At the January meeting of the Board of Directors, the Council confirmed the appointment of directors for two Cordova member entities. Robert Beedle, who has represented the City of Cordova since 2013, was appointed by the Cordova District Fishermen United to represent their interests. This left the City of Cordova’s seat vacant. The city named David Janka to replace Beedle.
Born and raised in Cordova, Alaska, where he still lives, Beedle started commercial fishing in summer of 1975 and currently gillnets and long-lines halibut in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound. He also owns and operates a small business called Columbia Refrigeration. Beedle serves on the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation board and was previously president of the Cordova’s Telephone Co-op’s board.
David Janka was appointed to represent the City of Cordova. Janka has been a resident of Prince William Sound for 46 years, the last 30 in Cordova. Before his retirement as owner/operator of Auklet Charters, Janka worked as a contractor for the Council. He brings previous experience with research projects and environmental issues, including work with federal, state, university, and non-governmental organizations.
Both directors were approved for two-year terms to represent their member entities.
Temporary recreation seat added to Board; permanent entity to be considered
The Board approved the creation of a temporary recreation seat and confirmed the appointment of Jim Herbert of Homer as the representative.
The temporary seat was created to provide a dedicated representative for recreation interests until the Council can conduct a request for qualifications process to determine if there is an appropriate entity in the region willing represent recreation interests on the board. Recreation interests have been represented in the past by the Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association (1992-2015), board members that bring recreation representation interests in addition to their designated member entity, and through our city council and borough member entities.
Herbert, currently living in Homer, has been a resident of the Kenai Peninsula since 1971. He is involved in several recreation groups and activities, including serving on the Steering Committee for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival and is a member of both the Kachemak Bay Birder Club and Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges. Herbert spends time in his small boat on Resurrection Bay and Kachemak Bay fishing, sightseeing, and birdwatching.
Herbert first joined the Board in 2013 as the representative of the City of Seward, where he lived at that time, serving in that role until 2015.
The Council will advertise the request for qualifications for the permanent seat later this year.