Alan Gregory’s Conservation NewsLeaking gas is a potent climate changer. Disrupted soil does not sequester carbon. Native vegetation at the well site is almost impossible to restore. Coalbed methane wells produce huge amounts of saline (generally unreusuable water).
Story by Matthew Brown. Plan approved for gas wells. AP
“We need Interior decorating.” By Brian Horejsi. Colorado Springs Independent.
My view is that consensus decision-making, bargaining over what the rules and law are, destroys respect for the law and makes the country lawless, as we have seen with the Bush Administration where law and the Constitution are no barrier to what friends want to do. For example, let’s let the developers, bankers, no account mortgage seekers, and Wall Street investment firms decide what rules they like, if any. Ralph Maughan
This is according to USA Today. By Emily Bazar.
In response to President-elect Obama’s decision to name rancher Ken Salazar Secretary of the Interior, a selection widely celebrated by extractive industry groups and current Bush Interior head Dirk Kempthorne, grass-roots wildlife, public land, and animal rights activists continue to scratch their heads with dismay. It’s a bitter pill.
Despite Salazar’s abysmal record, Ralph (and many perhaps wiser than myself) have expressed the need for patience and continued effort pointing to the fact that the transition team’s choices regarding Salazar’s under-secretaries/agency-heads will likely be more important indications of Obama’s actual intent for Change of an Interior Department despoiled by corruption, greed, and extractive industries’ uninhibited will.
Public Employees For Environmental Responsibility has released a list of suggestions to fill these important positions for the transition-team to mull over – a list of “whistleblowers and reformers”, many whose integrity and real ability previously cost them their jobs.
PEER’s Press Release :
Idaho’s energy czar wants to harness power of manure. By The Associated Press
Southern Idaho is full of vast stinky livestock feedlots (dairy and beef). Here is one way to amelioate the situation
Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm Puzzles Scientists. By LiveScience Staff
The earthquake swarm begin Dec. 27. The strongest quake has been a 3.9 quake. That could do some minor damage, but the big question is “does it mean anything?” Most questions are about an eruption. This isn’t likely, but changes in the Park’s thermal features are often observed after quake swarms and some big distant quakes. These changes are often not noticed until the snow melts. Geyser watchers will be very curious to see the outcome.
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The earthquake swarm continued into Jan. 2. There have been a lot of quakes, including three, 3+ quakes Jan. 2. The strongest today was a 3.5 quake. The quakes are shallow. To me that means related to the magma pool just under the Park.
Jan. 3. Fewer quakes! Has the earthquake swarm ended or just paused?
Jan. 4. Few quakes –6 very small quakes.
Jan. 5. Just 2 small quakes.
Jan. 6. Two more small quakes”
Jan. 7. No quakes
Jan. 8. No quakes
Jan. 9. Eleven quakes, including a 3.3 (restart?)
Jan. 10 No quakes by noon
Link for data http://www.seis.utah.edu/
Wyoming’s ungulates herds in NW Wyoming, including Yellowstone Park may have dodged the CWD bullet for now.
Wyoming Game and Fish may still have a short time to do away with wintertime elk feeding. Of course, they won’t.
Story: Good news for elk? Agency finds no further chronic wasting disease in Star Valley. By Chris Merrill. Casper Star Tribune.
In October, Ralph commented on Larry Craig dropping his opposition to protecting the Snake River in Wyoming. A change of heart from an Idaho politician renowned for his anti-environmentalist zeal ? Not quite. The bill is lumped with a bunch of bills in the massive Omnibus public lands bill. The motivation for Craig’s “turnabout” is perhaps made more clear with a blog post Rocky Barker wrote that I missed but is worth posting even a week later. Craig has slapped onto the bill $3 million for the environmental & economic studies necessary to initiate new dams on the Snake, Boise, and Payette rivers, including the potential to rebuild the historic Teton Dam :
Craig leaves water studies hidden in omnibus bill – Letter from the West, Rocky Barker
Craig himself put out an editorial in November outlining all the good things he included in the omnibus bill including compensation for ranchers who lose livestock to wolves, more thinning of national forests to reduce wildfire danger and even the Wyoming bill he first opposed. But he left out the authorization of the water feasibility studies.
George Wuerthner wrote a letter to the editor making a great point about the double-standard regarding livestock/wolf conflicts – especially on public lands :
In our national parks it’s illegal to leave out picnic baskets because it will lead to human-bear conflicts. To save bears, humans are fined if they fail to put away food.
But when it comes to ranchers, we have the exact opposite approach. Instead of fining them for leaving four legged picnic baskets scattered all over the landscape — including most of our public lands — we hold the wolves accountable [for] any losses that are largely due to the livestock industry’s poor management.
