A state request to reopen a large swath of Western Alaska for caribou hunting by non-locals is being considered by the Federal Subsistence Board. And the public, including subsistence users and hunters who live outside the region, will have a chance to comment at public meetings set for this month.
The subsistence board in April closed federal lands in the state's Game Management Unit 23 — an area around Kotzebue — for caribou hunting by anyone except hunters federally qualified for subsistence for the year starting July 1. Qualified subsistence hunters for this herd come from a large area north of the Yukon River from the North Slope to Nome.
The Northwest Arctic Subsistence Regional Advisory Council requested the closure to protect the declining Western Arctic caribou herd and ensure subsistence hunts continue.
The state pushed back. The state Department of Fish and Game sent the federal board a "special action request" to reopen the federal lands to all hunters.
Here is the schedule for meetings in which the public can comment on the state request:
• July 19 in Kotzebue at the Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly chambers from 3 to 6 p.m. Individuals who cannot attend can call in at 877-638-8165 and use passcode 9060609.
• July 20 in Nome at the Aurora Inn conference room from 3 to 6 p.m. Those who want to call in can do so at 866-820-9854, using passcode 4801802
• July 25 in Barrow from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Inupiat Heritage Center. The call-in number is 866-864-5314, passcode 3091862.
Board staff members will take the comments and provide them to the board for consideration.
The Western Arctic caribou herd has declined more than 50 percent since 2003. But state managers say the decline has slowed recently and note that hunters who live outside the region take only a small portion of the caribou, which are an important local subsistence food.