April 2020
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https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/national-parks-were-one-of-americas-greatest-ideas.-lets-expand-on-that/ National Parks Were One of America’s Greatest Ideas. Let’s Expand on That. To fully protect the values for which they were established, we need to add new national parks and expand many existing ones. GEORGE WUERTHNER AND MICHAEL KELLETT April 23, 2020 One of United States’ greatest contributions to the global marketplace…
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The National Park Service recently released the public comments on how Point Reyes National Seashore should be managed and they show that the vast majority of the public wants beef and dairy operations booted off Park Service lands. Contrary to prevailing assumptions that local food culture overrides conservation concerns in the local area, some 91.4%…
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An ineffective road closure–a plastic sign on the Custer Gallatin NF saying the road is “closed” Photo by George Wuerthner I recently had a representative of one of the “conservation groups” in the Greater Yellowstone area tell me that they supported logging/thinning on the Custer Gallatin National Forest because the agency was mostly accessing the…
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21, 2020 Contacts: Gary Macfarlane, Friends of the Clearwater, (208) 835-5426 Adam Rissien, WildEarth Guardians, (406) 370-3147 Conservation groups call for more species protection, less logging and roadbuilding Request to get deadline extended due to COVID-19 falls on deaf ears Moscow- Despite the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping…
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The Washington Post recently published an article that repeated the old and flawed idea that ranching will “protect” the land and suggesting conservation easements are the solution to sprawl. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/expanding-efforts-to-keep-cows-over-condos-are-protecting-land-across-the-west/2020/04/10/96ec2f80-79c6-11ea-9bee-c5bf9d2e3288_story. If championing cows or hayfields is your conservation policy, one must rethink the strategy. Keep in mind that nearly all the development found along the…
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47% of Animals Caught by Idaho Wolf Trappers Are Non-Target Species. A new public records request to Idaho Department of Fish and Game reveals that Idaho wolf trappers are capturing nearly as many non-target species as they are capturing wolves. 47% of the species captured between the 2012/2013 to 2018/2019 trapping seasons, including rare fishers, wolverine,…
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“Restoration” management on the Deschutes National Forest. Photo by George Wuerthner You can’t solve a problem if you don’t identify it correctly. When it comes to wildfire safety, the timber industry, the Forest Service, and many collaboratives are selling Snake Oil to the public. The problem for people is not with the forest—the problem…
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TRUMPING OUR PARKS The Trump Administration is on the warpath against the environment. From increasing oil and gas leasing on our public lands to decreasing national clean air standards for automobiles, eliminating environmental law enforcement, attacking the Endangered Species Act, removing the United States from the Global Climate Accord, and reducing oversight of livestock grazing…