The whole letter :
Livestock as four legged picnic baskets – Wuerthner on the Environment
I found this video that shows solar power underway with a deemphasis on remote solar collection in land-destroying mega-farm and vast transmission lines to electricity load centers.
Orchards of the sun on space.com. Let’s hope Obama will go this route. Not only is it better for our environment, it will distribute the jobs more widely.
Click on “highest influence” in the left hand column at BlogNetNews Idaho
Thirty five years ago today, on December 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon signed into law the Endangered Species Act, intended not just to stave off extinction, but more broadly to conserve the ecosystems on which endangered species depend.
Natural ecosystems can exhibit a tremendous resilience as plants and animals adapt to new opportunities and threats to their survival and reproduction. The Endangered Species Act itself displays some of the dynamic resilience of ecosystems.
As the Bush administration attempts for a fourth time to remove from the endangered species list one of the first creatures placed on the list – the gray wolf – it is worth noting that the federal agency that originally brought wolves to the brink of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with a stroke of a pen thirty-five years ago was charged with protecting them. Its old habits have been hard to change.
Avalanche danger rated ‘high’ in central Idaho. Backcountry travelers advised to stay home until danger subsides. By Jason Kaufman. Idaho Mountain Express.
Northern Utah: Beacon saves avalanche victim at Big Cottonwood ridgeline. By Lindsay Whitehurst. The Salt Lake Tribune.
Storm drops 30 inches in Jackson, WY. Jackson Hole Daily. By Angus M. Thuermer Jr.
Avalanche claims life at Jackson Hole ski resort. Montana’s News Station. com
Two snowmobilers killed in Utah avalanche [on Mt. Logan above Logan, UT]. CNN
2 Snowmobilers Killed in Grand Lake Backcountry Avalanche [Colorado]. Denver Post
Avalanche closes Loveland Pass. Vail Daily
The Park Service wanted to halt the extremely expensive and dangerous practice of keeping Sylvan Pass just west of the East Entrance of Yellowstone open for snowmobiles.
As usual a handful of Cody businesses screamed that the economy would disintegrate if a couple dozen snowmobiles didn’t pass through during the winter, so Dick Cheney, who was once Wyoming’s lone congressman, personally intervened overruling the Park Service. Now the Service is struggling with Old Man Winter.
Story: Sylvan Pass opens and closes. Written by CJ Baker. Powell Tribune.
This video is a 5-minute overview of big game transplants in Utah from the Salt Lake Tribune.
In the comments today people are already discussing this lawsuit. So here is the AP article by Matthew Brown.
Court asked to stop Yellowstone bison arrangement. Billings Gazette. By Matthew Brown. AP
Western wish list for Obama. The hopes and worries of 11 key Westerners. High Country News. By Ray Ring.
Here is a pile of good and bad ideas to discuss.
I see the “radical” Jon Marvel argues for putting ombudsmen in all federal agencies, putting information on the Internet, and transparency in government policy-making.
“Genius” professor Patricia Limerick tells environmentalists not to go too far in repealing Bush’s anti-environmental rules changes lest anti-green rage be stirred up in rural communities.
My view is, how about stirring up some rage among the large majority of Westerners who have always been second class citizens subjects in the system of Western feudal oligarchy?
Elk Meat Recalled. Boise Examiner.
Forest Service OKs a long bison fence. Bozeman Chronicle.
Story in the Idaho Statesman. AP
Obama, Salazar and the Future of America’s Public Lands. Interior Decorating. By Dr. Brian Horejsi. Counterpunch.
There is also a legal defense fund
Story in the Salt Lake Tribune. Auction fallout. U. student doesn’t want to be a martyr; federal probe continues. By Patty Henetz
I got this address for the fund from a comment in the Salt Lake Tribune. It hasn’t been verified.
Center for Water Advocacy, PO Box 331, Moab, UT 84532.
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More. Grijalva, other members of Congress ask Obama to undue BLM’s last minute oil and gas lease sale in Utah. by Abrahm Lustgarten. ProPublica
Conservation groups are fed up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continuing to use the photo of a particular Mexican wolf as their “poster wolf,” after they trapped and accidentally killed her back in 2005.
They are also angry that government wolf management is becoming more and more lethal even though the wolf population has stopped growing in size and is showing signs of collapse inside Yellowstone Park. Ralph Maughan
SILVER CITY, N.M. Sixteen conservation and animal welfare organizations today asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to replace the photograph of the “poster wolf” of the Mexican gray wolf program – prominently displayed on the federal agency’s website, http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/, and in a oversized blowup poster at the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters – because the wolf was trapped and inadvertently killed in 2005. (Click here to read letter to the Fish and Wildlife Service).
![[]](https://i0.wp.com/www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/Mexican_gray_wolf/images/Brunhilda_USFWS.jpg)
“Brunhilda,” alpha female of the Francisco Pack of Mexican gray wolves. Photo by George Andrejko.
