![]() If Congressman Young – who conceded on the House floor today that he personally killed wolves in their dens for federal pay years ago – thinks he can prevail in court, then he can have at it. Fish and Wildlife Service shouldn’t run refuges like game farms, as Alaskan officials want to do. Fish and Wildlife Service acted to stop through a rigorous, science-based, and legal federal rulemaking process that was overturned by today’s vote. In this case, Alaska has a bloodthirsty Board of Game, whose members enthusiastically implement a draconian policy called “Intensive Management.” That policy dictates that state managers drive down wolf, bear, and coyote numbers to boost caribou and moose numbers for hunters - turning Alaska’s wildlife refuges into what retired Arctic National Wildlife biologist Fran Mauer calls “game farms” - the very thing the U.S. Paul Tsongas, helped write the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act (to create a good share of these refuges), specifically stated that Congress never intended to cede complete wildlife management authority to the states. What’s the point of having a national wildlife refuge if the federal professional wildlife staff there automatically default to the management authority of the state? Congresswoman Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts, whose late husband, Sen. But the states don’t have a right to dictate what happens on our national wildlife refuges. Some members favoring the Young resolution cloaked their vote behind the mantle of states’ rights. Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez and Filemon Vela of Texas, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, and Collin Peterson of Minnesota - even as a parade of Democratic lawmakers called out the cruelty and said the behavior in question was unconscionable and unthinkable. ![]() There were five Democrats who voted with the Republican majority – Reps. We thank them for their compassion and courage. Dan Donovan and Peter King of New York, Frank LoBiondo, Tom MacArthur, and Chris Smith of New Jersey, Martha McSally of Arizona, Dave Reichert of Washington, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Fred Upton of Michigan. There were 10 Republicans who voted against the majority position – Reps. Republican lawmakers did this for the NRA, the Safari Club, and some hunting guides and outfitters. More specifically, on 16 national wildlife refuges covering 76 million acres, all in the state of Alaska. On our country’s national wildlife refuges. The stuff of wildlife snuff films.Īnd not just on any land. Denning of wolf pups, killing hibernating bears, spotting grizzly bears from aircraft and then shooting them after landing, and trapping grizzly bears and black bears with steel-jawed leghold traps and snares. Fish and Wildlife Service – to stop some of the most appalling practices ever imagined in the contemporary era of wildlife management. Those 225 members voted to overturn a federal rule – years in the works, and crafted by professional wildlife managers at the U.S. ![]() House of Representatives did today – actually a very narrow majority of the House – was shameful. ![]()
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