To the editor:
There are 7,000 to 8,000 moose harvested in Alaska each year.
That's more than 3.5 million pounds of moose meat worth more than $14 million. Anti-hunters have been trying to stop hunting and trapping for many years. They don't care about our lives, our traditions or our economy.
If they can stop us from managing our wildlife, they can stop us from hunting. They have tried to stop management by legal action, political action, regulatory action through the Board of Game and by Alaska's initiative voting process. They have been successful too often.
Recently, they have lost two rounds in their fight to stop us from hunting. The Board of Game rejected their proposals to stop predator management/control. Then they lost in court when the judge ruled their case to stop predator management was only a technical glitch. The Board of Game immediately fixed the glitch. Next, they are going to try get Alaskans to pass an initiative to stop predator control at the Aug. 5 primary election.
Hunters, fishermen, berry pickers, wood cutters and others are out in the field preparing for winter at that time of year. Get an absentee ballot and vote 'no' before you go.
Many Alaskans don't realize what is at stake. Our traditions, heritage, culture and livelihoods are threatened. The impact on our economy during the last 26 years is tremendous. We have lost billions of dollars by not managing our wildlife. Only in the last 5 years have we begun to return rational management.
Don't let the anti-hunters, animal rights extremists, fake environmentalists and fake conservationists drag us back down again. Beware of their false and misleading propaganda. If they were really concerned about the welfare of predators they would support abundant and healthy moose and caribou prey populations. Without healthy prey populations you can't have abundant and healthy predators. We just want a fair share for those that need and use game.
Oliver "Bud" Burris / Fairbanks |