The wolf was one of at least 2,911 gray wolves killed as a result of Fish and Wildlife Service actions since 1996, most in the northern Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest, but also including 29 highly imperiled Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest (see attached charts).
etc. by the Missoula Independent staff
During the primary election season when Obama first came out against significant reform of this land destroying, trillion* dollar give-away, I thought he had merely received bad advice. Raúl Grijalva’s fervent desire to end this law probably weighed heavily against him in consideration for the job as Secretary of Interior.
Interior nominee Salazar likely to push update, not overhaul, of mining law. By Lisa Mascaro. Las Vegas Sun.
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*That’s a trillion dollars over time, not an annual loss to the treasury
Highway Wildlife Collisions. Idaho Fish and Game.
Idaho Fish and Game says it’s web site database will be available for public use soon.
Bison are Back, but can they Survive. By Jacqueline Froelich. NPR
Trust for Public Land, Klamath Tribes to Buy Mazama Forest Land. News release. Trust for Public Lands.
Some pretty reactive folk in Montana are looking to take on the feds with state legislation to “manage” wolves.
Legislator wants state to fight feds over wolves – Daily Inter Lake
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These are the usual suspects: “Friends of the Northern Range Yellowstone Elk,” an anti-wolf state senator (Joe Balyeat) who poached an elk on private property in 2006, and the Montana Shooting Sports Association that wanted to secede from the United States back in the 1990s. They are probably on a fundraising/membership drive.
I found this on Balyeat and the people he associates. They’re Back: The Montana Legislature’s Right-Wing Presence. Dec. 2000. Montana Human Rights Network News.
The wolf is an organizational tool for their extremist political and right wing religious views. Ralph Maughan
Obama’s cabinet is complete. There are few real reformers. The cabinet will be different than Bush’s because the occupants are pragmatists rather than right-wing ideologues. There will not be a philosophical dislike of science. On the other hand, no guiding principles are apparent other than faith in Obama’s leadership.
The lower level nominations still offer some hope to those who want more than minor reform and an end to the outright criminality. Middle-of the-roaders dream cabinet. By Carrie B. Brown and Nia-Malika Henderson. Politico
A lot of the Bush administrations last ditch efforts are going to have to be stopped in court.
Redford, Conservationists Seek Injunction to Stop Utah Lease Sales – ENS
These are beautiful places and it is good to see big names galvanize to stop the leases – let’s hope there’s enough public sentiment to take similar action on some of the lesser known landscapes as well.
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12-20-2008 Update: Imposter disrupts lease sale bids. By Patty Henetz. Salt Lake Tribune.
I don’t think anything like this has happened before. The enviro false bidder might have invalidated Kempthorne/Bush’s last minute fire sale of public land leases. This whole thing raises the question as to whether anything about this sale was legal or anyone really guilty given the political and probably illegal nature of the entire last minute process. Ralph Maughan
Too much fight ~ not enough industry. Three cheers for Grijalva.
Grijalva sizes up why he didn’t get Interior
Scurrying to make the deadline of the hasty second delisting of wolves, Wyoming changes the window dressings on its state wolf management plan:
Wyoming wrapping up work on new wolf plan – Billings Gazette
Changes include shortening some reporting requirements for those who kill wolves and further defining “damage to private property” and “chronic wolf depredation.”
The plan also clarifies Wyoming’s goal of maintaining at least 15 breeding pairs of wolves and 150 individual wolves in the northwest corner of the state, including in Yellowstone National Park.
Changes also restrict the state’s ability to alter the boundaries defining where wolves may be shot as predators and where they are protected as trophy game.
There’s less oil-shale in Utah than they thought – still a lot, but that doesn’t mean much, it’s not a viable energy option taking more energy to bring to market than it contributes to the market.
Utah downgrades its oil-shale estimates – Salt Lake Tribute
Environmentalists Wary of Obama’s Interior Pick . John M. Broder.
Oh god! Salazar showed up wearing a cowboy hat. Makes you sick.
Well everyone should hold their breath and count until the “lesser” nominations.
Salazar decribed as a “moderate” and a “broker”-
From WaPo. Obama Names Salazar As Secretary of Interior. By Juliet Eilperin, Phil Rucker and Dan Morgan.
That is so offensive to hear him described as “a fifth-generation Coloradan whose family settled in the West before the United States’ founding and has ranched and farmed on the same land in the San Luis Valley for more than a century. . . .”
They could say the same about me, but me and most of my relatives seem to have lost our political importance when we didn’t ranch.
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♣
Ritter promises quick decision on Salazar seat. Politico.
Has anyone thought that Obama might have wanted a more reliable vote in the US Senate than Salazar?
Obama to name Vilsack for Agriculture. By Philip Rucker and Dan Morgan. Washington Post Staff Writers.
