ATV owner in trouble with Park Service for helping hunters

Norton was issued a citation for $225 by the National Park Service Friday for driving his four-wheeler into the park Aug. 26 near Cantwell to help the troopers haul out the caribou. Cantwell sits adjacent to the 6-million-acre park about 150 miles south of Fairbanks on the Parks Highway.

One of the troopers, Jim Ellison, a wildlife trooper, had legally shot the caribou the day before near Cantwell Creek in what is referred to as the "new park," land added to the original park in 1980 as a result of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Hunting by federally qualified subsistence users is legal in the new park.

The wounded animal walked into the "old park," where hunting is not allowed, before it died but National Park Service rangers determined it was a legal kill because Ellison had shot it in the park addition.

"The park's investigation found no evidence that the caribou was shot inside the 'old' or original park," park spokeswoman Kris Fister wrote in an email. "The trooper said he shot the caribou outside the old park, close to the boundary that separates the old park and the 1980 new park additions. The animal then traveled a distance of about 20 feet, where it died inside the old park.

"The troopers received no special treatment," Fister said. "Given the identical set of circumstances, charges would not be appropriate for anyone."

The next day, the troopers called Norton, whom they knew through his girlfriend's family, to ask for his help retrieving the animal.

"I was home sick that day and they called me up and said, 'We shot a caribou. Can you come help us? We'll give you some meat.' "

Even though he wasn't feeling well, Norton didn't think twice.

The problem is, Norton is not an Alaska resident and therefore cannot be a qualified subsistence user, which prohibits him from driving a four-wheeler into the park. A person must live in Alaska for one year to be considered a resident; Norton, a 25-year-old carpenter, moved to Cantwell six months ago from Tennessee.

The three others in the party, Ellison, trooper Eric Jeffords and local resident Rob Albers, are all qualified subsistence users because they are Alaska residents who live within 3 miles of the Cantwell post office, which is the only requirement for a Park Resident Zone, Fister said.

One of the troopers, neither of whom was available for comment on Friday, knew that Norton hadn't lived in Alaska for a year but nobody told him he shouldn't be driving a four-wheeler into the park and he didn't know it was illegal, Norton said. If what he was doing was illegal, he figured the troopers would know.

"I did what I was asked to do," Norton said. "If it had been anybody else I would have helped them too. I wasn't hunting. I wasn't doing anything wrong."

When the men ran into two park service rangers in the field, the rangers warned them about riding four-wheelers in the park but the rangers didn't give them any indication anyone would be cited, Norton said.

But after conducting an investigation, rangers realized Norton wasn't a federally qualified subsistence user, Fister said. The park service called Norton Friday and two rangers met him at the Cantwell Family Cafe to issue him a ticket.

Norton doesn't blame Ellison or Jeffords for getting him into the mess but he's not happy with the park service for pushing the issue.

"I think it's pretty cowardly of them to do this," Norton said. "I think the park's kind of screwing me over."

The two troopers have offered to pay his ticket but Norton said he is inclined to fight it.

"The park service is bullying me," he said. "I don't like to be pushed around."