Alaska’s Obligation To Save The Alexander Archipelago Wolves on Prince of Wales
ACTION ALERT:
Please
cut and paste the following email (or feel free to personalize, or write your own).
PThere are email addresses at end of this post to cut and paste into your address bar:
Dear Governor Walker,
With
all due respect, sir, Alaska must take responsibility to protect the
Alexander Archipelago Wolves on Prince of Wales. Protecting this
imperiled species is the state agencies’ obligation to their citizens.
Scientists
and conservationists assert that the Archipelago wolf population has
plummeted to a dangerously low population, and that distributions are no
longer sufficient to maintain genetic viability. More importantly,
existing regulations (which have not been adhered to) with the failing taxpayer supported logging
projects on Prince of Wales are not adequate enough protection to
ensure persistence of population numbers of this unique species.
Fish
and Game’s report estimated that the wolf population on and around
Prince of Wales in fall 2014 was between 50 and 159, and more than
likely approximately 89 wolves, down from the estimated population of
250 to 350 in 1993. This report also stated that females have been
reduced to only 25 % of the plummeting population, completely
compromising the wolves’ ability to recover from their decline, not to
mention maintaining any sort of genetic diversity! The 2014 estimate
does not account for the 29 wolves reported taken in the 2014/2015
winter hunting and trapping season, nor does it account for any illegal
takes during that time or since, which studies indicate are substantial.
Prince of Wales Island is the most heavily logged part of southeast Alaska, with the
Forest Service disregarding and circumventing its road density standard
and guidelines, creating a high road density which goes hand in hand
with uncontrollable wolf poaching. Big
Thorne’s 46 miles of new roads would add to 580 miles in that project
area already with another 37 miles which would be reopened or
reconstructed putting the wolf at even greater risk.
The
federal government failed to heed research by Dr. David K. Person, a
former Alaska Fish and Game wildlife biologist and foremost expert on
Alexander Archipelago wolves. A formal declaration by Person says that
Big Thorne would “break the back” of the ecosystem dynamic between the
wolves, deer and hunters on the island.
The
Wildlife Trust Doctrine, a branch of the Public Trust Doctrine, defines
the obligation of the states responsibility and obligation to its
citizens, and dictates that wildlife has no owners at all, and therefore
belongs to all citizens equally. As a result, states have a “sovereign
trust obligation” to ensure that wildlife resources are protected and
managed responsibly, including the wolf, not just for the benefit of
current citizens, but also over the long term.The
Wildlife Trust Doctrine imposes a duty to ensure proper protection for
the Alexander Archipelago wolf, as well as any other species no longer
(or never) protected by the federal government.
Again,
I respectfully request that you implement emergency measures to protect
the few remaining Archipelago Wolves and their habitat, beginning with
canceling the 2015-2016 hunt.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this extremely important matter,
(Your name and your address go here)
My
apologies, you will have to cut and paste these addresses into your
email manually as linking them would have brought you to the government
websites. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Email Governor Walker here:
governor@gov.state.ak.us
Also Cc:
bruce.dale@alaska.gov,
ttidwell@fs.fed.us,
Subsistence@fws.gov,
feedback@ios.doi.gov,
Also, should you wish to contact Governor Walker directly, connect to his website here.
Once again, Thank you so much for your support!
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