Wolf buffer zone a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist

In an opinion piece titled "Gov. Walker kills Denali wildlife buffer deal," activist Rick Steiner describes his efforts to lobby the governor to create a buffer zone adjacent to Denali National Park in which wolf harvesting would be prohibited. He laments that the governor's office vetted the proposal with "some adjacent landowners," and that "a few local opponents" killed the proposal.

Since we have not heard from Mr. Steiner directly, we'd like to introduce ourselves: We are leaders of Cantwell. Our people have lived and hunted on this land for thousands of years. We find Mr. Steiner's article disingenuous and misleading; we want to set the record straight.

Access to our traditional way of life has been under siege for more than a century. The expansion of Denali National Park has nearly cut our hunting area in half, not to mention our traditional lands are also accessible to Alaska's largest population centers. While the Ahtna people bear the brunt of the decreased access and increased competition, our voices have been excluded from the state and federal decision-making about wildlife management, even on our tribal lands. We are grateful that the governor's office reached out for our input.

We expressed deep concerns with the proposed buffer zone. It would add to the already severe limitations on our access to our traditional hunting grounds. It would threaten subsistence practices for our people in the region; not only is wolf harvesting a traditional practice, but the buffer could negatively affect moose and caribou populations that feed our families.

We are aware that this has become a contentious issue across the state. In 2000, the Board of Game created a buffer zone, but it wasn't enough for wolf advocates. In 2010, folks like Mr. Steiner wanted to increase the size of the existing buffer zone; thankfully, the Board of Game said enough is enough and voted to remove it.

In 2017, two more proposals to create a buffer-zone were put before the board for consideration. The board heard expert and public testimony, including reports from the National Park Service that shows an increase in wolf population overall. The board unanimously rejected both of these proposals, noting the considerable amount of misinformation that seemed to fuel the calls for the buffer zone.

Wildlife biologists agree that the decline in wolf population inside the park had nothing to do with hunting outside of the park. In fact, since the buffer zone was removed, the wolf population has increased in the formerly restricted area. Now, the wolf population inside the park has stabilized and is beginning to grow.

Buffer zone proponents correctly point to the decline in wolf sightings inside the park, but often fail to note that the number of park visitors continues to increase: around 500,000 visitors in 2010 has surged to more than 640,000 in 2017.

So long as wolf populations and tourism continue to be strong, we won't sacrifice our traditional way of life to address a problem that doesn't exist.

Whether it's wolves or whales, Alaska Natives have paid a steep price for rhetoric that capitalizes on affection toward certain species but mischaracterizes or ignores our people. We appreciate that the Walker-Mallott administration has gone to great lengths to bring Native voices back into the center of the conversation.

The greatest cost of Mr. Steiner's rhetoric is that it artificially divides us. We don't want a thriving wolf population, we want a balance that allows for healthy wildlife populations and for the people of Cantwell to put food on the table. While we're not sure what the ultimate resolution will look like, we appreciate that our voices will be heard. We suggest Mr. Steiner take a page out of Gov. Walker's book and give us a call. We can work together on this.

Gordon Carlson is a Cantwell Village Council member and Denali Advisory Committee chairman.

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