Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke is attempting to reverse federal restrictions that protect bears, coyotes, and wolves on some national refuge land in Alaska.

Under the proposed new rules, trophy hunters will be allowed to:

• Kill predators using bait, traps, and snares.
• Hunt black bears with dogs.
• Kill mother bears & cubs hibernating in their dens.
• Kill wolves & coyotes, including pups, during denning season.
• Shoot caribou from boats as they attempt to swim rivers

“Ironically Zinke is alarmed that hunting participation by Americans is in decline, and he believes that making legal such abhorrent practices will reverse this decline, said ecologist George Wuerthner. “What it will do is only reduce the social license among the greater public for support of hunting in general.” More via The Wildlife News

Alaska’s national refuges are not private game reserves. What are wildlife refuges, after all, if not refuges for wildlife?

Beyond this being an assault on wildlife, this proposal is a blow to the millions of Americans who treasure our shared public lands.

It is a choice between protecting iconic predators on our federal lands and declaring an open season on them. Which legacy should we leave your children?

Please help. Oppose the new draft rules by submitting comments here by July 23, 2018.