Section 5 AAC 92.111 - Intensive Management Plans I(a)Plans established. Intensive management plans for the following areas are established in this section: (1) Northern Alaska Peninsula Predation Management Area;(2) Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation Management Area.(b)Northern Alaska Peninsula Predation Management Area. The Northern Alaska Herd Predation Management Area is Established to facilitate growth in the Northern Alaska Peninsula (NAP) caribou herd on the mainland portions of Units 9(C) and 9(E) to aid in achieving intensive management objectives in an area encompassing approximately 19,461 square miles (50,403 square kilometers. The wolf reduction area includes all Alaska Peninsula drainages south of the south bank of the Naknek River and the southern boundary of Katmai National Park to a line from the southernmost head of Port Moller Bay to the head of American Bay, encompassing approximately 10,734 square miles (27,802 square kilometers). The control program for this area is as follows: (1) this is a continuing control program that was first authorized by the board in March 2010 for wolf control; it is currently designed to increase caribou abundance and harvest by reducing predation on caribou by wolves and is expected to make a contribution to achieving the intensive management (IM) objectives in Units 9(C) and 9(E);(2) caribou, brown bear and wolf objectives are as follows: (A) the intensive management objective for the NAP as established in 5 AAC 92.108 is 6,000 - 15,000 caribou; these objectives were based on historic information regarding population numbers, habitat limitations, human use, and sustainable harvests;(B) the caribou harvest objective for the NAP as established in 5 AAC 92.108 is 600 - 1,500 caribou; (C) the wolf population objective for Unit 9 is to maintain a wolf population that can sustain a three-year annual harvest of 50 wolves; (D) the brown bear population objective for Unit 9 is to maintain a high- density bear population with a sex and age structure that can sustain a harvest composed of 60 percent males, with 50 males eight years of age or older during combined fall and spring seasons;(3) board findings concerning populaiions and human use are as follows: (A) the board has designated the NAP as important for providing high levels of human consumptive use;(B) the board established objectives for population size and annual sustained harvest of caribou in Units 9(C) and 9(E) consistent with multiple use and principles of sound conservation and management of habitat and all wildlife species in the area;(C) the population and harvest for the NAP are below IM objectives throughout the range;(D) wolves are a major predator of caribou in the range of the NAP and are an important factor in failing to achieve these objectives;(E) a reduction of predation can reasonably be expected to aid in achieving the objectives;(F) nutrition is not considered to be the primary factor limiting caribou population growth;(G) reducing predation is likely to be effective and feasible using recognized and prudent active management techniques and based on scientific information;(H) reducing predation is likely to be effective given land ownership patterns; and(I) reducing predation is in the best interests of subsistence users;(4) authorized methods and means are as follows; (A) hunting and trapping of wolves by the public in treatment areas during the term of the management program may occur as provided in the hunting and trapping regulations set out elsewhere in this title, including the use of motorized vehicles as provided in 5 AAC 92.080;(B) the commissioner may issue public aerial shooting permits, public land-and-shoot permits, or ground-based shooting permits, and allow agents of the state or department employees to conduct aerial, land-and-shoot, or ground-based shooting as a method of wolf removal under AS 16.05.783, including the use of any type of aircraft;(C) the commissioner may authorize the use of state employees or agents or state owned, privately owned, or chartered equipment, including helicopters, as a method of wolf removal under AS 16.05.783; (5) time frame is as follows: (A) through June 30, 2031, the commissioner may authorize the removal of wolves in the NAP Predation Management Area;(B) annually, the department shall, to the extent practicable, provide to the board a report of program activities conducted during the preceding 12 months, including implementation activities, the status of caribou and wolf populations, and recommendations for changes, if necessary, to achieve the objectives of the plan;(6) the commissioner will review, modify, or suspend program activities as follows; (A) when the IM population and harvest objectives for the NAP are sustained or the population can grow at a sustained rate of five percent annually;(B) if after three years, the harvest of wolves is not sufficient to make progress towards the intensive management population objectives for wolves;(C) if after three years, there is no detectable increase in the total number of caribou in the control area;(D) if after three years, bull-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase or remain below 20 bulls per 100 cows;(E) if after three years, fall calf-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase or can be sustained at 25 or more calves per 100 cows;(F) if after three years, any measure consistent with significant levels of nutritional stress in the caribou population are identified;(G) when the caribou population and harvest objectives within the NAP Predation Management Area have been met; or(H) upon expiration of the period during which the commissioner is authorized to reduce wolf numbers in the wolf reduction areas.