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FAIRBANKS - Several Alaska lawmakers are in New York promoting the state.

The legislators are guests of the nonprofit Alaska House, a New York art gallery and cultural center emphasizing Alaska Native culture.

Among the events are a program on the future of Alaska natural gas and a luncheon advocating Alaska wild salmon.

Rep. Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, is one of the seven legislators making the trip. He calls the group a "tour de force" of Alaskans promoting the nation's largest state in the Big Apple.

Lawmakers planning to attend a Thursday night event said they expect it to include discussions about TransCanada's proposal for a large diameter natural gas pipeline.

Legislators also are scheduled to meet with a number of national media outlets.

Rep. John Harris, R-Valdez, said he understood the interviews to be an outlet for promoting Alaska and didn't anticipate politically charged sessions centered on Gov. Sarah Palin's bid for the vice presidency.

"This is not a political thing for me," he said. "This is strictly a matter of trying to support something we've been working on in our office all session."

Harris's office has been working on a program to market Alaska's wild salmon to the world through food aid programs, and meetings today in conjunction with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute could further that mission.

"There really isn't any sense in having people starving to death around the world, when we're not always able to sell all of our salmon that needs to be harvested," he said. "If we could find an avenue to sell some of that to the United Nations or different social programs to help feed hungry people around the world, that's a good deal."

Lawmakers planning to make the trip were Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak; Sens. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, and Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, and Reps. Bob Herron, D-Bethel, Bill Thomas, R-Haines, Ramras and Harris.