May 2012
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A new federal assessment of rangelands in the West finds a disturbingly large portion fails to meet range health standards principally due to commercial livestock operations. In the last decade as more land has been assessed, estimates of damaged lands have doubled in the 13-state Western area where the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)…
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Here is our new open thread on wildlife news topics. You can access the previous open thread here. Please post those comments and stories about wildlife you find interesting.
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U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell has issued a 14-day restraining order against using helicopters to haze bison back into Yellowstone National Park because of well documented grizzly bear activity in the area. Last year the Judge Lovell denied a similar request citing technical issues related to the lawsuit but, after both the Buffalo Field Campaign…
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Meanwhile, the BLM sues rancher rather than remove trespass cattle from the Gold Butte allotment- Last month it was reported that the BLM cancelled a roundup of trespass cattle on the Gold Butte/Bunkerville Allotment because they perceived a threat from Cliven Bundy who wrote to the company contracted to roundup and remove the trespass cattle saying “Cliven…
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Carter Niemeyer is on a speaking tour in California. He is giving his usual clear eyed views based on his many years working with ranchers, Wildlife Services, managing the wolves of Idaho for the United States government, and meeting and working with wolf conservationists. He always tries to bring facts and reason to this contentious…
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Large public turnout. Many opinions. General support for plan about 3 to 2- The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission heard testimony yesterday on their plan to have a longer wolf hunt with no quota and many new ways of killing wolves, including trapping. There will be a quota around Yellowstone Park, however, to prevent…
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Teton bighorn herd is really two isolated populations and fail to expand into good habitat available- For a long time the bighorn in the famed Teton Mountains have more or less hung on. Most stories about them tend toward pessimism. Now Jackson Hole News and Guide reporter Cory Hatch reports research by three agencies that…
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Recently we were informed of a new effort by two conservation groups, a Native American tribe and livestock interests “to secure $25 million from the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill to help livestock producers reduce the risk of livestock losses to grizzly bears, wolves, black bears and mountain lions.” This taxpayer money is meant to “reduce…