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Dear Alliance members,
There's no way around it - May was a difficult month for Alaska's wildlife.
Two federal rules were reversed, erasing protections for vulnerable wildlife populations on Alaska's federal lands and allowing the State of Alaska's predator control programs to override federal statutes. One 2015 rule was overturned to open Alaska's National Parklands to extreme sport hunting practices, such as killing black bears while they're hibernating, killing wolves and coyotes while they're denning, hunting caribou while they're swimming, and hunting brown bears over bait (grease soaked donuts and dog food).
A second rule, known as the Kenai Rule, was also overturned to permit brown bear baiting, killing wolves, coyotes, and lynx within the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area, discharging firearms along the Kenai and Russian Rivers, and hunting big game (except black bear) with aid or use of a dog.
These reversals increase the Alaska Board of Game's power to make wildlife management decisions on federal lands.
Alaska Wildlife Alliance has been advocating for ecosystem-based management for over forty years, and we're not stopping now. We need your support and dedication to submitting public comments, writing op-eds, sharing news, and speaking out. Your membership in this alliance builds on a chorus of people saying "enough is enough."
We are already challenging the Kenai Rule in court and will continue to do what it takes to protect ecosystems and maintain healthy populations for all Alaska's wildlife. Stay tuned, we're ready for the fight.
In solidarity,
Nicole and the AWA team
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Board of Game Special Meeting on Spring Bear Hunts
On June 3rd, the Alaska Board of Game will consider two "special" proposals that would, if passed:
1) Open a special spring season for certain registration brown bear hunts in Unit 9 (Alaska Peninsula) in 2021.
2) Allow the transfer of spring season drawing hunt permits to a future year for black bear hunts in multiple game units.
The public comment deadline is Wednesday, May 27, 2020. We are VERY concerned about Proposal 1, as it would enable consecutive hunts in an area with an overall bear population decline. Why? Because guides have lobbied the Board of Game to help them recoup pandemic-related losses.
Learn about how to comment and read our many biological concerns here.
Sow with cubs in Katmai National Park | National Parks Service
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Proposed Year-Round Mortar and Artillery Training on Eagle River Flats
The Department of Defense and Air Force are proposing year-round mortar and artillery live fire training on Eagle River Flats, an important habitat for migratory birds and endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales. The proposal would remove winter firing restrictions that have been in place for approximately 30 years and expand the bombing range another 585 acres.
We submitted a joint letter requesting an extension of the scoping period, which was rejected. We then submitted comments on the Notice and will continue to testify throughout the Environmental Impact Statement process. Visit our website and stay updated through our newsletters to be alerted when the public comment period is open.
Read our comments and our joint letter here.
A 105mm howitzer firing from Malemute Drop Zone on JBER | US Army/John Pennell
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Sport Hunting and Trapping on Alaska's National Parklands
We vigorously opposed liberalized hunting methods on Alaska’s national parklands in 2015, and won. Based on input from more than two dozen public hearings and over 70,000 public comments, support for banning extreme hunting methods in Alaska’s national parklands was overwhelming. A National Parks Service Final Rule thus codified prohibitions on certain types of harvest practices that are otherwise permitted by the State of Alaska’s hunting regulations.
Earlier this week, the Department of Interior has reversed that success and removed wildlife protections for bears, wolves, coyotes, and caribou on Alaska’s national parks and preserves.
We will be challenging this rule. Follow us on Facebook, check our website, and read our newsletters for more information as this process develops.
Read more about the history of this rule and our comments & testimonies here.
Yearling black bear in its den | North American Bear Center
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Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Rule Reversed
This week, the Department of Interior announced a second rollback which opens Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to previously banned hunting practices, such as brown bear baiting; killing predators in the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area (the one small part of the Kenai Refuge currently reserved for wildlife viewing, education, and other non-lethal consumptive uses), discharging firearms along the Kenai and Russian Rivers, and more.
The text of the proposal is not yet available, but the announcement suggests that trapping permit requirements in the refuge will also be removed.
With our phenomenal representation by Trustees for Alaska, we are already fighting this in court. We will also provide details on the rules once the agencies post them. We are prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure that our national refuges maintain healthy populations of all wildlife, including predators.
Read more about the history of this rule and our comments & testimonies here.
Grey wolf pups with mom| Brenden Garrett
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May 27th, 7pm-8pm online: Virtual Wildlife Wednesday: Canada and Cackling Geese in Alaska - What's the Difference? with David Safine, US Fish and Wildlife Service.
June 17th, 7pm-8pm online: Wild Alaska Veterinary Pathology: Past, Present, Future. A veterinary career spotlight with Dr. Kathy Burek, Veterinary Pathologist at Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services.
PAST EVENTS
If you missed our past Wildlife Wednesdays, have no fear! You can watch recordings of our previous talks on our website.
Bears of the Alaska Peninsula with Drew Hamilton
Career Spotlight: Being an Ethical Wildlife Photographer with Carl Johnson
Belugas in Our Backyard with Dr. Alison Gardell and Teresa Becher
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May 27, 2020: Comments to the Board of Game on Special Meeting Regarding Spring Bear Hunts. The Alaska Board of Game has scheduled a special meeting for June 3, 2020 to consider two proposals to “help address the loss of spring bear hunting opportunity for residents and nonresidents due to the travel restrictions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.” Proposal 1 is extremely concerning, as the season could lead to over-hunting of brown bears on the Alaska Peninsula. Click here to learn the facts and how to comment. Wednesday, May 27, 2020.
June 29, 2020: The National Park Service (NPS) invites public comments on a proposal to align its regulations with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Sturgeon v. Frost. In March 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court in Sturgeon v. Frost decided that the NPS could not enforce a regulation prohibiting the operation of a hovercraft on part of the Nation River that flows through the NPS-managed Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. It was decided that NPS regulations apply exclusively to federally managed lands and waters within the boundaries of national park areas in Alaska. Lands that are not federally managed, including submerged lands under navigable waters, are not subject to the NPS’s regulatory authority. The proposed regulation would provide clarity regarding navigable waterways within national parklands in Alaska. Members of the public are invited to submit their comments on the proposed regulation by June 29, 2020.
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Check out these new ways to give to Alaska Wildlife Alliance!
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Alaskans, don't forget!
Even if you've already filed for your PFD, it's not too late to add a donation through Pick.Click.Give.
Though it may not seem like much, small donations really do add up, and allow us greater flexibility in planning for the months ahead.
Thank you for thinking of us when you Pick.Click.Give!
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