November 16, 2011
Predator control decision delayed
By Logan Tuttle
Peninsula Clarion
For wolf predator control management, the wait continues.
The Alaska Board of Game tabled a decision on Proposals 35 and 36 that pertain to wolf predator control management on the Kenai Peninsula during the board’s recent meeting in Barrow at the end of last week. The decision will be tabled until the statewide meeting that takes place from Jan. 13 to 17 in Anchorage.
The Board of Game released the proposed intensive management plans earlier in October that include aerial wolf control for Game Management Units 15A and 15C, which make up the majority of the Kenai Peninsula. Although they have a plan, the details of the program have yet to be ironed out. The heart of the issue is centered around controlling wolf populations to help boost the number of moose in the area pursuant to a state law mandating the “highest use” of the animal be for human consumption, Board of Game vice chairman Ted Spraker said.
The proposals were tabled in Barrow because the Alaska Department of Fish and Game did not produce a required feasibility plan and because the Board of Game found faults in a “5aac92.125” document, Spraker said.
The 5aac92.125 is important to the process, because it is the legal document brought into court if there is ever a court decision or litigation, Spraker said.
“It was obvious there were quite a few things that needed to be corrected in the 92.125 plan,” Spraker said. “There were some invalid assumptions made by (Fish and Game).”
Spraker said the feasibility plan, which “drives the process,” would contain the operation plan.
“It lines out what is happening, it’s a very detailed plan,” he said.
Spraker said the board was hesitant about moving forward with the process since the public did not have a chance to review the plan.
“We’re not going to vote on something that the public hasn’t reviewed,” he said.
The feasibility plan is scheduled to be released by Dec. 5, Spraker said, giving the public a chance to review and comment on it before the January meeting in Anchorage. Spraker said this is the fourth time the board has asked Fish and Game to produce the feasibility plan. The first time was in March of 2009, then again in January 2010, followed by March 2011, and most recently in November of 2011.
“If we don’t do something soon, we’re going to be faced with just lower numbers, reduced opportunity,” Spraker said. “...The last thing we want is for this to go on forever.”
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game already approved predator control programs for both game Units (proposal 173 voted on in March of 2011). Proposals 35, which includes Unit 15A and 36, which include Unit 15C are the operational plans the Board of Game will present to Fish and Game to be voted on next month.
Both plans would:
- Authorize methods of taking wolves, including hunting and trapping;
- Authorize the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to issue public aerial shooting permits and land and shoot permits;
- Authorize the commissioner to allow agents of the state or department employees to do aerial, land and shoot, or ground shooting of wolves; and
- Allow aerial wolf control for five years from January 2012 to January 2017.
Earlier
The Alaska Board of Game will soon consider aerial wolf killing on the Kenai Peninsula, specifically Units 15A (Upper Peninsula) and 15C (Lower Peninsula) in the name of increasing moose population. Two issues: killing the wolves won't solve the perceived problem and the BOG decision making process is unfair.
The proposal which is not available to the public and will be decided upon in Barrow on November 11. The generally accepted reason for a decline in Moose numbers on the Peninsula is habitat change, not wolf predation. So why kill wolves?
A recent article in the Homer News will give you some valuable background.
Local ADF&G Biologist Thomas McDonough is quoted:
"The main cause keeping moose at their present level of abundance is the lack of a major fire to improve the quality of the habitat," McDonough said. The article also says:
In Unit 15C near Homer and Anchor Point, the general moose population has been healthy, with a 30 percent increase from 1992 to 2010. A decline in bull-cow ratios prompted the Board of Game to impose more stringent antler tine and brow length rules and restrict the bag limit. The information indicates that adequate moose habitat is a major concern--moose are starving and surviving the winter without adequate forage is problematic. So how would killing predators improve this?
The other issue is the process the Board of Game is using with these proposals. Proposals 35 and 36 were in the distributed Proposal Book, but the plan is still not available. This does not appear to be a fair public process. Further, the issue is being discussed in Barrow in November. Not likely anyone from the public will be able to appear before the BOG there.
PLEASE ACT NOW!
It is essential for you to individualize your comments and explain your concerns in your own words so the comments will be considered individually and independently. In the past, when comments sound like they are from organization members because they are too alike, the BOG has lumped these letters together – considering them one comment. Don't let this happen, the wolves need our individual voices.
Comments are due October 28th in order to get them published in the meeting booklet. However, comments can also be submitted up until the beginning of the meeting November 11th and the Board will still need to consider them. Include the proposal numbers you are commenting on and whether you support or oppose the proposals. Please write clearly or type your comments.
Please send comments to:
ATTN: Board of Game Comments
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Boards Support Section
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
FAX: (907) 465-6094
SOME IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED:
· At the March 2011 Board meeting, the Board directed the ADF&G to develop aerial wolf control plans for Game Management Unit’s 15C and 15A on the Kenai Peninsula.
· The November proposal book had two placeholder proposals for these plans – proposals 35 and 36. As of October 12th, the plans had not yet been released.
· These plans were not released in a timely manner and will be discussed in Barrow which has inhibited participation of those living in the affected area.
· The biological evidence presented by ADF&G at the March meeting demonstrated that predation was not the cause of moose population concerns on the Peninsula.
· If wolf predation is not the problem, it makes no sense to kill wolves.
· Bulls have been over harvested in 15C. As a result, the Board had to temporarily reduce harvest of bulls. During the March meeting, the Board and state biologists recognized that this closure was only temporary.
· Moose populations in 15C are not declining and population objectives are already being met.
· In 15A, most of which is comprised of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, poor moose habitat has caused moose population declines. Wolf control could make this problem worse.
· Aerial wolf control on the Kenai would be highly visible. It is not appropriate in a place so densely populated and so important for tourism and recreation.
Here's a link to a letter to the editor of the Homer Tribune written by Nina Faust
Letters – Oct. 12 | Homer Tribune
Aerial Gunning for Wolves Goes too Far
To discuss controversial aerial wolf gunning plans in Barrow rather than in southcentral Alaska is ridiculous. Furthermore, it should not even be on this agenda, if the full plan is not available in the proposal book that is sent to the public. This is not proper public process. I strongly object to aerial wolf gunning. This type of management harkens back to the dark days in Alaska and elsewhere when predators were mercilessly slaughtered. In an era of new scientific evidence of the importance of predators to a healthy ecosystem, we should not be so quick to simply kill the predators. Good management has to consider the habitat, careful bag limits, cycles of weather and more. Harvest of too many moose by hunters is a very important factor. With more people on the Peninsula, there are not enough moose for everyone who wants to kill one. Realistically, there never will be. Jumping automatically to aerial gunning of wolves to provide more moose is really going too far in this drive to make Alaska into a moose farm.
Thanks to Nina Faust for compiling this action alert.