(a) The department may donate each year for a competitive auction or raffle harvest permits for four elk from the Etolin Island herd and one bison. The donation may be made only to a nonprofit corporation established to promote education in outdoor traditions and conservation and wildlife protection programs in partnership with the department, subject to the terms of a memorandum of agreement developed by the department.

(b) [Repealed, § 4 ch 47 SLA 2014.]

(c) The department, subject to regulations adopted by the commissioner, may issue, through a competitive auction or raffle, up to three harvest permits each year for Dall sheep, up to two harvest permits each year for bison, and up to four harvest permits each year for each of the following big game species: musk ox, brown or grizzly bear, black bear, moose, caribou, goat, elk, and wolf. Notwithstanding AS 36.30, the department may authorize a qualified organization selected under (e) of this section to conduct the auction or raffle on behalf of the department. If the department does authorize a qualified organization to conduct an auction or raffle for a big game species, the department shall make available to a qualified organization at least one harvest permit for that species. If the auction or raffle is conducted by a qualified organization, the organization may retain an amount from the gross proceeds of the auction or raffle equal to the administrative cost of the auction or raffle plus an amount not to exceed 30 percent of the net proceeds. The percent of the proceeds from the auction or raffle of a big game harvest permit retained by the organization may be used only to support outdoor tradition education projects and conservation and wildlife protection programs approved by the department and may not be used to make a contribution to any candidate for political office or to any organization supporting or opposing ballot propositions or to pay expenses associated with lobbying the legislature or administration. All proceeds from the auction or raffle of the big game harvest permit less the amount that is retained by a qualified organization under this subsection shall be deposited in the fish and game fund under AS 16.05.100. A person who is issued a big game harvest permit under this subsection shall receive upon the person's request a complimentary hunting license and a big game tag for the big game species for which the big game harvest permit is issued. A hunting license issued under this subsection must bear the inscription “Governor's license” or a similar designation. A person who receives a big game harvest permit, hunting license, or big game tag under this subsection may exercise the privileges conveyed by the permit, license, or tag only in accordance with applicable law. In this subsection, “qualified organization” means an organization selected under (e) of this section.

(d) Auctions and raffles of harvest permits authorized under this section are not subject to AS 05.15.

(e) The department may select a nonprofit organization that promotes education in outdoor traditions and that conducts conservation and wildlife protection programs to conduct auctions or raffles for the department under (c) of this section. An organization selected under this subsection is a qualified organization for purposes of (c) of this section if the organization

(1) is incorporated in the state as a nonprofit corporation; and

(2) in the judgment of the department, demonstrates support for a state-based model through a user-pays system based on sustained yield and use principles.