Public Lands
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A disgrace for the Salmon Challis National Forest Basin Creek is a headwater tributary of the Little Lost River drainage in Idaho. It was home to bull trout and had a series of wet meadows which are in the process of eroding away and becoming biological wastelands. Western Watersheds Project staff and supporters visited this…
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NCBA complains about the use of “best available science” and the mandate to protect sensitive species. In a news release published yesterday, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) complained that the new proposed US Forest Planning Rule is too onerous to public lands ranching. In their press release they imply that science does not support…
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On December 1st, at a presentation given by Bob Budd about the Wyoming Core Habitat Plan for sage grouse, it was pretty obvious that the livestock industry has things pretty much locked up with the agencies and politicians. The presentation was given in one of the big, new hearing rooms in the basement of the…
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This morning the Idaho Statesman published the view of Margaret Soulen-Hinson, the President of the American Sheep Industry Association. The letter was a response to a letter submitted to the Idaho Statesman co-signed by John Gale, National Wildlife Federation; Rob Fraser, Idaho Wildlife Federation; Craig Gehrke, The Wilderness Society; John Robison, Idaho Conservation League; and…
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On September 14 and 15 Katie Fite and I visited the Miller Creek Allotment on the Mountain City Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest to check out the riparian areas there. What we found was just a horrible mess that any land manager should be embarrassed about enough to actually do something about but,…
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Last week, Katie Fite and I travelled to Nevada to inspect several grazing allotments and attend a BLM meeting in Winnemucca and a BLM field trip in the Ely District. While passing through the Union Mountain Allotment in the Elko District we came across a series of water troughs which didn’t have the required wildlife…
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Idaho’s fact free governor testifies about Idaho Wilderness- Clement “Butch” Otter has always made his way catering to most backward power groups in his unequal, economically poor, but wilderness rich state. The poorly paid teachers, educationally deprived students, overflowing prisons, and dispirited population are fine by him, but he has never liked wild backcountry, and…
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Fee is only $1.35 to graze a calf cow pair for a month. Obama Administration Refuses to Reform Public-lands Grazing Fee For immediate release – January 18, 2011 Contacts: Greta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project, 520.623.1878 Mark Salvo, WildEarth Guardians, 503.757.4221 Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, 928.310.6713 Brent Fenty, Oregon Natural Desert Association, 541.330.2638 Ronni…