I'm not responding to anyone specific, but I do have some food for thought. Does Alaska really do that great of job protecting her resources (flora, fauna, wildness)? Or is it just that Alaska lags behind the rest of the country; historically speaking. I fear that young AK is in a lag period and that if we just give it another 50 or 100 years it will be another land of crime and industrial sprawl etc. I don't live here for the high paying jobs, I live here because Alaska is wild and that means freedom. Something to think about! Do we vote for $$$ projects, or is this place worth a little more to us than a dollar sign. There is a balance somewhere, but lets be careful when we think of the big picture (long term ecology, and management) and what we are really here for.
P.S. Did we actually learn a lesson from the bison thing? Are 500,000 North Slope caribou different from the plains bison. Last I noticed the Central Arctic Herd was displaced by hundreds of miles of oil rigs and pipelines, not to mention human displacement from respiratory problems in Nuiqsut. There is still room for caribou displacement to the south (which is why the herd still exists and is growing), but for how long. Ak is being developed from the top down, left and right, and wolves are the least of our worries right now, though they are important and are responsible for keeping the caribou that you eat healthy. Perhapse we should kill all of the wolves so the next caribou you hunt will be infected with brucellosis, which you can then pass on to your dogs and children! I'm all about hunting, but not when the animals are sick and weak.
Hope I didn't offend anyone or open up a can of worms.
Posted on March 25 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm not responding to anyone specific, but I do have some food for thought. Does Alaska really do that great of job protecting her resources (flora, fauna, wildness)? Or is it just that Alaska lags behind the rest of the country; historically speaking. I fear that young AK is in a lag period and that if we just give it another 50 or 100 years it will be another land of crime and industrial sprawl etc. I don't live here for the high paying jobs, I live here because Alaska is wild and that means freedom. Something to think about! Do we vote for $$$ projects, or is this place worth a little more to us than a dollar sign. There is a balance somewhere, but lets be careful when we think of the big picture (long term ecology, and management) and what we are really here for.
P.S.
Did we actually learn a lesson from the bison thing? Are 500,000 North Slope caribou different from the plains bison. Last I noticed the Central Arctic Herd was displaced by hundreds of miles of oil rigs and pipelines, not to mention human displacement from respiratory problems in Nuiqsut. There is still room for caribou displacement to the south (which is why the herd still exists and is growing), but for how long. Ak is being developed from the top down, left and right, and wolves are the least of our worries right now, though they are important and are responsible for keeping the caribou that you eat healthy. Perhapse we should kill all of the wolves so the next caribou you hunt will be infected with brucellosis, which you can then pass on to your dogs and children! I'm all about hunting, but not when the animals are sick and weak.
Hope I didn't offend anyone or open up a can of worms.
On Extremist control