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The state of Washington recently reported that its endangered wolf population had declined for the first time in 16 years. The state confirmed that it has 230 wolves, compared to 254 wolves in the previous year. According to figures released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington’s overall wolf population in 2024 decreased…
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BLM leaders never had the desire or will to do what it takes to preserve Sage grouse populations. Sage-grouse plans make major concessions to industries, and especially to the great destroyer of sagebrush habitat across the West, the public lands livestock industry. They chickened out rather than risk the buzzsaw of cattlemen resistance and western…
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On April 3rd, the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, issued an Emergency Order (EO) to accelerate logging on national forest lands. The alleged emergency is the presumed increase in wildfires across the West. Unfortunately, most of the rationales for this “emergency” are based on flawed assumptions about “active” management (better known as logging) and wildfires.…
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Top Line: The excesses of the executive branch will need to be checked by the judicial branch, the legislative branch, and/or the people. Figure 1. The official 2025 portrait of Donald J. Trump, 47th president of the United States of America. Note the striking similarity to the official mugshot in Figure 6. Source: The White House (Wikipedia).…
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The Beartooth Mountains contain some of the most extensive alpine terrain in the Rockies. Photo by George Wuerthner The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) is the most comprehensive and ecologically defensible legislation currently before Congress. The Act was first introduced in 1993. NREPA was reintroduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Madeleine Dean, who…
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The Upper Green River headwaters are in the Wind River Range. Photo by George Wuerthner The 170,000-acre Upper Green River Allotment, located on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, is the largest grazing allotment under Forest Service administration. It is also one of the best wildlife habitats in the West, and it is easily comparable…
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The January 2025 Point Reyes National Seashore settlement agreement ended decades of conflict over management of cattle ranching and wildlife on public lands. The departure of most of the commercial ranches from our National Park along with the Revised Record of Decision and new management approach by the National Park Service will provide significant public…
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A few weeks ago, I watched a pack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park with perhaps several dozen other visitors. Everyone was excited to glimpse one of the Park’s packs. People with scopes and telephoto lenses shared the view. “Here, take a look through my scope,” was a familiar invitation. The group’s camaraderie reminded me…
