ABSTRACT
Wildlife is a central part of the Alaskan image. This is true for residents of the state, the nation, and the world. No other state in the United States is more closely associated with wildlife and wilderness than Alaska. This image is promoted daily through mass media news and feature stories and through advertising campaigns. Attention world wide is now focused on environmental quality and on the destruction of wilderness and wildlife. In the world’s collective consciousness, Alaska stands out as a “last frontier” of pristine country where large populations of wildlife still thrive. As other areas of the world, such as Africa, continue to decline with regard to wildlife conservation, the economic value of Alaska’s image will grow. Many believe that it is in Alaska’s best economic interest to maintain and cultivate that image. Both the image, and the reality behind it, can easily be destroyed. There is no single environmental factor or unique wildlife population which can be identified as the key to that image. This makes its preservation more difficult. No one resource decision will make the difference. Each natural resource allocation and management decision will either contribute to, or detract from, the integrity of the whole.
