Print 
Single Page
Enlarge This Image
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alaska wildlife conservation director charged with helping illegally kill bearsAlaska News & FeaturesThe director of the Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation has been charged with 12 counts of illegal hunting related to guiding activities in the bear-rich forests on the north side of Cook Inlet across from Anchorage, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers on Thursday issued a statement saying Corey L. Rossi, 51, of Palmer took two out-of-state men on a bear hunt in the early summer of 2008 and then covered up their kills. Rossi was at the time a licensed assistant guide on the verge of joining the administration of then-Gov. Sarah Palin. Rossi was not immediately available for comment. A former predator control officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rossi is a longtime friend of Chuck and Sally Heath, Palin's parents. After Palin took office in 2007, Sally lobbied her daughter to have Rossi named commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The commissioner oversees all wildlife and fisheries management in the state. Sally Heath, in an email to Palin, noted that almost everyone would object to Rossi as unqualified, but added those "are the very same people who said the same thing about you." Rossi did not get the commissioner's job, but a special job -- assistant commissioner for abundance management -- was created for him within state government. He moved into the newly created job in December 2008, just months after his alleged illegal bear hunt. Gov. Sean Parnell promoted Rossi to wildlife director in March 2010. A staunch advocate of killing predators -- wolves and bears -- to boost prey populations of moose and caribou within the state, Rossi has been unpopular with many in the agency he runs. His qualifications have repeatedly been called into question. He lacks a college degree and his prime professional association with wildlife has involved killing rats and foxes in the Aleutian Islands. His associations with Alaska's big-game guiding industry have also raised suspicions. Rossi has continued to work as a guide while employed in the wildlife division by exploiting a loophole in a state policy that bans wildlife division employees from that business. Rossi has continued guiding hunters for feral reindeer, which are not considered a big-game species in Alaska. Rossi has also been active with the organization Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, a somewhat controversial hunter advocacy group. Guide Aaron Bloomquist, who has a business relationship with Rossi, was recently handed coveted, special permits from the wildlife division for bison, Dall sheep and musk ox. He is to take the permits to the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake in February where they are to be auctioned to raise funds for the organization. While this has been going on, Rossi has been lobbying to try to expand the wildlife director's authority over those permits to gain the power to change state hunting rules. Some in the department say he appears to wish to make it possible for the people who pay thousands for such permits, sometimes as much as $100,000, to obtain easy access to their hunts by means of helicopters. The charges against Rossi were expected to send a shock wave through the state's hunting community and make him even more controversial. The political ramifications of citing him with 12 misdemeanors were apparently not taken lightly in a state where violations of hunting and fishing laws are considered serious crimes. Troopers made it clear they did not act on their own. "Charges were filed by the Department of Law, Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals, following an investigation by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Wildlife Investigations Unit after learning of the offenses through an unrelated out-of-state operation conducted by another agency," the trooper statement said. According to that statement, here is what Rossi did: Rossi took a couple non-resident hunting in Game Management Unit 16B in June of 2008. GMU 16B is the area in and around Mount Susitna, an easily visible landmark from Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. It is a wild and undeveloped area with a bounty of bears. Rossi's hunters killed three of them. Rossi shot another. Alaska law at the time required the hunters to have the hides sealed. Sealing, which basically involves marking the hides for identification, is one of the ways state officials keep track of how many bears are killed. "Rossi falsified the sealing forms by claiming that he killed the three bears taken during the hunt," according to the state. "Rossi submitted falsified big game hunt records indicating the two out of state hunters were unsuccessful in taking game. Rossi also submitted a permit hunt report indicating that he killed all four bears." The report does not say why Rossi did that, but there are possible reasons. The hunters with him might have filled their bear tags before the hunt, or they might have been planning to hunt bears again after the hunt. By Rossi claiming the kills, they would be free of bag limit restrictions. Troopers have made no accusations about money changing hands, but it is not uncommon for guides in Alaska to receive sizable "tips" for helping out clients. One once boasted he got handed $10,000 for shooting a moose a client's wife had shot at and missed, and then telling her she'd killed it. Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com more corruption in resource management? seriously? Boot that guy the hell out of there today. I am so ashamed of our state. We are abusing our resources like it was 1850! The BOG needs to get gutted and rebuilt, the system is wrong. Everyone should shout out loud about this!!! spread the word. Just another member of the extended palin crime family in action. Remember rules mean nothing to these psychopaths. Worth pointing out that at the time of the offense Mr. Rossi was executive director of SFW Corey Rossi as Director of Wildlife Conservation over sees all regions of Alaska's wildlife management. This is a direct violation of the Alaska state Procedural Act. Violating State Statute has become standard procedure since Corey Rossi was implemented into Game Management by the Palin/ Parnell administration, and promoted under the Parnell administration. Whether you endorse or do not endorse predator control, Alaskans have rights, protected by Statute, to be informed and comment for at least 30 days prior to a Board of Game or Fisheries meeting. The Parnell administration has turned a blind eye to Alaskan's rights and Statutes, in favor of influential interests. This