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On the Thunder Basin National Grassland of northeastern Wyoming, the livestock industry has been pursuing an aggressive campaign to expand poisoning and shooting of prairie dogs. And in 2020, the Forest Service gave them a plan amendment that radically expanded prairie dog killing, and eliminated a special designation of a Black-footed Ferret Reintroduction Area to…
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Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a prion-based disease that is basically human created/human exacerbated. CWD, like all the other prion-based diseases like Mad Cow, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are 100% fatal and unlike bacterial and viral disease agents, prions are extremely difficult to neutralize. Normal autoclave methods and incineration are ineffective at rendering prions not infectious.…
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In late May, Sage Steppe Wild convened a training workshop lead by a wide range of experts in western ecology, with a focus on how citizens can be more effective advocates for our public lands. The How Not to be Cowed workshop was a great success, and about 20 people traveled to this remote rangeland…
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That is the title of a press release from a recently released report by the Wold Wildlife Fund. WWF’s flagship Living Planet Report details sharp declines in monitored wildlife populations with the steepest drops recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%), followed by North America (39%) and Europe and…
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One can wonder if the rebuttal of logging and prescribed fire by myself and other conservationists as a flawed strategy to protect communities is gaining traction. I cannot often report on favorable bi-partisan legislation regarding wildfire issues. However, a recently introduced bill by Congressional Huffman (D) and Jay Obernolte (R) of California puts the government…
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INTRODUCTION Throughout this report, I will refer to livestock grazing and production. The inclusion of production is critical because many livestock operations’ impacts involve more than cattle grazing grasslands. For instance, predator control is one consequence of livestock production, as is the production of forage crops such as alfalfa, which does not directly affect grasslands.…
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George Wuerthner and Michael Kellett The Cabinet-Yaak region of northwest Montana along the Idaho border is little known outside of the region. The area contains the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness, plus numerous proposed wilderness areas like Scotchman’s Peak, Cube Iron Silcox, Roderick Mountain, and Northwest Peaks, among others. The Cabinet Mountains are quite spectacular. Elevations…
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If you pay attention to livestock grazing issues on public lands, you invariably will see research promoting cattle grazing as the magic elixir that can repair damaged riparian areas, eliminate cheatgrass and other weeds, reduce wildfires, increase soil carbon storage, and improve habitat for endangered species like sage grouse. If you think this is too…
