Politics
-
Today the Idaho House held its final hearing on Governor Otter’s “Wolf Control Board” bill HB470 which establishes a board which would be composed solely of people appointed by the Governor that would oversee wolf control in Idaho. The board would be funded using $2 million in general funds, $110,000 from the livestock industry, and $110,000…
-
S.1337 goes far beyond criminalizing videos of Idaho CAFOs- It’s a threat to outdoor travel and recreation- By now readers might have received some alerts about S. 1337 which is before the Idaho legislature. It is being portrayed as a threat to documenting what goes on in concentrated animal feeding operations in Idaho. It is…
-
Controversial wildlife bills are only part of it- Most of the attention by those interested in wildlife in this year’s Idaho legislature have focused on Governor “Butch” Otter’s 2-million dollar wolf killing bill as it continues to advance toward law. Nonetheless, there are other wildlife bills and a host of additional scary, strange, and backwards…
-
Dr. Jeremy Bruskotter has published a very insightful article about wolf perceptions in Idaho and how the Idaho Department of Fish and Game may be alienating the very people who they will one day have to turn to for funding. As the number of hunters and fishers declines so does revenue for state wildlife agencies.…
-
A rundown on the anti-wildlife, pro livestock things sneaked into the new U.S. budget just signed into law- By now, everyone has heard about yesterday’s passage of a $1.1 trillion budget bill. But it’s unlikely that many people have heard about anti-wildlife, pro-grazing details that are hiding there. Special interests always seem to get their…
-
There are a lot of wildlife related stories. Washington Post and Wildlife Services- There have been many efforts to raise public perception of the depredations of the misnamed federal agency “Wildlife Services,” which might have been named that so that folks will confuse it with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or a state fish…
-
Provisions would increase rancher base property value solely by issuing longer grazing lease and waving public participation- An article in fiscally conservative Forbes Magazine looks at the real effects of the “Grazing Improvement Act.” It is yet more money for the elite (or just plain lucky) set of ranchers who hold a public grazing lease.…