She Runs With The Wolves

Todd Wilkinson profiles Laurie Lyman-

Those of you who know Kathie Lynch will probably know Laurie Lyman, and vice versa.  Lyman has amazing talent for spotting wolves and getting that data.

She Runs With The Wolves. A tale of devotion from Yellowstone National Park. By Todd Wilkinson.

Cows or Condos, a false choice

George Wuerthner updates his arguments about need to have cows to prevent sprawl-

A long time ago I tended to be the kind of conservationist who grudgingly thought we had to give all kinds of perks to livestock interests so they wouldn’t sell and subdivide the West.  I was becoming disillusioned with the results of helping the livestock elite, and Wuerthner’s thinking helped me see appeasing them was not necessary, but counterproductive.

Now he has updated his landmark essay: “Cows or Condos, a false choice.”

Cows or Condos: A False Choice Between Public Lands Ranching and Sprawl. By George Wuerthner in New West.

Oral Arguments on Wilderness/Wolf litigation heard today

“Wilderness Wolf Watchers” Coalition seeks an Injunction/Temporary Restraining Order preventing the landing of helicopters

Chief District Judge B. Lynn Winmill is set to hear oral arguments on the Frank Church Wilderness/Helicopter Landing litigation this afternoon.  The “Wilderness Wolf Watchers” Coalition seeks an Injunction/Temporary Restraining Order preventing the landing of helicopters in the Frank Church Wilderness before they take place, while the merits of the case are considered.

The Idaho Department of Fish & Game and the US Forest Service each filed briefs against the Wilderness Wolf Watcher coalition’s request :

IDFG Brief
USFS Brief

Among their arguments, the government belittles several advocates’ declarations describing their trips to the Frank this winter and their potential for their wilderness experience to be harmed by the helicopter incursion.

Laurie Rule, Wilderness/Wolf advocates’ esteemed attorney, replied to the governments’ argument with this excellent brief :

Plaintiff’s Reply Brief

Update on the weight of wolves shot in Idaho hunt

Latest data. Average female 86 lbs. Average male 101 lbs-

Earlier I reported data from the Fish and Game Comission meeting a couple weeks ago with the largest Idaho wolf at 109 pounds. One in extreme Northern Idaho was 130 pounds. The Spokesman Review has a new article on this.

Actual wolf weights often skimpier than hunters estimate. Becky Kramer. The Spokesman-Review