A Win for Unimak Island's Wolves is a Win for Everyone

March 14, 2011

Unimak Island is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

Hot on the heels of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision last week not to kill wolves on Alaska’s Unimak Island, Defenders’ Alaska Representative Theresa Fiorino penned an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News explaining why the decision is good not only for wolves, but for all wildlife and people too:

Like a predictable movie, the story of wildlife management in Alaska plays out the same way again and again, with wolves always getting the short end of the stick and the state declaring a victory for caribou, moose and the hunters who hunt them. No nuance or space for appropriate scientific analysis. No consideration for whether the so-called victors would benefit in the long term. But this week, the story line changed.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) decided that rather than killing wolves on Unimak Island, a wilderness area and unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, it would instead allow nature to prevail and FWS set in motion a series of studies to deepen our understanding of the island’s complex ecological makeup. Finally, an action applauded by those who value a balanced, informed approach to managing Alaska’s wildlife. For the many who have watched with deep concern at the increasing dominance of politics over science, this FWS decision is welcome and long overdue.

Read the rest of Theresa’s op-ed on Unimak’s wolves.

Prior to this win for Alaska’s wildlife, Defenders’ supporters sent over 65,000 messages to the Fish and Wildlife Service, speaking out for Unimak’s wolves!