Move To End Federal Funding Of Alaska Predator Control By Richard Steiner July 05, 2014
The significance of this issue, from my perspective, is as follows: • despite all the complaining this state administration does re: the federal government, and in particular federal wildlife management, it turns out that one of, if not the, single largest component of the ADFG Game division budget comes from the federal government (Dept. of Interior) - some $32 million this year, set to be transferred to the state today (I understand). • the state's predator control program is highly controversial, both scientifically and politically. In the last full reporting year this program killed hundreds of wolves and bears from aircraft (linked in press release). [note: along with many other scientists, I feel the program is unjustified, indeed unjustifiable.] • both the state and the federal government claim that no federal funds are used for predator control, and indeed there exists a 1999 federal directive prohibiting these federal funds from being used for predator control. However, clearly these federal funds are indeed supporting the state predator control effort. In fact, most of the funds for Alaska's predator control programs comes directly from the federal transfer. This includes salaries of state biologists conducting the predator control program, surveys used to justify the predator control effort, and radio tracking of wolves and bears prior to aerial control (shooting), etc. In fact, it seems like the federal money pays for about every part of the predator control program except the bullets! • thus, the federal government is a partner in the state of Alaska's controversial predator control program, which ironically is often at cross-purposes to federal wildlife management objectives. A good example is the state biologists shooting and eliminating the entire Lost Creek wolf pack from Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve this past spring, which the federal Preserve staff had been studying for sometime. • as the federal government is a majority funder of, and partner in, the state predator control program, this program constitutes a significant federal action requiring compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with which the state program has not complied. • given the above, we have asked the Dept. of Interior Inspector General to audit all federal wildlife funds paid to the State of Alaska that are non-compliant, and that these funds be repaid by the state, with interest. And perhaps widen its audit to include the other western states similarly using federal funds for state predator control programs. • further, the entire Alaska predator control program must be suspended, unless and until an full Environmental Impact Statement is conducted, bringing the program into compliance with NEPA. • and finally, until this occurs, any further transfer of federal wildlife funds to the state be suspended. Rick Steiner About: Professor and Conservation Biologist - Oasis Earth www.oasis-earth.com Received July 01, 2014 - Published July 05, 2014 Related News:
Viewpoints - Opinion Letters:
Representations of fact and opinions in letters are solely those of the author. E-mail your letters
& opinions to editor@sitnews.us Published letters become the property of SitNews.
|
||
