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Carter Niemeyer is on a speaking tour in California. He is giving his usual clear eyed views based on his many years working with ranchers, Wildlife Services, managing the wolves of Idaho for the United States government, and meeting and working with wolf conservationists. He always tries to bring facts and reason to this contentious…
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Large public turnout. Many opinions. General support for plan about 3 to 2- The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission heard testimony yesterday on their plan to have a longer wolf hunt with no quota and many new ways of killing wolves, including trapping. There will be a quota around Yellowstone Park, however, to prevent…
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Teton bighorn herd is really two isolated populations and fail to expand into good habitat available- For a long time the bighorn in the famed Teton Mountains have more or less hung on. Most stories about them tend toward pessimism. Now Jackson Hole News and Guide reporter Cory Hatch reports research by three agencies that…
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Recently we were informed of a new effort by two conservation groups, a Native American tribe and livestock interests “to secure $25 million from the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill to help livestock producers reduce the risk of livestock losses to grizzly bears, wolves, black bears and mountain lions.” This taxpayer money is meant to “reduce…
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Typical recent rancher activities underscores their extremism- Recently we reported on Arizona/Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy who thinks he doesn’t have to pay grazing fees because he thinks the federal government does not own the U.S. public lands where his grazing allotment (now rescinded) lies. He threatens force to prevent his illegal cattle from being impounded.…
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The Wildlife News has finally obtained all of the records of documented mortality for wolves from April 1, 2011 up to April 1, 2012. This information tells a grim story about what the toll of handing over management to the State of Idaho has been on the Idaho wolf population. All told, based on some…
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The headline story of the Idaho Statesman investigates the whining of Idaho’s elite about how they can’t get migrant workers through the H2A migrant visa program fast enough. There is a serious problem with the article, which features a woolgrower who complains that the process is too onerous. It doesn’t even mention the wages offered…
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In the final installment of the 3-part series, Tom Knudson investigates how the role of USDA Wildlife Services may change in the future. Should the agency be disbanded? Should it be reformed and given different responsibilities like controlling only invasive, non-native species? Should its predator control program be defunded? There is obviously a problem with…