FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS OUR WILDLIFE- MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HAS WORKED INCREDIBLY WELL . FOR THE MOST PART , STATES MANAGE WILDLIFE POPULATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH LOCAL NEEDS , GOALS AND TRADITIONS WHILE BALANCING GAME AND NON-GAME SPECIES ALIKE WITH SUITABLE HABITAT AND IN COORDINATION WITH EACH OTHER .
NEW THREAT : FEDERALIZING WILDLIFE
FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS OUR WILDLIFE- MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HAS WORKED INCREDIBLY WELL . FOR THE MOST PART , STATES MANAGE WILDLIFE POPULATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH LOCAL NEEDS , GOALS AND TRADITIONS WHILE BALANCING GAME AND NON-GAME SPECIES ALIKE WITH SUITABLE HABITAT AND IN COORDINATION WITH EACH OTHER .
The federal government manages wildlife under the Endangered Species Act and other statutes that cover migratory species crossing international borders . However , we ’ re seeing this model turned upside down by activist organizations that prefer a singular and centralized federal government over fighting individual states to advance their agenda .
PETITIONING FOR WOLF SANITY : For nearly 20 years we ’ ve fought in court to remove the recovered population of Western Great Lakes wolves from federal control under the Endangered Species Act and return management authority to Minnesota , Michigan and Wisconsin . In summer 2023 , we filed two petitions with the federal government that would solve the upper Midwest predator issue once and for all . The first petition sought to delist wolves in the Great Lakes states , while the second petition created a new Distinct Populations Segment ( DPS ) along the West Coast for wolf populations not included in the Rocky Mountain DPS , as well as a “ remnant wolf DPS ” for ever-expanding populations showing up in other states . This dual approach satisfies all court rulings and allows specific management at the state and federal levels where required . The U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service hasn ’ t responded to our petitions , yet , which will likely lead us to file a lawsuit to address the matter in 2024 .
FEDERALIZING PUBLIC LANDS : Recognizing the bureaucratic gridlock Washington , D . C ., offers , animal extremists have turned to a friendly White House to incorporate predatormanagement rules and policies that undermine wildlife management and run contrary to accepted management of federal lands within state boundaries .
When the Biden administration changed those rules within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and on National Preserves , we filed suit on behalf of sportsmen , indigenous people and the state of Alaska . At the heart of this issue is a state ’ s right to manage wildlife according to their goals , not the whim of whoever sits in the White House and federal agencies far removed from the consequences and repercussions of their decisions .
We appealed a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that gave federal agencies carte blanche authority to regulate hunting on federal lands to the Supreme Court of the United States . While the Supreme Court didn ’ t hear the case , therefore the Ninth Circuit ruling stands for now in both the Kenai and National Preserves cases , the emerging danger is the weaponization of federal powers within wildlife management and access itself . We ’ re seeing this trend not just in Alaska , which will set precedent for the Lower 48 , but also in states like Vermont where the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service circumvented public comment to institute new rules related to hound hunting on Conte National Wildlife Refuge .
This impending federalization of wildlife management is a dangerous precedent we must continue to challenge .
12 SPORTSMEN ’ S ALLIANCE 2023 ANNUAL REPORT