Federal order targets polar bear guides
April 1st 3:09 pm |
Alex DeMarban, Anchorage Daily News
Polar bear guides in the northeast Alaska village of Kaktovik are upset by a last-minute order from the Trump administration that appears to halt polar bear viewing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge until studies on its effects are completed.
The guides are worried they'll undergo a second straight year of lost income, after the COVID-19 pandemic last year prevented most tourism across Alaska. However, the practical implications of the order are uncertain because President Joe Biden's administration could undo the order.
The three-page order, signed Jan. 15 by former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, raises concerns presented by some village residents at past meetings about increased tourism, such as the heightened risk of bear and human conflicts and competition for seating on the small planes flying in and out of the community.