(c)Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation Management Area.The Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation Management Area is established to increase the Mulchatna Caribou Herd (MCH) within Units 9(B), 17(A), 17(B), 17(C), 18, 19(A), and 19(B) to aid in achieving intensive management (IM) objectives; The Mulchatna Caribou Herd Predation Management Area encompasses approximately 39,683 square miles, and; multiple predator control areas may be utilized within the management area the control program for this area is as follows:(1) this is a continuing control program that was first established by the Board of Game (board) in 2011 for wolf control and has been expanded to include black and brown bear control; it is designed to increase the caribou herd's population size and human harvest by reducing wolf predation on caribou and is expected to make a contribution to achieving the IM objectives for the Mulchatna Caribou Herd.(2) caribou and wolf objectives are as follows:(A) the IM objective for the MCH as established in 5 AAC 92.108 is 30,000 - 80,000 caribou; these objectives were based on historic information regarding population numbers, habitat limitations, human use, and sustainable harvests; (B) the caribou harvest objective for the MCH as established in 5 AAC 92.108 is 2,400 - 8,000; (C) the wolf population objective for the MCH Predation Management Area is to aruiually reduce the number of wolves in predator control areas to a level that results in increased calf survival and recruitment;(D) the bear population objective for the MCH Predation Management Area is to annually reduce the number of bears in the predator control areas to a level that results in increased calf survival and recruitment;(3) findings concerning populations and human use are as follows:(A) the population and harvest objectives for the MCH are below the IM objectives throughout the herd's range;(B) wolves are a major predator of caribou in the range of the MCH and are an important factor in failing to achieve these objectives;(C) a reduction of wolf predation can reasonably be expected to aid in achieving the objectives;(D) reducing wolf predation is likely to be effective and feasible using recognized and prudent active management techniques and based on scientific information;(E) reducing wolf predation is likely to be effective given land ownership patterns;(F) reducing wolf predation is in the best interests of subsistence users;(G) bears are a major predator of caribou in the range of the MCH and are an important factor in failing to achieve these objectives:(H) a reduction of bear predation in certain areas like calving areas can reasonably be expected to aid in achieving the objectives;(I) reducing bear predation is likely to be effective and feasible using recognized and prudent active management techniques and based on scientific information;(J) reducing bear predation is likely to be effective given land ownership patterns; and(K) reducing bear predation is in the best interests of subsistence users;(4) authorized methods and means are as follows:(A) hunting and trapping of wolves and bears by the public in the MCH Predation Management Area during the term of the program will occur as provided in the hunting and trapping regulations set out elsewhere in this title, including the use of motorized vehicles as provided in 5 AAC 92.080;(B) notwithstanding any other provisions in this title, the commissioner may issue public aerial shooting permits or public land and Shoot permits as a method for wolf removal under AS 16.05.783;(C) notwithstanding any other provisions in this title, the commissioner may allow department employees to conduct aerial, land-and-shoot, or ground-based lethal A removal of wolves, black bears, and brown bears using state-owned, privately-owned, or chartered equipment, including helicopters, under AS 16.05.783;(5) time frame is as follows: (A) through July 1, 2028, the commissioner may authorize the removal of bears and wolves in the MCH Predation Management Area;(B) annually, the department shall, to the extent practicable, provide to the board a report of program activities conducted during the preceding 12 months, including implementation activities, the status of caribou and wolf populations, and recommendations for changes, if necessary, to achieve the objectives of the plan;(6) the commissioner will review, modify, or suspend program activities as follows: (A) when the mid-point of the IM population or harvest objectives for the MCH is achieved;(B) if, after three years, the harvest of wolves is not sufficient to make progress towards the IM population objectives for wolves;(C) if, after three years, there is no detectable increase in the total number of caribou in the control area;(D) if, after three years, fall calf-to-cow ratios show no appreciable increase;(E) if, after three years, any measure consistent with significant levels of nutritional stress in the caribou population are identified;(F) when the caribou population and harvest objectives within the MCH Predation Management Area have been met; or(G) if, after three years, the harvest of bears is not sufficient to make progress towards IM population objectives for bears.Eff. 10/1/93, Register 127; am 8/18/95, Register 135; am 7/1/96, Register 138; add'l am 7/1/96, Register 138; am 7/27/97, Register 143; am 2/22/2000, Register 153; am 7/1/2000, Register 154; am 7/19/2000, Register 155; am 1/3/2001, Register 156; am 7/1/2001, Register 158; am 8/22/2001, Register 159; am 7/26/2003, Register 167; am 7/1/2004, Register 170; am 1/1/2005, Register 172; am 7/1/2005, Register 174; am 1/26/2006, Register 177; am 6/24/2006, Register 178; am 9/1/2006, Register 179; am 7/1/2007, Register 182; am 3/21/2008, Register 186; am 5/20/2008, Register 186; am 5/21/2009, Register 190; am 7/1/2009, Register 190; am 5/16/2010, Register 194; am 7/1/2010, Register 194; add'l am 7/1/2010, Register 194; am 12/15/2010, Register 196; am 1/29/2011, Register 197; am 5/14/2011, Register 198; am 7/1/2011, Register 198; am 3/24/2012, Register 201; am 4/1/2012, Register 201; am 7/1/2012, Register 202; am 7/1/2013, Register 206; am 6/23/2022, Register 242, July 2022 Authority:AS 16.05.255
AS 16.05.270
AS 16.05.783