Legislators are looking into the Alaska Department of Natural Resources move to change their mission statement. Representative Berta Gardner is the democratic whip in the House representing midtown Anchorage. She says legislators have asked for a research report on the matter.
“The legislature has the power to set the mission of each department. And historically the legislature has renewed that every year, but apparently several years ago, did not do it. To me it seems pretty clear by statute that the legislature sets the department’s missions. And I haven’t seen any statute that says that if we fail to do so on an annual basis, that they can do it themselves, that’s not in statute,” Gardner said.
Sullivan’s staff claim, “According to the Department of Law, it is OK for a department to set a mission statement in the absence of the legislature doing so. The last legislatively approved mission statement expired in 2003.”
DNR Commissioner, Dan Sullivan issued a new mission statement on January 17th. The old statement read that DNR’s mission was, “To develop, conserve and enhance natural resources for present and future Alaskans.” The words conserve and enhance have been dropped in the new statement along with the reference to “future Alaskans.”
Daysha Eaton is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Daysha Eaton holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College, and a M.A. from the University of Southern California. Daysha got her start in radio at Seattle public radio stations, KPLU and KUOW. Before coming to KBBI, she was the News Director at KYUK in Bethel. She has also worked as the Southcentral Reporter for KSKA in Anchorage.
Daysha's work has appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", PRI's "The World" and "National Native News". She's happy to take assignments, and to get news tips, which are best sent via email.
Daysha became a journalist because she believes in the power of storytelling. Stories connect us and they help us make sense of our world. They shed light on injustice and they comfort us in troubled times. She got into public broadcasting because it seems to fulfill the intention of the 4th Estate and to most effectively apply the freedom of the press granted to us through the Constitution. She feels that public radio has a special way of moving people emotionally through sound, taking them to remote places, introducing them to people they would not otherwise meet and compelling them to think about issues they might ordinarily overlook.
