Biologist Boyce discovers the landscapes where elk are most likely to be killed by wolves

It is this kind of information that is very useful in judging the ecological effects of wolves. Human hunters too should take notice because elk learn what kinds of areas are safe and which are not.

Story from Science Daily. [Silly headline] Wolves Find Happy Hunting Grounds In Yellowstone National Park.

Judge upholds grazing ban on Little Pend Oreille refuge (Washington State)

This from the WWP blog — success in keeping cattle out of a National Wildlife Refuge. The cattle growers claim that grazing the cows, hardly a native animal, is good for the many species of wildlife is ridculous in the face of it. Nevertheless, there has been so much propaganda over the years that a fair number of people believe it because livestock associations make the claim year after, refuge after refuge.

This is what Defenders of Wildlife was quoted as saying. “This isn’t about being anti-grazing or anti-ranching. There’s plenty of places to graze cattle in Eastern Washington. This is a place we’ve set aside for wildlife habitat,” said Noah Matson, vice president for land conservation with Defenders of Wildlife.

My view is no grazing on any wildlife refuge, state or federal, and no grazing on any public lands where the annual precipitation is less than 12 inches a year. Note: this figure and its justification came from The Western Range Revisited: Removing Livestock from Public Lands to Conserve Native Biodiversity. By Debra Donahue. University of Oklahoma Press.

Info on the refuge.

By the way, the pronunciation of Pend Oreille is “ponder ray”

Castle Rock mop up continues, but high winds forecasted

Story from the Idaho Mountain Express. By Jon Duval.

Idaho weather will soon moderate, however, and I think there might be a fair chance of a fire season ending event in several days. Heavy, wet thunderstorms and much cooler weather is predicted.
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