mess the Division of Wildlife Management is in has a direct link to the top....where the buck stops. Corey Rossi would not quit if the Department of Law, Special Offices of Prosecution and Appeals, and the Alaska State Troopers, did not have him hands down. The "out of state" investigation highlighted this case against Rossi. If these charges were not filed, Alaska would have zero credibility in other states. The other question that BEGGS to be answered is where are the Federal Lacy Act charges regarding state to state transportation violations? The US Fish and wildlife agents are surely working on those. Those better be forth coming soon ...and those are felonies. No one is above the law. .... Not the State Executive Branch, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Or the Board of Game. Time to clean up the Corrupt Bastards Club of Alaska wildlife management, and this is a good starting point. When has the fox guarding the hen house ever worked? Kudos to the Alaska State Troopers. How timely the recent additional delays in the release of the Palin emails...But I'm sure we can rest assured there's nothing in them that would relate to any additional correspondence regarding Palin/Rossi/Heath...I mean since the AG knew these indictments were in the works and due to be handed down....Let em eat cake. This article did not report Mr. Rossi's side of the story, or whether he has denied the criminal allegations. If any of them prove true, then Gov. Sarah Palin and her esteemed & respected parents Chuck & Sally will be deeply disappointed that Mr. Rossi has not lived up to their standards of conduct. It's my impression that he lived down to precisely their standards of conduct. The bottom line with the family seems to be, "It's all right if I or we do it." I brings to mind Nixon's, "If the president does it, it's not illegal." Would those be the same "standards of conduct", lack of integrity and judgement which prompted them to also support the likes of Joe Miller? This is the tip of a very large iceberg if any of the Dispatch reporters want to delve deeper. Enough said.... Sally Heath, in an email to Palin, noted that almost everyone would object to Rossi as unqualified, but added those "are the very same people who said the same thing about you." (And they were right, of course.) This is getting embarrassing! Cheats found throughout our government. Does no one in power understand what Integrity means? I'm betting Rossi has hubris enough to not resign. Hmmm, I wonder if the newly appointed Attorney General will put the kibosh on this prosecution. Hmm, seems that Rossi is doing the natural born ways bit, sorta like natural native people. Guess it is bad to broadcast that...and I swear to you, killing rats and foxes when it is needed is a good thing. Could just rank higher than a college degree in the right places, not that I have heard much good about college degrees lately. And I guess Craig is scared to come out with it, but he has it in for the Heath's, you betcha! Commissioners and directors should have some background in the departments they 'lead'. This shows what Palin and Parnell think of education and experience. Political persuasion is certainly more important. Campbell should be booted out of her job before she gets a chance to screw up. Return F&G management to professional managers. Which legislators supported his appointment? so it gets better.. a quick search of the others mentioned shows one to be a guide/outfitter in 4 western states who had a forgery charge filed on him by WA DWR, and the other is a globe-trotting trophy hunter and a big friend of SCI. When we get back control of our state this will be a learning moment. Occupy everywhere. Governor Parnell is blind as a bat .... Well, his good ol boy club of Rod Arno (Alaska Outdoor Council, and Don Peay (Sportsmen for Wildlife) have sure handed you what you deserve -- Cori Rossi. How does it taste Parnell knowing you will lose the next election. Good riddens .. you are as sleazy, but twice as dumb as Murkowski. I guess this article in November was right on target ... A Disaster for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game: http://www.themudflats.net/2011/11/16/a-disaster-for-alaskas-department-of-fish-and-game/ Friends of the former half governor and family? Why should we be surprised at any unethical/illegal behaviors? Seems to fit right in there with the rest of them. I'm sure Palin didn't want to stick around any longer than she did because the charges against her and more of her buddies would have continued to be discovered. Rossi should return the salary he collected. Hey- he's a friend of Heath/Palin Klan. That's good enough for Parnell, who promoted him, and who will probably not do what an ethical governor would do: minimally suspend Rossi from his job pending the outcome of his trial if he doesn't have the b__ls to fire his a_s. It proves that Sally Heath was correct. Almost everyone would say that a lawbreaker like Rossie is unqualified for the job. Clearly Palin and Parnell were putting a fox in charge of the chicken coop, and this proves it. ps It's called crony Palinism. Not surprised! As a master guide here in Alaska, i am very pleased that this clown has ben charged, we have had a lot of ups and downs concerning the predetor controll issue. it apears that mr.Rossi does not have the respect for our wildlife that one should have to hunt in this state nor does he have the personal moral makeup to hold a position within the state government that deals with that most valuable of our natural resorces, I hope he is awarded some jail time for his efforts and is never again on any state payroll, for any position,guides have enough trouble weathering the less than ethical people that slip into that industry without them coming from within the state government,he has given every self educated Alaskan a bad name, a college degree only shows that a person can study and go to school, not having one does not make a person unqualified for government positions ,but lack of ethics and good judgment do Sure, some people who lack a college degree can get some job in state government, I know at least one that was a state legislator until he was run out of Juneau on a rail. However, Rossi's lack of a formal science-based education in wildlife ecology or management certainly did make him unqualified to head the Division of Wildlife Conservation. His total lack of ethics makes him indicted and resigned. He will not do time, as would an affluent Native Really? All in the name of Political Correctness. Ohhh, if only we could all have the glaring benefits of the Alaska Native. -TomClark Bye bye Rossi, you gopher choking never was. It would be nice to sweep the chaff out of the Board of Game along with you. |
Comments