Wolf Almanac by Robert Busch

Author:Robert Busch
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493033768
Publisher: Lyons Press

ALASKA

The jurisdiction with the longest history of wolf control is Alaska.

Although Alaska had wolf bounties established as early as 1915, it was not until statehood was achieved in 1959 that legislators moved to prohibit poisoning of predators. Shortly after this, wolf bounties were finally cancelled.

In the 1960s, the wolf in Alaska was classed as both a big-game animal and a furbearer, and the pressures on its numbers increased. Aerial shooting was common, and conservationists were outraged at the lack of “sport” involved.

The severe winters of 1970–71 and 1971–72 produced a serious decline in moose numbers, and many hunters called for wolf control in order to allow the moose populations to rebound.

In 1975, the state therefore authorized wolf control in Game Management Unit 20A, a move that was swiftly challenged in court. While the case dragged through the courts, wolf control continued in 20A, and after three years the federal court ruled in the state’s favor. From this point on, the legal system in Alaska became a battleground between hunters and conservationists.

The state reacted by increasing wolf control measures, adding them to Management Units 19A, 19B, and parts of 21. More legal challenges followed until the state again won in 1980.

Pumped with success, the state added wolf control measures in six units in 1980–81 and five in 1981–82.

More legal wrangling began in 1982, followed by wolf control measures in units 12, 20A, and 20B.

In 1985 a total of five bills were introduced in the Alaska legislature on wolf control. Although none passed, the bills served to heighten public awareness on the issue.

A new governor elected in 1986 prohibited government wolf control during his four-year term. The prohibition was controversial, and resulted in increased land-and-shoot taking of wolves by the public, which was still allowed. (Land-and-shoot killing involves chasing wolves by plane until the animals are exhausted, then landing and shooting them.)

The practice of land-and-shoot was challenged in court in 1986. In 1989 the Supreme Court of Alaska ruled in favor of it.

In 1989, the state moved to adopt a scientifically based wolf management plan, inviting stakeholders from all sides of the wolf issue. The invited group first met in 1990 and filed its first report in 1991. The draft wolf management plan of 1991 called for an end to land-and-shoot killing by requiring hunters to be at least 100 yards from their planes, reducing wholesale land-and-shoot killing by the public.

In 1992, the group endorsed wolf control in many large areas, including units 11, 12, 13, 14, 20E, and 20D. The public was outraged, and over 100,000 letters poured into the governor’s office. Governor Walter J. Hickel issued a moratorium on the issue until a summit of interest groups could discuss the issue.

That summit occurred in 1993, a raucous gathering patrolled by plain-clothes police who came prepared for the worst. The governor’s pro-hunting stance became clear when he bizarrely declared that “nature should not be allowed to run wild.” Shortly after the summit, it was revealed that Alaska Department of Fish and

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.