Nation River to hunt moose when U.S. Parks Service rangers gave him a verbal warning, noting park service rules that outlaw the use of hovercraft within national parks. Sturgeon argued that ANILCA gave Alaska
April 2019
The Alaska Miner
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