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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…
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The federal agencies including the National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service have all been directed to find ways to engage tribal people in co-management of federal lands (or in some cases such as California in state parks and other state lands). These co-management agreements are…
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During the 1992 Presidential Election cycle, political advisor James Carvel devised a brief and successful mantra that helped Bill Clinton win the election: “It’s the economy, stupid.” A similar mantra could characterize all large wildfires in the United States: “It’s the wind, stupid.” Although numerous elements contribute to fire spread, including slope, topography, fuel type,…
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Well, I will add one to the collections that Norman Bishop has put out about wolves and humans. This one is not quite so old. This one was from a bit before delisting, from 2006. For about 7 years, I lived on the closest piece of private land to the south east corner of Yellowstone…
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Two book recommendations have come in: SAGEBRUSH EMPIRE: How a Remote Utah County Became the Battlefront of American Public Lands by Jonathan P. Thompson San Juan County, Utah, contains some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, rich in culture and history. But it’s also long been plagued with racism, bitterness, and politics as…
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Wolves are often portrayed as a threat to humans, particularly little girls. Here is a true story that brings that portrayal into question. THE CHRISTMAS WOLF by Tessie Lutz It was Christmas Eve, 1923, when the incident took place. It was back on our farm in Orange, Pennsylvania. I was a 7-year-old girl then. “We…
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The other day I had a meal at the Coop in Bozeman. Outside was a huge banner that proclaimed “Support Farmers and Ranchers.” Such proclamations demonstrate the disconnect or mindless acceptance of myths by the largely well-educated urban dwellers who shop at the Coop. There is no human activity world-wide that does more damage to…
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Congress is considering legislation known as the Fix Our Forests Act sponsored by Bruce Westerman, the Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources. The House Committee sponsoring this Act asserts the legislation will restore forest health, increase resiliency to catastrophic wildfires, and protect communities by expediting environmental analyses, reducing frivolous lawsuits, and increasing the…
