Southwesterners Want Wolves !

WWPblog links to a poll released today which demonstrates that Southwesterners Want Wolves – by a hefty margin no less !

Update : Reconquistas ! – Demarcated Landscapes

As many know, the restoration of the Mexican wolf to the southwest has been obstructed by Fish & Wildlife Service’s unabashed placation of the livestock industry – a policy which has spurred environmental groups to file a couple of important lawsuits recently. Hopefully, the law and the public support will be enough to spur FWS to take a long look at its policy, change it, and get on managing for the public rather than just for a tiny interest group in the Southwest.

CORRECTION 6/22

Western Watersheds was a co-sponsor the poll. It was one of a large number of groups.

I was away in Nevada. Brian Ertz, serving as webmaster, began this thread with the post above. He linked to the WWP blog, as you can see above.

When Janet White said WWP cosponsored the poll, I hadn’t heard about it, and I couldn’t see our name on it anywhere, I said no we didn’t. I should have checked more carefully because the story was right there on the WWP blog.

So yes WWP put some resources into the matter. The poll was done by a well regarded polling firm. The groups that sponsored the poll did not ask the questions.

I was wrong, but so what? Seems like an important story to me.

. . .  and a lesson to me, not to be sloppy.

Ralph Maughan

Brucellosis in the West

Dan Brister examines the possible connection between Corriente cattle and the recent brucellosis outbreaks causing the loss of Montana’s brucellosis-free status. He questions whether cattle may be the source of the outbreaks rather than wildlife.

Montana to lose brucellosis-free status
Dan Brister from Buffalo Field Campaign
West Yellowstone News.

Meanwhile, Bill Schneider is busy Debunking Brucellosis Myths over at New West.

Winter Kill in Idaho

The long winter has had an effect on ungulate populations in Idaho so hunting permits, especially moose permits, will be reduced so as not to effect the populations as much for the coming winter.

Winter Kill in Idaho
KPVI TV – Pocatello, Idaho

Be Sure to watch the attached video as well as it contains more information than is in the article.

Dale Toweill, Fish & Game Wildlife Manager: “This has been an unusual year. The winter was not especially tough. The problem with over winter survival is more how long the winter lasts.”

This is a story which follows an IDFG press release from June 2.

Long Winter Hurts Big Game Survival

Oil Companies Get OK To Annoy Bears

As suggested in an earlier post (or two), the Bush Administration’s Fish & Wildlife Service is doing its best to take its decision to list polar bears and extend federal protections to oil companies with it :

Oil Companies Get OK To Annoy Bears – AP

More Drumbeat to Drill on Federal Lands

With relatively high gas prices, oil companies, their political puppets, and media continue the reverberation suggestive of the idea that drilling for oil on federal lands will bring prices down. Framing policy issues in the media is the first step – the take comes shortly after. It seems logical that drilling on federal lands would alleviate price, especially when we’ve got better things to do than think about it. But the drop in the bucket supply on federal lands compared to world demand puts it into better perspective. The high gas prices ought be telling us it’s time to start diversifying and reducing our energy consumption – especially with as far as we’ve come with Global Climate Change. Instead, we’re still having the same tired arguments about whether or not to exploit our public land to hypothetically bring prices down for a few more months.

Drill on the Hill – Grist

Quest For Oil : Where to Look Is the Question – WS Journal

Update : Opinion – Political Ploy: Cannon’s oil-shale bill wouldn’t lower gas prices – Tribune Editorial