News Release
Date: May 22, 2018
Contact: Peter Christian, 907-644-3512
Proposed rule will establish consistency with State of Alaska regulations
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—The National Park Service (NPS) today announced a proposal to amend its regulations for hunting and trapping on national preserves in Alaska to establish better consistency with the state. The proposed rule would remove regulatory provisions issued in 2015 that prohibit certain hunting practices that are otherwise permitted by Alaska.
“The conservation of wildlife and habitat for future generations is a goal we share with Alaska,” said NPS Regional Director Bert Frost. “This proposed rule will reconsider NPS efforts in Alaska for improved alignment of hunting regulations on national preserves with State of Alaska regulations, and to enhance consistency with harvest regulations on surrounding non-federal lands and waters.”
Since the 2015 final rule was implemented, the Department of the Interior has issued two Secretarial Orders regarding how the Department should manage recreational hunting and trapping in the lands and waters it administers, and directing greater collaboration with state, tribe, and territorial partners in doing so.
The proposed regulations would only apply to hunting on Alaska national preserves. National parks in Alaska would not be affected by the proposed changes.
The proposed regulation will be published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2018, and will be open for public comment for 60 days. To view the proposed rule and for information on how to submit comments please visit www.regulations.gov and search for “RIN 1024-AE38”. The deadline for submitting comments is July 23.
Once the public comment period ends for the proposed rule the National Park Service will review the comments and that input will inform the final rule which will be published in the Federal Register. The final rule would be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
Last updated: May 22, 2018