Let us Praise—and Keep—the Dead

Dead trees are critical components of a healthy forest ecosystem

George Wuerthner writes about the value of dead trees and how removing them can lead to impoverished forest ecosystems :

Let us Praise—and Keep—the Dead – George Wuerthner, Forest Magazine

Phantom Hill wolf pack hunts near Hailey, Idaho

Should the pack be hazed?

This is a no-brainer. Of course, the pack should be hazed. They are not afraid of people because they have not had an experience that tells them to be.

Hazing will do the local people even more good. Wolves close by worry many folks, and they are a threat to their pet dogs. They are also a temptation for some foolish person who might decide to feed them.

Hazing them doesn’t hurt the wolves, and the Wood River Valley’s much loved local wolf pack will be much safer if they are told to keep a distance.

Story: Wolf pack hunts near central Idaho town. AP

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Update 3/16/09:
Intense footage of a Phantom approaching dogs last Thursday, March 12. Video via PlumTV
Vodpod videos no longer available.
The Malamutes owner had been previously warned of the Phantoms presence, despite the warning, the Malamutes were a distance from their owners home in a field next to Greenhorn Road and were barking. The member of the Phantom Hill wolf pack is believed to be the 2-year old male. The wolf came off the steep mountainside onto the road, looked at the dogs and incredibly jumped over the wooden fence. Within a couple of seconds, the wolf took off. 2 Photographers from the local Plum TV station happened to be there. Greenhorn road is a public access through private property in a large canyon between Ketchum and Hailey, Idaho. Homeowners of the Golden Eagle subdivision, an upscale development at the mouth of Greenhorn Gulch, have been feeding hay to 150 head of elk all winter. It was just a matter of time before the Phantom Hill wolves, or another pack, discovered the tamed elk.
Another video via Channel 11 News

~ be

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Earlier post. March 2, 2009. Photos: Phantom Hill wolf pack takes a mountain lion.