SITKA, Alaska – Sitka District Ranger Perry Edwards, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, is closing South Baranof and Necker Bay zones to the harvest of mountain goats. The closure will be effective Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. and will remain in effect through the rest of the 2019 season which ends December 31.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has issued a concurrent closure in the same zones. Mountain goat harvest in these zones could have long term negative effects on the conservation of these mountain goat subpopulations. The remainder of Baranof Island is open to goat hunting until the season closes, unless closed by future special action.
A map and description of the closed areas are available from the Sitka Ranger District Office and the Sitka area office of ADF&G. Information on Federal subsistence management special actions for the Tongass National Forest can be found at http://www.fs.usda.gov/news/tongass/news-events. For additional information, call Subsistence Biologist Justin Koller at 907-747-4297 or email him at justin.koller@usda.gov.
Information on the Federal Subsistence Management Program can be found at https://www.doi.gov/subsistence
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