In 1907, my great grandfather – Walter L. Cole – kept a journal of a trip he took with a friend, Perry, to Central Idaho’s Riordan Lake just southeast of Yellow Pine, Idaho. This area, which I have spent a lot of time in over the years, is some very rough and steep country. I first…
White-tailed deer overpopulation boost cases due to more deer ticks- Lyme Disease is a real threat to those who go outdoors, unlike the recent hysteria over the rarely transmitted dog tapeworm larva (Echinococcus granulosus) to humans. In 2010 there were over 30,000 reported cases in the U.S. of often debilitating Lyme disease. It is usually…
In reading some of the comments posted in response to stories run on The Wildlife News this week, I was interested to see a few very heated exchanges concerning humans’ role in determining how animals die. These comments reminded me of a presentation I saw this past November at the annual meeting of the Wildlife…
Commission gives initial approval on divided vote, but final approval might fail- Like the Lolo in Idaho on the Idaho/Montana border, the decline of elk in the West Fork of the Bitterroot area (hunting district 250) in Montana in recent years has been widely blamed on wolves, but the Montana wolf hunters can’t seem to…
Ethics, safety, and fair chase hunting demands people should not be able to bait coyotes and engage in “recreational” hunting from their easy chair next to their window- On this blog we have often talked about the disproportionate favoritism that hunters generally receive over other users of wildlife. Well, recently one of my radio-collared eastern…
Finding where the mackinaw spawn via transmitter should help zero in on them- We recently ran a story on the need for more money for Yellowstone Park to get ahead in their battle against the non-native, illegally planted lake trout that have all but wiped out cutthroat trout from Yellowstone Lake. One of the most…
Greater Yellowstone grizzlies are inbred and Yellowstone Lake far below biological potential due to its infestation with lake trout- The Associated Press reports that in a draft progress report to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee, Yellowstone Park is looking for a million dollars a year to rid Yellowstone Lake of lake…
Friend, student and advocate for wolverine, lynx, fisher lost at age 44- I first met Dave soon after he came to Montana. He stood out. He was the happy red-haired young man in tow with Louisa Willcox, long-time friend of the grizzly bears. As the years went by, as everyone expected he grew in knowledge…
Ken Cole is a 5th generation Idahoan, an avid fly fisherman, wildlife enthusiast, and photographer. He is the interim Idaho Director for Western Watersheds Project.
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