Politics
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The merging of the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests offers opportunity to plunder- Two very important national forests in north central Idaho were recently combined through administrative action. The Clearwater and the Nez Perce National Forests both operate under separate forest management plans, developed after years of analysis and public comment. There was even…
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Importance of fighting to keep the public land public grows with likely Republican Senate win in November- Even though most of the public opinion in the West does not favor giving the national parks, forests, BLM lands and wildlife refuges to the states, this is a priority among conservative elites in the West. The polls…
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Only Utah shows majority in favor of states getting hold of U.S. public lands- A public opinion poll of 200 people in each of the eight Intermountain western states has shown a majority (52 to 42 %) are against transferring the federal lands to the Western states. In total, 1600 were interviewed. A slight majority of Utahans…
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If the public really understood the illogic behind Forest Service management, including those endorsed by forest collaboratives, I am certain there would be more opposition to current Forest Service policies. First, most FS timber sales lose money. They are a net loss to taxpayers. After the costs of road construction, sale layout and environmental analyses,…
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Federal judge wipes the 2012 delisting- Wolf hunt cancelled. Wolves-are-vermin zone is rubbed out- A federal judge has overturned the 2012 delisting of wolves in Wyoming. It looks like a total victory for wolves in the short run. The ruling came from Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the D.C. Circuit. Here is a news release…
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In an ongoing effort to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Friends of the Clearwater released a report today that critically examines the Clearwater Basin Collaborative (CBC) Agreement and Work Plan. If enacted by Congress, the agreement would put into place provisions that are incompatible with the Wilderness Act, potentially causing a ripple…
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Federal Agency Ignores Best Available Science In Decision Not To List Wolverine- Conservationists Promise Legal Action to Protect Rare Species BOZEMAN, Mont. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision today to abandon proposed protections for the wolverine ignores the best available science, including advice from the Service’s own wildlife experts, conservation groups stated. In response…
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Collaboratives have been initiated on many national forests across the West. The stated goal is to resolve controversial resource issues through cooperative discussions between various interests, Thus collaboratives typically include representatives of industry such as timber companies, ranchers, local tourist promotion, county commissioners, Forest Service, BLM, FWS, state and county government, and state wildlife agency…