Alaska's aerial wolf hunting program under attack in Congress

Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. George Miller, both California Democrats, have introduced a bill in Congress that, if passed, will all but ban the aerial hunting of wolves in Alaska.

Alaska officials would have to declare a biological emergency showing the imminent collapse of a species before the wolf hunts can take place, and could only allow such hunting to be conducted by state or federal wildlife employees, barring private contractors.

"Shooting wolves from airplanes is not sport -- it is cruel and inhumane," Feinstein said in a written statement to the Anchorage Daily News. "It undermines the hunting principle of a fair chase and often leads to a slow and painful death for the hunted animals. This practice should be banned."

The legislation would close a loophole in the 1972 Airborne Hunting Act (which bans most aerial hunting in the U.S.) that allows Alaska to issue permits for such hunting of wolves on non-federal lands.

"What this bill does is essentially makes it impossible for Alaska to manage wolf populations in any sort of responsible way," said Pat Valkenburg, Alaska Department of Fish and Game deputy commissioner. "We finally have a program that works and to end it because of the emotional feelings of uninformed people is just not a good idea."

Canada seal hunt continues amid growing opposition, and support

The annual seal hunt in eastern Canada is still taking place, and opponents and proponents continue to voice their opinions.

The latest to come out against the hunting is Paul McCartney, who has called upon the European Parliament to adopt a seal trade ban. McCartney has also added his name to the petition organized by Humane Society International and Respect for Animals pushing for the ban.

"The fate of millions of seal pups is in the hands of elected members of the European Parliament," McCartney said in a released statement. "In the next few weeks, they will have a historic opportunity to stop the cruel trade in seal products throughout the European Union."

The Parliament is scheduled to vote on a proposed trade ban during the plenary session scheduled for the first week of May.

Gray wolf delisting a step closer to reality; Idaho hunting season scheduled

The decision to remove some gray wolf populations from protection under the Endangered Species Act is a step closer to actually happening.

The federal rule to delist packs in some Northern Rockies and Western Great Lakes states was published in the Federal Register last week and is scheduled to become effective May 2.

This will mean that wolf management will become a job for state and tribal wildlife agencies instead of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Idaho Fish and Game commissioners have already adopted dates for the wolf hunting season in the state and will set quotas once delisting takes effect.

"We have to move on and manage them similar to other big-game animals," Idaho Fish and Game Director Cal Groen said. " This is good news for wolves, elk, rural communities and hunters. I believe this action will help defuse the animosity and anger associated with wolves when we can manage wolves in concert with our other big game species."

The Fish and Wildlife Service will monitor the delisted wolf populations for a minimum of five years to ensure that they continue to sustain their recovery.  At the end of that time, it will be decided if relisting, continued monitoring or ending service monitoring is appropriate.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Tracy Brooks/USFWS

Hunting of baby harp seals is banned in Russia

The Russian government has announced a ban on the hunting of harp seals younger than 1 year old.

Following a statement by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that it is "such a bloody hunt, and it is clear that it should have been banned a long time ago," the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency updated a ruling from last month, which banned hunting seals younger than a month old, to instead ban the hunting of seals under 1 year of age.

"This bloody seal slaughter, the killing of defenseless animals, which can't even be called a 'hunt,' is now prohibited in Russia as it is in most developed countries," said Yuri Trutnev, Russia's Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology. "It is a serious step toward the conservation of biodiversity in Russia."

Trutnev called sealing "one of the most inhumane types of hunting in the world."

The slaughter is brutal, with pups being clubbed to death or shot first and then finished off by clubbing.

Gray wolf removal from Endangered Species Act protection affirmed

The decision to remove some gray wolf populations from protection under the Endangered Species Act will proceed as originally announced in January.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar stated today that he will uphold the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist wolf populations in the northern Rockies and western Great Lakes states of Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Utah and Wisconsin, plus portions of Washington, Oregon and Utah.

"The recovery of the gray wolf throughout significant portions of its historic range is one of the great success stories of the Endangered Species Act," Salazar said in a press release issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior. "The successful recovery of this species is a stunning example of how the Act can work to keep imperiled animals from sliding into extinction."

