U.S. top court backs moose hunter in Alaska hovercraft case
Source: Reuters
U.S. top court backs moose hunter in Alaska hovercraft case
Reuters
By Lawrence Hurley
3 hours ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with an Alaska moose hunter who contended the federal government overstepped its authority in banning hovercraft on National Park Service land in the northernmost U.S. state.
The court, in a unanimous decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, handed a narrow victory to John Sturgeon in his legal challenge to the U.S. government's power to prevent him from riding his hovercraft on a river through a federal preserve to reach remote moose-hunting grounds.
People in some parts of the country, especially western states, have complained about too much federal control of public lands. The cause was embraced by protesters who in January took over buildings at an Oregon federal wildlife refuge in a six-week armed standoff with law enforcement authorities. The last protesters surrendered on Feb. 11.
The Supreme Court threw out a lower court ruling favoring government, but did not decide the bigger question of whether the government can regulate hovercraft use on a waterway within park service property in Alaska. The answer to that question could have had implications for other park service regulations, including on oil and gas extraction.
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/u-top-court-backs-moose-hunter-alaska-hovercraft-142405433.html
[center]
John Sturgeon, 2nd from the right.
A moose, waiting for John Sturgeon to destroy it. [/center]
Herman4747
(1,825 posts)thucythucy
(8,045 posts)another incredibly loud, entirely obnoxious fume spewing device to make it easier for "rugged individualists" to kill creatures they'd otherwise never have the ability to reach. And in the national parks at that.
Lovely.
GummyBearz
(2,931 posts)If this guy swam down the river to hunt moose, would it make you respect him more than someone who commutes 20 minutes in a car every morning?
Judi Lynn
(160,516 posts)thucythucy
(8,045 posts)And the only way he can get to them is to use a hovercraft?
If you need a vehicle to get to work, that's one thing, though I'm in favor of mass transit (use it all the time) and more energy efficient and less polluting vehicles when needed. Sustainable communities, the environment and all that.
And yeah, if he swam (or kayaked) down the river I'd certainly have far less of a problem.
hibbing
(10,096 posts)yellowcanine
(35,699 posts)Imagine that.