George Wuerthner

I read two different studies this week that are connected but were not related in the media. The first is record warmth across the country. Denver recorded 80 degrees in mid-November. And 29 states had the warmest December ever recorded. Instead of a white Christmas, it was 70 degrees on Christmas Eve in Vermont! Such…

Tom Sawyer would be proud of the “progressive” livestock producers who “love” predators.  These ranchers are continuously held up as a “win-win demonstrations” by collaborating so-called conservation groups who promote these operations as examples of how wildlife and ranching can co-exist. You know the names, in part, because there are so few of them around…

  According to the FS and many others with a financial interest in logging and firefighting, prior to the settlement of the West, wildfires were more frequent than today. These frequent fires kept fuels low, and therefore, reduced fire severity of wildfires. Since its inception, the Forest Service has had a policy of putting out…

Bighorn sheep, named for the large curling horns of rams, are one of the West’s most iconic animals. Once found from North Dakota to Washington and south to California to New Mexico, they were among the most plentiful of the West’s large mammals, numbering more than 2 million animals. Today, in most western states their…

A recent modeling study that looked at livestock grazing and sage grouse has been getting a lot of play in the media with headlines like “Livestock Grazing Can Benefit Sage Grouse, Study Says.” http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/study-says-some-livestock-grazing-could-benefit-struggling-sage-grouse/article_1d49f8a5-6e59-5954-9a55-9026961a44cf.html And not surprisingly, representatives of the livestock industry are quick to pounce on the study as evidence that livestock grazing is…

The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to delist grizzlies from the protection of the Endangered Species Act in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The basic rationale for delisting is that the geographical distribution of bears has increased, particularly in areas south and east of Yellowstone Park, as well as population growth. But there is a…

On his website, Congressman Greg Walden opined: “The conclusion of the Obama administration, without a national monument designation in the Owyhee Canyonlands, marks a long-awaited victory for the people of Eastern Oregon.” Walden goes on to use a cheap shot by asserting this proposal was backed by “big-city corporate and special interests.” One must wonder…