She died after spending a week in the unchecked trap, according to park biologist Tom Meier. Then her body was scavenged by a wolverine. The demise of the only reproducing female of the Grant Creek Pack was a horrific but fitting tribute to the Board of Game that signed her death warrant. Had the Denali Buffer Zone remained in place, this travesty would not have happened.
Created in recognition of natural boundaries, the buffer was removed by a 4-3 vote of the Board of Game in 2010 without justification. In doing so the Board demonstrated its lack of basic comprehension of animal territories. It gave in to a handful of trappers. One result was a brutal death in a trap set by Healy trapper, Coke Wallace, a death that arguably amounted to wanton waste.
Because the Board of Game has created no general regulations regarding periodicity of checking sets, traps can go unchecked the entirety of the season.
The removal of the buffer zone and no set trap checking intervals are just two examples of the travesty that is our Board of Game. They listened not to the average Alaskan but to the vocal handful who wanted more land in which to kill. Never mind the Alaskan Constitution says all Alaskans are equal owners of our wildlife. In words and actions, the Board considers the majority of Alaskans second-class owners with a preference given to the trophy-hunters, the trappers, the Coke Wallaces. Five hundred petitioners, many local to the Denali area, requested the zone be continued. Five trappers wanted it removed. The Board listened only to the five and now, as predicted, Alaska is the lesser for their decision. The vast majority of Americans lost in that decision.
By their denial of the buffer zone and refusal to set trap checking requirements, the Board of Game has sanctioned this sort of waste and has shown the world how little ethics and good science mean in Alaska wildlife management.
Art Greenwalt
Fairbanks
Comments (2)
Add commentWhy is Cliff Judkins still
Why is Cliff Judkins still the Chairman of the Board of Game? He should be fired for his illegal hunting trip with Corey Rossi and Bob Bell...WHY?
And Cliff Judkins is a known poacher of coyotes. His attempt to change the rules to allow subsistence hunters to keep their horns means he is unsuitable to serve on Alaska's Board of Game in any capacity.
Putting aside the question of what is a successful businessman doing on a subsistence hunt competing with the local residents of Northwest Alaska for a limited resource (as Judkins did), we see how incestuous is the relationship between the guide-dominated Board of Game and trophy hunters.
Judkins has now submitted a proposal that would make legal exactly what he wanted to do. Apparently, if you serve on the board and feel personally inconvenienced by a rule, you just go ahead and change it.
The same goes for the rest of Sean Parnell's and Sarah Palin's BOG appointments. They have absolutely polluted game management in Alaska.
Other wildlife regulatory ethics problems
I agree Cliff Judkins is a good example of one of the major problems with the BOG and our state wildlife management system. His term expired last month, so likely Parnell will be putting forth a nominee carefully selected to represent the trophy-hunting crowd to which he seems beholden.
There is another situation with the Kenai Advisory Committee that warrants action. These AC's supply recommendations for their areas to the Board of Game and so often carry considerable weight in what they say. The chairman of the Kenai AC is Michael Crawford. Mr. Crawford was convicted on 3/23/12 of illegally trying to trap wolverine out of season. Alaska statute 5 AAC 96.060 (n2) essentially says any member of a committee can be removed if convicted of a violation within the 5 years.
However, the state has not done anything to remove Mr. Crawford despite his conviction and despite his fitting this statute perfectly. Apparently, the quality of our "representation" on such committees is of little concern to the Parnell administration. Interesting how a poacher is allowed to remain in a position that affects our wildlife laws.
Thank you
Thank you for this information. It sounds like some of us are sleeping at the wheel as informed and active Alaskans.
I'll be keeping an eye on this and getting ready to contact my governor regarding his choices. Maybe if he hears from enough of us, he will listen...?