Continuing enlightenment from state in this long controversy- Final outcome will depend on 2012 election- The state of Montana continues to lessen restrictions on the movements of Yellowstone Park bison that try to live outside the Park. Now they will be allowed to live there year-round in two areas, the Gardiner Basin just north of…
State that treats bison the worst isn’t saying much- Earlier we reported on the bipartisan and geographically diverse move to make the American bison (buffalo) the national mammal. Many were skeptical of the motivation of some of sponsors or cosponsors, especially those in Wyoming such as U.S. Senator Mike Enzi. Wyoming is not very friendly…
Bipartisan coalition in U.S. Senate supports “national mammal” status- S. 3248, the Bison Legacy Act, was introduced in the U.S. Senate May 24 by two senators, a Republican from Wyoming (Mike Enzi) and a Democrat from South Dakota (Tim Johnson). This might seem surprising because so much of the bison news is about hatred of…
U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell has issued a 14-day restraining order against using helicopters to haze bison back into Yellowstone National Park because of well documented grizzly bear activity in the area. Last year the Judge Lovell denied a similar request citing technical issues related to the lawsuit but, after both the Buffalo Field Campaign…
Ranchers reflexively oppose moving healthy Yellowstone bison onto lands of people who welcome them- Recently we did the story “Untrustworthy: the history of Montana cattle ranchers and Yellowstone bison.” It pointed to George Ochenski’s chronicle of the deceit and obstructiveness by Montana ranchers toward protecting the genetics of Yellowstone bison by moving some bison of…
George Ochenski tells how ranchers move the goal posts on Yellowstone bison issue- Perhaps a hundred stories since we first wrote about the issues of the Yellowstone’s bison’s genetic purity, the seemingly pointless slaughter of Park bison that leave the Park, and many other issues, very slow progress has been made. Bison perhaps can now…
Finally, some Yellowstone bison moved to form the basis of a second (or more) herds- Genetically pure bison were released in northeast Montana on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation today. The sudden move came after years of delay and after state officials signed an agreement with Assiniboine and Sioux tribal leaders. While there are many…
Video now added- Because they are so visible and photogenic, people are always interested in news about grizzly bear 399 and her cubs and also her adult daughter grizzly 610 and her offspring. This year they moved to the very southern part of Grand Teton National Park. That has caused both joy and consternation, and…
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.