March 6, 2026

Here we go again.......

NPS Proposes Regulation That Would Again Allow Bear Baiting In Alaska Preserves

Quoting from the article: When it adopted the 2015 ruled against bear baiting on the national preserves, the Park Service "concluded that the practice of putting out bait to attract bears for harvest poses an unacceptable safety risk to the visiting public and leads to unnatural wildlife behavior by attracting bears to a food source that would not normally be there. ... Because bait often includes dog food and human food, including items like bacon grease and pancake syrup, which are not a natural component of animal diets, the NPS was concerned that baiting could lead to bears and other animals associating these foods with people, which would create a variety of risks to people, bears, and property."

Defenders points out that the Park Service is required by statute to manage wildlife populations to maintain natural abundance, behaviors and predator-prey relationships, and cannot manipulate predator populations to try to boost prey species such as moose or caribou. The 2024 Park Service regulation restated this responsibility and specifically prohibited bear baiting in national preserves. The new regulation lifts that prohibition and effectively defers to all state hunting regulations in all Alaska preserves, even though those regulations often seek to boost prey species at the expense of predators. 

End Quotes and my extensive rebuttal from attached excerpts from my 2021 comments to NPS titled: 

I look forward to the public comment period and/or future, public meetings with NPS over this bear baiting proposal within Alaska's National Preserves. 

I would also ask the public to write in as well when the public comment period starts. 

All the best. 

Bill Watkins