No Mitigations for Endangered Mexican Wolves, Special Lands now Open Season, and Groups’ Trap Ban Request Tossed Aside Santa Fe, NM. After years of waiting for the Game Commission to address trapping regulations, and a request to consider a ban on traps on public lands, the Game Commission will hold its public meeting on trapping regulations…
Slight indication of a changing tide in Idaho A couple of days ago I was pleasantly surprised when my neighbor approached me asking whether I’d be willing to sign a ballot initiative. “What’s is about ?” I asked. “Did you know that Idaho is one of only three states without a felony charge for animal…
Fiscal Year 2012 – House Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill – Part 3 Another provision of the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill would make it impossible for land management agencies to help bighorn sheep by reducing interaction with disease ridden domestic sheep if it might conceivably reduce livestock grazing. Because of the precedent set by the decision made by…
Fiscal Year 2012 – House Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill – Part 1 Today the Fiscal Year 2012 Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill was released by the House Appropriations Committee. The bill is a very long and complicated bill which reduces all kinds of environmental protections and agency accountability to the public. Over the next few days we will be…
Livestock disease infects at least 11 in Washington and Montana Q-fever is a little-know, under-reported disease that sheep, goats, and cattle carry and transmit to humans. Listed as a potential bio-terrorism agent, recreationists – especially those with immunity issues, children and pregnant women – should take proper precautions to avoid domestic sheep on public lands…
Salazar extends ban on filing new mining claims on a million acres of public land near the canyon- Addition: Sierra Club happy (see bottom) Salazar put the ban in place in 2009 after worry he would not. Now he has extended it six months. The Bush Administration had encouraged filing claims. which are property rights.…
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.