To the editor:
Kudos to Alaska Department of Fish & Game for taking its current helicopter predator control action in the Fortymile country. I was on the Board of Game when action was taken to implement predator control in that area, and some of us were concerned then that using airplanes to take predators would be very problematic and self-limiting because there are so few airplane-friendly places to land.
Kudos as well to the Board of Game and ADF&G for maintaining the current predator management programs in other areas. It will take several years to realize the fruits of these actions; the proof will be in prey calves surviving and in prey populations actually gaining ground instead of maintaining at such a low ebb that hunting is either restricted or nonexistent, as is the case in too many areas of our state.
I appreciate that Sarah Palin's administration is putting teeth and action in Alaska's game management and that she is supporting our fine wildlife scientists. Several recent administrations had our game management in severe regression; Murkowski's administration reversed that trend by advocating adherence to our constitution, which requires managing our natural resources (in this case, wild food) for abundance and maximum yield. Palin's group is taking even further strides in meeting our constitutional objectives; it will be a good day in Alaska when we again have ample moose and caribou to utilize as food.
I wish I'd had a camera when I was a child, hunting with my family in Game Management Unit 13 (before there were subunits A - F); I would have taken photos of the November herds of moose we would watch from different hilltops, numbering 20 or so and upwards in each group. Instead, I have only my mind's-eye view, and I am hoping to once again be able to have that view.
Sharon McLeod-Everette, Fairbanks |
