Where Do the Veep Candidates Stand on Animals?

Here’s a story subject I didn’t think we’d see.

Where Do the Veep Candidates Stand on Animals? Michael Markarian. Huffington Post.

Nevada Governor Gibbons appointments rile sportsmen’s establishment

Nevada Governor Gibbons appointments rile sportsmen’s establishment. Wildlife Commission. Gibbons appointments rile sportsmen’s establishment New panel members align with group seen as radical. By David McGrath Schwartz. Las Vegas Sun.

As a side note, Governor Gibbons (R) has quickly become the least popular Western governor with just 23% saying he is doing a good job. As member of Congress Gibbons teamed up with Richard Pombo, chair of the House Resources Committee (defeated in 2006) to hatch a scheme that would allow mining companies to stake and privatize an unlimited amount of our public lands.

Teton bear conflicts down, but failure of whitebark pine nut crop portends trouble this autumn

Teton County bear conflicts down from last summer. By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole News and Guide.

Truce Is Reached in Battle Over Idaho Forest Land

The final roadless area rule for Idaho has been released.

There are many improvements in the rule, especially in Eastern Idaho where I live.

When President Bush tried to overturn the Clinton roadless rule (protecting all the national forest roadless areas as what you might call “backcountry” or sorts), western governors were invited to develop a plan for their states’ national forest roadless areas.

Idaho has more national forest roadless, non-Wilderness land than any other state — over 9-million acres. Conservationists feared the worst when Idaho became the only state to accept the Bush Administration’s invitation.

Kathie Lynch: Yellowstone wolf report. July 11-Aug. 20, 2008

Below is Kathie Lynch’s detailed wolf report for the end of the summer. It sounds like the return of the Druids must have been one of the most amazing wildlife sights wolf watchers in Yellowstone have ever witnessed.

Yellowstone wolf report. July 11-Aug. 20. By © Kathie Lynch

Summer in Yellowstone meant hot, windy days, smoky skies, and early rising for wolf watchers, as the best viewing often occurred from 5-9 a.m. After the Druid Peak pack’s move to their rendezvous on July 8-10, we wondered if we would have any wolves to watch, but the Slough Creek pack saved the day.

The Sloughs put on an especially great show for about a week in early August as they fed on not one, but two, bison carcasses in Little America. The first bull died after getting gored in the side by another bull during the rut. He fell less than 200 yards north of the road and in plain view from the Pond pullout. For over a week, thrilled visitors thronged to the area to watch wolves and bears alternate feeding on the carcass, illuminated by the early morning light of the full moon.

Governor Palin of Alaska, a big friend of oil, McCain’s VP choice

Senator McCain has announced that Alaska’s little known governor Sarah Palin will be his running mate.

As a “reform” governor, she was elected after Alaskans tired of the corruption and cronyism in the state, most of it involving kickbacks and bribes from the oil industry.

Despite her reputation for reform, she is a huge friend of big oil. She has spent most of her career in on capacity or another with the oil industry. Presumable she does out of principle what others did for a price.

Her image for clean government might have been tarnished by charges her office was behind the firing of her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. Her sister is in a child custody fight with the trooper. Story on firing.

She is a big advocate of drilling, disbelieves human-caused climate change, and is hostile to carnivores like polar bears and wolves.

A former beauty queen, she is 44 years old (3 years younger than Obama). Her husband Todd Palin is an oil production operator on the North Slope. He is also known for his prowess at snowmobile racing.

- – - -

-more-  ↓

Sarah Palin: Tough on polar bears. Posted by David Beard. The Green Blog. Boston Globe.
Bearing Up. By SARAH PALIN. Op-ed. New York Times.  Published: January 5, 2008

Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past. League of Conservation Voters.

Defining Sarah Palin. By Kate Phillips and Michael Falcone. New York TImes.

Investigators Are Looking at Governor About Firing. By Michael Luo. New York Times.

Aug. 31. Palin touts stance on ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’ doesn’t note flip-flop. By Tom Kizzia. Anchorage Daily News.

Aug. 31. State leaders question Palin’s qualifications. Governor’s two years of experience raise concerns about vice presidential candidacy. By Pat Forgey. Juneau (Alaska) Empire

Black bear visits downtown Ketchum, Idaho

Bear visits downtown Ketchum. Ketchum police run the animal out of town. By Terry Smith. Idaho Mountain Express Staff Writer

The Anti-Conservation Mission of the NRA

Wild Bill is taking on the NRA again.

Wild Bill. The Anti-Conservation Mission of the NRA. Will hunters continue to support the demise of their sport by contributing to the National Rifle Association?  By Bill Schneider. New West.

As for myself, I belong the American Hunters and Shooters Association. RM

17,000 acres purchased by BLM in Nevada for public use

The monies to buy the land came from the controversial Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. It is very important wildlife habitat.

17,000 acres purchased by BLM for public use. By Susan Voyles. Reno Gazette Journal.

Google Maps. The general area of the purchase.

Oregon Hunters Association alert on a lousy land exchange

There is a bad land exchange, harmful to wildlife, in the works in eastern Oregon. It would be nice to get 1000 acres on Steens Mountain but not at the cost of 11,000 acres of prime wildlife habitat in and near the Silvies Valley.

This alert is from the Oregon Hunters Association. RM

Who: OHA needs your help in stopping a land exchange.

What: Land Exchange of 1000 acres in Steens Mt area for approximately 10,000 to 11,000 acres of BLM ground in and around the Silvies Valley west to within a couple of miles of Yellow Jacket Reservoir.

When: Currently On-Going

Why OHA Is Against: The portion of the Silvies River plus certain tributaries and access roads that would be affected by this proposed land exchange constitutes an important part of the Silvies Wildlife Management Unit. The Silvies Unit is well known for its premium big game hunting, offering about 1,000 deer tags and 2,100 elk rifle tags per year. The Steens Wildlife Management Unit also is well known for its fine hunting, but opportunity in Steens is limited to about 250 deer rifle tags and 600 elk rifle tags per year.