ADF&G commends process of US District Court and USFWS
— ADF&G Press Release

Doug Vincent-Lang, Commissioner
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526


Press Release: October 18, 2019

CONTACT: Doug Vincent-Lang, Commissioner, ADF&G, 465- 4115

ADF&G commends process of US District Court and USFWS

(Juneau) — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game applauds two recent actions regarding the Endangered Species Act.

First, we applaud the U.S. District Court of Alaska decision to uphold the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to not list Pacific walrus as a threatened species. We had worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to incorporate our science into their decision to not list this species because of long-term climate impacts. We remain confident that current management practices are robust enough to ensure for the long-term viability of Pacific walrus.

Second, we applaud the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision that the listing of yellow cedar is not warranted at this time. As with Pacific walrus, we worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to incorporate state science regarding the distribution and life history of this species on the landscape as well as our assessment of treats facing this species into their assessment. We are confident that yellow cedar will remain viable on the landscape for years to come.

Finally, we applaud the willingness of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work with us towards ensuring that our science and assessments were incorporated into the decision assessment for these two decisions. Decisions related to the listing of species under the Endangered Species are best made in consultation with states who have trust responsibilities for these species and their habitats.