Wolves in Wyoming will continue to be protected under the act, due to an inadequate wolf management plan, as will wolves in other parts of the country, including the Southwest.

This delisting will take effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register and will mean that wolf management will become a job for state and tribal wildlife agencies instead of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

However, the Fish and Wildlife Service will monitor the delisted wolf populations for a minimum of five years to ensure that they continue to sustain their recovery.  At the end of that time, they will decide if relisting, continued monitoring or ending service monitoring is appropriate.

While some state Fish and Game departments and outdoor organizations such as the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation applaud the decision to move ahead with the delisting, environmental groups such as Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity vehemently oppose it and are threatening lawsuits to overturn the plan.

--Kelly Burgess

Photo: A gray wolf in the wild. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Obama should not reinstate assault weapon ban, gun enthusiasts assert

Last week's announcement that 730 people across the United States had been arrested during a 21-month investigation targeting Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel underscored the scope of a simply-described cross-border problem that cannot be easily solved.

Cartel members smuggle drugs into the U.S., where demand is insatiable and worth billions, and smuggle high-tech weapons from the U.S. into Mexico to protect their interests against rival drug leaders and Mexican authorities.

About 6,000 deaths in Mexico during the last 13 months have been attributed to the narco-war, and it's feared a similarly high level of drug-related violence will spill into the U.S.

But is reinstating a ban on the sale of so-called assault rifles in the U.S. part of a solution? Probably not.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder said during a news conference last week that the Obama administration ought to consider renewing a 10-year ban that expired five years ago.

Naturally, hunters, target shooters, general gun enthusiasts and supporters of the 2nd Amendment cringed. Many countered that the ban did not reduce crime in the U.S. and that any spike since the expiration cannot be attributed to the resumed sale of semiautomatic weapons to private citizens.

Group seeks reversal of California fishing license regulation

A Long Beach-based recreational fishing advocacy group has launched a campaign aimed at rescinding the California Department of Fish and Game mandate that fishing licenses be worn and visible at all times when fishing.

The Sportfishing Conservancy is seeking to gather signatures in support of their objective, hoping to get it on the agenda at the Fish and Game commissioners meeting this month.

"We believe that the commission will vote on the issue and repeal the wearing of fishing licenses if we can generate support for it. The voice of the recreational angler can play an important role in moving fishing licenses from around our necks to our wallets or tackle boxes where they belong." said Tom Raftican, president of the Sportfishing Conservancy.

"I can't tell you how many anglers complain about having to visually wear their licenses. From the hassle of having it tangle around your neck while fishing to losing it frequently," added Raftican. "I've even had an angler tell me that those who fish and dogs are the only two who need to wear a license around their neck."

The anglers I spoke with about this issue find having to wear their licenses inconvenient. When the wind picks up the license whips about and generally gets in the way. It can also be forgotten when taking off a jacket or changing shirts, opening up the possibility of being cited for noncompliance.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Department of Fish and Game Warden Scott Melvin writes a citation for a man who was fishing without a license near Seacliff in Ventura County. Credit: Steve Osman/Los Angeles Times

Bill for aerial hunting of feral hogs is introduced in Texas legislature

A bill that would legalize the hunting of feral hogs from helicopters has been introduced in the Texas Legislature. If passed it will allow aerial killing of about 1.5 million animals that cause an estimated $52 million in crop and property damage annually. Landowners may be able to recoup damage costs by leasing hunting rights on their properties.

The bill's author, Rep. Sid Miller, said, "I know some folks will have fun with this, but I have not been anywhere in this state where they have not been a problem. I'm just hoping to eradicate this problem."

Nearly 90% of Texas counties report having feral hogs, which cause problems on roadways and golf courses.  Although not dangerous to humans, the hogs can carry diseases that could potentially devastate livestock herds.

"That is a very, very effective means to control the populations," Texas A&M University professor and state wildlife expert Billy Higginbotham said.

Susan Hendrix of the Texas Humane Legislation Network argues that the current law is sufficient.  "Tracking animals and shooting them from a helicopter is something we will definitely oppose," she said. "Aerial hunting is often less precise and the animals are hit and not killed." The Humane Society of the United States also opposes this bill.

