Opinions

Readers write: Letters to the editor, May 6, 2016

JBER should sell park

The solution to the Davis Park dilemma seems obvious. Since JBER isn't planning on using the park for target practice why not just sell it to the city for $1? It appears the city is performing most of it's upkeep anyway, keeping the homeless, homeless.

— Bruce Scotland

Eagle River

We must recapture

the wild and protect

Denali wolves

In May 1972 I took the first shuttle bus (actually a 15-passenger van) out of Riley Creek in Denali National Park. At the time it was assumed a couple vans and one bus was enough to accommodate that summer's visitors. At least 50 people were lined up that morning eager to get a seat into the park for the journey to Wonder Lake. At the time, the majority of visitors were Alaskans, some for many years, but had never visited the park because of the difficulty getting there. Politics were not much different in 1972, and there wasn't much love for land that was "locked up" by the federal government. So, having to leave two-thirds of the angry crowd behind did not make many converts. It was immediately realized that more buses were needed and K and E bus lines out of Eagle River, along with their staff of drivers (that's another story) answered the call.

It was an interesting summer. For me it was life-changing. Wildlife sightings were many. I saw more wolverines that season than wolves. One wolf, to be exact. I believe wolf populations in 1972 were stable so, why so few sightings?

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One reason, is that wolves were not using a traditional den site in full view of the park road. There was a natural shyness, within the population, to the sudden increase in road traffic. It took several years for things to change. The wolves returned to two of the dens near the road, establishing themselves, and giving birth before the road opened. Pups at the den could see the bus traffic and soon learned a vehicle was not a threat. Sightings became more frequent and it was almost a certainty that the park visitor would get a chance to see a wolf.

I'd like to think Denali wolves are truly wild but it's not the case.

Unlike the wolves of 1972, they have lost much of their fear of people and vehicles. These are the "new" wolves that venture into the killing field to the north of the park. An area where a few people have taken something from the thousands of visitors to Denali. It's time this unprotected finger of land gets the full protection it deserves.

— Tom Klein

Talkeetna

The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.

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