Governor Richardson to the rescue of the Mexican wolf program?

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, the presidential candidate with perhaps the most impressive combined resume of legislative, foreign policy, and actual management experience of the many presidential candidates, today issued this news release about the Mexican wolf recovery program.

Office of the Governor

 

Bill Richardson

Governor

For Immediate Release Contact: Gilbert Gallegos

July 6, 2007 505-476-2217

Governor Richardson Seeks to Change Protocols for Mexican Wolf Recovery Program

SANTA FE – Governor Richardson seeks to change key protocols for the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program following a recent wolf kill incident in southwestern New Mexico.

“I am deeply concerned about the recent escalation in wolf removals and incidents surrounding yesterday’s lethal removal of a female wolf,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “State Police are investigating the incident and are collecting the facts as this investigation takes its course.”

The real Western fire season starting today?

Pocatello. ID. Today huge thunderclouds grew in the record high temperatures of Idaho, SE Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Western Wyoming and Western Montana. The edge of one is grumbling over the mountain range I live under at Pocatello right now.

So far all the fire starts in parched Idaho, Wyoming, and much of Utah have been human caused. I think tonight and tomorrow might be the start of the worst forest fire season in the Northern Rockies in a long time. I’ll be following it on this blog.

With fire season underway, national forests thin on senior staff. San Jose Mercury News (you can find this AP story elsewhere by Google News)

Update 1. Highest temperature ever in Missoula. Mercury in Missoula cracks triple digits. Missoulian. By Kim Briggeman.

Update 2: Yesterday, there was one major fire in Idaho. Today there are 12! Nevada had one major fire yesterday. Today there are nine.

Update 3: Heat wave fuels Western wildfires. Yahoo News. AP 

Good News! Judge Rejects Utah Counties’ Road Claims in National Monument

Despite a potential setback on wolves, there is good news for those who don’t want to see totally unregulated use of vehicles in the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument.

Judge Rejects Utah Counties’ Road Claims in National Monument. ENS

Editorial. Salt Lake Tribune. One road at a time: Ruling should help protect public lands from ATVs. Tribune Editorial

Fact sheet on what the change in the 10j rule means

The explanation below was provided today by Defenders of Wildlife.

Northern Rockies 10(j) Rule Q&A

I get email asking what can a person can do. One thing is to read fact sheets like this even though it is three pages long.

Here is the proposed new 10j rule in the Federal Register and the reopening of comments on delisting

 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Revision
of Special Regulation for the Central Idaho and Yellowstone Area
Nonessential Experimental Populations of Gray Wolves in the Northern
Rocky Mountains

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/07-3268.pdf

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designating the
Northern Rocky Mountain Population of Gray Wolf as a Distinct
Population Segment and Removing This Distinct Population Segment From
the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period; notice of public
hearing.

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/07-3273.pdf