“The main impetus was what we call the ‘Mulchatna Massacre,’” said Anchorage attorney Michelle Bittner, the plaintiff in a new lawsuit against the state over its predator-control action this year. (via AlaskaBeacon)
While factors like habitat changes and the spread of the infectious disease brucellosis are issues for the herd, “predator control is an immediate tool the department can use to attempt to reverse the herds’ decline,” the Department of Fish and Game said in a statement released after this year’s campaign was completed. Residents of 48 communities in that region of Western Alaska depend on the Mulchatna herd for food, the June 6 statement said.
Though the Board of Game says it uses science-based management, “there is no credible scientific basis for the massive reduction of the bear population that supports the contention that the killing of bears will significantly increase the caribou population,” and therefore the board’s actions violated a clause of the Alaska Constitution, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance lawsuit said.
Bittner’s lawsuit makes similar claims, though it also focuses on arguments that the Board of Game is depriving Alaska’s nonhunters of their rights. Though it will not help the caribou, the state’s Mulchatna campaign may have already had negative effects on the bear population in that region of the state, Bittner said. There are indications of those problems at Brooks Camp, she said, referring to the world-famous bear-viewing site in Katmai National Park and Preserve where individual bears have been identified and are known to return year after year to feast on salmon.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Donald Trump's Indictments, Lawsuits, and Legal Cases, ExplainedRolling Stone presents a guide to: » what Trump's being investigated for » what he’s been charged with » when pending investigations are likely to move forward » more
Read more »
Chicago Taxpayers Spent $280M to Resolve Police Misconduct Lawsuits from 2019 to 2023: AnalysisChicago taxpayers spent $280M to resolve lawsuits alleging Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct from spring 2019 to spring 2023, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.
Read more »
Lawyers reach settlement of lawsuits arising from Spring Hill College rape allegationsSpring Hill College and two former students have reached a settlement of lawsuits arising from allegations over an alleged rape.
Read more »
Colorado Republican Party files lawsuits against Secretary of State Jena Griswold, seeking to close primariesAs part of its chairman’s desire to close its primaries to all but registered Republican voters, the Colorado Republican Party filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Jena Griswold in federal court Monday, seeking to invalidate a 2016 ballot measure.
Read more »
New lawsuits allege 'devastating' sexual hazing in Northwestern University football programIn two new lawsuits filed against Northwestern University, former football players allege they were subjected to demeaning and tortuous hazing as freshmen.
Read more »