The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period by 30 days for the federal proposal that would change predator control programs in Alaska Wildlife Refuges.
The proposal that would rule over Alaska’s 16 national wildlife refuges would not have much of an impact on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge according to local managers.
Nonetheless, members of the public like Kasilof resident Dave Blossom are worried that the proposal takes away the option for local authorities, not the feds, to implement predator control if it’s needed.
Blossom: “The problem I have is that right now, Fish and Wildlife Service, and to some extent I believe the Alaska Department of Fish and Game here on the Kenai Peninsula, are solely managing the Kenai Peninsula for wolf and bear population and are not showing any concern for our moose population.”
There was a significant decline in moose cows and calves last year which Blossom says indicates there is already a problem with too many predators.
Other members of the public like Ed Schmitt says he supports the proposal because the current Intensive Management Plan is expensive and not achieving it’s goals.
Schmitt: “Everywhere else around the world, humans have come in, they’ve looked at the ecosystems and they’ve changed them. In Alaska, we said, we’ve looked back over our success rate with that, it’s not been great. Let’s have a place set aside, to be natural, for future generations to see.”
The public comment period on the proposals has been extended until April 7.
The federal register can be found athttp://www.regulations.gov and the proposals for Alaska’s 16 refuges can be found by searching for FWS–R7–NWRS–2014–0005.