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I would like to take a moment to discuss adoption. As of this summer my wife and I had decided to adopt a child, but due to circumstances we needed to put it off to maybe next year. So this subject has been on my mind for a while. The thing is, I have decided to find a new career path for myself and leave the web design/web programming field. As one of those universal coincidenses, the first job I find to apply for is with the State of Alaska’s Children Services, Adoption Unit… Hmmmm a sign?

Well anyways to move on, I went to the interview and they manged to hit me with some questions I did not expect and in answering I had to try to see things from another prespective and this led to a few days of thinking on the subject and brings us to this posting.

The In’s and Out’s of the Adoption Problem.

To be honest I have known a few adoptive parents, even a couple here in Juneau. Wether in Germany or here one things holds true… to many parents go to foreign countries while their own countries, their own states have children in abundance who need a good family.

Now on one hand we have Angelina Jollie, whatever you may think of her or her motivations… she could have been mother to some American kids, but she chose Africa. They have kids who need it too and you can argue more than we do. She may be doing this oput of a need to save a childs life and bring attention to the plight of those children. Well and good, I will not judge her, it is not a bad idea.

On the other hand we have Gerhard Schroeder, former Chancellor of Germany. He was not much a fan of the US, his best friend was Russia’s Putin. Mr. Putin saw to it that Fam. Schroeder was able to adopt a Russian child in about three months. Have any of you ever heard of a 3 month adoption? Usually it takes years! So naturally potential German adoptive parents were rather upset that they have to jump through hoops for the German’s and Russians and he gets a kid just like that. Many other Germans were upset as well for the simple reason that this man was the leader of Germany, he is expected to be the person they look to for guidance, the example… and rather than adopt a German child in need, he gets one from Russia… Hello? That is just… wrong. Maybe when he retired it would be different, but not while in office.

So what is this then? Why do so many people adopt outside the US/there country? In some cases it may be guilt about how these poor kids live without really considering how ours live. But in to many cases I think it is just easier, less red tape. That said however, I have heard that as Eastern Europe’s Qulity of Life improves, it is getting harder for foreigners to adopt there, I don’t know for sure if this is true or not.

Now I might sound as if I am criticizing the adoption laws and workers in the US and Alaska. That is not my intention at all. First off it is the politicians who make the laws and not the case workers trying to help these kids, but mostly the problem is:

1. They are trying to get these kids into a good home.
2. They are trying to get these kids into a good home.

These people are not the enemy, in fact they would love to get every familiy a child and every child a family. I do not doubt that they do there best and I am not saying that because I hope to be one of them. No, to do this job you have to care. At the same time however, they do not want the kids in abusive homes, they do not want the kids in places where they will not be nurtured or that the parents in the end cannot handle it. So they have to be sure and this results in checks, checks and more checks and proof of this that and the other thing. They have to walk a small line between protecting the children while at the same time not making adoption so difficult that people give up or do not even try. Having looked at adoption and spoken with adoptive parents, it is daunting.

The other issue that bothers me of course is age and special needs children. Age is simply that most parents want a baby who will grow up as their child. When you are middle school age/teens, chances are pretty slim you will be adopted. Terrible as it is it is not something I can really hold against such prospective parents. The special needs children are of course closer to my heart, one might say they need not only good parents, but really good and understanding parents. Anyone reading this with kids know how hard they can be to raise, but when the child has extra needs, it is that much more stress on the parents. The worse the health of the child is, the harder it is to find parents. Face it, in the end we all want healthy children, so there are fewer adoptive parents willing and able to handle the extra difficulties of a special needs child.

As for us? Yea we would like a baby, but we also see that all kids need parents and so are more than willing to take an older child, however younger than our birth child. Due to our own experience with special needs children we are willing to adopt one, but realize we have enough issues to hinder us caring for a seriously disabled child, but a more minor ailment we would be willing to adopt. But what we will not discuss any further is that the child will be American. If we are living here, it will be an Alaskan child. Last but not least, if at all possible, it will be a naitive child. This has been our wish all along. I am part Patawatomie and am proud of that heritage and my family is active with the local Tlingit and Haida culture and people. We will take a child and we will raise them to be proud of their heritage. We will teach them what we can and see to it that as long as we live here they have contact with their culture and tribes. It is just an added bonus that I learned in the interview that Alaskan Naitives are only 20% of the population but 60% of the children who need adoptive homes. So we are appy to help the largest group if we can.

