WildEarth Guardians and The Rewilding Institute sue on the failing Mexican wolf program

WildEarth Guardians and The Rewilding Institute sue on the failing Mexican wolf program. Wild Again. By Rob Edward.

Energy Leases advance in Wyoming Range mountains despite recent revelations

Energy leasing advances. Controversy fails to stop Bridger-Teton. By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole News and Guide.

Earlier story on this (April 23). Wyoming Governor: Forest deal ‘suspect’. Federal government gave energy company broad influence over study of Wyo. Range. Jackson Hole News and Guide.

After two decades Washington state gets its first new wilderness area

First new wilderness in state in 2 decades is easily accessible. By Jennifer A. Dlouhy. Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The new Wild Sky Wilderness Area is 106,000 acres. It failed in the last Congress when House Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo killed at. Due in part to strong action by conservationists across America, he is no longer a member of Congress.

This was part of an omnibus bill, not the best way of passing legislation, but that is another topic.

May 1. I got some email from a listserv I’m on. Regarding Wild Sky, it was written “Wild Sky has few trails, and the land is topographically pretty vertical — not conducive to biking. That’s why we had no significant motorcycle opposition. Washington’s other remaining Wilderness candidate areas will be different.”

May 9. Bush signs Wild Sky wilderness bill in Washington state. By Matthew Daly.  Associated Press Writer

Gillette to stand trial in Challis for attacking Lynne Stone

Anti-wolf activist to stand trial. Idaho Mountain Express.

Update May 1. A No Contact Order that says Gillett cannot come within 300 feet of Stone or within 100 feet of her vehicle, has been extended for four more months. If Gillett violates it, he will be arrested and taken to jail.

Also unknown at this time, is whether Gillett will be charged with attempted robbery for trying to snatch a $1000.00 camera from Stone’s hand.

Arizona Game and Fish: confusing and error-filled statements about bighorn and desert cougars at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

If you are not familiar with Kofa, it is huge, almost 700,000 acres.

However, the bighorn have been struggling there, but their numbers are now increasing, a fact the AZ F & G ignored as they announced, but may not honor, a one-year moratorium on removal of desert cougars in the area (perhaps 3 are left).

Blog on the issue.

From PEER. Arizona Game Agency Scapegoats Cougars For Bighorn Travails

Arizona starts building wildlife-friendly roads

State starts building wildlife-friendly roads. Sheep overpasses, elk collars: Call it road ecology. By Glen Creno. The Arizona Republic.

There have been quite a few similar stories in recent years. What I’d like to see is a study (other than Banff National Park where there have been a number) showing the magnitude of these improvements overall and the degree of success.

Austrian web site chronicles replies from Wyoming officials on wolves

The web has made the world a small place, but a lot of elected and other officials don’t understand that.

Years of borrowing have also made the Dollar a weakling compared to the Euro. International tourists help the American economy a lot, but a number of Wyoming officials are not exactly friendly and try to bullshit folks from places like Germany and Austria who probably know the details of the Greater Yellowstone situation better than they do.

Here is a link to an Austrian web site on some replies received from Wyoming. http://www.fotoshot.at/wolf.htm

WY State Representative Mike Madden in particular (Buffalo, Wyoming and on the local tourism board) seems to be especially undiplomatic. Perhaps he had a bad geography teacher.

State Management of Wolves a Recipe for Conflict

State Management of Wolves a Recipe for Conflict. By George Wuerthner. New West.

Wuerthner is absolutely correct, but then are the state politicians interested in minimizing conflict?

The answer is clearly “no.”  If the politicians were interested in minimizing conflict, they would allow the federal government to keep managing wolves. The local politicians would play their usual role — damning the feds and the awful wolf lovers who all live in their NYC apartments. The wolf population would expand, but their population would top off in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Wolves would be shot an an acceptable rate legally and illegally. Everyone would perform their ritualistic role and social conflict would always be present but at a minimal level.

The Department of Interior and local politicians were not satisfied with the status quo, and, so endless and perhaps accelerating conflict appears to be the future for the reasons Wuerthner outlines above, and more still.

Delisting lawsuit is filed. Injunction asked

The lawsuit has been filed with a request for an immediate injunction to suspend state management. The suit was filed in the Montana federal district court in Missoula.

Conservation Groups Sue Over Wolf Delisting. Backpacker Magazine.

Environmental, conservation groups challenge wolf delisting. By Matthew Brown, Associated Press in the Idaho Statesman.

At least 37 wolves have been killed in the first month of state management (from Brown’s story above).

- – - -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2008

CONTACT:

Suzanne Asha Stone, Defenders of Wildlife, 208-424-0932
Louisa Willcox, Natural Resources Defense Council, (406) 222-9561
Franz Camenzind, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, (307) 733-9417
Kristina Johnson, Sierra Club, (415) 977-5619
Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, (575) 534-0360

TWELVE CONSERVATION GROUPS CHALLENGE FEDERAL WOLF DELISTING

Missoula, MT. Twelve conservation groups are fighting for the survival of wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains. The groups today filed a federal court lawsuit challenging the federal government’s decision to remove the northern Rockies gray wolf population from the list of endangered species. Wolves should not

Officials halt bison slaughter

The various bison killing agencies have announced they will kill no more bison around Yellowstone this spring.  They did not mention whether they would haze the starving animals off of greening areas such as Horse Butte.

They indicated that although the number had been cut in half, there would be no problem regenerating the herd sizes.

It’s easy to see they regard bison as generic animals where knowledge possessed by the heads, age structure, or genetic diversity are of no consequence.

Story. Officials halt bison slaughter. By Brett French.