Judge rejects Alaska's rush to shoot wolves in wildlife refuge.

[Dand]

Judge rejects Alaska's rush to shoot wolves in wildlife refuge
By MARY PEMBERTON
The Associated Press
Published: June 3rd, 2010 05:55 PM
Last Modified: June 3rd, 2010 05:55 PM
A federal judge on Thursday rejected the state of Alaska's request to immediately kill seven wolves in a national wildlife refuge on Unimak Island.

The state wants to remove wolves from caribou calving grounds and boost numbers for the herd in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

However, Judge H. Russel Holland refused Alaska's request for a temporary restraining order against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has threatened legal action if state employees enter the refuge in helicopters to shoot wolves.

Instead, the judge set a hearing Monday and said the court would consider a preliminary injunction. He asked lawyers for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Interior Department to provide responses to the state's lawsuit by Friday afternoon.

"I think it will be best for everyone if we can get this matter out of the way," Holland said.

The state has informed the judge that Monday is the longest it can wait to prevent wolves from eating calves this year.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/06/03/1305934/judge-rejects-alaskas-plan-in.html#ixzz0pqbBXBV2


I wonder how this will play out. I would think taking more than 7 wolves would be a good idea.

[Dee]

Sourdough posted on this, and it seems that Alaska is not as determined as he thought. They were supposed to start shooting Tuesday regardless, and here we are Thursday, waitin on Friday for a decision from a FEDERAL judge.

[Dand]

Yeah I'm not surprised.  The Feds still have a lot of hammers they can hold over the state - especially way out at Unimak where the nearest real runway (Cold Bay) is right on the front door of a USFWS Refuge office.  Same for the next runway at King Salmon where there is NPS AND USFWS. So it would be hard for the State to haul gear and shooters to Unimak without being intercepted.

[AtlLaw]

here we are Thursday, waitin on Friday for a decision from a FEDERAL judge.

Now I never say "I told you so..."     Glad you emphisized "Federal" Judge.  The state is going to defy the feds...  Protect those state employees who do the shooting with the NG like I said... yup... sure... and I believe in santi claws, the toof fairy...   

BTW, I hate to read anything by "MARY PEMBERTON!" 

[thxmrgarand]

I think there is a reasonable chance the state will defy the feds.  I'm not an attorney but so far the state is building a record as they need to do.  However, the state cannot wait for the bureaucrats because the wolves will eat all the calves in the meantime.  If a federal judge says next week that the wolves can eat the 2010 crop of calves then I expect the governor to make a move that will kill wolves and save the herd.  The timing could not be better so far as who is in the White House, who is running for governor, how fed up all Alaskans are with the federal bureaucrats that Washington sends us, and how critical this matter is to this isolated caribou herd.  This is fun to watch.

[Sourdough]

I am disappointed they waited, but I can see the point.  Adding fuel to the fire.  I feel the wolves will be shot, and this is one the state wants to take all the way to the Supreme Court, over States Rights to manage Game within their borders.

[AtlLaw]

This is fun to watch.

FUN!?     Fun ain't the word for it!     I haven't had this much fun watching some such go-ins on since I discovered porno on the internet!   

I firmly believe, as if anyone cares what I believe, that the feds of all varieties need their come-upence!  Can't wait to see what happens next!   

[Dand]

Yeah the State vs fed jurisdiction issue has been brewing for a LONG time on many fronts. But I don't enjoy watching it. Lots of side issues and politics involved too.  I suspect our current governor is trying to show he can be REALLY tough in this election year. He also just vetoed a 300 million dollar bill because it had some abortion funding mixed in.

I know of folks with the State who are probably really working hard on this in the background. Sure glad I'm not in those offices. Probably a lot of tension and hectic phone calls.

In the mean time the wolves continue to gobble up caribou calves.  Bears too but probably not as quickly. Lots of BIG bears on that remote island.  

I wonder if any feds are camped out at the town of False Pass to keep an eye on traffic.  Have a friend who used to live there. Heck if some of the locals had some planes they could go take care  of things before the feds knew anything was going on. But I don't recall any locally owned planes there when I used to visit in the summer and fall. And its REALLY hard to keep secrets even in that tiny town.  

[Sourdough]

Now I am even more disappointed in our Governor.  Nuff said.

[thxmrgarand]

In this election year as people come to our doors looking for votes we need to tell them that standing up to the feds is what we expect.  In the Alaska town where I live there are now at least 4 federal agencies that have law enforcement vehicles driving up and down the highway whereas a short time ago there were none.  There are also lots of gates with very strident no trespassing signs at miscellaneous federal installations at places where people were able to walk their dogs, pick berries and ski until a short time ago.  The other day I was taking advantage of a special sale on .22 ammo and the fellow behind the counter said he is a charter boat skipper for tourists, and he listed for me the personal information that he now must obtain from his clients and submit to the feds and I was amazed - all so each tourist can catch one halibut per day.  In fact I still cannot believe it but the fellow seemed to be very honest and specific.  The people we elect won't stand up to the feds unless we tell them we expect it, they in turn assure us they will do it, and then we remind them - that is how the world has always worked. 

[Winter Hawk]

It's our namby-pamby reaction to the possibility that terrorists might sneak in and do harm.  We may be over in Afghanistan and Iraq, but Bin Ladin still comes out ahead with us losing our liberties to keep us "safe!"

-WH-  (who is a Fed, Richard...)