Within sight of almost half of all Alaskans lies a little known tidal estuary. Perched along Turnagain Arm on the northwestern Kenai Peninsula, the 27,000-acre Chickaloon Flats is the only part of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge that touches marine waters. It represents 7% of the total estuarine area in Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound, the two water bodies that form the peninsula. As such, it’s a small but important part of the Pacific Flyway for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl.
Read on for a full summary of the good, the bad, and the ugly of this year’s wildlife regulation changes in the Interior and the Western Arctic.
Comment by May 6th to secure enhanced protections for wildlife!
Catch our latest podcast interview on critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales!
Our Kenai Peninsula Coordinator, Teresa Becher, was just awarded a 2023 'Partners in the Spotlight Award' from NOAA fisheries! These national awards recognize partners who have expanded and enhanced recovery of the country's most imperiled marine species.
“We believe that the Fish and Wildlife Service is obligated to protect Kenai brown bears on the refuge and this opinion recognizes the agency’s authority to do just that,” said Nicole Schmitt, executive director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. “At a time when so many of Alaska’s wildlife protections are being rolled back, this ruling comes as a sigh of relief for all those who enjoy the Refuge and its wildlife.”
The Cook Inlet beluga whale is a revered whale population that resides off the coast of Alaska’s largest city and along Alaska’s popular Kenai Peninsula. Its population has plummeted in recent decades from nearly 1,300 individuals in 1979 to only 279 in 2018, and despite its status as an endangered species, the population shows no signs of recovery and continues to decline at a rate of 2.3% per year.
After receiving substantial public opposition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will hold an additional public hearing and public comment period on controversial proposed brown bear baiting and trapping regulations in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The comment period will be reopened from October 9 to November 9 and a virtual public hearing on the proposed rule is scheduled for Monday, October 26 at 4:00 p.m. AKST.
Now that NPS has reversed their stance against predator control, it will be legal to shoot brown bears over piles of doughnuts and grease; to shine artificial lights into dens to kill hibernating black bears and their cubs; to shoot wolves and coyotes, and their pups, during the denning season when their pelts are in generally poor condition; and taking swimming caribou using motorboats. Our lawsuit aims to stop that.
A broad coalition of Alaska organizations issued a statement committing to “stand in solidarity for the protection of the coastal plain which provides spiritual, cultural, recreational, and economic sustenance for Alaskans and many others around the world.” This commitment remains strong, and we will not allow the violation of the coastal plain.
You can make a difference. Help save Alaska's wildlife by lending your voice to one of our campaigns or by donating to support AWA conservation efforts.
Sign up for the AWA newsletter and stay in the know about events, educational opportunities, and ways you can help protect Alaska's wildlife.
