The advisory committee for the reintroduction of Wood Bison into Alaska had their first meeting Wednesday and Thursday here in Fairbanks. Right now the main problem is that the US has closed it's borders to the import of Cattle and Bison from Canada. They are seeking an exemption for Alaska since it would not have any impact on the beef heards in the lower 48. Everyone in attendance had a positive attitude about the project. So far everything looks promising. One of the major concerns is that the Federal Government might take it upon themselves to list them as Endangered when we get a viable number to open for harvest. Or that they will list them for subsistence use first, and keep average alaskans from hunting them. That's the problem with releasing them on Federal land. Many of us would like to find a different location for release on State land.
