Haley Stevens: “I want the Senate to know this amendment would seriously harm a vital sector of the rural Alaskan economy. It would…”

“I want the Senate to know this amendment would seriously harm a vital sector of the rural Alaskan economy. It would injure greatly those who follow the Alaskan way of life. What it seeks to do is end trapping in the Federal wildlife refuges. There are some exceptions in the Senator's amendment for research, conservation, facilities protection, and subsistence. Let me point out this chart I have. There are 77 million acres of wildlife refuge in our State; 85 percent of all the wildlife refuge in the country is in Alaska. The amendment seeks to absolutely discard the concepts of sound game management principles. As the Senator from Montana stated, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which represent State fish and game managers throughout the country, have opposed the amendment because it limits the ability to manage wildlife populations scientifically. This is a very serious thing.”