ALASKA TAKES UP SUBSISTENCE QUESTION

Lawmakers convened in Alaska's capital Monday for a special session on subsistence. While federal law authorizes special hunting and fishing rights for Alaska natives, the Alaska Constitution guarantees all state residents equal access to the state's natural resources.

On Sunday, the US Department of the Interior is scheduled to take over the wildlife management that had been in state hands. The takeover was spurred by a lawsuit filed by an Anchorage sport hunter who claimed that Alaska's so-called ``subsistence'' law discriminated against urban hunters.

Gov. Steve Cowper said the only way to resolve the conflict is to amend the state's constitution to give rural residents special preferences.