Grizzly bear pounces on Yellowstone firefighter

Grizzly bear pounces on Yellowstone firefighter. AP. Jackson Hole News and Guide.

Update. August 7. Firefighter back after griz encounter. Billings Gazette News Services.

A Push to Wrest More Oil From Land, but Most New Wells Are for Natural Gas

John McCain and friends are banking this issue to save them, but there is so much they don’t know (or more likely chose not to mention).

This is another. Most of the drilling is for gas, not petroleum.

A Push to Wrest More Oil From Land, but Most New Wells Are for Natural Gas. By Felicity Barranger. New York Times.

Regarding domestic discoveries of oil, those who think new petroleum discoveries in the U.S. will bring down the price of gasoline, they should read this article five times and post it on their wall.

Democratic candidate Gary Trauner supports protecting Wyoming Range from gas drilling

I am putting this up because last week comments from a Wyoming resident said that Trauner was opposing this bill to withdraw the scenic and very unstable Wyoming Range from leasing for natural gas development.

The bill, sponsored by Wyoming’s two Republican senators had been advancing nicely until McCain and most Republicans candidates decided drilling in America’s last best places was a great campaign issue.

It turns out that Trauner suppots the bill, so the information provided by “Wyoming Native” was incorrect.

Story: House candidates divided on Wyo Range protection. By Brodie Farquhar. Wyoming Business Report.

Alpine tourists attacked by Pyrenean dogs brought in to save the sheep

Alpine tourists attacked by Pyrenean dogs brought in to save the sheep [from wolves]. The Times on-line.

You always have to be careful around sheep guard dogs. They are not bred to be friendly to anything among the sheep.

Minnesota’s wolf population has stopped growing in size and range

Gray wolf range, population similar in Minn. Associated Press.

It has pretty much peaked out in Wisconsin too.

This casts a lot of doubt on the statements in recent years by Dr. Dave Mech who has been alarmed for quite a while at the growth rate of wolves in Minnesota, and took the side of the Bush Administration in his court statement about the much smaller number of wolves in the Northern Rockies.

There is no evidence the wolves are cannibalizing each other in any state either, as the wolf doom sayers say they will the do after they have eaten all the wildlife.