ACTION ALERT: ADFG REQUESTS REGULATION CHANGE TO INSTATE BEAR KILLING
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has requested that the Board of Game deliberate on regulation changes that would create a ~40,000 square mile black and brown bear control program (which includes aerial gunning) in western Alaska. This is undoubtedly in response to AWA's recent court victories, which found that the State's 2022 Mulchatna bear control program was illegal and void. The Court also ruled that the State acted 'in bad faith' when they proceeded to kill 11 bears this May, despite two judges ruling that they were doing so illegally, and that the testimony of the State's Director of Wildlife Conservation was "mostly not credible".
The State has scheduled a Special Meeting on July 14th in Anchorage for the Board of Game to vote on the proposed regulation changes. The proposed changes would allow ADFG to kill as many bears as they deem fit within a 40,000 square mile area already undergoing wolf control.
Alaska Wildlife Alliance will be in attendance, and we expect there to be an opportunity to testify in person.
What You Can Do to Help
We are once again asking for your support as we fight for Mulchatna bears. The Board of Game is, at heart, a public process. Alaska's bears are a constitutionally protected resource, and your voice matters in their management!
Please submit written public comments opposing the new Mulchatna bear control program by 11:59pm on July 7. Make sure to tell the Board of Game about your relationship to the bears of Mulchatna, and why you believe they shouldn't be gunned from helicopters. For more information on the bear control program, head to our website.
If you live in Alaska or visit Alaska frequently, reach out to our state legislature to voice your concerns. You can find their contact information here.
Lastly, if you're in the Anchorage area, please join us on Monday, July 14 at 8:30am at the Coast Inn at Lake Hood for the Board of Game Special Meeting. No schedule has been released yet, but we expect there will be an opportunity to orally testify in person on July 14. You can find more information about the meeting here, and if you're interested in testifying, stay tuned for more information.
Thank you so much for continuing to be a voice for Alaska's bears!
