A recent lobbying, fundraising and advertising campaign by Defenders of Wildlife encourages Congress to strictly limit Alaska’s ability to control its abundant wolf populations. The campaign skews some facts but, more importantly, lacks the necessary perspective on life in the Far North.

These efforts, and Rep. George Miller’s (D-Calif.) bill, seek to improperly adjust the responsibilities of state and federal governments. The proposed new law will have an enormous negative impact on my state, especially upon rural Alaskans. That’s why most Alaska Native leaders oppose Miller’s bill. And if Defenders succeeds in Alaska today, they may well try to do the same in Colorado or Iowa or New York tomorrow.

Let me share a few facts:

Wild fish and game is important food for Alaskans. That probably seems exotic to anyone who shops at a big-city supermarket, but both urban and rural Alaskans depend on wild foods. Fish and game is organic, pesticide- and hormone-free, lean and wholesome. Americans are discovering the benefits of eating locally produced food. Alaska Natives have known this for centuries.

Rural Alaska is remote and roadless, not full of red barns and cows. People are widely scattered in tiny villages separated by miles of unfenced wilderness. Sewer and water systems may not be available in these communities. Mail arrives by small airplane two or three times a week, less often in bad weather. Cash economies are not well developed. Many people do not have traditional paying jobs. Groceries arrive by air and are very, very expensive. Collecting healthy, clean, wild foods is a necessary way of life and an important element of Alaska Native culture.

Alaska’s constitution requires wildlife management on the “sustained yield” principle, which means there must always be enough fish and wildlife to perpetuate their numbers. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is committed to fostering viable populations of all wildlife, including predators. Ours is the only state with a full complement of native large predators and big game animals. We recognize our good fortune in this regard and take our stewardship responsibilities seriously.

Alaska’s “intensive management law” directs the Alaska Board of Game (the body that sets wildlife regulations) to identify areas where human consumption of wild game — typically, moose, caribou and deer — is a priority. The board designates prey population and harvest goals. When those goals are not met, the board must consider active measures to address the shortfall, including habitat improvement and predator control. When predators are holding prey populations down, reducing predation allows prey numbers to increase — or lets people, not predators, have access to important food sources.

Predator control is not hunting. As with any plan to remove problematic wildlife, fair chase is not involved. When rodents are destroying farmers’ harvests in a corncrib, farmers don’t worry about fair chase — the rodents are removed as quickly as possible. Our predator control programs aim to remove predatory wolves as efficiently as possible.

Aerial shooting of wolves is a specific management action to reduce predation, carried out only by specially permitted teams of Alaskans in specific and precisely defined areas (collectively, about 10 percent of Alaska’s land mass) for limited periods. When biologically determined objectives are reached, control efforts end.

Alaska voters did indeed vote twice to prohibit aerial hunting — and it remains illegal in Alaska. No Alaskan may just go out and hunt with an aircraft, so the basic law remains intact. But Alaskans also voted to uphold the state’s authority to reduce predator numbers by shooting from aircraft when necessary. That’s what the state is doing, through tightly controlled arrangements with private pilots and hunters.

The allegation that wolves are killed from the air by non-resident “trophy hunters” is simply not true. Permittees must be Alaska residents, most of whom (if not all) feed their families the wild protein sources that are protected with our management programs.

Wolf control will always be controversial. We understand that. We take it seriously, using the best scientific information available. Alaska’s reputation as a proper steward and professional manager of a unique, world-class wildlife resource is well deserved. We are committed to ensuring the future of wolves, as well as the moose and caribou that they — and many Alaskans — depend on for food.