‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’ In Trouble After Allegedly Violating Wildlife Guidelines

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by Michael Parrish DuDell November 16, 2010
Categories: Animals
Tags: .
Photo: prphotos.com

From vice presidential nominee turned reality star? We’d expect nothing less from Sarah Palin.

After just one episode of Palin’s new reality show, aptly titled Sarah Palin’s Alaska, the series is already coming under scrutiny. The show, which premiered Sunday night on TLC, is getting heat from a local Alaskan conservationist for allegedly violating wildlife guidelines. Paint us surprised.

The incident occurred during a family fishing trip where Palin is shown fishing next to a family of protected brown bears (state guidelines require boat passengers fish at least 30 feet from the protected species) and the Alaska Wildlife Alliance are not happy about it.

“It’s clear from the video that she violated the guidelines,” said Alaska Wildlife Alliance director John Toppenberg.

This isn’t the first time an animal protection group has criticized Palin’s show. The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund started a petition, which now has over 534,000 signatures, asking Discovery to pull the series for Palin’s support of aerial wolf hunting.

We don’t, however, think Discovery will nix the popular program. The premiere of Sarah Palin’s Alaska pulled in a record 5 million viewers — the channel’s biggest launch in history.

Check out the clip of Sarah’s alleged bear tampering, and tell us what you think? Rule breaker or no big deal?

  • David

    “Joe Meehan of the wildlife conservation division of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game questions whether they were actually violating the guidelines.”

    Also as the wording makes clear, they are guidelines not regulations.

    So if they were within 30 feet would it have been better to stop fishing until they could move further away? Yes. But is it illegal? Apparently, No. Also it seems the guidelines are more for the protection of the people fishing.

  • bill edwards

    I think what was shown was fantastic. More scenes like this should be shown. There was NO HARM done. The only harm is some people have to complain about every little thing that Palin does. People -get a life.

    • Keith Holland

      yeah, why don’t you say “get a life” to all the wildlife that Palin is responsible for killing.

      • Criss Walsh

        Touche! I’m with you!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Erin-Elizabeth/566480478 Erin Elizabeth

    Somehow the Palanites have gotten a hold of this thread. Such a shame.

    I say turn her into a wolf and see how long she lasts in Alaksa (with their laws there about hunting wolves)

    TOo bad someone cannot literally waive their wand and voila she were real furry mama wolf roaming the open plains of Alaska with OTHER planes and hunters overhead

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lars-Svensen/100001028197161 Lars Svensen

    Ooooooh, don’t you just know Supersonic Sarah is going to lose a lot of sleep over the fretting and fussing of a gaggle of latte-sipping, Birkenstock-wearing greenies?

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Erin-Elizabeth/566480478 Erin Elizabeth

      Actually I am a small government Libertarian. It’s Palin who is the big government war supporting (handout taking Alaska) who is a neocon and not a conservative at all. A SHEEP in wolves’ clothing for certain.

      Ron Paul 2012 – a real conservative

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Erin-Elizabeth/566480478 Erin Elizabeth

        And no surprise Lars is also a fan of Faux News (big supporter of big government , war supporters like Palin while they put down the small govt anti war real conservatives like Dr. Ron paul.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sandi-Entringer/1051655374 Sandi Entringer

    Go Sarah go! Show the world what makes you what you are. And make them learn to understand and love you as many do.

  • Cbrooks

    Every time she talks……I want to punch her in the face.

    That will be all.

  • http://www.herwinsvegancafe.com herwin

    really what a nonsense. people only complain because its Palin. I say stick to real complaints like aerial wolve shootings, not like that she “violated” some 30 meter regulation.
    and if you want to complain about this clip, complain that she is fishing and glorifying killing animals for fun and recreational purposes.

  • don miguelo

    Don’t you mean “Dancing with the Stars?” Wait sorry, she’s on both shows, I can’t keep track. Seems like she’s never met a camera she didn’t like.

    Tells you what kind of person she is fishing less than 30 feet from brown bears. No, no, not ‘brave’ there’s another word for it…
    I’ll think of it…

  • RONALD

    From what I could see,it would be pretty hard to tell if they within 30 feet.Also when the bear started coming toward them they backed away.Just abunch of bleeding hearts,trying to stur up trouble.Sarah is great.To bad these wanna be complainers don’t have the looks or guts The Palin family has.

    • georgina

      Bahahahaha….

    • Criss Walsh

      Stur??

  • georgina

    Well, while nobody is forced to follow a guideline those exist for a simple reason, to make people’s actions predictable, and in this case i would say to protect wildlife. But i think everyone knows how Palin feels about wildlife: she shoots it/pays others to shoot it, she chews on it, she wears it, and she steps on it—remember the bear pelt complete with the bear’s head laying on her office couch?—.

