In keeping with an ancient tradition, Hopi Indians would be allowed to gather and smother golden eagles from the Wupatki National Monument in Arizona, under a proposed Interior Department rule expected to be announced next month. Environmentalists fear that the proposal would set a broad precedent, allowing Native Americans to hunt and trap animals in national parks throughout the U.S. A recent survey of 40 large parks by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility found that half of them had received hunting requests from tribes. The taking of wildlife in national parks and monuments is usually limited to congressionally approved conservation research. This issue is causing strife within the conservation community, which is frequently allied with Native Americans.
