Colorado Crimes: Bighorn sheep poacher wanted, $1,000 reward

$1000 for poacher in the Poudre Canyon-

That is near Ft. Collins, CO.
Story: Colorado Crimes: Bighorn sheep poacher wanted, $1,000 reward. By Kiernan Maletsky. The Latest Word

I put this story up after a request from a blog reader near the area.

Cold Jumps Arctic ‘Fence,’ Stoking Winter’s Fury

During the winter, the melting Arctic is like opening the refrigerator door . . .

The refrigerator gets warmer, and the room (the lower latitudes) get colder.

The cold winters of late might be a climate change rather than random variability.  The explanation would be the weakening of the cyclonic winds that keep the extreme cold penned into the high latitudes.

Cold Jumps Arctic ‘Fence,’ Stoking Winter’s Fury. By Justin Gillis. New York Times.

Disease Jumps From Domestic to Wild Sheep

More reporting about the bighorn/domestic sheep disease study

Other than the study itself, this is the first time that I’ve heard Dr. Srikmaran talk about last year’s study which confirms that domestic sheep diseases kill bighorn sheep.

“I am not that happy about this finding. Some people’s livelihood depends on domestic sheep,” [But the] “organisms did not exist anywhere else. They could only come from one place, the domestic sheep.” – Dr. Subramaniam Srikmaran

Some people who support the sheep industry have made misrepresentations of what the study actually says. They say that “these data show that even extended fence line contact of 2 months didn’t lead to disease and death. Disease required co-mingling for a minimum of 48 hours and this was after transmission had already occurred in three of the bighorn sheep.”

I’ve had the chance to read the study and, in fact, it does not say that it took two days of commingling to produce disease. It says that one of the sheep died within two days of the beginning of commingling portion of the experiment. All four of the bighorn sheep, even the one which did not contract M. haemolytica during the fenceline portion of the study died within 9 days of the beginning of the commingling portion of the study. There is no evidence to support the claim that “disease required co-mingling for a minimum of 48 hours”.

Have you come across any interesting Wildlife News? January 24, 2011

Note that this replaces the 20th edition. That edition will now move slowly into the depths of the blog.

Sunset on Mt Borah and Chilly Slough © Ken Cole

We understand this page is slow loading.  We will take care of it this evening.  It has probably become too big. Ralph Maughan

Judge upholds ban on motorized travel in Badger-Two Medicine roadless area

Motorbikes, ATV interests rebuffed for large roadless area between Glacier N.P. and Bob Marshall Wildlerness-

Judge upholds ban on motorized travel in Badger-Two Med. By Karl Puckett.  Great Falls  Tribune Staff Writer.

I’ve only been there twice, and just into it a little way.  My impression is that it isn’t quite as rugged as the country to the north (Glacier N.P.) and the Great Bear and Bob Marshall Wildernesses to the south. It is very much full of wildlife.

The oil and gas industry has lusted after it for a long time. It has religious significance to the Blackfeet Nation (an issue in this failed lawsuit).