    So, am i surprised that she did not follow a simple common sense guideline? Nope. She doesn’t care.

  • wasillaresident

    The BIGGEST sin of that reality show fishing scene is that the Palin’s put those children in serious danger. If those bears had decided to attack, there is NOTHING they could have done. I’ve lived in Alaska my whole life and EVERYONE knows you do NOT mess with a sow and her cubs. That is ASKING for trouble…serious trouble…life threatening trouble. How STUPID are those people anyway?

  • Jonnetta

    I think this program (I watched all of it) was excellent. Educational, interesting, good message concerning family dynamics, and NOT POLITICAL, which is a relief so soon after the mid-term election. I wish I had Sarah’s guts and equinimity. Go Sarah! God bless you and your family!

  • Ecome

    Another violation: halibut size/weight limit and number taken.

    • David

      I am not up on all the regulations, but Mrs. Palin’s husband is Yup’ik Eskimo. So he (and his children) may be covered by different regulations and limits than non-natives.

      • Chris H.

        Typical Republican response:

        “The rules don’t apply to us…”

  • don miguelo

    “Dontch’a” get it? Exposure keeps her from being forgotten, say, like Dan Quayle or Jack Kemp– and the ultimate reason for that IS POLITICAL. That’s great if you believe this show is totally innocuous, I suppose that’s possible. It’s simply not probable with this particualar family.

    I also think it is lame that Todd would have different restrictions on him for hunting/fishing. Especially considering in that while the Sarah Palin was governor, she routinely minimized Native hunting lands by crowding them out with sport fishing licensing and oil/gas mining land grabs. But I see you may have found a technicality to get him out of being charged like the rest of us would have been for the same activity. I’m glad, he really needs a break from jet-skiing around on the taxpayer’s dole. I can only hope you would go to bat for indigenous people everywhere to the same level of detail you have for him here, even when their traditional practices don’t involve killing animals…

    • David

      I didn’t go to bat for anybody. Just wanted to make sure people realize things aren’t always so black and white.

      Whether you like it or not some of the hunting and fishing laws in Alaska are different for the members of native tribes than they are for non-members. And from what I found the only requirement is being a certified member of the tribe, whether your unemployed and homeless or you earn $1 million a year and live in a mansion.

      Even with that they may still have been in violation. I didn’t watch the show and Ecome didn’t give any information other than his accusation, so I don’t have enough to even try and determine if Ecome is correct. But if someone else wants to try then need all the pertinent info, which includes his status as a member of an native tribe.

      • Chris H.

        Todd Palin is not a member of the Curyung tribe, although, according to wikipedia, his maternal grandmother was.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Palin#Early_life

        http://www.curyungtribe.com/

      • don miguelo

        Yes I see that you did not commit to actually defending him with actual laws and exceptions. You were just saying he might be in that category. OK. Thanks for clarifying.

      • David

        No problem.

        If they did violate the rules then they should be dealt with as the laws proscribe. But too many people don’t like the Palin’s so they are too ready to believe anything bad about them. Fortunately facts don’t take sides, and with the internet and a little effort the facts can be checked.

  • Dead_Parrot

    Not very considerate for exempt persons to flaunt their Flounder Exceptionalism to ordinary fishermen…

    A quick check gives:

    “- The bag limit is 2 fish daily and 4 in possession. ”
    “- When a fish is landed and killed it becomes part of the bag limit of the person originally hooking it. Once you have attained your bag limit, you are not allowed to catch and keep halibut for anyone else on the vessel that same day.” (link below)

    History: S Palin was convicted in 1993 of drift gillnet fishing without a permit. According to the 2nd link below, that permit would have cost $240,000 — conviction carried up to 90 days in jail/$5000 fine/3 yr suspension.

    Not a mere “traffic ticket” as she claimed. Closer to a FUI…or Vehicular Fishslaughter.

    http://www.alaska-halibut-fishing-charters.com/halibut_biology.html
    http://faithfulprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/08/sarah-palins-time-as-mayor-included.html

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Remy-Chevalier/754430220 Remy Chevalier

    a) Be thankful she didn’t shoot the bears!
    b) Be thankful Discovery isn’t airing the show on the Planet Green channel!
    c) Be thankful she doesn’t invite Ted Nugent as a guest on the show.

  • Kalar

    I’m no Sarah Palin fan but has anyone ever considered the possibility of a zoom lens?

    • don miguelo

      Yeah I think Russia appears much, much closer than it really is with one of those. Ha ha no you have a point there, who knows the distance and can prove what the distance was in this case from the video. That would be hard and also not really worth it as it appears it is a guideline for your own personal safety anyways, not a law. Some people just need to be told to not go near wild bears, others of us tend to automatically understand that. Other, special people are told this and completely ignore it. That’s called “going rogue”, or in my book, “being an idiot”, politics aside.

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