Vilsack was a popular governor of Iowa. He has been a major politician. His expertise in agriculture seems to come more from being a governor than from intimate knowledge of policy. He has been an ethanol supporter, which many think has been a disaster when made from corn (the source of all U.S. ethanol), but Obama has supported ethanol too.
USDA does more than deal with farming. The Forest Service is a bureau in the agency. Most Secretaries of Ag leave the administration of that Forest Service to the assistant secretary over that area. Sometimes this assistant secretary come from a conservation viewpoint, such as Mike Dombeck under Clinton, or industry such as timber lobbyists Mark Rey under George W. Bush.
The Forest Service itself is formally managed by the Chief Forester which is not a political appointment requiring a nomination followed by a confirmation in the Senate.
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Reaction to Vilsack.
It’s official – Grijalva has declined his appointment to the powerful Ways and Means Committee to keep his influential position advocating for public lands and wildlife. Press Release 12/16:
the need to continue my work on the Committee on Natural Resources and, more specifically, my Subcommittee Chairmanship is more important at this time. There are several issues that will still need to be addressed, such as uranium mining in the Grand Canyon and the continued preservation of our public lands.
Industry likes Salazar at Obama Interior, not greens. Daniel’s News and Notes.
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So probably (I hope Buffaloed is right, another trial ballon) a bad Secretary of Interior, and an
EPA chief whose toxics record was so bad she was criticized by Bush’s EPA, and now
there is renewed talk of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, the agri-business lackey for Secretary of Agriculture. Just a few more like this and how are they different in philosophy than Bush’s people?
A lot of these are easy and are on my list. The reception these items get will tell us a lot, after what looks like a “just fair” and maybe pretty poor choice for Interior.
Greens Send Obama Quick Fix List. By Bill Schneider. New West
Howl boxes’ help tracking wolves in Selkirk Mountains. By Becky Kramer, The Spokesman-Review
Audio: A BLM insider speaks. Rodger Schmitt talks about why he resigned his position as national recreation director. December 12, 2008 by Emily Steinmetz and Marty Durlin. High Country News.
Schmitt confirms your worst fears about how the Bushies ran the agency.
A high-ranking Interior Department official tainted nearly every decision made on the protection of endangered species over five years, a new inspector general report finds, concluding she exerted improper political interference on many more rulings than previously thought.
Julie MacDonald was deputy assistant secretary of Interior. overseeing the Fish and Wildlife Service. This shows how important are the nominations below the level of Secretary of Interior.
Report: Endangered species decisions tainted. The Associated Press
Link to the actual report. pdf file.
Although this won’t fly in the current economy, developers around the country are still proposing more of the same for the future when the economy improves.
Where I live (Pocatello, Idaho) the local developers are making a big effort to gut the new county land use plan to fulfill their dreams of urban sprawl from Idaho to the Utah border.
Story on the North Idaho development. N. Idaho timberland eyed for luxury homes. AP
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Here’s what going on in Bannock County, Idaho (Pocatello area). The realtors are a real ugly crew. Sparks fly at county meeting. Idaho State Journal.
I guess I didn’t really need to write that.
On the other hand, he is far better than Bush’s secretaries Gale Norton and Dirk Kempthorne, both the absolute bottom of the barrel. We’ll now see if he gets a free hand to choose the assistant secretaries in DOI or whether conservation wildlife groups gets a few choice appointments.
Story in the LA Times. ” Obama picks Salazar as Interior secretary. The Colorado senator, an attorney with expertise in water law, has criticized the department for opening up his state’s Roan Plateau to drilling.” By Jim Tankersley and Julie Cart.
Obama’s Choice of Salazar Raises Progressive Concern. Beyond Chron.org. By Randy Shaw‚ Dec. 16‚ 2008
Obama punts public lands passion in choosing Salazar. By Billie Stanton. Tucson Citizen.com.
The recent rumors that rancher Ken Salazar is a shoe-in at Interior have flipped on its head many of Obama’s most fervent western supporters’ idea of what the President-elect’s campaign promise for big-‘C’ “Change” might mean. That campaign slogan’s broad-sweeping allegation had many hopeful that a new outlook, an outlook responsive to Obama’s supporters on the ground, might change for western public land and wildlife issues following the President-elect’s sweeping victory.
Industry reaction to reports indicating Salazar’s favor give some indication as to how much “change” conservationists might expect. Colo. senator reported as choice for Interior Arizona Daily Star :
“He’s lived off the land all his life. He understands the system that we have to deal with day in and day out and he would understand the most about how to streamline the system and better manage our public lands,” said Bray, [Arizona Cattlemen’s Association] deputy director for government affairs.
Nothing except a brief opportunity to slaughter wolves again?
