Letter to the Editor

[Sourdough]

On Monday an AP story about Caribou decline world wide was printed in the Fairbanks paper.  I have wrote a rebuttle to that story and want you guys to see it.  I tried to get a link to the article, but since it was an AP release it is not carried in the archives of our local paper.  I feel the whole world needs to know the truth about what is going on.  Here is a copy of my letter.  Rog


                        Caribou Decline

    I read the article on October 5th  by Charles J. Hanley on Caribou herds across the Artic, and how the herds are in decline.  Biologists in the Eurasian Artic are searching for clues and think they have found some.  They believe the impact of climate change is causing the disruption of feeding habits.  They feel this is causing the decimation of the species.  Yet here in Alaska our herds are stable by comparison.  There is a reason for this.

    The Alaskan biologist studied our Caribou herds for decades and has proof as to why our herd numbers fluctuate.  They have developed recovery plans.  In some areas they have implemented those plans, and had very successful results.  The areas where the plans were not implemented, such as Unit 20-A has also seen a decrease in Caribou numbers.  The recovery plan seeks to reduce the number of predators to a healthy number for both the predators and the Caribou herds.  Predator management is why Alaska’s herds are stable.  With a little less interference from Animal rights groups  our herds could be growing.

    Carrying capacity (the amount of food available) of an area does play a roll when the numbers get too high, but the biggest factor currently found is predation.  Wolves and Bears are the main reason for sudden drops in Caribou numbers.  A study of the mortality rate of some herds has put the take by predators at over 80%.  Meanwhile the take by Humans is 2%.  Hunting by Humans has very little effect on Caribou numbers.  We are feeding the predators.

    Meanwhile, on the Discovery Channel I have seen programs on Wolf reintroduction efforts in Europe and Siberia.  Then they blast Alaska for killing wolves.

    Thanks to the Alaskan Biologist who have done their homework, the science is there and proven.  Now it’s time to get out of their way and let them do their job, so we can continue to have healthy herds of Caribou here in Alaska.  Caribou are needed for feeding the people of Alaska.  Viewing Caribou is a by-product of a successful management program.

Roggie L Hunter
North Pole, Alaska

[Questor]

Sourdough:

I don't think that most people realize how big an impact natural events have on Arctic animal populations. There have been years when, for example, 75% of the Canadian archipellago musk ox herd was killed because they starved to death after food was made unavailable by heavy rains that froze the surface in October.

The same kinds of things effect caribou herds. So whenever I see claims about a decline, I want to know what natural conditions caused it.

[Sourdough]

  The herds in Alaska are for the most part healthy.  The ones that are in decline are in the areas where animal rights groups have stopped the state from performing predator control.  The areas where the state did do the predator control the herds are increasing.

Unlike these guys who are only speculating about the cause of Caribou decline, our biologist have been studying our herds.  Through management practices they have proven their program is sound and works.  Here in Alaska.

Now there may be different situations in other areas of the world.  I can not say, I've not been there.  But if it was due to Global Warming why are the Alaska Herds not adversely affected.  If the Global Warming theory was true, why are some of our herds growing?

[Redtail1949]

Nature has a way of balance that man cannot mandate no matter how hard they try. It is the ignorance of man that has caused such things starvation on large scale of elk and deer in Colorado during heavy winters. They removed the predators that helped keep nature in balance.

[Sourdough]

A properly determined Carrying Capacity takes such things as Heavy Winters into account and plans for that.  That is why we have been having Cow hunts for Moose for the last five years.  The Moose herd had overpopulated the area just south of Fairbanks.  Good thing too, we had a bad winter last year, without a die off.  That Moose herd is classified as the healthiest Moose Herd in the state.  Attributed to intensive management.

The challenge is to work within the boundaries set by nature.  Don't remove all the predators as they did in the lower 48, but keep their number in balance to maintain a healthy population of Caribou, Moose, and Predators.

[LONGTOM]

Maybe GLOBAL WARMING is what's to blame for the decline in my livestock trailer sales business.

I am so sick of hearing about GLOBAL WARMING and the effects that man has played in causing it.
Did they ever stop to think that it is just the natural rotation of the earth on it's axis that is changing the temps around the world?
It has happed before and what makes them think it won't continue through out the life of our planet!
Places now have snow that never had it before and cold places are showing signs of a modest warm up.
It's just MOTHER NATURE taking control of things for a while until she gets it all back in order!

I can't prove this of course, and I don't think DUMB DUMB GORE can prove his side either.
Science has been wrong before!!!
Leave it alone, before the government messes it up so bad that nature can never fix it.

Sorry, nothing to do with the Caribou & Wolves I know.
Just when I read the part about global warming I kind of went off.
I'm back now! 


LONGTOM

[mechanic]

40 years ago the whitetail deer in S. Ga. and N. Fla. were no larger than a German Shepherd dog.  The first buck I killed was an 8 point that weighted 90 lb.s dressed.  There were too many deer for the available food, the limit for hunters was 2 per yr. one of which had to be a buck.  Now that reasonable plans are in place, I'm seeing larger healthier deer.  The natives of this land before we came, would camp in a place until game grew scarce, then move on.  In the long run, this was a healthy practice as it culled all the weaker, slower  animals.  I don't know a thing about caribou, (I did see one once at an animal park), but I would feel sure they have survived harsh winters, and warm ones as well over the thousands of years they have lived in Alaska.  I don't buy the whole global warming mush.