Thank you Karen for posting this information. Mine and my families letters have been sent. Also, I'd like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for getting involved and sending their letters to end this rediculous bear hunt.

Bob

 Attention all BAGs...

There are a couple new players in the Katmai bear hunt issue who need a letter from you.

Sue Masica the new NPS Alaska Regional director and Ralph Moore the Katmai National Park superintendent. According to my sources in Alaska, Ralph Moore has been given approval to shut down Katmai National Preserve to brown bear hunting, but he seems to be dragging his feet. Seems he needs a push. I think we're getting closer to a victory.

email addresses:

sue_masica@nps.gov

ralph_moore@nps.gov

Write and let them know that we want the Katmai free of bear hunting!

Our McNeil bears migrate through this area!!!!

I have written to my Representative today.  Please let's all do this.

Hello fellow bear lovers...... 

Oh I am so sad and mad.

Yes I will write.

Thank you for the info.

Oh, the bears..poor bears!

 Pray they cannot hunt...it makes no sense........

On October 1, 2009 trophy hunters and outfitters will once again arrive in Katmai National Preserve near the Narrow Cove area in State Game Management Unit 9C to hunt the brown bears. The Alaska Board of Game will meet November 7-11 and the ethics of hunting such human habituated brown bears will be at the top of the list. I ask all concerned to write a single brief, but polite letter, to your local member of the U.S. House Representatives and ask them to stop this brown bear hunt in Katmai National Preserve, in Unit 9C. These bears have been coexisting in close proximity to campers/fisherman, wildlife viewers, photographers and biologists all summer long for years and have lost their ability to differentiate friend from foe making them extremely easy prey for the trophy hunters. This falls very short of what would be considered "fair chase hunting".

I would really appreciate you joining us by writing a brief letter to your local Representative asking for the brown bear hunt in Katmai National Preserve, Alaska GMU 9C be stopped. Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested in helping.

The list of all U.S. Representatives: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml 

For those of you living outside the USA, your voice is needed, too.  Let Alaska know that the world is watching - please speak up for our bears.
 

Board of Game
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
PO Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811
FAX: (907) 465-6094

http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/gameinfo/meetinfo/gcal.php

* They hunt brown bears on Katmai in the spring on even numbered years, and in the fall on odd numbered years. 

* these bears are used to being around humans:
http://community.adn.com/mini_apps/vmix/player.php?ID=2057809&GID=117

 Officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) say that they plan to rescind the agency's plan to delist gray wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies sometime soon and place them back under federal protections.

Thanks to your incredible efforts and support over the last few months, the Fish and Wildlife Service has finally bowed to reality by recognizing that there are serious scientific and legal problems with their plan for delisting wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.

...thank you to everybody who spoke up for the wolves -- your voice was heard!

The War on Alaska's Wildlife
Heats Up
AND SO DOES OUR RESOLVE!

Alaska’s bears, wolves, moose and caribou lost a hard-fought battle when Ballot Measure 2 in Alaska's primary election was defeated.

For the following reasons, Alaska's wildlife was at an extreme disadvantage. First, the abbreviated ballot language as re-written by Alaska's Lieutenant Governor was grossly deceptive, leaving most Alaskan voters confused. Second, we were outspent by trophy hunting groups whose advertisements lied to Alaskans by encouraging them to Vote No on 2 to “protect” Alaska’s wildlife. Third, at Governor Sarah Palin's request the state committed $400,000 of public money to “educate” the voters about the “value” of the Alaska Board of Game’s predator killing programs. And lastly, Alaska’s Governor personally and publicly advocated for defeat of Ballot Measure 2, and against a ballot measure that would have ensured that salmon streams in the areas of major mining in Alaska remained clean.

This is exactly the kind of borderline corruption that fires us up for the battles yet to come. You are the fire behind our fight.

Right now the Alaska Wildlife Alliance is fighting the following battles:

• Create a Board of Wildlife with a place for all Alaskans in the decision-making process. This will likely require an initiative that mandates representation from Alaska’s second largest industry, tourism. Other mandated Board positions could include neutral biologists unencumbered with political agendas.
• Assist with passage of the federal Protect America’s Wildlife Act, which would close the loophole in the Federal Airborne Hunting Act that currently allows the Alaska Board of Game to send over a hundred private pilots and their gunners out on thrill-killing runs. This “predator control” method meets no broadly accepted scientific standards for management of our irreplaceable wildlife resources. Reducing our wolves and bears to tiny remnant populations will result in a loss of our balanced, intact ecosystems.
• The killing of 14 wolf pups in their dens by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. State regulations forbid the practice of denning for both ADF&G personnel and private hunters. We are working to hold the State of Alaska legally responsible for this illegal and unnecessary kill. If we fail to act there is little doubt that ADF&G will expand this denning program to allow unethical hunters and state biologists to perpetually kill more wolf pups and bear cubs. Sadly, the state biologists made no attempt to place the wolf pups with a zoo or wildlife facility, as is required by law, prior to killing them. The Alaska Zoo later indicated it would have kept or placed these orphaned pups.
• Polar bears and Cook Inlet beluga whales are both in grave danger. Governor Palin sued the federal government over the polar bears’ threatened species status and is trying to prevent beluga whales from getting that same protection. We are forced to watch as Alaska’s Governor attempts to sever this vital survival lifeline. The Alaska Wildlife Alliance will fight tirelessly for our wild white bears and whales. We must not let them disappear!

