(JUNEAU) - The grants for purchase of the Waterfall parcel within Perenosa Bay on Afognak Island have been submitted to the Legislature by Governor Frank Murkowski. House Bill 456 contains two line items that need approval by both the House and Senate.

The first item is for $2 million in total federal receipts from the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grant program to the Department of Natural Resources for the land acquisition on Northern Afognak Island. The second entry would appropriate $650,000 from conservation groups led by Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for the land parcel.

Representative Dan Ogg (R-Kodiak) indicated that he was very pleased with the process and for the cooperation he received from the governor and his staff in seeking receipt authority for the funds. "Governor Murkowski's support of this package is essential to ensure this restoration project moves forward," Ogg said. "There are hundreds of stakeholders in Kodiak that have supported this endeavor since Governor Walter Hickel proposed it in 1992," Ogg said.

In 2001, the Kodiak Brown Bear Trust, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the American Land Conservancy began working with landowners on a transaction approved in 2002 by state and federal agencies.

Rep. Ogg also noted that Senator Lisa Murkowski played a vital role in guaranteeing that the federal grants would be available. "In my many conversations with Senator Murkowski and her staff, it was clear that this was a high priority for her," Ogg said.

By the end of this week, the bill will have had one hearing in both the Senate and House Finance Committees. Rep. Ogg is hopeful that the final version will be on the floor in the next month or so.

Additional Contacts:

   Grant Parker, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
     (406) 523-4524

   Tim Richardson, American Land Conservancy
     (301) 770-6496

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