Urge the Alaska Board of Game to protect Denali wolves

AK

Aucun

CALIFORNIA

It is critical that the Board act now before it is too late.

Don't mess with mother nature and the ecology.

The national reputation of the State of Alaska in terms of its commitment to wildlife tourism was damaged when the Alaska Board of Game first rejected a petition urging the Board to enact a wolf buffer (no-trapping/no-hunting) zone on a small parcel of state land along the eastern boundary of Denali National Park. Although the most recent wolf survey results estimate a total population of only 50 animals in the park — one of the lowest counts in the past 20 years — this buffer zone would protect the twenty to thirty animals that comprise the three most viewed wolf packs in Denali National Park. One of the most viewed packs in the park – the Grant Creek pack — was seriously impacted from a trapping loss this past April. The pack failed to reproduce and dispersed. The success of viewing wolves in Denali has declined dramatically since the buffer was removed in 2010. A journey to Alaska requires a substantial financial investment on the part of visitors. Personally, I will not spend approximately $9500 for this trip (which I make twice a year), when, in all probability, I may not see the very wildlife I expect to see on a “wolf-watching” adventure. If, however, the proposed buffer zone were enacted, I would be reasonably assure that all was being done to encourage a successful experience. I am surely not alone in that conclusion. Without this requested emergency closure, there likely will be additional wolf killing this spring, resulting in further long-lasting impacts and lost value of the resource. The result will be significant damage to Alaska's commitment to sustainable wildlife management, and to its reputation as a premier wildlife tourism destination. The unexpected and precipitous decline in the Denali wolf resource (population and viewing success) clearly meets the threshold for emergency action by the Board of Game. I strongly support re-establishing a Denali Buffer as outlined in the Petition for Emergency Regulation submitted by the Alaska Wildlife

stop the slaughter NOW!

Denali wolves must be protected!

It's sad that a system is in place where these animals learn to accept humans in their space in the summer yet that conditioning is fatal as soon as they step out of the park.

The Alaska Board of Game must address its constitutional obligation to sustainable yield management principles instead of mismanaging predator/prey dynamics in the wake of prior mismanagement. Solutions must recognize and address causation of the problem -- not manipulation of the effects of the problem.

Alaska

AK

Wolves should not be killed, here or anywhere else in Alaska!

CA

NH

MA

Select One

The wolves which live in the Denali area are appericated by hundreds of thousands of Americans each year who journey here to have a chance of glimpsing a top predator in an intact ecosystem.

I've lived in Alaska for over 30 years. The first (and only!) wolves I've seen have been in Denali. Please help preserve this experience which is not easily found elsewhere in the world.

Admit that wolves in this area are more valuable alive than dead.