Alaska Wildlife Alliance

Alaska’s wildlife needs you now more than ever.

 These people make me sick to my stomach.  I sent a letter off which voiced my opinion and let them know what dirtbags they truly are.  Unfortunately, nothing we say will do much good since they have no conscience, no morals, and can't possibly be animal lovers to approve of killing.  I just don't understand how anyone can even consider doing such a horrible thing.  They'll pay for their misdeeds, if not in this life, then the next.  I certainly hope so anyway.

 Polar Bear Action Alert:  Stop the hunting!

http://forums.ngm.com/forums/p/2060/296625.aspx#296625 

Please Help SUPPORT: HB284

Heads up on this very important Bill – Bill 284 sponsored by Sen. Lyda Green. She’s attempting to legislate mandatory representation on the Board of Fish. Something we’ve desperately attempted to accomplish on the Board of Game with no success. We need to support this bill vigorously. It’s exactly what we need to bring all our states citizens to the table in regards to managing our wildlife resources! It will create the perfect environment for getting this type of legislation for the BOG.

CSSB 284 puts into statute selection requirements that provide for fair and balanced

representation on the Board of Fisheries for years to come, regardless of who may be

governor or who may be in political leadership positions at the Department of Fish and

Game.”

The bill attempts to require equal representation to three user groups. The exact text is:

1 consists of

2 (1) three members who represent commercial fishing interests;

3 (2) three members who represent personal use and subsistence

4 fishing interests;

5 (3) three members who represent sport fishing interests.

Read the entire bill at: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/PDF/25/Bills/SB0284A.PDF

The bill is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday in Senate Resources:
3:30pm (Alaska Time)
go to:  http://www.ktoo.org/gavel/calendar.cfm 

Senate Resource Committee Members:  http://senate.legis.state.ak.us/

Sen. Charlie Huggins, Chair  Senator_Charlie_Huggins@legis.state.ak.us

Sen. Bert Stedman, Vice Chair  Senator_Bert_Stedman@legis.state.ak.us

Sen. Lyda Green   Senator_Lyda_Green@legis.state.ak.us

Sen. Gary Stevens Senator_Gary_Stevens@legis.state.ak.us

Sen. Lesil McGuire Senator_Lesil_McGuire@legis.state.ak.us  

Sen Bill Wielechowski Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us

Sen. Thomas Wagoner  Senator_Thomas_Wagoner@legis.state.ak.us

Also, check out SB 237 - Another bill that highlights the differences between management of our fisheries vs. our land based wildlife resources.

Action Alert:

Two bills in the Alaska Legislature need the tourism industries immediate attention. HB 348 and SB 176 are attempting to do two things, remove the state wide vote on aerial predator control in August and, for the first time, mandate that the Board of Game initiate aerial predator control programs for both Brown Bears and Wolverines!

SB 176 is attempting to remove all the language requiring the Board of Game to develop aerial predator control programs based on science. The bill removes the words “based on science” and replaces science with the following language:

“ the Board of Game may authorize a predator control program that involves airborne or same day airborne shooting of wolves, wolverines, or brown bears if the board determines that the program would be conducive to achieving the objectives established for human harvest”

What does “ conducive to achieving the objectives” mean? Nothing more than the “opinion” of the Board of Game. The board will no longer be required to show what factors may be keeping big game populations at low numbers. Is it predators or other environmental factors such as lack of food? No longer will the board be required to use science to determine which predator may be contributing to low big game populations. Is it wolf, brown bear or wolverine? The board can choose which ever predator they “think” is responsible. No longer will the board be responsible for showing whether intensive predator control programs are even effective!

If SB 176 is adopted the board can simply have an opinion, based on anything they want, that a particular predator needs to be included in an aerial predator control program – including brown bears! For the first time the board could simply shrug its shoulders at any concerns about intensive predator control programs and state they are mandated to initiate these programs, it is not up to them, the legislature has told them to do it! With no other mandates in statute other than the opinion of the Board of Game, the citizens would have no recourse in the courts to oppose predator control.

HB 348 attempts to add language to the statutes governing the Board of Games use of intensive management programs by changing our wildlife from a public resource to a “ public asset” with the following:

“the public asset of game is allocated or appropriated”

What does this language do? As an asset the resource is lumped together with oil or minerals, which are out of the reach of public initiatives. HB 348 not only removes the state wide vote 56,000 Alaskan’s signed to put on the ballet in August, it also removes citizens initiatives from wildlife resource issues for good. Directly rebuking the vote of the citizens of this state in 2000 when 72% of Alaskan’s voted against a constitutional amendment that attempted to remove the initiative process in managing our wildlife resources.