Story: Wolves may be delisted — again — this week. By Chris Merrill. Casper Star-Tribune environment reporter
Environmental groups, scientists cheer Obama appointments. LA Times. By Jim Tankersley and Tom Hamburger
Likely EPA pick hit for Jersey record. Politico
“In a report released this summer, the EPA’s inspector general slammed New Jersey’s failure to clean up several toxic waste sites in a timely manner, and accused the state’s environmental agency of going easy on polluters and failing to seek necessary support from the EPA. The report said the department bore at least partial responsibility for ‘not implement[ing] agreements on clean-up milestones, Agency responsibilities, and enforcement actions.’ ”
On the other hand, the Sierra Club places the blame for the bad record in New Jersey on Governor Jon Corizone.
He is a pretty traditional Democratic Party kind of nomination (assuming it is him). He is a Democratic US Senator from Colorado, but Democrats won’t lose the seat because the Democratic governor has the power to appoint a replacement. Salazar is Hispanic, satisfying a category that was a plus for Grijalva.
Story in the Denver Post. Salazar poised to head Interior. Colorado’s senior senator is said to be a leading contender for a Cabinet post that is vital to Western issues. By Christopher N. Osher and Joey Bunch
NOTE: only the Denver Post has this story so far.
| Grijalva steps up to the plate and goes to bat against another Bush Interior “midnight regulation” aimed at looting sacred water for the Peabody Western Coal Company while tribes perform spiritual ceremonies.
Dang, if you listen close – that sounds like a John Prine endorsement to me ! |
Impacts have hunters howling. Rapid growth of packs, observers say, mirror decline in deer numbers. By Jim Mann, Northwest Daily InterLake.
In fact the number of wolves in Montana, including this area are down this year. The number of wolves in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming is no longer growing.
For the last 7 or so years ago many reporters and politicians have led us to believe that wolf numbers would climb indefinitely. Now that a natural or artificial plateau or decline has been reached, they continue to act as though nothing has happened.
An accurate headline would be “Hunters howl, but fewer wolves do.”
Killing of Pack Draws Cries of Protest. By Jim Mann. Northwest Montana Daily InterLake.
In the article, it reads “Laudon [of MT Fish, Wildlife, Parks] said he can imagine what it would be like if the state completely ignored the concerns of livestock owners and the costs they incur due to wolves.
” ‘There would be a hell of a do-it-yourself club out there,’ he said. ‘We can’t have that. Now that would be a trigger-happy Wild West.’ ”
In fact, without their radio collars and aircraft, a do-it-yourself-club would be far less lethal than Wildlife Services. The problem is Wildlife Services and their “toys.” These need to be taken away from them.
This level of livestock loss is trivial, and would be of no public interest at all were it not wolves.
I have it from a pretty good source that slaughter of this pack (assuming it even was just one huge pack) was a trial run. More will be in order and soon, including Idaho if they get away with this.
With all of the truly bad news out there, what looks like an impending depression, they might think there is enough noise in the news that their actions won’t be noticed.
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Related. Wolf kills rise in Rockies. Bush administration set to remove gray wolves from endangered species list [again]. By MATTHEW BROWN. AP
Mark Rey recently issued a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) requiring the Forest Service to test bighorn sheep for disease before the federal government allows states to transplant wild sheep on Forest lands. As one might guess, this move chafes at state wildlife managers’ long-held claim to exclusive management of wildlife. It’s angering bighorn advocates & environmentalists too !
Bighorn Sheep Rule Stirs Debate in West – Wall Street Journal
Added Dec. 14.
Imagine if President Bush, on his last day in office, invited his friends to lift the Lincoln portrait from the White House Dining Room, take the 18th- century furniture from the Map Room and — for good measure — poison the Rose Garden on the way out.
Read the rest about Bush’s last minute looting below.
Rule Eases a Mandate Under a Law on Wildlife. By Felicity Barringer. New York Times.
Kempthorne of course is lying when he is saying the new ESA regs are to prevent the misuse of the ESA by turning it into a tool to curb global warming. The new regs are just an effort to harm the ESA, period.
The new Congress could quickly reverse these new regulations by a vote on the regulation. Unfortuntely, we have heard the “leadership” may have lost its nerve about holding a vote on this. So it is possible it will take a judge and a year or so to pull down this likely illegal regulation.
Update 12/12 : Another Endorsement for Grijalva – Rep. Grace Napolitano backs Grijalva
Update 12/12 : Another strong Endorsement for Grijalva – Raul Grijalva Great Choice of Secretary of Interior – Howard Shanker – Huffington Post :
Once the land is gone or ruined, it cannot be bailed out by throwing money at it. The Secretary of Interior needs to be committed to the effective and comprehensive management of public lands. Grijalva understands this need and stands ready to fill the currently existing void in responsible federal land management.
Story on the close encounter. Helena Independent Record. By Eve Byron.
