[MPWG] Berry picking in Alaska - public comment period

Tue Jul 5 07:15:24 CDT 2005

This issue does not appear to pertain to medicinals - but it does.

I received an e-mail about berry picking in Alaska that sparked my
curiousity.  So, I Googled for more information...Below is the original
message, as well as some additional information, including a request for
public comment from Alaska's Department of Natural Resources.

-Patricia

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

----- Original Message -----

Berry picking controversy
Everyone who enjoys picking wild berries in Southcentral Alaska should know
that a company named Denali Biotechnologies (funded by a $1.65 million
federal grant) intends to collect at least 150,000 pounds, and eventually
at least one million pounds, of wild blueberries in the Homer, Whittier,
Anchor Point and Seward areas starting this summer, and possibly in many
other areas as well.
Having picked many wild berries in Southcentral for years, I firmly believe
that this company’s industrial-scale harvesting will have a tremendously
negative impact on this resource, and effectively leave little or no
berries for the general public to pick in these areas. Furthermore, they
intend for their pickers to use hand rakes, which if not carefully used
often cause these plants to die, after two or three years of having most of
their leaves stripped off in the picking process. Once again, an Outside
business is being allowed to come in and exploit our resources, at the
expense of the Alaskan public. Area we going to permit this company to
threaten the tradition of gathering wild berries for personal use? I
encourage anyone concerned by this matter to contact the Alaska Department
of Natural Resources, stephen_bethune at dnr.state.ak.us, and tell them that
our wild berries should remain freely available, and not sold off to big
business.
Alan Kurczynski,
Chugiak

----- Additional Information  -----

Denali Biotechnologies is a nutraceutical firm that describes itself as:

  An innovative company dedicated to prospecting natural products for
  pharmaceutical discovery and development of scientifically-validated
  nutraceuticals from the extreme boreal environments of Alaska and
  neighboring territories. (http://sbd.bcentral.com/bc__314483.aspx)

They make a product call Aurora Blue, made from blueberries...

   Of at least ten wild species of Vaccinium that occur in Alaska, two of
   these, Alaska Black Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium Sm.), also known
   as Alaska Early Blueberry, and Bog Bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.),
   were selected for AuroraBlue(Embedded image moved to file: pic29358.gif)
   based on time-honored use in Alaska Native ethnomedicinal traditions.
   Black Huckleberries hang in bunches from highbush plants growing within
   the world's only temperate rainforests, whereas Bog Bilberries are
   lowbush species that grow prolifically on the permafrost tundra.
   Taxonomically, these wild species are as similar to blueberries as they
   are to more distantly related cranberries and possess biochemical
   characteristics of
   both. (http://www.denali-biotechnologies.com/aurora.aspx)

According to their website,

   The ingredients in AuroraBlue(Embedded image moved to file:
   pic26962.gif)Flavon-Plus Formula are the finest quality available. The
   berries are uncultivated, hand-gathered, and free of applied pesticides
   and herbicides or exposure to environmental pollutants in Alaska's
   pristine wilderness.

The berry picking activity is currently open for public comment.  Below, is
a summary of the public notice, as well as the weblink for more
information.  Remember, this is not a vote, only substantive comments can
affect the outcome of this activity.  That means submitting concrete
information as to the sustainability of this activity.

         Whittier: Commercial Blueberry Harvest Notice - LAS 25255

"The following project is proposed in your area and is out for review for
consistency with the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP) as well as
for review of the proposed issuance of permits from the State of Alaska,
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Division of Mining, Land and Water
(DMLW). Comments on the proposed project's consistency with the ACMP and/or
an affected local coastal district management program, as well as any
comments on the proposed issuance of DMLW's authorization, are requested.

SCOPE OF PROJECT TO BE REVIEWED: An application has been received from
Gordon Haines dba Denali Biotechnologies. The project subject to this
consistency review is for a large scale commercial blueberry harvesting
operation. The location is the Whittier region within Sections 13, 23 & 24,
Township 8 North, Range 4 East; Sections 22, 23, 29 & 31-33, Township 9
North, Range 5 East; Sections 5, 6, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21 & 22, Township 8
North, Range 5 East. All within the Seward Meridian. If issued, the
five-year term of the permit will begin August 1, 2005 and end July 31,
2010.

APPLICANT: Gordon Haines, dba Denali Biotechnologies
PROJECT NAME: LAS# 25255
DEADLINE FOR ACMP COMMENTS: July 9, 2005 5:00pm
DEADLINE FOR PERMIT COMMENTS: July 22, 2005 5:00pm

A copy of this review packet is available for public inspection and copying
by contacting the Whittier Coastal District Coordinator Rick Hohnbaum, P.O.
Box 608, Whittier, AK 99693, Phone: 907-472-2327 Fax: 907-472-2404,
admin at ci.whittier.ak.us; or the Anchorage Coastal District Coordinator,
Thede Tobish, P.O. Box 196650, Anchorage, AK 99519-6650, Phone:
907-343-7918, Fax: 907-343-7927, TobishTG at ci.anchorage.ak.us.

Comments or questions related to the permit applications, or the ACMP
review should be directed to Stephen Bethune, DNR, DMLW, Southcentral
Region, 550 W. 7th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501, 269-8569, 269-8913 (fax)
stephen_bethune at dnr.state.ak.us.

To preserve your rights to file a petition under Alaska Statute 46.40.100
(b)(1), your comments are required at this time and should be addressed
directly to Stephen Bethune, Natural Resource Specialist."

Full details...
http://notes5.state.ak.us/pn/pubnotic.nsf/0/2f7ce490ee7c3bd28925701f0078e078?OpenDocument
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