This language also enhances the mandates of the Board of Game by statute to initiate predator control programs under the intensive game management law recently passed. The intensive game management law’s intent when signed into law, as stated by the chairman of the Board of Game at that time, Mike Fleagle, is “to reallocate the harvestable surplus of game animals from predators to humans”. HB 348 further enhances the statutes governing the Board of Game to “allocate or appropriate our wildlife resources for human consumption”.

In the basic sense, these two bills are nothing more than back door legislation to remove the public from the process of managing our wildlife resources. These two bills ignore the will and intent of the citizens of this state. Why would a few members of the legislature and Governor Palin introduce such appalling legislation? HB 348 is designed to remove citizens initiative and the third state wide vote. Why? The citizens have voted against aerial predator control as currently adopted by the Board of Game twice, a third time would likely eliminate the aerial predator control program. Three strikes and you are out they say! The legislature simply could not, for a third time, revoke the will of the people in regards to aerial predator control. So, special interest hunting groups, such the Alaska Outdoor Council, and the legislators they own, which unfortunately includes Governor Palin, are attempting to remove the public’s will and intent via backdoor legislation. HB 348 removes citizen initiatives.

HB 176 removes the courts by reducing the mandates to the board of game for initiating predator control to the point that it only requires the opinion of the Board to initiate predator control programs. You can not litigate the merits of the program when the “opinion” of the Board of Game is their only mandate. HB 176 effectively removes the citizens ability to petition predator control programs in the courts.

Both bills are the dirty politics of old and don’t belong in Governor Palins new and improved “transparent” state Government!

What can you do!

SB 176 is currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Please contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and state your opposition to SB 176. The tourism industry deserves to have representation in this issue and the Board of Game does not provide any representation to us.

You can reach the Senate Judiciary Committee by:

Email your comments to the staff of the Judiciary Committee. Cindy Smith can distribute your comments to all the members. You can also ask her to notify you when SB 176 is scheduled for a hearing so you can testify in person at your local Legislative Information Office or you can call in to testify.


To call the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify once the bill has been schedule for a hearing you must first call Cindy to get approval.

Cindy Smith – Senate Judiciary Committee Aid – 1-866-465-3892

Email testimony, comments or questions to cindy.smith@legis.state.ak.us

Sen. Lesil McGuire is our most important swing vote on this bill. She is sponsoring SB 143 which promotes tourism as one of Alaska’s most important industries. Please consider contacting her personally.

Both Senator French and Sen. Wielechowski oppose SB 176.

Senate Judiciary Committee Members:

Chair: Senator Hollis French (District M – Anchorage)
Sen.Hollis.French@legis.state.ak.us
1-866-465-6595

Vice Chair: Senator Charley Huggins (District H – Matsu/Chugiak)
Sen.Charlie.Huggins@legis.state.ak.us
1-800-862-3878

Senator Lesil McGuire (District N – Anchorage)
Sen.Lesil.McGuire@legis.state.ak.us
1-907-465-2995

Senator Bill Wielechowski (District J – Anchorage)
Sen.Bill.Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us
1-907-465-2435

Senator Gene Therriault
Sen.Gene.Therriault@legis.state.ak.us
1-800-860-4797

(Very strong supporter and member of the Alaska Outdoor Council – He links to them via his Legislative Webpage http://www.aksenateminority.com/archives/category/biographies/


HB 348 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Finance Committee on Friday, March 14 at 1:30 pm. http://www.ktoo.org/gavel/calendar.cfm

Email comments, or testimony to Suzanne Cunningham at:
suzanne_cunningham@legis.state.ak.us

To call in to testify call Suzanne to get permission at:

Phone: 1-907-465-6619


House Finance Committee Members:
Representative_Mike_Chenault@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Kevin_Meyer@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Bill_Stoltze@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_John_Harris@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Mike_Hawker@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Mike_Kelly@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Bill_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Harry_Crawford@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Les_Gara@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Reggie_Joule@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Mary_Nelson@legis.state.ak.us

Representative_Richard_Foster@legis.state.ak.us

Thank You so much everyone for writing your letters. I really think we will make a difference if we keep up the pressure. I was recently told by a member up in Alaska on the front lines of the Katmai bear hunt issue that our letters are having a significant impact. We must keep it up.

Interestingly, VOGUE magazine  published an article in the February issue on Governor Sarah Palin. The main focus of the article seemed to be more on her apparent beauty instead of some of the more serious and egregious wildlife issues we would like her to address.

The article refers to her as the "beautiful twin" to Tina Fey. Might be a bit of a stretch?

My wife wrote a letter to VOGUE'S editor detailing the other side of Governor Palin. We'll cross our fingers and hope they print it.

Brenda:

Karen, Thanks for posting this. I'd never heard of Denning. I can't fathom just what kind of human being would do such a thing. You are so right, it's disgusting & barbaric... UGH!!! My letter will be on its way soon.

Thanks Goldie!  My letter has been written.  This barbaric practice must STOP!

Thank you Bob for letting us know about this & its something we can all put our voice to.

Previously posted in Sightings & Sounds:
Your help is needed...

BEAR ALERT:

www.rjacksonphotography.com