“The idea of them charging people — I’ve never heard of that,” Bangs said on Tuesday. “But that doesn’t mean this guy doesn’t think he was charged. The whole threat may not be real, but I’m sure his fear was real.”
I suspect what happened was similar to this story with photos reported to me (with photos) several years ago. It’s amazing how your preconceptions can complete the story in your head to explain an ambiguous situation.
Yellowstone wolf pack encircles two photographers . . . . .”wild and beautiful.” Ralph Maughan’s Wildlife News. Nov. 28, 2006
WWP is funded by the financial contributions of our members, and without your help we could not carry out our critically important and successful work to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife.
Nothing speaks more clearly than a good photograph about why WWP works so hard to change the management of western public lands. Please take a look at this photo taken in October 2008 of a riparian landscape degraded by cattle on Forest Service administered lands in the Little Lost River watershed of central Idaho.
Bald eagle count rises sharply in northern Idaho. AP
For those not familiar with North Idaho, Lake Coeur d’Alene is a large and deep lake in Idaho’s Panhandle area.
Young had been chair of the committee when the Republicans controlled the House. Since 2007 he has been the ranking minority member. Stories about his hatred of conservationists, including fellow members of the committee like George Miller (D-CA, are legendary.
Story in Politico. Young Steps down from committee post . By John Breshnahan.
Story from the New York Times. Obama Team Set on Environment. By John M. Broder.
Carol Browner, head of the EPA under Clinton may get the new climate post.
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Nancy Sutley will head the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) inside the Executive Office of the President. Story on Sutley. “Mind your CEQ.” Posted by Janet Wilson to Gristmill. The CEQ is a position that does not need congressional approval.
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My stray comment . . . could you imagine a real scientist, in fact a n0bel prize winner, heading up a cabinet department in the Bush Administration? RM
Transition leader Hayes now on Interior list. By Rocky Barker. Idaho Statesman.
Related to the second story above is an interesting one I heard today.
A friend of mine reported to a livestock operator family that their heifer was stuck in a cattle guard. Their sympathetic response, “I guess we’ll have hamburger tonight.”
One anecdote doesn’t prove a point, but it illustrates my point.
To those people who try to tug on folk’s heartstrings that the “brutal” wolf that ate their calf or cow, everyone knows you don’t raise cattle because you want some dewy-eyed pets around. You would do well to take your livestock to slaughter and watch and help kill them like they do in other cultures — ethically instructive. Are you better or worse than the wolf? Or maybe the question is not even relevant?
Story: “Montanans, wildlife groups condemn state, feds for wolf pack slaughter.” Missoulian.
The coalition (Wildlife Watchers and Big Wildlife) issuing this statement also said the action left many questions unanswered and that the public must be given specific formation about the killing of so many wolves.
Burger King’s greasy campaign. By Derrick Z. Jackson. Boston.com
Grizzly at risk again near mountain train tracks. By Jason Markusoff; With Files From Jamie Komarnicki. Calgary Herald.
106 117 130 grassroots groups (and growing) from around the country signed a letter to President-elect Obama’s transition team officially endorsing Grijalva for Secretary of the Interior.
Green Groups Galvanize Behind Grijalva For Interior Secretary Press Release – PEER
Read the letter [pdf]
As a decision approaches, the other name heavily floated as among those on Obama’s short-list for the position, Blue-Dog Democrat Mike Thompson, has a record that sheds some light onto previous uncertainty as to how he might lead at Interior. Of particular interest to among those of us here is Thompson’s past vote rejecting a congressional attempt to prevent federal expeditiures on Wildlife Services lethal predator control.
More history on Dailykos Diary
*Update 12/10: AP shows Grijalva on top of list Name by name, Obama’s Cabinet taking shape, Thompson & John Berry, National Zoo director, former executive director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation also on AP’s list.
Oil lays waste to the West. The greed, speed and scale of development in wild lands is an open wound on America. By Terry Tempest Williams. Opinion. Los Angeles Times. December 7, 2008.
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My comment.
The lease sale set for Oct. 19 has now excluded a few parcels next to national parks, but again it is tokenism in a giveaway of your national heritage to the oil and gas companies. If these sell, they can’t be reversed by a new administration.
To be given to the gas and oil companies. Copyright Ralph Maughan
Wildlife Services has killed 19 members of the Hog Heaven Pack over a three day period. The news reports said the pack originally had 27 members. Now it is gone.
This is 8 per cent of Montana’s wolves for scattered killings over the year. I’ve seen no complete tally as to numbers, ages, whether the owners had attractants. It seems the dead livestock were cattle (mostly calves) and 3 llamas.
Montana has also killed off other large numbers of wolves this year, eliminating them from entire areas of the state.
