Alaska State Legislature

News From The Senate and House Majorities

Ken Freeman (907) 465-3804
Wendy Lindskoog (907) 465-4582
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

Legislative Leaders Strongly Oppose Goshawk and Wolf Listing to Endangered Species List

For Immediate Release: April 3, 1997 Contact: Ken Freeman (907) 465-3804 or Wendy Lindskoog (907) 465-4582

JUNEAU - Strongly opposing a proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the Vancouver Island goshawk and the Alexander Archipelago wolf to the endangered species list was the message sent out today by Senate and House leaders in a letter written to the director of USFWS.

"Neither the wolf nor the goshawk qualifies for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)," House Speaker Gail Phillips wrote in the letter. "It is clear that the population of these two species are only being considered for listing under the Act for political rather than biological reasons. This is in direct contradiction to the stated purposes of the Act."

Senate President Mike Miller said there is no clear evidence that either population is in any danger of becoming extinct -- a basic requirement of the ESA.

"The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has provided ample biological data indicating that both populations are viable and in no danger of becoming extinct," said Miller.

"From our perspective, the environmental community and members of the Clinton Administration have supported listing of these two populations only for the purpose of assuring greater control over US Forest Service planning processes in this region," said Phillips.

Miller said one of the major reasons that the leadership of the Alaska Senate and House have consistently pushed for revisions to the ESA is to avoid the federal Administration's efforts to turn the Endangered Species Act into a biological diversity law.

"If the US Fish and Wildlife Service can distort and manipulate all federal land use planning processes through just the threat of listing species under the ESA, then major surgery needs to be done to the Act," said Miller.

"To further discredit this status review process, the federal Administration has refused to sign the new Tongass Land Management Plan, which forces the USFWS to conduct status review under the provision of the 1979 Tongass Land Management Plan," said Phillips.

"It is a sad commentary that a status review being conducted on supposedly pure biological grounds is unable to factor in the most current data relating to habitat preservation which is result of the drastic and devastating demise of the timber industry in this region," said Phillips.

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