Senate repeals law OKing hunts on island

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - The Senate voted Tuesday to repeal a new law allowing big-game hunts to continue on a California public island in defiance of the National Park Service and a federal court settlement.

The measure was added by California Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to a military construction spending bill being completed by the Senate during Congress' lame-duck session. It was approved by voice vote without debate.

The Feinstein-Boxer measure would overturn language about big game on Santa Rosa Island that was part of a defense programs bill signed by President Bush last month.

That provision, written by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., overturned a federal court settlement mandating that nonnative deer and elk on Santa Rosa Island be removed by 2011. Under the settlement, privately run hunts on the public island off the coast of Santa Barbara, part of Channel Islands National Park, were also supposed to end that year.

National Park Service officials opposed Hunter's plan because they want to get nonnative game off the 53,000-acre island and restore native plant and animal populations. Congressional Democrats, who will assume control of the House and Senate in January, were also opposed.

"With this amendment we can ensure this beautiful part of the Channel Islands National Park remains open and its wildlife will be enjoyed by all for years to come," said Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on military construction and veterans affairs.

Hunter's plan is for disabled veterans to be able to hunt for free on the island — even though the disabled veterans group he initially enlisted for support, Paralyzed Veterans of America, decided the idea was unworkable and withdrew support.

"It's disappointing that the senators are relentlessly trying to exterminate the deer and elk herds on Santa Rosa Island," said Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper, adding that Hunter would work to keep his measure alive.

The House has already passed a version of the military construction bill that does not include language on Santa Rosa Island, so the Feinstein-Boxer language will have to survive House-Senate negotiations in the final days of the lame-duck session.