This is doubly significant because Montana claims to have an enlightened wolf management plan, but even Wyoming doesn’t kill wolves at this rate.
According to a story in the Daily InterLake (Kalispell), “Over the last few months, the pack was involved in eight separate incidents of depredation on livestock. In the latest incident on Nov. 18, the pack killed a 2-year-old bull. Hog Heaven wolves also were believed to be responsible for killing three llamas on Aug. 6, a calf on Sept. 16, two breeding-stock heifers on Sept. 23, a calf on Sept. 25 and another calf on Oct. 8.” Entire story (you can add your comments)
Here’s what you can do, go to change.gov and suggest that Wildlife Services is an agency that needs to be eliminated or changed so that it only engages in non-lethal actions with domestic vertebrate wildlife. All lethal control should be redirected to foreign animals that do significant harm — invasive species like nutria and feral hogs.
In other words, they can kill non-native pests like starlings and English sparrows.
More specifically, ask them for reform by 1. Supporting committee report language in the FY 2010 Agriculture appropriations bill that reads: “the Committee expects that Wildlife Services will make use of the non-lethal methods developed by the National Wildlife Research Center, and will make non-lethal controls the near exlusive method of choice, and will resort to lethal means only as a last resort.” Ask them to nominate a person who is committed to this policy for the position of USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.
2. Support passage of wolf/livestock legislation S. 2875 (Gray Wolf Livestock Loss Mitigation Act of 2008) with an amendment to make funding come from USDA not the Department of the Interior and pass companion House language.
3. Prohibit all aerial gunning of domestic wildlife.
Here is the latest news from Idaho Fish and Game
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Link to the wolf news-
Outfitter faces board over eagle kill. By Cory Hatch. Jackson Hole News and Guide.
Greater Yellowstone grizzly debate heats up. By Chris Merrill. Casper Star Tribune.
I know Dave Moody (trophy game coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department) couldn’t possibly be right about the poor whiteback pine nut crop being part of a natural cycle. It’s well known the whitebark pine trees have largely died. There are a variety of reasons, but this is not part of a cycle. It is the end of the nuts as a major food source.
FWP chief OKs deal for bison route. By Matthew Brown. Associated Press
A clear mandate. By Ben Cannon. Planet Jackson Hole.
Don’t confuse Teton County, Idaho with Teton County, WY (opposite sides of the Tetons)
Notebook: Exotic cat killed in Pennsylvania. By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Sighting of cougars and black panthers in the East may often be real cats, but not of North American origin.
One the posts on this blog that has had the most comments over time is the one about a cougar sighting in Virginia. People find it and have been posting comments for well over a year now.
Here is the latest speculation on USFA, DOE, DOI, and EPA. By Al Kamen. Washington Post.
Thompson does have a 92% rating by the League of Conservation Voters.
I found this on Thompson. It is from his campaign, so what he thinks would help him get reelected. Mike Thompson on Environment.
Papiroflexia (Spanish for “Origami”) is the animated tale of Fred, a skilful paper folder who could shape the world with his hands.
The BLM issued a rule-change today in an attempt to sidestep a rarely used provision Raul Grijalva employed to prevent uranium mining near the Grand Canyon.
Bush rule limits Congress on drilling, mining – AP :
“I will continue to fight this rule change and all midnight regulations to roll back protections for our environment which are coming down the pike before the new administration is sworn in,” [Grijalva] said.
Deadline to submit comments to BLM on the Final Rule can be submitted until February 2, 2009. In a bit of potential poetic justice, Grijalva’s the ” top candidate” for Interior – if he gets the nod, he’ll be reading your comments on the rule-change. And – even if the rule passed, Grijalva may have another chance to halt the mining – same article :
The rule still allows the Interior Secretary to issue emergency withdrawals when mining and other development poses a threat to natural resources.
One would hope that whomever the Secretary may be, these environmental rollbacks will be undone . One thing’s for sure, there’s one potential Interior Secretary that’s already hard at work.
Most of our concern has been about the secretary of Interior, but the Secretary of Agriculture is equally important and almost always goes to some minion of industrial ag.
So far the names floated by Obama don’t look good. Originally Obama was considering the industrial apologist, Iowa governor Tom Vilsack for the position, but grassroots opposition (or something) caused him to drop Vilsack.
Now the leading name is Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn). Peterson, like Vilsack is a promoter of corporate industrial agriculture. He is the head of the House Agriculture Committee. He is a no change candidate.
Personally, I am tired of spending hour after hour shopping trying to determine which products are more or less safe. There was a time when you didn’t have to worry so. That was before food inspections were cut back and dubious ingredients added from suspect places like China (think melamine)
USDA policies turned Iowa from a state with diverse agriculture into one big corn field. Michael Pollan tells how that happened in “Omnivores Dilemma.”
The U.S. Forest Service is in the Dept. of Agriculture as well as rouge agencies like APHIS and Wildlife Services.
