Court rejects wolf-kill ban request

Game Board acted properly, judge says.

By ALEX DEMARBAN
Anchorage Daily News

The state's aerial wolf-kill program dodged a bullet Tuesday when a state Superior Court judge rejected a request to stop the program.

Judge Sharon Gleason said the Board of Game was justified in creating a new wolf-control plan under an emergency declaration. She also said the board had made a good-faith effort to address the concerns she'd raised in a Jan. 17 ruling that temporarily halted the program.

To reinstate the program after Gleason's ruling, the board held an emergency teleconference meeting last week. The board updated its plan to include new wildlife data from the five areas of the state where aerial wolf hunting is allowed.

The Game Board said halting the program even temporarily would harm rural residents by allowing more wolves to kill moose. As a result, residents who hunt moose for nutritional, cultural and economic reasons would continue to suffer.

Jim Reeves, attorney for the Connecticut-based Friends of Animals and seven Alaska plaintiffs, said no emergency existed and that the new plan did not adequately explain why the program is vital to rural residents.

Kevin Saxby, the state's attorney, said the decision is an important but short-term victory.

The state has argued that the most important aerial wolf hunting begins in February and goes through March, as increased light and snow cover help low-flying pilots to track wolves.

More than 100 unpaid pilots and gunners were re-permitted on Saturday under the updated plan. At least 10 permittees have taken to the air.