Second Cabinet grizzly killed. Published: Tuesday, November 4, 2008. By JIM MANN. The Daily Interake
One was hit by a train; the other one was illegally shot.
It was not all for naught. They had offspring and their offspring had offspring.
by
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Comments
And will the guy that shot the bear after seeing it had a collar be fined? It was getting into his garbage, did it occur to him that he had an option to call FW&P??
And
Where was his garbage? Was it in his garage? Was it properly contained? Does he have a clue about life in bear country??
Question that immediately appear as red flags, I’m sure I’ll have more to ask later.
He has been cited under the law that currently exists….I don’t agree with it, but it is what happened, but yes, he has been cited on a couple of different laws
Wonder if they will stick. Citations have a way of being ignored and/or overturned by radical activist right-leaning judges…
(I had to add that merely to balance a couple claims made in the other direction… and for those who might be interested.)
😉
The grizzly delisting is looking less and less like it will last. Ironically, the people who seemed most supportive of the removal of endangered wolves and bears will be responsible for returning them to the list (i.e. rural residents and hunters).
Shoot first, deal with the ramifications later–wildlife “management” Western-style.
In the end, sprawl will be the undoing of these rare animals.
Save Bears,
What is it that you don’t agree with? That this Bozo was cited for shooting and killing a federally protected animal because it was going thru his trash?
Jeff N.
I don’t know that sprawl is a great problem in the Cabinet Mountains.
It became an isolated grizzly population due to the killing of before they were listed in the 1970s, the construction of Interstate 90 (alongside the railroad), heavy timbering and forest road construction in the period from the 70s – 90, and mining (present day development).
Poor grizzly management in the Purcell Mountains of B.C. was also a factor.
I hate to say this because I don’t want to defend the guy, but I would say don’t prosecute him. It will only lead to more “shoot, shovel, and shut up”. At least he called to report it. Yes, defending your garbage is a stupid reason to shoot a bear. Ironically here in Arizona if you call game and fish they are likely to shoot a bear themselves for getting in garbage—a stupid policy. Again, though, the guy did the wrong thing, but then did the right thing. I think it will lead to more idiots shooting bears on purpose in the backwoods if you prosecute. Just my opinion. By the way I am a HUGE grizzly backer. I’d like to see them put back here in Arizona, too.
In the end, sprawl will be the undoing of these rare animals.
Sometimes I feel like my comments about this are like blowing in the wind but people moving to grizzly habitat don’t have to be the undoing of these animals. People can learn to live safely around bears. Bears are adaptable enough and smart enough to live around humans. This is a problem that can be solved. . all we need is for people to open their minds a little, look beyond their selfish desires and learn a few new things. First people need to stop bickering and enter into a productive conversation about the bears themselves. Lately, it seems like people are on edge about just about everything and I am seeing long time bloggers on this site attacking each other over some pretty minor stuff. Maybe it will pass like a bad cold.
Ralph,
I think you meant to address Mike on the sprawl comment. I was trying to figure out what Save Bears “didn’t agree with”.
Oh. OK, thanks.
Hey Mike!
I’m betting that this bear was killed in one of those rural subdivisions popping up all around the Cabinets. That’s why I made the comment about sprawl. The bears simply do better when we don’t build and develop rurual subdivisions.
I agree that excessive logging and roadbuilding are to blame for a lack of grizz movement around the Cabinets.
Linda, the more houses we build in grizzly and wolverine country, the more we seal the fate of species who need room to roam. Every environmentalist worth their salt should really consider this.
Over the years, I have found this amazing thing. I can stay wherever I want in a national park or forest or BLM. I can even choose to leave that place one day and find another amazing spot the next! All the prime rela estate with the best views and right next to rivers and lakes too!
You know what this method is called? A tent and a campground. It’s a groundbreaking concept.
Jeff N.
I don’t agree with the single misdemeanor citation, the Cabinet Bears are still on the Endangered species list and as such he should have been cited for an ESA violation, not a hunting out of season violation, based on the article cited in this entry, the bear was after garbage and there is no mention of aggressive behavior…he should have called the game dept and let them handle the situation…
The article leads you to believe that he many not have called had the bear not been wearing a collar…
Linda Hunter, I try to remain optimistic about the “New West” sprawl but urbanization grinds on fragmenting landscapes into ever & ever smaller parcels. As our economy thrives on “eternal growth”, with little or no debate about the consequences of such insanity, it will only stop when the majority realize that we can’t breed and exhaust our way to a better life. People who can afford to do so, are acting aganist “growth” by fleeing to the remaining open spaces of the west and, unfortunately, turning their new homes into mirrow images of those lands left behind.
Save Bears – I agree. This was simply a case of bloodlust and the punishment should fit accordingly.
++People who can afford to do so, are acting aganist “growth” by fleeing to the remaining open spaces of the west and, unfortunately, turning their new homes into mirrow images of those lands left behind.++
Very well stated.
There are a lot of people not from grizzly country who are buying up second homes in grizzly country. This is a huge problem. People see a wonderful spot and feel the need to “own it” by buying some property and developing it, for *maybe* about 1 month of use a year.
The northwoods of the upper midwest are a great example of this problem. What used to be lake after lake of secluded shoreline is now nothing but second homes. Instead of keeping the native pine forest and a pine needle ground, people decided to cut the trees for a view and put in sod and all the lawn chemicals that accompany suburban yard maintenance. Now most of the lakes have oxygenation problems thanks to the use of these chemicals.
Don’t think that this won’t happen around Yelllowstone or Glacier. It will if something isn’t done. You can already see many tacky houses along the Madison River on the way into Yellowstone.
Hopefully the bad economy and mortgage meltdown will take care of this for a while.
If you can’t get good land use planning; and, let’s face it, you can’t; the banks don’t have to give mortgages.
People haven’t realized that due to George Bush and his Treasury secretary, the US government, and indirectly, the people, now own many of the banks.
Played right, this could be Bush’s unintended positive legacy.