Letters to the Editor per Trophy Hunting in AK

To the Editor:

I was outraged that the US House of Representatives, passed H.J. Resolution 69, authored by Alaska’s Rep. Don Young. It is the most cruel, heartless anti-wildlife maneuver I have seen in my lifetime.

This rule will overturn a Federal rule years in the making, crafted by professional wildlife managers, aimed at stopping some of the most horrific hunting practices imaginable including killing wolf pups in the den, killing hibernating mother bears and cubs, scouting grizzly bears from aircraft and then shooting them after landing, and trapping grizzly and black bears with steel-jawed leg hold traps and snares. These practices are inhumane and should remain illegal. 

This Resolution, endorsed by the NRA, Safari Club International and other trophy hunting lobbyists, will allow these atrocities Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges—publicly owned land paid for at taxpayer expense. Wildlife watchers outnumber hunters by 5:1 in AK & spend five times more than hunters!

The Senate will soon vote on the companion joint resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 18. Please call Sens. Corker and Alexander, and let them know their constituents do not support these activities on our federal public lands. Urge them to vote “no” on S.J. Res. 18!

Mary Marr