Public Lands
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Controversy over wolves and elk was predicted before wolves entered the area- Idaho Fish and Game reports it has used a helicopter to kill 23 wolves in the north central Idaho area commonly called the Lolo. This is the latest in a continuing effort (6 forays in 4 years) to reduce the number of wolves…
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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…
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Wyoming Representative Cynthia Lummis has introduced a bill in Congress to expand paddle sports in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, forcing the Park Service to open many more waterways to recreational boating. I am a boater, former wilderness guide, BLM river ranger, and a licensed outfitter/guide in both parks who could stand to benefit…
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Faced with looming court challenge, Idaho halts unprecedented program POCATELLO, ID — Faced with a looming deadline to defend its actions before a federal appeals court, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) announced this afternoon that it is halting its wolf extermination program in the Middle Fork region of the Frank Church-River of…
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Much of the current political discussion about forest thinning and many of the efforts being implemented or proposed for federal forest lands are aimed at reducing large severe wildfires. It seems intuitively obvious to most people that reducing fuels will eliminate or minimize large fires that burn across large swaths of the West and occasionally…
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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…
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U.S. District Judge for Idaho Edward J. Lodge has issued a ruling denying plaintiffs’ case against an ongoing plan to eradicate two wolf packs in Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The judge ruled that plaintiffs are unlikely to prevail based on the merits of the case because the US Forest Service’s decision to…
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Plaintiffs in the case against the wolf killing plan for the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho have learned that at least 7 wolves have been killed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game hired trapper as of January 2nd. It is possible that more have been killed but communication with the…