Controversy over wolves and elk was predicted before wolves entered the area- Idaho Fish and Game reports it has used a helicopter to kill 23 wolves in the north central Idaho area commonly called the Lolo. This is the latest in a continuing effort (6 forays in 4 years) to reduce the number of wolves…
New plan aims to reduce population by 60% to please elk hunters POCATELLO, Idaho – In an effort to inflate elk populations for commercial outfitters and hunters, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) hopes to kill 60 percent of the wolves in the Middle Fork area of central Idaho’s Frank Church River of…
5 Keys to Reforming Wildlife Management in America- Over the years, I have come to realize that the current wildlife management model in America, at the federal level, and particularly, the state level, is broken. The system is such, in which, politics trumps the best-available science, the special interest-minority overwhelms the democratic-majority and the almighty…
Today the US Fish and Wildlife Service released the Peer Review of the proposed rule to delist wolves nationwide and its findings were pretty damning. The proposed rule relied heavily on the findings of one paper, Chambers et al., which reclassified wolves and recognized the eastern wolf as a new species Canis lycaon. The peer review…
Only difference is this time they might get some real money to waste- Although the appropriation of $35-million to chase Greater Yellowstone elk and bison and try to vaccinate them against brucellosis might seem like a new issue to some, it has been around a long time. Today the Missoulian has an article on it. Farm…
A rundown on the anti-wildlife, pro livestock things sneaked into the new U.S. budget just signed into law- By now, everyone has heard about yesterday’s passage of a $1.1 trillion budget bill. But it’s unlikely that many people have heard about anti-wildlife, pro-grazing details that are hiding there. Special interests always seem to get their…
Also, black bear cub nailed by mistake in wolf trap. Will be rehabilitated. Idaho Fish and Game news release, Jan. 8, 2014 Idaho Falls- Fur trapping was one of the major reasons for exploration of Idaho and is still a legitimate wildlife management tool. Advances in trap design have resulted in more efficient traps capable of…
Plaintiffs in the case against the wolf killing plan for the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho have learned that at least 7 wolves have been killed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game hired trapper as of January 2nd. It is possible that more have been killed but communication with the…
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.