Alaska Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Bear Killings Across 40,000 Square Miles

Conservation groups argue the state's predator-control program lacks scientific evidence and threatens the ecosystem

Apr. 7, 2026 at 6:54am

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A bold, abstract painting in muted earth tones depicting interlocking geometric shapes and organic forms, representing the intricate web of relationships between bears, caribou, and the Alaskan ecosystem.A conceptual illustration of the complex ecological relationships at the heart of the legal battle over bear population control in Alaska.Anchorage Today

Alaska Wildlife Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed an emergency motion in Alaska Superior Court to block the state's predator-control program that could allow the killing of unlimited numbers of brown and black bears across about 40,000 square miles in southwest Alaska this summer. The conservation groups argue the state could resume killing bears as soon as May unless the court intervenes, causing what they describe as irreversible harm.

Why it matters

The lawsuit challenges the state's reinstated Mulchatna bear control program under the sustained yield clause of the Alaska Constitution, which requires wildlife to be managed as a public resource maintained in perpetuity. The conservation groups argue the state's approach is unscientific and wasteful, and that wildlife management decisions should be based on science and sustainability for the benefit of bears, caribou, and the broader ecosystem.

The details

The emergency motion is tied to an ongoing lawsuit challenging the reinstated Mulchatna bear control program. In March 2025, the Anchorage Superior Court struck down the original program as unconstitutional, saying the Alaska Board of Game had not relied on credible scientific evidence of bear populations. Despite this, the board reinstated the predator-control program again in July 2025 without collecting new population data on brown or black bears in the control area.

  • In March 2025, the Anchorage Superior Court struck down the original Mulchatna bear control program as unconstitutional.
  • In mid-May 2025, the court struck down the emergency rule reinstating the program, though not before the state killed 11 additional brown bears.
  • In July 2025, the Alaska Board of Game reinstated the predator-control program again without collecting new population data on bears in the control area.
  • On April 7, 2026, Alaska Wildlife Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity filed an emergency motion to block the state's bear-killing operations.

The players

Alaska Wildlife Alliance

A conservation group that filed the emergency motion to block the state's predator-control program.

Center for Biological Diversity

A conservation group that joined Alaska Wildlife Alliance in filing the emergency motion.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

The state agency that oversees the predator-control program that the conservation groups are seeking to block.

Alaska Board of Game

The state board that reinstated the predator-control program in July 2025 without collecting new population data on bears.

Trustees for Alaska

The law firm representing the conservation groups in the lawsuit challenging the predator-control program.

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What they’re saying

“The court has already ruled that this program is unlawful and that last summer the state carried it out 'in bad faith'.”

— Nicole Schmitt, Executive Director, Alaska Wildlife Alliance

“I want the Mulchatna caribou herd to recover but the state's approach is unscientific and wasteful. Wildlife management decisions should be based on science and sustainability for the benefit of bears, caribou and the broader ecosystem.”

— Cooper Freeman, Alaska Director, Center for Biological Diversity

What’s next

The Alaska Superior Court will decide whether to grant the emergency motion and block the state's bear-killing operations while the broader legal challenge moves forward.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tension between conservation efforts and the state's wildlife management practices, with the conservation groups arguing that the predator-control program lacks scientific evidence and threatens the broader ecosystem, while the state maintains it is necessary to protect the Mulchatna caribou herd.