Clinton legacy, chapter 243: One of his judges stops Bush’s deregulation of livestock grazing

This is by Ray Ring in Goat, a High Country News blog. It provides the most information so far on the defeat of Bush’s new public land grazing regulations, an analysis what these people are up to, and thoughts of the public lands and the federal courts and judges.

One of Clinton’s judicial appointments stops Bush on grazing. Ray Ring. Goat.

post 1206

Congress should defund predator control by Wildlife Services from aircraft

Sinapu and many other groups want this annual massive assault on our native carnivores stopped.

It is excessive, it’s not cost effective, it is an undue subsidy to a small group and kills animals that many would like to see live. There are many other ways of achieving valid results without using this method.

I have reported on a number of “wolf controls” where perhaps a thousand dollars or less of livestock was killed, and the operation to shoot the wolves from the air cost many times more. Several years ago I was told Wildlife Services spent over a hundred thousand dollars going after one Montana wolf pack that sporadically killed a few head of livestock here and there, and while some wolves were eventually shot, it was never determined if they were the ones killing.

I suspect the wholesale gunning of smaller predators like coyotes is even less effective because almost all that are killed are completely blameless for killing livestock, and the benefits they produce in keeping the rodent populations in check are never even counted.

As fuel prices surge, aerial gunning becomes even more wasteful.

Here is a story from the Wild Again blog (Sinapu). Call to End Aerial Gunning of Wildlife. Two More Federal Agents Killed in Questionable Program

Two ecosystems, two cultures [and wolves]

Brodie Farquhar writes an essay for the Casper Star Tribune on why wolves are more controversial in the West than in the Great Lakes States.

Two ecosystems, two cultures.

post 1204

Dozens of bison pushed back inside Yellowstone

post 1200

Rather than slaughter the bison it just captured, public opinion has once again forced Montana to once again push them into the Park. The push continues today.

Yesterday Park visitors witnessed the unprecedented hazing of bison all the way to 7-Mile Bridge and beyond (on the West Entrance road).

Associated Press story.

Next page has photos

Alberta grizzly census finds only 100 left south of Calgary/Banff

The grizzly had faded greatly in Alberta in the Rockies and foothills in the southwestern part of the province (the southeastern portion lost its grizzlies long ago — plains). Massive energy industrialization of the North is also taking the great bear down.

Story in The Globe and Mail. By Geoff Nixon

post 1199