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This is the last of a three-part series on this multi-faceted and important issue. Part one which explored the myths of Stewardship, Perpetuity, and Creation, can be found here. Part two, which explored the myths of Legality, Special Jurisdiction, History, and Economy, can be found here. Myth of Popularity It is a common claim…
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This is part two of a three-part series on this multi-faceted and important issue. Part one, which explored the myths of Stewardship, Perpetuity, and Creation, can be found here. Part three, which will explore the myths of Popularity, Local Authority, and Process, will be posted soon. Myth of Legality Somewhat related to the myth of…
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Rending fact from fiction regarding ranching in our national park Introduction: a critical controversy continues to simmer unnoticed on the West Coast. The question of how to administer one national park, and by extension how to manage public lands, is as-we-speak being answered at Point Reyes National Seashore, just north of San Francisco. So far,…
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The Sonoran Desert National Monument was established in 2001 with very specific terms about how grazing should be managed on these lands. The Proclamation basically said that grazing should be permanently banned from parts of the monument and could only continue on portions of the monument where it was found to be compatible with resource…
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The Catron County fearmongers are at it again, complaining to the State Land Commissioner of New Mexico that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s cross-fostering of wolf pups somehow puts residents at risk and, “jeopardizes the lives” of New Mexicans. Representative Yvette Herrell cried wolf to New Mexico State Land Commissioner in early May, 2020…
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Conservation groups have long been saying that cross-fostering of Mexican wolf pups into wild dens won’t work as the only tool for the necessary genetic rescue of the wild population. We want adult, well-bonded pairs released from captivity with their pups, if possible, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been balking at this option.…
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Hoback Peak in the Wyoming Range, Bridger Teton NF, Wyoming. Photo George Wuerthner A recent proposal by the Bridger Teton National Forest threatens the ability to retire grazing allotments on public lands through permit buyout. Grazing on public lands is a privilege, not a right. Nevertheless, the political power of the livestock industry makes it…
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Dairy and beef cattle are grazed at Point Reyes National Seashore sixty years after the properties were purchased by American citizens. Photo George Wuerthner Fences. Everywhere I went during a recent trip to Point Reyes, I encountered fences. Why are there fences in a national park unit? They exist to facilitate the private use of…
Author
Ken Bouley is a software developer at the data analytics company FICO, where he has worked for the last 24 years. He and his wife Kelli live in Inverness, immediately adjacent to the Point Reyes National Seashore, hiking there frequently and indulging Ken’s wildlife photography hobby. Bobcats are his favorite.