More livestock subsidies by the Federal Government

5-year “demonstration project” to compensate ranchers and fund proactive, non-lethal activities.

The USFWS has announced how it will disperse $1 million annually to the states with wolves for 5 years. This funding was approved in the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 which created several wilderness areas such as the Owyhee Wilderness in southern Idaho.

The law specifies that equal amounts of the funding must be used “(1) to assist livestock producers in undertaking proactive, non-lethal activities to reduce the risk of livestock loss due to predation by wolves; and (2) to compensate livestock producers for livestock losses due to such predation.”

No doubt there will be pressure to change how the money is spent so that more of it will go towards compensation of ranchers rather than proactive, non-lethal activities.

U.S. grants $1 million for wolf project
Great Falls Tribune

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces $1 Million to States For Wolf Livestock Compensation Project
USFWS Press Release

State	Proposed Allocation
MN	$100,000
MI	$90,000
WI	$140,000
ID	$140,000
MT	$140,000
WY	$140,000
AZ	$60,000
NM	$60,000
OR	$15,000
WA	$15,000

Sheep Station Restricts Grazing to Protect Grizzly Bears

The Agricultural Research Services’ US Sheep Experiment Station in Eastern Idaho has decided to stop grazing sheep in its easternmost pastures to protect grizzly bears and has discontinued working on an Environmental Assessment in favor of a more intensive Environmental Impact Statement of its operations.

As you can see from the mapping there are conflicts with grizzly bears and bighorn sheep on other lands used by the Sheep Station. Two packs of wolves were also killed off because of the sheep just last year.

The sheep station occupies one of the most important corridors along the Centennial Mountains for dispersal of grizzly bears, wolves and bighorn sheep.

Sheep Station Restricts Grazing to Protect Grizzly Bears
Western Watersheds Project and Center for Biological Diversity press release.

Overview of ARS USSES used lands

The Privatization of Wildlife

How Ted Turner Scored Yellowstone’s Bison Herd

A good overview of the buffalo issue and how they continue to be persecuted by Montana’s livestock industry and how the buffalo from the quarantine feasibility study ended up going to Ted Turner.

The Privatization of Wildlife: How Ted Turner Scored Yellowstone’s Bison Herd
AlterNet / By Joshua Frank

Judge scolds WA for allowing grazing in state wildlife management areas

WWP wins again as state judge can find not one benefit for wildlife in state cow grazing of state wildlife areas-

We have written a number of times about the recent politically inspired introduction of livestock into the Eastern Washington state wildlife areas purchased specifically to help wildlife and water quality. The livestock interests get to trample the springs and vegetation without paying a dime. It’s a pure gift, and the judge figured it out.

The judge even gave a 10-minute speech from the bench as she issued her ruling.

Ruling leaves grazing up in the air. By SCOTT SANDSBERRY. Yakima Herald Republic
And
Judge dumps wildlife area grazing plan: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been allowing cattle on Asotin parcel in pilot program
Eric Barker – Lewiston Morning Tribune

Feb. 3, 2009. Here is one of our earlier stories on this politically inspired grazing.