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Giant sequoia in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park. Photo George Wuerthner I visited Yosemite National Park recently. I was dismayed to see the logging of large trees in the valley. According to the Park Superintendent, the justification for logging is “to use every tool at our disposal to save the forests and to save the…
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The Gravelly Range lies west of Ennis, Montana. Photo George Wuerthner The 17,000-acre plus Greenhorn “Vegetation” Project in the Gravelly Range of the Beaverhead Deer Lodge National Forest (BDNF) is yet another destructive proposal designed to provide wood for the timber industry and fodder for the livestock industry. Vegetation management is a euphemism for logging…
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Last week, the state of Utah filed a court challenge to the Biden Administration’s expansion of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments in southern Utah. The state is claiming the designations were unlawful and besides the state could do a better job of managing this land (which incidentally is federally owned by…
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UPDATE (NOVEMBER 11 The Ninth Circuit Court has given Izembek a second chance. The court has agreed to review an earlier decision by a three member panel that determined the land trade and decommisioning of wilderness by Secretary of Interiors including Deb Haaland may have violated federal law by overruling Congressional intent. The court’s decision…
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A number of years ago Bay Nature published a couple of pieces promoting livestock production in California. I responded with a critique of the articles. I continue to hear the same arguments today with various individuals and organizations promoting “regenerative” grazing, “grass fed beef” and livestock as a “tool” to reduce wildfires, among other alleged…
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Tribal hunting is the most significant source of mortality for Washington wolves. Photo George Wuerthner It may surprise most conservationists and wolf advocates, but the single largest source of wolf mortality in Washington State is trapping and hunting on tribal reservations. One wolf advocate I contacted who puts out a weekly wolf newsletter had no…
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Restoration of wolves in the Western Rewilding Network would help “heal” the West. Photo George Wuerthner A new study published in Bioscience proposes rewilding the West with a system of wildland reserves to restore the ecological integrity of the landscape. The proposal follows President Biden’s plan to manage 30 percent of the United States landscape…
Author
George Wuerthner is an ecologist and writer who has published 38 books on various topics related to environmental and natural history. He has visited over 400 designated wilderness areas and over 200 national park units.