Denby S. Lloyd, Commissioner
Tim Barry, Communications Director
P.O. Box115526
Juneau, Alaska 99811
Phone: (907) 465-6137 • Fax: (907) 465-2332
Press Release: No. 08-03, January 8, 2008
Contact: Ron Clarke, Assistant Director, Division of Wildilfe Conservation, at (907) 465-4114
Predator Control Information Available
New publications from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) focus on providing accurate information about predator control and addressing common misunderstandings about this controversial issue.
Documents containing information about predator control as a management tool are being posted today on the ADF&G website and will also be available at ADF&G offices.
Department staff has been working on several documents since early last year. Dozens of wildlife managers, researchers, and biologists contributed to a 30-page technical report, which has also been summarized for the general public in a booklet and a one-page brochure. These documents provide information on predators and prey animals in Alaska, highlight the legal, social, and biological reasons behind predator control, and describe how predator control works.
The technical report and the booklet are available on line at http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=control.main
Print copies of the booklet and the one-page brochure will also be available at ADF&G offices and other outlets. Additional information is also available on line.
“It is clear that many people don’t have accurate information about predator management in Alaska. We receive a lot of calls and letters from people in and outside the state assuming that wolves are almost extinct in Alaska or mistakenly concluding we are trying to eliminate them altogether,” Division of Wildlife Conservation Director Doug Larsen said. “We are trying to get out accurate information about predators and prey, how control programs work, where they are being conducted, and the preliminary results of those programs.”
Director Larsen said ADF&G has a responsibility to provide the public with information on a wide variety of wildlife management issues. “This is a complex and emotionally charged issue and people will develop different opinions. But they should at least have accurate information upon which to base them.”
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