From: Anchorage Daily News
“”The Department recognizes States as the first-line authorities for fish and wildlife management and hereby expresses its commitment to defer to the States in this regard except as otherwise required by Federal law,” Zinke wrote in the memo to heads of bureaus and offices. The memo was condemned by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit group that advocates for the environment and protects federal whistleblowers. The group distributed Zinke’s memo Tuesday in a news release and called it a stunning abdication of federal primacy for wildlife management on federal lands. Many state wildlife agencies are funded by hunting and fishing license fees and pursue practices, such as predator control, that maximize that revenue, executive director Jeff Ruch said.”
