The long running battle between southern Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the BLM may be coming to an end soon. On July 9th, Nevada District Judge Lloyd D. George ordered Bundy to remove his cattle from BLM and National Park System lands in the Gold Butte and Overton Arm areas of southern Nevada. He was…
A new study by Dr. Bill Ripple and his colleagues, “Trophic cascades from wolves to grizzly bears in Yellowstone” in the Journal of Animal Ecology suggests a second way the return of wolves has helped the Yellowstone grizzly bears. Grizzlies have thrived in Yellowstone Park in recent years despite the destruction of the cutthroat trout fishery,…
Put down for eating too many cattle- Grizzly bear 399’s next to last adult cub 587M has been killed by Wyoming officials for killing cattle in the upper Green River 40 miles southeast of Jackson, Wyoming. That leaves only 399’s equally famous adult cub, bear 610F alive. For those who have been in the upper…
Revisiting Fire History Studies One of the cornerstones of current forest policy is the assumption that western forests are outside of their “normal” density and appearance or what is termed “historic variability” due a hundred years of mismanagement that included logging of old growth, fire suppression, and livestock grazing. This idea has been used to…
Wildlife conservation needs big money to beat back militant ignorance- Over the years those favoring wildlife conservation found a strategy that worked to build up both the number and diversity of wildlife in the United States. Until recently those who saw wildlife only as (1) pests or potential pests or (2) animals waiting to become…
Rural Economic Vitalization Act reintroduced- The Rural Economic Vitalization Act (REVA) would allow private parties to pay willing ranchers to relinquish their grazing permits on public lands, and then the grazing allotment would then be permanently closed to livestock grazing. U.S. Representative Adam Smith of Washington State has just reintroduced this legislation. Conservationists and economists…
The month of March was an active month for sage grouse. Not only have sage grouse started to assemble on their strutting grounds known as leks due to the abnormally warm start of the month but the season for strutting has begun Washington D.C. and Boise, Idaho and other areas in western states. On March…
Surprising many, a last minute bill that would grant cattle and sheep the right to vote passed in the Idaho Legislature in a late night session that began at midnight. SB9246, titled “The Livestock Equal Rights, Welfare, and Voting Rights Act”, is a sweeping bill that grants livestock the right to the vote in all…
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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