So if you ever consider a child or another child, consider adoption. There are millions of kids out there who wish family as much as you wish for a child.

Then consider or speak frankly with friends wishing to adopt about getting an American child and one from your state. Then if you think you have what it takes… please search in yourself and decide if you can help an older child, a minority (meaning most likely the majority number) child and consider of course special needs children. Do not feel guilty if you want your own child, or a healthy or baby child. Not everyone is cut out for the additional problems. You and the child must be happy. But at least consider the “outsiders” in the adoptive world or help your friends to do so.

Yesterday my wife wrote to me at work that the plane carrying our aquaintance/friend Dr. Gordon Haber was missing, yesterday evening the wreckage was found on a mountain side and human remains were seen by troopers. This morning The pilot was found alive, Gordon was dead.

We met Gordon our first winter in Juneau AK when he gave a lecture on the plight of Alaskan wolves. We sporadically traded correspondence with him after Trish interviewed him for the paper.

Gordon has studied the wolf packs of Denali National Park over 45 years. He was outspoken against Alaska allowing aerial hunting of wolves as well as Bounties on wolf skins. He began studying under a researcher named Adolph who began observing the wolves in the 1930’s, then Gordon took over his research. That combined research of the wolf packs of Denali entail the longest unbroken study of wild animals in the world. He watched the once proud wolf packs decimated. One of the oldest and largest wolf packs in Denali was cut down by hunters waiting on the border of the park for the wolves to travel through… animals do not understand human borders. Last we heard that wolf pack consisted of three young wolves. By young I mean of an age where they had not yet been taught the art of hunting from the adults. Unable to hunt large animals they were surviving off rabbits as their territory was absorbed by neighboring packs.

Gordon among others fought Alaska’s laws allowing aerial wolf “hunting”. He was also an outspoken critic of Sarah Palin.

“On wildlife-related issues, whether it is polar bears or predator controls, she has shown no inclination to be objective. I cannot find credible scientific data to support their arguments,” he added about the state’s rationale for gunning down wolves. “In most cases, there is evidence to the contrary.” He further argued that Alaska’s reported numbers are wildly inflated. “Sixty to 70 percent of the moose they eat are scavenged, not killed” he would say.

He told us stories about the wolves, one which touched us most was about an Alpha Wolf who’s mate was caught in a snare… he stayed by her as she bled trying to escape and finally died of thirst. He stayed with her when the trapper came days later and dragged her body away behind his snowmobile. He howled through the nights and never really returned to the pack… taking little interest in what was happening as other males began to take over. He finally walked away and did not come back for months, long after a new leader had taken control. He stayed a short time before walking away one last time to never be seen again. How is that for the “Killer wolf” image? No healthy wolf has attacked a human in well over 100 years unless “They poked him in the eye with a stick” as one author put it. Haber’s studies prove that the old stories and fears of wolves are untrue. Wolves are scavengers and rarely attacked Moose or Caribou, the possibility of injury was to high and an injured wolf cannot hunt for food. The wolves of Denali or wild wolves in the far reaches of Alaska and Canada are no threat to those natives who still live off hunting moose and Caribou.

Trapper kills last wolf in Denali’s Sanctuary pack

So now we mourn for not only a man we considered a friend and held in great respect for his dedication to spending much of his life humping the boonies and existing in the wild to be close to the wolves he so loved, but we must mourn the wolves who have lost the loudest voice for their continued survival and protection. Trish and I fear that this may be twilight for the wolves of Denali who are so regularly killed by trappers on the fringe (Two Denali Park wolves snared outside park) and legal aerial hunting by the Dept. of Fish & Game and the Board of Game who Sarah Palin appointed and then gave control of predator control.

Gordon will be missed. Thank you for what you did…

Alaska Dispatch

Alaska wolves: Basic and applied research by Gordon Haber, Ph.D.

Wolf-Control Programs Carried Out Under the Guise of ‘Science

NOTE: I believe this originally was posted on the Iditarod web site (I was not able to find it or the author when I looked). This is make believe, Mackey’s lead dog is Larry who is now retiring, Macky in fact just won the Iditarod for the third time. If they air this years Iditarod as “Ititarod: The Last Great Race” (Discovery Channel I think) I suggest you watch it, the last airing of the 2008 Iditarod was quite interesting and really shows what goes into it, not as easy as it looks. Take it easy Larry…