Please take the time to share your insights and views about the Secretary of Agriculture at: http://change.gov/
Addition: an interesting article on the importance of change.gov. Dan Froomkin. Washington Post.
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Here are some ideas. Perhaps a visionary like Michael Pollan (Omnivores Dilemma) for a top USDA positions. Here are some other progressive candidates for high-level USDA positions. Jim Riddle, a national organic farmer leader, Texas populist Jim Hightower, Tom Buis from the National Farmers Union, and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. You can read the profiles of some of these possible USDA appointees here.
Note: I grabbed the above from an alert from the Organic Consumers. RM
Story. Scientist spends days delving into carnivores’ decomposition. By Rob Cheny. Missoulian.
Oddly the hiker that stubbled onto this study site (described the the article) reported it to a regular poster to this blog.
Grijalva gets Hispanic groups’ backing for Interior chief. By Tony Davis. Arizona Daily Star.
Thompson would do little for Obama. He’s from the wrong state. Obama needs a Hispanic. Appointment of a secretary for favors the issues of sportsmen groups will not drag many away from bogus issues like “they’re going to take our guns.”
Farmer’s Freak about Potential ‘Cow Tax’ on Cows’ Methane Emission. WWP blog.
Methane is 26 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide and cows belch and fart a tremendous amount of it. Feedlots could capture it, however, and turn it into much less polluting energy — natural gas is methane.
This is one of the good things about taxation. Properly placed taxes encourage good behavior. Because they work through the maketplace, heavy-handed government regulation is not needed. Any revenues raised from taxes set to encourge certain kinds of behavior can be used used to reduce traditional taxes like sales and income tax whose only purpose is to raise revenue.
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More on meat and methane . . . As More Eat Meat, a Bid to Cut Emissions. New York Times. By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL.
The prominent conservation groups are petitioning under the Administration Procedures Act for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to meet it legal obligations to recovery the Mexican wolf (with a new plan).
As David Parsons of the Rewildling Institute has said this has become a put and take wolf program. His group is one of the petitioners.
Here is the news release with a link to the petition.
I found this today on the blog 43rd State Blues.
Apparently the documentary soon turned to the “experts” — whining ranchers — our Idaho feudal landlords.
There was a link to PBS. At the link it read:
“WOLVES IN PARADISE is a tale of survival in the soaring mountains and majestic valleys of southwest Montana, as ranchers face the challenge of living with Yellowstone’s roaming wolf packs while encroaching development threatens their way of life. The film contrasts the experience of two ranchers with completely different backgrounds and resources, while it documents the growth of a surprising alliance between traditional enemies – livestock growers and conservationists – who find common ground in the need to protect open space from developers.“ [boldface mine]
I take this back. I’ve seen the documentary. It’s OK. I thought it must be about Idaho wolves, but it is about the Paradise and Madison Valleys. I dislike the cows versus condos argument. It’s more likely to be cows and condos. Anyway, right now the prospect of condos is fading due to the bad economy. RM
The big lie, told once again, by the fawning media.
Rocky Barker: Kitzhaber likely off list for Interior secretary. Idaho Statesman
2008 was good for Jackson Hole bears, and there were few conflicts; but grizzlies took a big mortality hit in NW Wyoming overall. Nevertheless, the total grizzly population grew slightly . . . kind of complicated.
Bears by the Numbers. By Brodie Farquhar. Wyofile. com
Pronghorn numbers show sign of bouncing back. By Arthur H. Rotstein. Associated Press.
The sonoran pronghorn became almost extinct due to recent drought. The article says possible new drought and border patrol activities are the primary threats.
I got the latest news update from Idaho Fish and Game today. One new item told how a resident of Grangeville, Idaho, Scott Richards, had lost his hunting license for life because of chronic poaching.
That name certainly sounded familiar. I did a quick Google search brought up the following:
Here’s what I found “Close encounter raises concerns about wolves. ” By Scott Richards. For the Idaho Press-Tribune.” This story of Richard’s has been put up in many hunting blogs, and I had received email copies in the past complete with phony-looking photos of Richard’s dogs, allegedly showing how the wolves ate them.
I found one hunting blog that did at least do some investigating rather than swallow the tale whole. Verifying “One Heck Of A Wolf Story” Black Bear Blog.
The comments seem extremely strong to me. The comment period on the latest run at delisting ended on Nov. 28. This blog is probably the only place you will find these comments on-line all in one place.
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NRDC-comments-wolf-delisting-nov28-2008 Pdf file
Earthjustice for 14 groups-nov26-2008 Pdf file
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Added 12-2. Comments by Idaho in favor of delisting. Pdf file.
Want Sustainable Fishing? Keep Only Small Fish, And Let The Big Ones Go. Science Daily.
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