ppumil
FNG
UNCLE RICO - I had no idea you hunted along with football!!
this underscores my point as an outsider seeing bigger issues such as roads, mines, drilling, ETC. Nobody will be hunting caribou in future if these things proceed. the origin 1978 designations were to prevent this kind of thing but as we see there are many ways to skin a cat. Thanks for informations. The more you know the better decision you can make.Well you also have to consider the state vs Fed division of Alaska land surveyance. During that massive land conveyance the state of Alaska as a whole pie was divided up around traditional Native lands and communities and then finalized after the feds shaped their interested landscapes whereby BLM became custodians to roughly 52 % of the entire state's land mass.
As part of the mission statement for BLM, they were tasked with reclamation of lands back to Native groups (individuals and corps). By early 2000 Murkowski was being pressured to complete the land transfers, which expand Native Lands by slipping the bordered Native Select Lands back into Native ownership. In 2004 she got passed the 2004 Land Transfer Acceleration Act, which fast tracked these land transfers per ANCSA mandates. Today these BLM land transfers are is gross over drive as the state of Alaska (development agendas) and Native corps are lining up to choose which lands are most desirable as they come onto the block for chopping and dividing.
Review the current 13-million acre Central Yukon River Management Plan to help you understand how this all relates to the GMU 23 and 26A fight for public land use and its caribou/moose populations. The two roads being proposed which sparked this acreage transfer outline are expected to start a few miles north of the Yukon River bridge and also around MP 315 on the Dalton Hwy. The lower road is expected to cut through the southern Brooks Range all the way to Ambler mining district on the middle Kobuk River. The second road is said to eventually connect to Umiat (first) and then possibly the Red Dog Mine northeast of Noatak village at the headwaters of the Wulik.
All this political traction has made the Native communities nervous as you can imagine, leaving more questions and less hope for everyone to question and not have answers.
You might think these WSA proposals are bad, but wait until open pit mining is the norm in the central and western Brooks Range landscapes. Roads wont be accessible to the public for a minimum 20 years by law, just like the Dalton Hwy (public access began in 1995).
Some deep shit happening behind the veil of our perpetual reactionary minds.
Take Action: Comment Period Now Open on BLM's Draft Resource Management Plan for 13 Million Acres of Alaska’s Central Yukon Area - Northern Alaska Environmental Center
On December 11th, the BLM opened a 90-day comment period on its Central Yukon Draft Resource Management Plan. The original 90-day comment period has been extended to 180 days, with a deadline of June 9. This plan will be used to manage an extensive region of Alaska for the next 20 years, and we...northern.org
This may seem off topic gentlemen, but I've been involved in this since it was first proposed over 5 years ago. While serving as chair for ABHA, I spearheaded a proposal alternative for this CYRMP with the help of Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership for a 3-million Backcountry Conservation Area along the Dalton Hwy.
Murkowski, Native Corps, and mining companies from China, Australia and Canada are aggressively surveying the proposed lands for road development as we speak. Test sites for core drilling have located rare earth minerals, tungsten, gold, lead, silver, copper, aluminum, platinum, uranium, and a host of other extremely valuable heavy metals and minerals. This quiet political agenda will peel the lid off any fight we have for protecting federal public lands in the GMU 23 and 26A region as it plows forward.
It's a big potential upset in the way Alaskans currently view and utilize these lands.
Stay informed and stay involved.
Paul I really appreciate the length you are going to to inform yourself and try to understand the context and complexities in this specific discussion and Alaska at large.How interesting Alaska is since you have gone the opposite of all other states and it is so recent too (1959). They had state land that became federal and many were states before becoming part of Federal. It also is a state that has all the natural resources in place while so many states have sadly been exploited already and it is catch up game. The power here sure the hell isn't us or even those complaining and the future rides on who will get the resources and if they will manage for instant gain vs longterm. The waters keep getting deeper and more treacherous the farther I wade in. No wonder this is such a shit show!!
Thanks! If I am going to speak i really don't want to be uninformed. I really just wanted to see this amazing area and do a caribou hunt with a good friend before we are too old to float and be safe. I had no idea I would be doing this journey. This issue is so much more complex than this hearing but again I see division being the blinders that allow for horrible consequences. I hope I am wrong!Paul I really appreciate the length you are going to to inform yourself and try to understand the context and complexities in this specific discussion and Alaska at large.
I think part of our answer for a better perception of outside hunters is people like you putting in the work to educate yourself about the herd, the place and the history. I am still learning a lot myself.
I think a library or compilation of resources likes those that have been referenced in this discussion that would be available to people who want to hunt in this part of Alaska could be really valuable for resolving conflict and improving future discussion.
Ben Mulligin (ADFG) opposed for
* NOT meeting terms of ANILCA Title 8
* Management objectives are fully met for subsistence and non-subsistence use
* Harvest allocations are supported by science
He also urged the proponent and communities to use the BOG as a mechanism for addressing aircraft use and NOT use the FSB.
He also urged the proponent and communities to use the BOG as a mechanism for addressing aircraft use and NOT use the FSB.