Wyoming National Parks sequestered along with the rest in the U.S.- There are many stories and possible stories about the sequester’s across-the-board cuts. Like the rest of federal discretionary spending, the National Park System (NPS) has to deal with the cuts. NPS has to deal with $113-million in instant budget reduction. This is especially difficult…
In yesterday’s post about the Owyhee “Group 1” grazing decision we discussed the NRCS Ecological Site Descriptions for Juniper Mountain that inaccurately describe the vegetation and magically discount the native juniper forests that exist there. In the Environmental Assessment the BLM states: “Ecological site descriptions for Castlehead-Lambert allotment do not identify the presence of juniper…
By George Wuerthner State Fish and Game agencies are in the midst of a funding and mission crisis. They appear unable to adapt to shifting political and demographic changes much as the Republican Party is failing to adjust to new voter realities. The crisis is nowhere more evident than in their attitudes towards predators like…
Rare Fishers Heavily Impacted A response to a state public records request, submitted by Western Watersheds Project to the Idaho Fish and Game Department, shows widespread capture and mortality of non-target species related to wolf trapping and snaring in Idaho during the 2011/2012 trapping and snaring season. For the last two years, since wolves in the Northern…
Hard information about wolves or anything else does not come from rants- Discussion of politics and many other things, including wildlife, seems to have broken down. Instead of discussion, people yell. Instead of facts they tell stories (anecdotes) and cite folklore, urban myths and rural conspiracy theories. Very importantly, a number soldier on, citing scientific…
Decaying Management In America’s National Park System- Yellowstone Park is loved by millions of Americans and many more around the world. It is the original model for not just America’s National Park System, but for national parks in other countries. By “system,” it is meant the national parks are established and managed by a common…
Study: “The impact of free-ranging cats on wildlife in the United States-“ The Wildlife News has reported earlier on the large number of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibian, the common cat, felis domesticus, kills. Because cats are so highly regarded by many as pets, a look at their side effects on wildlife makes for intense…
State Agency Game Farming Is Not Compatible with Ecosystem Integrity With the delisting of wolves from protection under the Endangered Species Act, management of wolves has been turned back to the individual states where wolves occur. In most of these states, we see state agencies adopting policies that treat wolves as persona no…
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.