Alaska floats proposal to kill predators on NP lands without USNPS permission
Alaska wildlife officials, in a move certain to flare jurisdictional issues between the state and federal governments if OKed, are proposing that they be allowed to kill predators in national parks and preserves without prior approval from the National Park Service. The proposal has prompted a message from Park Service officials that Alaska's wildlife management powers "are not absolute when we are dealing with federal lands within the state."
The matter is before the Alaska Board of Game, which convenes Friday in Fairbanks for a session that runs through March 7. A number of proposals that could involve national parks and preserves are among the agenda items for the session, but none has drawn as much attention as "Proposal 131." According to the Board of Game's agenda, this proposal drafted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game would allow the state to control predators -- mainly wolves -- on park lands without Park Service permission.