There is at least one wolf in NE Oregon

Earlier I posted about one or more wolf sightings in the Wallowa Mtns. of NE Oregon. Now the presence of one black male wolf has been verified. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife say they are sure it is a wild wolf.

Reporter Michael Milstein of the Oregonian has an article about it today. He used to write for the Billings Gazette in Montana, and he produced numerous wolf stories back in those days. Read Oregonian article.

CIEDRA drama escalating in Stanley. Emergency meeting set for Sunday

For those who haven’t followed it CIEDRA is “Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act,” which some call the “Wilderness Bill” for the White Cloud Mountains, but it involves a lot more. It is sponsored by Idaho Republican US Representative Mike Simpson who crafted a bill that barely convinced diverse interests to support what might be the first Wilderness Bill in Idaho in 26 years!

However, the bill has many detractors, both on the Wilderness side and anti-Wilderness side. One of the keys for getting support from the anti-Wilderness Custer County Commissions was privatization of public land, and one of places where it would be privatized is on the hill behind Stanley, Idaho.

I have supported CIEDRA, though with little enthusiasm. I have warned Idaho conservationists that the Senate could be real danger (the bill passed the House this summer). The bill is now in the hands of Idaho US Senator Larry Craig, who has always been a die-hard supporter of the traditional extractive uses of the public lands, and not a supporter of “consensus processes” like Rep. Simpson used.

It looks like Craig is up to his old tricks, and the folks in Stanley who don’t share the views of their Custer County Commissioners are worried about what he is up-to.

That is what the story in the Idaho Mountain Express is about, “CIEDRA drama escalating in Stanley. Emergency meeting set for Sunday.”

On top of the hill behind Stanley, ID with the Sawtooth Range
in the background. The land on top of the hill would be privatized
by CIEDRA. Copyright Ralph Maughan

There are a lot of earlier stories about CIEDRA and other wilderness/roadless news on my old web page.

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Update on Sept. 18. I heard they had quite a meeting in Stanley on Sunday. I hope the Idaho Mountain Express and the Challis Messenger got the good parts, and the gist of what was going on. The Express publishes on Wednesday and the Messenger on Thursday.

Jungle fire roars out of the Wilderness

Jungle fire roars out of Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Gov’t photo.

I’m taking down the earlier story on the Jungle Fire because since then it has since roared out the West Boulder River and the Wildeness area, and burned all the way to the main Boulder River road. Several structures have been lost. Two days ago it was 5000 acres, at the beginning of Sept. 14, it was 20,000 acres. Now it is 32,000 acres. Fortunately, a summer-ending cold front has come into Montana (and Idaho), and the fire season may be over soon.
Here is the latest fire map, late on Sept. 14. It’s a good one on top of the topographic map.

Here is the latest news from the National Fire News (gov’t) web site.

According to the Billings Gazette, the flames were up to 400 feet high late Thursday. Read Article.