The wolves and bears of Alaska are the character and integrity of the wilderness. Without them, the land is nothing but a hunting ranch. The Alaska Board of Game must be fought.
Here is a letter I recently emailed to the National Park Service at AKRO_compendium@nps.gov to support their resistance to the State of Alaska’s proposed predator control measures on National Preserve lands which are run by the Park Service. Please take a minute and support the NPS by writing a similar, personalized letter to the above email address. We only have till april 5th! I thank the alaska wildlife alliance for helping us stay on top of these issues. They do great work!
As a resident of Alaska, I have made my living as a bear and wolf viewing guide in Katmai since 2000. I applaud the NPS for standing up to the Alaska Board of Game to halt the slaughter of predators, namely bears and wolves. Having a background in Wildlife Biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, I have a solid understanding and belief that this is not sound wildlife management. I believe it is a scheme supported only by the hunting industry, and can cause damage to habitat through overbrowsing. I also believe that these methods directly undermine the quality of wildlife viewing, which is an invaluable resource which supports locals and brings in visitors from around the world. I do not approve of the extreme predator control methods the state allows, such as:
•Allowing hunters to use bait to attract grizzlies to snares;
•Permitting hunters to use spotlights to find and kill black bears and cubs in their dens;
•Extending hunting seasons for wolves and coyotes; and
•Drastically increasing harvest limits for predators (for example, 20 years ago the limit for wolves was commonly five per season – today in some preserves there is a limit of 10 wolves per day)
Manipulation of wildlife using these methods strips the wilderness of its character and integrity, can cause long lasting habitat degradation, and decreases the quality of wildlife viewing. The Wildlife on NPS lands belongs to everyone, and should not be controlled and “farmed” by the Board of Game.
Thank you for letting me voice my opinion,
Brad Josephs
check out another recent debunking of the Alaska Board of Game’s slaughter of bears on the kenai peninsula by former state biologist Rick Sinnot- click here
Here is well done but disturbing video about aerial wolf hunting in Alaska
3 Comments
What is the matter with people? Are we all going to wait until there are no bears or wolves left in the wild. This is just aiding and abetting a blood (sport). Nature can take care of its self without the interfearance of humans. Let animals roam without the fear of being hunted down.
Clearly,the people participating in these wolf hunts aren’t doing it because they are giving other
species a chance. It’s been shown again and again that without predators, those populations
become less healthy. The only reason they’re hunting by plane is for an unfair advantage and
the kick they get shooting these animals. How many times do we have to write these letters
and insist that these hunts be stopped?
It is indeed a deeply heartening experience to view these images of this beautiful Earth and its creatures, life and landscapes in all the many seasons and moods and creativity. And just when I had become resigned to the unending
and hardest views of Nature as this rather boring and seemingly artificial backdrop of some staid theatrical or movie-
land production. Instead your pictures reawaken us to the pulsing and often breath-taking wonder of living-life, even when it seems still and silent. So a deeply felt message of appreciation, Brad Josephs, to you and other artists of the camera and canvas.