Headlines this month have sensationalized the Trump administration’s reversal of onerous regulations for Alaskan National Preserves. The reversal is essential to restoring state control of a unique ecosystem.
In 2015, the National Park Service under President Barack Obama mandated regulations that infringed on Alaska’s established authority to manage its wildlife. These regulations infringed on policies that were implemented at the request of Native communities and individuals in remote parts of the state.
In fact, most of the hunting practices Obama banned in 2015 were already illegal under state law, while others, like the harvest of hibernating bears, are strictly regulated and rarely conducted, and only by Native communities in the most remote parts of the state during the harshest winters.
The practice has no long-term detrimental effects of the predator-prey ecosystems, according to Eddie Grasser, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s director of wildlife conservation.
Much like the politicians who sought to dictate to Alaska its management policies in 2015, those who claim the reversal of the Obama regulations will usher in a wave of animal barbarism need to educate themselves.
The writer is president of the Safari Club International’s Las Vegas chapter.