Committee hears bill to name Shute Bay state marine park for Vic Fisher

Representative Zach Field introduced House Bill 79 on Feb. 17, 2025, asking the House Resources Committee to name a state marine park in Shute Bay for longtime planner and legislator Vic Fisher.

The bill, Representative Field said, would modify Alaska statute 41.21 0.304 to name the site the "Vic Fisher Shute Bay Marine State Park." Field told the committee that Fisher helped plan communities across Alaska, played a drafting role at the constitutional convention and sponsored the legislation that established the state's first set of marine parks.

"Vic Fisher was a foundational individual for the state of Alaska," Field said, noting Fisher's work on planning after the 1964 earthquake and his later role as director of ISER and service in the Legislature. Field said the proposal was intended as a single, local recognition of Fisher's contributions and that there is no fiscal impact beyond routine updates to signage.

Bennett Pierce, staff to Representative Field, read the bill's single section, which the presentation described as amending the cited statute to establish the name.

The committee opened public testimony. Jane Engvick, calling in from Anchorage, identified herself as Fisher's spouse for 42 years and described Fisher's connection to Valdez and to outdoor recreation. "He and John Kelsey...created the new city of Valdez," Engvick said, and she urged support for recognizing Fisher's role in establishing marine parks that provide safe places for boaters and kayakers.

No committee questions were recorded, and the committee closed public testimony after Engvick's remarks. Committee staff said there is a zero fiscal note for the bill because the state park system would update signage as part of normal operations.

The committee adjourned at 1:16 p.m. The transcript does not record a committee vote on House Bill 79 on Feb. 17, 2025.