Alaska Wilderness League * Alaska Wildlife Alliance *
Center for Biological Diversity * Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks * Defenders of Wildlife * Denali Citizens Council*
National Parks Conservation Association * Wilderness Watch
Re: National Park Service Proposed Rule Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves, Docket No. (NPS-2026-0034) RIN (1024–AE96)
A coalition of conservation organizations submitted formal comments opposing the National Park Service’s proposed rule on hunting and trapping in Alaska national preserves. The groups argue that the rule would weaken wildlife protections by allowing bear baiting, expanding state-authorized hunting practices that conflict with NPS conservation mandates, and undermining subsistence protections for rural Alaska residents under ANILCA. The comments urge NPS to restore the 2015 rule’s prohibitions on bear baiting and predator reduction practices and, if the agency proceeds, to prepare a full environmental impact statement.
Click here to read the full submission.