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National Park Service-Alaska Looks for Public Comment on Proposed Hunting Regulations

National Park Service-Alaska

The National Park Service-Alaska is proposing several practices that would regulate hunting historically illegal predators in national preserves. 

The proposal would include prohibiting sport hunters from wolf and coyote hunting in early summer, prohibit taking brown bears over bait and prohibit the use of artificial light to take black bear cubs and sows with cubs at dens. 

Spokesman for the National Parks Service-Alaska John Quinley says sport hunting is allowed in national preserves because of the 1980 Lands Act.

“For most of the time since the 1980’s we have been satisfied with state regulations and they have been compatible in how they were managing spot hunting. In the last few years, in response the legislatures intensive management laws, the state of Alaska has moved more aggressively to hunting predators, primarily wolves and bears with the intention of raising prey population primarily moose and caribou. In the last four years, we have used temporary restrictions to prohibit that the state board of game had allowed and those are the ones that we specifically point out in proposed regulations.”

Quinley says this proposal was brought about because the National Park Service-Alaska is charged with the task of managing national preserves and parks.  That includes making sure the ecosystems are unchanged or damaged because of predator/prey relationships and sport hunting. 

NPS will be holding public hearings in communities in or close to the affected national preserves.  The proposed regulations would replace temporary restrictions in several national preserves, including Katmai. 

Quinley says there is more to the proposal than the three restrictions. 

“We are also asking for comments, we haven’t made a proposal but asking for comment about whether black bear baiting should be allowed. It is currently allowed in certain locations and we are also proposing some changes in process and procedures in implementing any other closures. Our public notice rules were written 30 years ago approximately and we’re hoping to update them with being able to use the internet as a way to advertise and notify people of public meetings and that sort of thing.”

Although there isn’t one group of animal that is being seriously affected by predators in Alaskan national preserves, Quinely says the proposal is about prohibiting practices that are contrary to the purposes and values of the national preserves.

The proposed regulations are open for public comment through December third. To comment on the proposed rule visit the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov