September 2006
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This Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness wildfire, not far from the Derby Fire, could burn out of the Wilderness into the summer homes and residences that line the West Boulder River north of the Wilderness. Watching the satellite map yesterday, I could see it was putting up a huge plume, one as visible as the Derby Fire. Article…
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The “new west” is the most densely populated part of the United States, and yet there are still vast wide open spaces. It’s a place where imagination of the concept of the West is more important than the reality we live in. So says Hal Rothman in this essay for Writers on the Range.
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The story how the new Lick Creek wolf pack killed 34 sheep (25 lambs, 9 ewes) is a bit old now. The media have covered it (many newspapers and some TV), but now Idaho Fish and Game has a news release on the event, and second event that didn’t seem to be worthy of news…
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Here is more on the on-going story of the elk that escaped from the Chief Joseph hunting reserve, and the State of Idaho’s effort to kill them. Article
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Gains were made on the Derby fire yesterday. While the fire may still explode again, people are beginning to think about the aftermath effects on wildlife. My impression is that this fire has been hotter than the great Yellowstone fires of 1988, and the effects on fish and wildlife may be more severe. An article…
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Warm winters harm conifers in many ways leaving them open to insect attack. Presently insects are killing millions of acres of trees in Alaska. See article by Dan Joling, Associated Press. What the article doesn’t say it, this is not just happening in Alaska. It is happening throughout the West. British Columbia has an even…
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Very important hearings on how many and where grizzlies will be allowed to live in Western Montana begin soon. The is a state, not a federal process. “The plan focuses on grizzly bears — or potential populations — in the Northern Continental Divide [NCDE], Cabinet-Yaak and Bitterroot ecosystems. The plan looks at grizzly bear populations…
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The Western Watersheds Project continues its amazing run of appeals against Forest Service and BLM condoned livestock grazing abuses. Here they planned to open up part of the Santa Rosa Wilderness in Northern Nevada to livestock grazing, but the regional office of the Forest Service (region 4–Intermountain Region) struck down the new grazing “plan” by…