If Governor Palin’s claims about rooting out corruption are valid, then she has our respect and admiration. Moreover, having met the Governor, we find her personable and wish her well. We hope she has a joyous life -- just as long as she doesn't ruin our state and our nation and our world in the process!
Despite the many things we respect about her, we have been very concerned on three points:
* An apparent lack of appreciation for objectivity in assessment of scientific issues -- especially those relating to the environment
a. Wildlife management and conservation
b. Impacts by mining
c. Climate change
* Earmarking $400,000 of public funds to propagandize Alaskans about “intensive management” by shooting “predators” from aircraft. Although they called it “education,” it presented only the pro- arguments and provided no forum for airing alternative viewpoints, even by scientists with expertise on predators and prey.
* Her strong leaning toward a few special-interest groups, to the exclusion of other legitimate uses:
a. Hunters and trappers vs. viewers and other non-consumptive users
b. Mechanized backcountry vehicles
If a thorough study of the science of the situation had demonstrated that the current program -- called 'intensive management' is the optimum way to restore moose and caribou numbers to longterm carrying capacity of their habitat, one could argue that Governor Palin was just acting appropriately according to current law -- a law passed several years ago with funding and pressure from the AOC and SCI. However, there are serious gaps in their 'science,' as has been pointed out by the National Academy of Sciences (1997) and more recently by Vic VanBallenberge (something like 180 fellow scientists signed on in support of his findings) as well as by various other biologists, including BVA Director Dr. Stringham. Yet, the Palin administration has been unwilling to open the debate to outside experts.
This is basically the same way she is approaching the climate change issue. She gives lip service to science, but apparently has minimal understanding of science -- a BA in Journalism isn't much help in this regard -- which puts her in the same clique as G.W. Bush, relying not on rigorous science, but on divine inspiration -- an approach that didn’t serve her well in the VP debate. Why is it that divine inspiration usually provides only reassurance for a person's prejudices, but no factual knowledge with which to test the validity of those prejudices? If 'God' can do 'anything,' let Governor Palin ask for a highly detailed plan for solving our environmental and fiscal crises; then let her find a way to test the validity of those approaches without being able to do any serious harm in the process. Miracles welcomed.
Topics on this Website
Links to other Bear Viewing Association websites
* PRO-LIFE FOR WILDLIFE? Don’t animals also have some right to life? Predator-decimation advocates admit that “control killing” its not “hunting”; they call it management; we call it extermination.
* IS ADVOCACY TRUMPING OBJECTIVITY IN ALASKA’S PREDATOR CONTROL? Identifies critical gaps in the State's rational for killing an estimated 85% of the wolves and black bears in Alaska, plus a large number of grizzlies.
* IMPACTS ON WILDLIFE VIEWING: Wildlife viewing is Alaska’s Golden Goose. Is fanatical predator control is killing it?
* WHEN ARE “HUNTERS” GAME HOGS?: How did Alaska’s predators and prey get out of balance in the first place? Is it because Alaska has too many wolves and bears? Or because people have killed too many moose and caribou -- violating the principle of sustained yield management?
* PREDATOR-PREY MANAGEMENT THAT DOESN’T VERMINIZE WOLVES AND BEARS -- an alternative approach to balancing predator and prey populations without jeopardizing the ecotourism industry or ecosystem viability.
* REPLACE ALASKA’S BOARD OF GAME [KILLING] WITH A BOARD OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: It’s long past time that Alaska managed its “game” animals to fairly meet the needs of all user groups -- including not only consumptive users, but viewers and other non-consumptive users. The roles of predators and prey in ecosystem ecology should also be taken into account so that the ecosystems can be managed sustainably.
