Cows or Condos? Neither!

Cows or Condos? Neither! By George Wuerthner. New West.

It must have been 15 years ago when I was visiting Wuerthner at his place in Livingston that he outlined to me the argument he makes in the New West guest opinion above.

I’ve been thinking about it ever since, especially when I am out on the edge of the rural sprawl or in an especially nasty cow burnt, hell place, which may certainly be in the wide open spaces!

I think George is right on all counts. It is a false choice, especially if you are interested the conservation of wildlife. If you have to make the choice, it should usually be accept the development.

Next year’s cheatgrass is growing rapidly right now

It seems that this year produced a growing agreement on most sides of the issue that cheatgrass is just plain awful and is responsible in part for the range fires, small and large, that swept Idaho, Utah and Nevada beginning in late May.

Some ranchers and too many politicians have pushed, and are still pushing the notion that putting in cows early to eat the cheatgrass while it is still green and lacks the sharp seed heads, is much of the solution.

I took the photo below on Oct. 20 on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in SE Idaho, but it could have been taken anywhere in perhaps a hundred million acres of the Western United States.

Dry and new green cheatgrass near Pauline, Idaho. Oct. 20,2007. Copyright © Ralph Maughan

As you can see, this pure stand of cheatgrass did not burn, but green cheatgrass from the seeds dropped in June and July are already sprouted and growing rapidly. They will continue to grow for a few more weeks, lie semi-dormant during the winter, and begin to grow rapidly again about March 1. After mid-April, it will be difficult for cattle to eat it because the sharp seeds form.

Tallying Up the 2007 Fire Season in Montana

New West has an article summarizing the severe wildfire season (long season) in Montana this year.

Of course, people should note the Idaho had the worst and the longest of any state.

Tallying Up the 2007 Fire Season in Montana. By Dave Loos.

Global Warming Delusions at the Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal frequently runs articles that are skeptical about anthropogenic climate change or skeptical whether climate change will make much of a difference to anyone.

In years past, prestigious newspapers like the WSJ could just ignore their critics (as could the New York Times and the Washington Post)

Now scientists who represent another view, in this case the main stream view which business as usual hopes is not so, don’t have to confine their objections to obscure journals available only in hard copy at libraries.

Now climatologists can reply in a very frequently read blog.

Read: Global Warming Delusions at the Wall Street Journal. Real Climate.