Grazing and Livestock
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REVA (H.R. 3432) Would Provide Cash Option for Grazing Permittees Conservationists hailed the introduction of the Rural Economic Vitalization Act (H.R. 3432) in Congress, a bill that would allow federal grazing permittees to voluntarily relinquish their grazing permits back to the managing federal agency in exchange for compensation paid by a third party. The bill…
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Unlike deer and pronghorn, are elk trapped forever in the high mountain valley? The big mountain valley of Jackson Hole, Wyoming is so high and cold that elk did not winter there before Euro-American settlement blocked the late fall migration routes out and settlers eventually began to feed elk at what became the National Elk…
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Once thought extinct, reintroduction to Utah just one of a growing number- The black-footed ferret, closely related to the weasel, but a predatory specialist that eats prairie dogs almost exclusively (about 92% of their diet), was thought to be extinct back in the 1970s. Amazingly a pet dog discovered a colony near Meeteetse, Wyoming in…
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It is rare that bighorn are actually documented commingling with sheep or cattle because it usually goes undetected. However, this is typical behavior of bighorn rams around the breeding season and it illustrates the concerns of bighorn advocates. This bighorn was 33 miles from the nearest known population of bighorn sheep in the South Hills…
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This morning the Idaho Statesman published the view of Margaret Soulen-Hinson, the President of the American Sheep Industry Association. The letter was a response to a letter submitted to the Idaho Statesman co-signed by John Gale, National Wildlife Federation; Rob Fraser, Idaho Wildlife Federation; Craig Gehrke, The Wilderness Society; John Robison, Idaho Conservation League; and…
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You may remember the controversy prompted by the Flat Top Ranch’s application for a $300,000 match from Blaine County Land, Water & Wildlife Program‘s funds levied by Blaine County citizens “to protect natural resources and the quality of life valued by area residents.” The controversy started when the Flat Top Ranch’s application sought to fund…
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Release of 32 bighorn underway- This release by the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited and private individuals has taken 20 years to be accomplished. The stock for the release came from Nevada to the south around Stonewall Mountain near Tonapah. They are desert, not Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Bighorn are now back in…
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Lawsuit tries to permanently derail plan to let bison use Gardiner Basin in the winter. Early last spring bison were suddenly allowed to use the Gardiner Basin just north of Yellowstone Park for the first time in over a generation. State, federal and tribal officials signed what was to be a landmark agreement to let…