Endangered-species lists may be broadened


State, feds take a fresh look at once-rejected protections-

Endangered-species lists may be broadened. State, feds take a fresh look at once-rejected protections. By Bruce Finley. The Denver Post

Recent stories on the blog have indicated this is happening. This article puts it all together. Many of these are continuing “gifts” from disgraced Bush deputy secretary of Interior, Julie MacDonald who couldn’t keep her industrial hands off of the work of agency scientists.

Not all, however.

I have always liked Colorado’s own preemptive effort to restore the lynx on its own, even though some conservation groups objected.

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Update. Related story.

Alaska sea otters get a lot of help from Administration. Critical habitat designated for them.  By Mary Pemberton. Associated Press Writer. Fact sheet on this from US Fish and Wildlife Service. PDF file.  This file is a vast amout of information. The news story by the AP above is brief.


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  1. Larry Zuckerman Avatar

    Hate to be the cynic amongst us, but… Colorado has set the trend for Western States for doing anything to keep a species off the Federal lists once there is a real possibility.

    Just like the ranchers and irrigators in Montana’s Big Hole Basin with the imperiled Montana fluvial grayling and those of Idaho’s Big Lost River with the Big Lost River mountain whitefish, which hangs on the precipice of extinction also, when species have a chance for listing, Western State governments finally take action.

    In the 1970s I worked on state-funded projects for “recoverying” the native and declining Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Colorado River cutthroat trout, Rio Grande chub, and Rio Grande sucker. While the efforts appeared real and involved Colorado Division of Wildlife funding, they were not necessarily sincere. At the time, the State of Colorado was still reeling from the impacts on state water rights from the Federal listing of the Colorado River large stream fishes like the razorback sucker, Colorado pike-minnow (then squawfish), bonytail chub, and humpback chub.

    So… erase the potential for Federal USFWS listing and designated critical habitat for Canada lynx in Colorado, I will bet much of their reintroduction plan disappears. Otherwise, where is their grey wolf and grizzly bear reintroduction plans and efforts?

    cheers

    larry zuckerman

  2. JB Avatar
    JB

    “New species under consideration for protection have “aesthetic, ecological, education, historical, recreational and scientific value…”

    As opposed to all of those species that have been rejected? It will be interesting to see them argue that the best available science shows that species X has “aesthetic, ecological, education, historical, recreational and scientific value…”

    Personally, I think that bison have all of these qualities.

  3. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    That would be nice to see some of these animals listed. I am all for seeing prairie dogs listed.

    Otherwise, where is their grey wolf and grizzly bear reintroduction plans and efforts? The million dollar question. In this case it is the Division of Wildlife who is so adamantly opposed to these animals’ restorations.

  4. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    JB, bison do as well as grizzlies and wolves.

  5. Barb Rupers Avatar
    Barb Rupers

    SR25Stoner may be Greg Farber; not a friend. Frank said a troll.

  6. Ralph Maughan Avatar

    Thanks Barb, but I don’t think SR25Stoner is Greg Farber.

    Farber, whom I had never met, just couldn’t contain himself. From his first comment, it was clear he was going to tell everyone on this blog just what he thought of them, and me especially.

    When I booted him, he posted for a while to another blog and got nastier still.

    Stoner often makes sense it seems to me. He doesn’t seem to have a chip on his shoulder, and he knows the backcountry. That always impresses me.

    Farber also had a different cadence in his writing.

  7. Cobra Avatar

    I tend to agree with Ralph about Stoner, just because you do not agree with his view on things does not mean he is a troll, besides I enjoy reading his posts, reminds me alot of myself at times when I was younger in western Colorado. Just saddle up and go. I used to take a week off for elk season and hunt and camp by myself for the whole week, sure miss being able to do that, life gets in the way anymore. My hats off to you Stoner, keep it real.

  8. pointswest Avatar
    pointswest

    I think there is going to be a big green movement over the next couple of decades.

    Here is another story on the emerging oil company killing battery technology.

    http://taintedgreen.com/batteries/eestor-watch-out-ibm-is-building-a-next-gen-battery-too/000351

    California is going green in a big way. Whatever California does, the rest of the nation soon follows. I think we will see many efforts to perseve and even restore natual habbitat and native species. Being green has really hit the mainstream here in California.

  9. Barb Rupers Avatar
    Barb Rupers

    Greg Farber on December 30th, 2008 7:16 pm; Black bear blog;

    Actually I do have a use for my full auto collection and silencers I use….I’m fifty man…not many things can still give me a woody like full auto live fire…..LOVE IT….And as far as assault weapons go….any thing can be used as an assault weapon, rocks, sticks, bows/arrows, knives, flintlock rifle, percussion cap rifle, Lever Winchester 73, 1860 Henry Lever Gun….and those bolt actions of WWI-WWII…..Then we have the Colt Arms AR-15 semi auto, how about that Stoner .308 – SR-25 by Knight Arms, love that little toy…..NOW REAL assault weapons can be owned via a lotta red tape and special licenses and such..IS THAT THE ASSAULT GUNS YOU MEAN ? ALSO did you know that historically DEMOCRACY, which by the way was never ever the founding fathers intentions for America, they demanded a REPUBLIC, Any how DEMOCRACY has a standing 100% failure rate in history. .Of course todays versions of REPUBLICAN and DEMOCRAT by defintion are not being used correctly…We live in a Dictated Empire, nothing in the Republican or Democratic definitions includes Dictatorships…..I THINK IT IS YOU ”ARMED” DEMOCRAT who needs to do a lot of reading…..a lot..

    Greg Stoner Farber is no friend of wolves. “Shoot them in the guts and their packmates will finish them off.”

Author

Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.

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