On November 13, a federal court ruled in favor of protecting brown bears in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Wilderness in Alaska. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge includes approximately 2 million acres of important wildlife habitat and more than 1.3 million acres of Wilderness. In 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalized regulations for the Kenai NWR which codified several long-standing, common sense management decisions, collectively known as the Kenai Rule. The State of Alaska, the Safari Club International, and a coalition called the Alaska Professional Hunters Association challenged the Kenai Rule, and Wilderness Watch and our allies intervened in the lawsuit to defend the FWS Kenai Rule. This recent US District Court ruling upholds the Kenai Rule’s prohibition on hunting brown bears over bait in the Refuge and limits some hunting and trapping in the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area in the Kenai NWR. Our deep thanks go to Trustees for Alaska for representing Wilderness Watch and our allies on this case. And a big thanks to all of you who have sent thousands of comments to the FWS in support of protecting the Kenai and its wildlife. While this is an important win for the Kenai NWR and its brown bears, the fight isn’t over—the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed a new rule that would harm the Refuge, its Wilderness, and wildlife by allowing brown bear baiting, eliminating federal restrictions on trapping, and expanding snowmobiling, mountain biking, and ATV use. “We are pleased the court has reaffirmed that the US Fish and Wildlife Service acted in a lawful manner in carrying out its responsibility to conserve wildlife in their natural diversity on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge by prohibiting brown bear baiting, and maintaining the Skilak area for wildlife viewing,” said Fran Mauer, Alaska Chapter Representative for Wilderness Watch. “The Trump administration must abandon their current directions for the Fish and Wildlife Service to hastily approve brown bear baiting, remove federal trapping requirements, and expand access within the Kenai Refuge, all which are clearly inconsistent with this decision.” We will continue to challenge all efforts to bait bears and increase trapping and motorized and mechanized use in the Kenai NWR. You can help support our work: | 
