In northern Alaska, a large portion of caribou and moose hunting is at risk on public lands.
Your LAST OPPORTUNITY for Public Comment will be on Monday, March 21 from 3-6pm AK Time.
On Monday, call 1-800-779-2712 PASSCODE: 5653753 to comment
Tell them NOT to close federal lands to hunting. Closing is not based on science and will not improve caribou numbers, affect migration, or provide additional subsistence hunting opportunity.
Additional Talking Points from the coalition of hunting conservation groups in Alaska:
- Closing these lands without a valid reason under the law is an overreach of the FSB’s authority. This must stop!
- Restricting air travel is not viable as it is an important mode of travel for hunting in Alaska.
- The Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, made up of representatives both local and non-local, voted
down a motion to support this special action at their December 2021 meeting. - Why are we not allowed to address the FSB directly? Keeping the public from the actual decision makers does
a disservice to the process. - The 2021 survey of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd found there are now an estimated 188,000 caribou. This
population can still provide a harvestable surplus of 11,300 which is enough to meet the Amounts Reasonably
Necessary for Subsistence established by the Board of Game of 8,000-12,000 caribou (which is the combined
amount for the WAH and the Teshekpuk Herd). - The Teshekpuk Herd is healthy with a population estimate of 56,000.
- Non-local harvest is estimated at 300 to 350 caribou, of which non-local Alaska residents harvest on average
212 caribou. - The harvest by non-locals is also predominantly bull caribou, which right now are far above the herd’s objective
of 30 bulls per 100 cows at 47 bulls per caribou.
An Advisory Council is seeking to add new language to Federal regulations for caribou and moose in Alaska Units 23 and 26A. Millions of acres that makes up Units 23 and 26A are federal lands. The proposed changes would prohibit the hunting of caribou and moose to all non-residents, and many Alaska residents, on all federal lands. The Council’s request is not based on the scientific findings of Alaska Department of Fish and Game or any other official herd management group.
For the full list of information from the coalition of hunting conservation groups in Alaska, see their flyer below.
