Alaska challenges federal hunting rules in court

On Jan. 13, the State of Alaska filed a lawsuit to challenge new federal rules banning several methods of hunting on national wildlife refuges and national preserves located within the state. The rules, promulgated by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, impact how and when hunters and predator control programs can pursue black and brown bears, caribou, coyotes, and wolves. Baiting, snaring, and trapping bears and taking wolves and coyotes during the denning season are among the newly prohibited methods.

In her defense of the lawsuit, Alaska Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth stated, “these federal regulations are not about predator control or protecting the State’s wildlife numbers. These regulations are about the federal government trying to control Alaskans’ way of life and how Alaskans conduct their business.”

Read more about the rules and Alaska’s legal action at The Bristol Bay Times.