Livestock grazing harm to the imperiled bird ignored- The U. S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) just released the final environmental reviews for proposed land use plans. These, it says, “will help conserve greater sage-grouse habitat and support sustainable economic development on portions of public lands in 10 states across the…
More danger now than getting stuck, broken leg or lack of water- Many people in the West like to explore its vast open country by 4 x 4, SUV, ATV, motorbike, and on foot and bicycle. They stay away from the crowded national parks and famous recreation and scenic sites. The lure of the roads…
Both the article Range of Possibilities by Kelly Cash, followed up by the pro-livestock piece Public Lands Need Cattle to Meet Conservation Goals by Sheila Barry which appeared in Bay Nature Magazine imply that livestock production is an overall positive activity for California public lands and wildlife. The pro livestock articles can be found here: https://baynature.org/articles/pro-public-lands-need-cattle-to-meet-conservation-goals/ and…
Lander, WY – Yesterday, Western Watersheds Project asked a Wyoming judge to dismiss a retaliatory lawsuit aimed at hiding poor water quality on public lands. The conservation organization is defending itself against a legal action brought last summer by the Wyoming livestock industry to shut down citizen oversight of environmental impacts on public land. “WWP…
Litigation Cited in Decision The University of Idaho will forgo sheep grazing at a controversial research station on federal lands in Montana this summer due to an ongoing lawsuit. The University’s general counsel has stated that the school will “await further guidance through the outcome of the litigation and from the federal agencies over the…
http://www.americanprairie.org/news/spring-2015-newsletter/#wildsky Dear APR I am very disappointed to learn about the American Prairie Reserve’s promotion of beef. This images says it all. What is the American Prairie Foundation about? It would appear you are about preserving cows and cowboys. That surely is not what I thought you were doing. I had high hopes for the…
The art of land and wildlife management has fallen into the hands of political actors who are beholden to powerful interests who only care about how much money they can squeeze out of our wildlife and public lands. When faced with making tough decisions, these professional bureaucrats have learned special skills to move up through…
Was it political expediency? News release RENO, Nev. – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today abandoned its plan to give Endangered Species Act protection to Mono Basin sage grouse, a small and isolated population of prairie birds in Nevada and California that remain under threat from grazing, habitat loss and mining development. The agency’s decision…
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.