--Kelly Burgess

Photo: Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Gray wolf delisting plan is on hold

The Obama administration has suspended a plan by the Interior Department to remove some gray wolf populations from protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The regulation was to take effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. However, the rule hadn't been published as of Wednesday, so it now falls under the memo issued Tuesday by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, which stated that that no proposed or final regulations should be sent to the Federal Register for publication until they have been reviewed and approved by new agency heads appointed by the president.

"They [the wolf delisting rules] will not go forward. There will be a review of the proposed rules, which will be conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," said Hugh Vickery, an Interior Department  spokesman. "We have no estimate at this time of how long that review will take, or when a final decision will be made."

Last week, then-Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett said that wolf populations in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin would be removed from management by the federal Fish and Wildlife Service and instead be handled by state and tribal wildlife agencies, as populations in these states had recovered.  Scarlett is no longer with the Interior Department.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: A wolf, seen in this undated photo, walks through the snow in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Credit: Associated Press

Barack Obama criticized -- again -- over pick of Ken Salazar as Interior secretary

Soon-to-be President Barack Obama is not off to a strong start as a friend of the environment, thanks to his choice of Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) as Interior secretary.

Or such is the belief among many conservationists, who were critical after Salazar  was chosen to fill the post in mid-December, and again as he awaits Senate confirmation.

In anticipation of the confirmation hearing, WildEarth Guardians and more than 100 scientists and conservation groups today issued a group letter to Obama's transition team expressing their displeasure.

They cite Salazar's "hostility to Endangered Species Act enforcement and deference to agriculture in particular."

"Ken Salazar does not bring the change we need at Interior," stated WildEarth Guardians Spokeswoman Nicole Rosmarino. "Salazar will not take strong stances on behalf of science and environmental protection and is not up to the task of undoing the enormous damage the Bush administration has done to public lands, endangered species, and the credibility of the Department of the Interior over the last eight years."

Schwarzenegger's plan for economic boost is no boon to the environment

News item: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, desperate to improve a worsening budget crisis, demands that long-standing environmental protections be removed from 10 major highway projects currently tied up in courts over various issues. Economic boost: perhaps $1.2 billion.

Reaction: This is the same leader who, as part of his 2008-09 budget proposal, advocated closing 48 state parks and reducing lifeguard staffing at 16 state beaches. Schwarzenegger also supported the now-dead proposal to erect a toll road through San Onofre State Beach.

These are desperate times, sure, but why must the governator always turn his bazookas on the environment as a route toward financial salvation? The latest plan, as outlined in an L.A. Times story on Sunday, essentially would exempt the projects from the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970.

Some of the projects could harm endangered species. Others might significantly add to greenhouse gases, while others may simply jeopardize environmentally sensitive areas.

Environmental safeguards must not be swept aside merely because the state can't balance its budget. Imagine the precedent that would set. To foster his agenda, Schwarzenegger has even sent a letter to Barack Obama asking that the environmental reviews be waived on the highway projects.

Hopefully, the president-elect's answer will be the right one.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A deer moves through the shade of Topanga State Park. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Barack Obama should and probably will relax Cuba travel restrictions

News item: A Brookings Institution report advocates lifting travel restrictions on Americans wishing to visit Cuba. It further suggests removing Cuba from the State Department’s list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

This should happen, and my guess is it will happen, during the Barack Obama presidency.

The president-elect, on his website, states that his administration will "empower our best ambassadors of freedom by allowing unlimited Cuban American family travel and remittances to the island."

Obama appears hopeful that the post-Fidel Castro government will be less oppressive and that relations will improve. If Cuban Americans are allowed unrestricted travel, ordinary Americans, seemingly, would soon thereafter enjoy the same privilege.

Reaction: Hooray for freedom to openly visit, for the first time in 50 years, a Caribbean island nation that boasts stunningly beautiful beaches; some of the world’s best fishing for tarpon, permit and bonefish; spectacular scuba diving; rollicking surf breaks; a vibrant night life, and, of course, savory cigars.