Alaska Wolves Management and Policy

Defenders has been involved in conserving wolf populations for more than 30 years. We are committed to ending the aerial gunning of wolves. Currently, we are attempting to achieve this goal through state litigation, passage of a third ballot measure (which will be voted on by Alaskans in August 2008) amending the federal Airborne Hunting Act and bringing greater diversity to the Board of Game.

History of Defenders' efforts on behalf of Alaska wolves

Aerial Gunning Continues Its Toll on Wolves

Despite the passage of two ballot measures on the issue, aerial gunning continues to occur in Alaska. Since 2003, more than 600 wolves have been shot by aerial gunning teams in five areas of the state.

In addition to the loophole in the Airborne Hunting Act , this is due to the passage of a state law in 1994 that requires restoring depleted caribou and moose populations to previously attained levels including historical highs. (See detailed history )

In many instances such highs resulted from irruptions linked to large-scale predator control in the 1950s and 1960s. Peak populations were clearly unsustainable and restoring them now is likely unattainable. Furthermore, estimates of the magnitude of peak populations, even those reached as recently as the 1980s, are often little more than guesses and are often inflated.

Alaska Board of Game

Most decisions regarding wolves rest with the Alaska Board of Game (BOG), a seven-member panel of citizens appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature. This board has historically and currently consists primarily of hunters.

The Board of Game, guided by the intensive management statute, has consistently set ungulate population and harvest objectives at high levels or raised previous objectives absent data on habitat quality and carrying capacity. The net result of this is to commit the Board of Game to approving perpetual predator control programs that chase unattainable objectives. The current programs will likely repeat the pattern of the past wherein wolf and bear control triggered ungulate irruptions followed by habitat damage and sharp ungulate declines.

Review our work related to the Board of Game process.

Summary of our legal work

State Legislation

Defenders actively monitors the Alaska legislature for bills pertaining to the management of the state's wildlife. Currently we are monitoring two bills introduced by Governor Palin at the end of the 2007 legislative session. The bills are designed to thwart future legal challenges and were written at the behest of the Alaska Outdoor Council, a special interest group. They also intend to prevent a vote on the August 2008 aerial gunning ballot measure. Read our letter and see the full page ad in the Anchorage Daily News asking Governor Palin if the bills she introduced are an attempt to thwart the ballot measure.

Learn more about the bill. 
Read Tom Banks written testimony.