CSSJR 20(RES): Relating to the removal of beaver from Washington, D.C.
00CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 20(RES) 01 Relating to the removal of beaver from Washington, D.C. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS the National Park Service is attempting to trap and remove at least two 04 beavers from the vicinity of the Potomac Tidal Basin near the national Mall in Washington, 05 D.C., because the beavers have downed four cherry trees and five white cedar trees; and 06 WHEREAS the natural wild and free roaming beaver were trapped to extinction in 07 Washington, D.C., and the Potomac Tidal Basin beaver are only retaking habitat that the 08 species has occupied forever and in which man is the trespasser; and 09 WHEREAS the return of beaver to Washington, D.C., will enhance the biological 10 diversity of the nation's capital and the integrity of its residents, as cherry tree eating beavers 11 cannot tell a lie; and 12 WHEREAS the unrestrained development of government buildings, highways, and 13 urban sprawl in Washington, D.C. has destroyed beaver habitat, and immediate steps should 14 be taken to halt all major construction projects; and
01 WHEREAS human activity in or around the Potomac Tidal Basin will undoubtedly 02 have adverse effects on the new beaver colony; and 03 WHEREAS Washington, D.C., and the nation as a whole would benefit from greater 04 efforts on the part of the National Park Service to assist and protect wildlife by excluding 05 people from areas where wildlife is attempting to reestablish a foothold on its natural range 06 in the nation's capital; and 07 WHEREAS federal law requires that the Potomac Tidal Basin is now, because of the 08 beavers' pioneering effort, a critical habitat area; and 09 WHEREAS critical habitat areas are uniquely rare, and, without immediate 10 enforcement of federal laws, this unique subspecies of Potomac Tidal Basin beaver will again 11 become extinct; and 12 WHEREAS we have no information or good science about the habitat of the "Potomac 13 Tidal Basin beaver," and a task force of scientists should immediately be impaneled and all 14 human activity in the tidal basin area halted until a thorough and complete analysis has been 15 completed; and 16 WHEREAS the National Academy of Sciences has been studying predator control in 17 Alaska for five years, and the National Park Service has labeled these beaver as very evasive 18 and wily "tree predators"; and 19 WHEREAS the federal government is, over objections, reintroducing gray wolves, 20 grizzly bear, and lynx into several western states in order to enhance the biological diversity 21 in those states; and 22 WHEREAS the National Park Service is closing Glacier Bay National Park and 23 Preserve to fishing for crabs because the crabs are an essential element of the ecosystem of 24 the park and the long established and sustainable crab fishery is inconsistent with the 25 preservation of natural crab populations; and 26 WHEREAS the policy of the National Park Service in Alaska and several other states 27 is to remove the people rather than the animals when there is a conflict between people and 28 wildlife; and 29 WHEREAS federal law provides for extensive penalties for harassment of endangered 30 species; 31 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that the
01 National Park Service cease its efforts to remove the beaver from the Potomac Tidal Basin 02 in Washington, D.C., and assist the reestablishment of a healthy beaver population in the 03 nation's capital; and be it 04 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 05 Fish and Wildlife Services to exercise its federal authority and cite, with criminal violations, 06 members and contractors of the National Park Service who harass the Potomac Tidal Basin 07 beavers; and be it 08 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 09 National Park Service to investigate the habitat requirements for beaver in Washington, D.C., 10 and the adaptations that beaver have made to cope with the unique urban environment of 11 Washington, D.C., establish protected beaver habitat areas in Washington, D.C., and use good 12 science in its actions regarding beaver in Washington, D.C. 13 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President 14 of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; to the Honorable Bruce Babbitt, 15 Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior, to Robert G. Stanton, Director, National Park 16 Service, U.S. Department of the Interior; to Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director, Fish and 17 Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior; to all members of the U.S. Congress; to the 18 Honorable John Kitzhaber, Governor, State of Oregon; to Paul G. Risser, Ph.D., President, 19 Oregon State University; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank 20 Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of 21 the Alaska delegation in Congress.