Endangered Species Act

  • Grizzly Managers Spin Whitebark Pine Woes: Just How Important is Whitebark to Yellowstone Bears?

    Ken Cole

    Very important. Interesting post by NRDC’s Louisa Wilcox about how the science shows how critical whitebark pine nuts are for grizzlies and how the managers talk out of both sides of their mouth. “In its August 9th legal brief challenging the 2009 ruling by Federal Judge Donald Molloy that required relisting of the Yellowstone grizzly…

  • The overreach on wolves begins

    Ken Cole

    Settlement, legislation, or legal challenges? I expect an overreach by the people who are angry about the relisting of wolves. There are many who are pinning their hopes on legislative action taken in the House and Senate to remove all protections from wolves under the Endangered Species Act but I think that will likely fail…

  • Bootlicking and wiggling out of enforcement

    Ken Cole

    I attended the IDFG Commissioner’s “special meeting” on Monday in Idaho Falls where the commissioners discussed how to proceed now that wolves are again protected by the Endangered Species Act. After the Commission decided to adopt new rules on placement of traps, which requires trappers to keep traps at least 5 feet away from the…

  • Federal biologists say that cutting hatchery production could help protect wild salmon

    Ken Cole

    It is an argument for removing dams as well. For many years biologists have known that hatchery fish effect the fitness of wild fish through competition and interbreeding. Hatchery fish don’t have the selective pressures that wild fish do so are less fit to survive in the wild. Because of this, when hatchery fish breed…

  • GOP governor candidates, Freudenthal say they'll keep fighting for Wyoming wolf plan

    Ken Cole

    Extremist, wolf hating politicians blame everyone but themselves Wyoming is angry that they can’t get their way on wolves and now that a judge has reminded them that their plan sucks they’re digging in even further. Maybe the title of the article should read “GOP governor candidates, Freudenthal say they’ll keep wolves on the Endangered…

  • US Fish and Wildlife Service to Review Status of Mexican Wolf to Determine if it is an Endangered Subspecies

    Ken Cole

    Change could result in greater protections for Mexican Gray Wolf The USFWS has announced that they will review the status of the Mexican Gray Wolf as an endangered subspecies. The reclassification would require the Service to rewrite their recovery plan and designate critical habitat. Mexican Gray Wolf May Qualify for Endangered Species Protection Separate From…

  • Whitebark Pine May Gain Federal Protection

    Ken Cole

    Tree, important for grizzly bears, affected by global warming, insects, and fungus The whitebark pine is a tree that lives at high elevations and was historically unaffected by pine beetles but due to global warming this has changed. Also, blister rust, an introduced fungal infection has taken a large toll on the trees. The pine…

  • Palouse earthworm gets second look for protection

    Ken Cole

    The saga continues After the rediscovery of living specimens, and I’m sure a threat of litigation, the USFWS is taking another look at whether the giant Palouse earthworm deserves protection. Palouse earthworm gets second look for protection.

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‎”At some point we must draw a line across the ground of our home and our being, drive a spear into the land and say to the bulldozers, earthmovers, government and corporations, “thus far and no further.” If we do not, we shall later feel, instead of pride, the regret of Thoreau, that good but overly-bookish man, who wrote, near the end of his life, “If I repent of anything it is likely to be my good behaviour.”

Edward Abbey

“The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans.”

Jim Fowler

“Our forests offer much more than just beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Each one has a different story to tell.”

Raveena Tandon

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