Bison Pie
Eric Anslinger- Vice President Interior
I recently attended the Yukon Flats Wood Bison working group. For those unfamiliar I’ll provide a brief recap of the Wood Bison reintroduction in Alaska. Depending on who you ask there are a few different folks that claim credit for the idea of the reintroduction of Wood Bison in the early 90’s. One of the names that would be on that List is Bob Stevens, he is regarded almost unanimously as the driving force behind this effort. Despite his efforts we have to fast forward 20 years until we see the first Wood Bison placed back on the landscape. Many factors led to the delay, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), lack of local support for reintroduction, area surveys and studies, sources for healthy animals, and the lack of federal cooperation from land managers. Finally in 2015 ADFG settled on the Innoko flats as the location for the first Wood Bison reintroduction. That release was less than ideal for a multitude of reasons, land ownership conflicts, age of the animals in the herd, and local weather have all led to a less than desirable outcome. After many lessons learned in the first few years of the Innoko herd we can jump forward to spring of 2025. ADFG released a second herd into the southern portion of Minto Flats. This herd was comprised of yearlings and two years unlike the previous Innoko herd. This was done intentionally, as studies have shown you really can’t teach an old dog or in this case bison new tricks, the young animals respond to travel and new environments drastically better than their older counterparts. This herd, however, has met with great opposition from the villages of Minto, Tanana, and the Doyon Corporation. After a successful nine month “soft” release we arrive at the third planning meeting for the Yukon Flats release which took place early this December.
I would imagine at this point you might have a base understating of what’s going on with the reintroductions across the state but you’re still wondering, what the heck is Bison Pie? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Bison Pie is not some delicious recipe or a euphemism for bison droppings. Bison Pie is a term I have deemed representative of the issues we face with this restoration process. From what I have heard second hand during the last two introductions and now experienced firsthand during this working group, there are so many interest groups that what to know who is getting what when in regard to funding, education, and most importantly harvest allocation. Everyone wants a slice of the pie! For days I listened to folks that represent groups, corporations, or villages clamor on about why the need to “co-manage” these bison and why they should have separate allocation priority. For those unfamiliar with the ESA and the 10J exemption, it’s ok, most of you have busy lives and aren’t nerds, so I’ll hit the key points for you. The 10J rule allows the state to have experimental Wood Bison herds which can be harvested and do not require the same protection or considerations that a different animal protected by the ESA would receive. This is beneficial in a few ways. The first benefit allows resource and production industries operating in areas with Wood Bison, to continue operations or establish new ones without having to jump through stringent environmental hoops. The second benefit under 10J is that the state of Alaska is designated as the sole manager of the species, that means the Federal Subsistence board cannot affect allocation under any circumstances. With that said under article eight of the Alaska state constitution there will not be allocation to special groups. I constantly voiced this fact throughout the meetings to continue building a record for the eventual management plan. Needless to say, that rhetoric was not well received by those who deemed themselves worthy of having a seat at the management table.
Discussing harvest, however, is akin to missing the forest for the trees. We were there to discuss the release of the Wood Bison, the logistics of the release, and support of the project going forward. The concept of we can’t harvest what we don’t have is lost on many people. The focus of these working groups is getting Wood Bison on the landscape, everything else is contingent on the success of establishing, then fostering healthy herds of bison. This project is about so much more than harvest, it is a testament to the vision and hard work of those at ADFG that pushed through the bureaucracy and roadblocks to do something truly incredible. As hunters we pride ourselves on being the best conservationist out there. We have now been given the opportunity to prove it. These animals will be harvested by our children and grandchildren if we stay the course and don’t allow special interest and short-sightedness to ruin that opportunity. This situation is why I believe article eight is so important, we need to foster and grow resources for every Alaskan. I want us collectively to stop fighting over what’s left or how large of a slice of pie we feel entitled to, LET’S JUST BAKE MORE DAMN PIES!
An issue arose that we do not currently have a fix for and that issue is access. The state land where the Wood Bison will be located, which is approximately 25 miles north of Circle Alaska, is completely surrounded by Tribal land, Corporation land, and US Fish and Wildlife Refuge land. There is no current summer or fall access for non-local residents and winter access is accomplished via an old mail route that runs from Circle to Chalkyitsik. The trail crosses the western portion of the state land where the bison will be released. This route is currently an unadjudicated RS2477. The concern is if the Wood Bison are ever removed from 10J the FSB could then open and close harvest on federal land, specifically in this instance USFW refuge land. Part 36 of Title 50 covers usage of USFW land and it allows managers to close motorized access to non-federally qualified users. Without this route being adjudicated there is no guarantee of land access to these animals. There is the opportunity to fly in and the possibility of a trespass program with the landowner’s cooperation. With those things said, most people cannot afford air transport and as we have seen with the Innoko herd land use agreements can change at any time. Rest assured AOC will be very active in perusing adjudication of this RS2477 to ensure access in perpetuity for all Alaskans.
The message here is for us to be conservationists and good stewards of this new and exciting resource. Let’s leave future generations with an abundance and mind set of equal footing for all Alaskans. Let’s focus on the things we can affect, like access and education. Please support ADFG in this project, whether it’s your time, talent, or treasure, put some skin in the game. Lastly, take a moment to soak in how long it took for us to get where we are and appreciate how monumental this conservation milestone is. I’d like to thank Tom Seaton and Luke Rodgers for the incredible work they have done with the Wood Bison Restoration Project. Remember in world full of pie eaters and slicers, be the one to help BAKE MORE PIES.