Wyoming wolf numbers increase and offset the decline in Yellowstone Park

YNP Park wolves are down another 6 % this year, but there was a 12% increase outside the Park in ’09-

Story in the Jackson Hole News and Guide. By Cory Hatch.

There are 4 full-time packs in Jackson Hole and one part-time pack.

The year’s population results appear to be a small increase in wolves in Wyoming. Everyone should recognize that those 20% increase years in any of the 3 states are gone. There will probably be about 375 305 wolves as the official figure for Wyoming at the end of this year.

It’s good to see a recognition that well established packs are less of a threat to livestock than new packs.  One should note that this is some evidence that hunting wolves at random may be counterproductive in terms of livestock losses. Of course, livestock losses to wolves are so small in the big scheme of things it probably doesn’t matter.

Wolves to be tracked, darted, collared in Frank Church Wilderness

Forest Service will cave to Idaho Fish and Game’s plan to grossly abuse the concept of Wilderness-

Even though 90% of the comments received were opposed to Idaho Fish Game’s plan to violate the Wilderness Act because they want a better count of the number of wolves in the Frank Church Wilderness, this week the Forest Service told interested parties they were approving the request.

In 2006 Idaho Fish and Game was fended off, but this year they were back again claiming they needed to use high tech methods to count wolves in Wilderness. Because they have promised to maintain a population of 500 wolves in Idaho, well above the 100 required by the wolf restoration plan, their plan for unnecessarily exact counting is hard to understand. It makes folks very suspicious about their motives.  Worse this is a threat to the entire American Wilderness System on behalf of a one-state interest.

The purpose of the Wilderness System is to maintain wildness. Having high tech monitoring of the individual animals located by flying low, darting, and landing in this supposedly forever protected land is an abomination.

The Forest Service is advancing this plan by means of an non-appealable “categorical exclusion.” That type of document  is for public land matters so unimportant that an environmental analysis is not needed. The only remedy is to go immediately to court. The whole thing is a fraud. If it is so unimportant why did they fly up from Ogden, Utah to tell people their intentions?

The radio collaring is expected to begin in March.

Update added late on 12-17. Will helicopters land in Church wilderness? State seeking Forest Service approval to help collar wolves. By Jon Duval. Idaho Mountain Express Staff Writer

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Past stories on this.

Dec. 16. Scott Phillip’s LTE. No helicopters in wilderness. Idaho Mountain Express.

October, 2, 2009. Idaho again wants to land choppers in wilderness. By John Miller. AP
Sept. 18, 2009. Idaho Department of Fish & Game Moves to Collar Wolves in the Frank-Church Wilderness. By Brian Ertz
August 2006. Captive Wilderness. Discover Magazine.

Scotland’s deer are changing shape due to hybridisation

Scotland’s wild red deer have bred with Japanese sika deer, serving to reduce their size-

Red deer are similar to American elk, wapiti. Ironically a concern in the U.S. is red deer from “hunting” ranches escaping to breed with elk.

Scotland’s deer are changing shape due to hybridisation. By Jody Bourton. Earth News reporter. BBC

Hunter kills cougar in Iowa!

This was the fifth killed in a decade-

Hunter kills cougar in Iowa. By Bob Eschliman. World-Herald News Service.

Idaho politicians enter into Montana Wilderness debate

Idaho Senators shill for snowm0bile industry-

” . . . Mount Jefferson is a tiny portion of Tester’s plan, it is one that many supporters of the bill hold dear.”

Read the rest in Idaho enters . . . By Daniel Person. Bozeman Chronicle.

This is one where Idaho residents can really help. I’m emailing Tester, “As an Idahoan, Senators Crapo and Risch don’t speak for me. Please keep Mt. Jefferson in your bill. My senators only represent the  snowmobile industry which already totally dominates the area south of Mt. Jefferson.” Added. Email Senator Tester.

The hearing on the bill in the Senate Committee is tomorrow.

Mt. Jefferson is a key part of the Continental Divide wildlife migration corridor to central Idaho, which is already messedup in part by the [domestic] Sheep Experiment Station on the Continental Divide in Idaho.