July 2012
-
First day of annual testing shows the dangerous disease in local mosquitoes- Throughout most of the 20th Century in the United States getting bitten by mosquitoes was an irritation, sometimes a major one, but something without lasting effects. This was never true in many other countries where Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, malaria, and many more…
-
Debate over immigration and enforcement attracts major effort to savage environmental laws within 100 miles of the borders- OPINION Americans are having a heated debate over illegal immigration, cross border drug smuggling and what to do about it. This has attracted some very contentious legislation at the state and federal levels. The President, various state…
-
Understanding Montana’s Wolf Policy Decision George Wuerthner On July 12, 2012, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MDFWP) Commissioners voted 4-0 to increase wolf hunting in the state, expanding the hunting season and permitting the trapping of wolves for the first time as well. The goal is to reduce wolf numbers across the…
-
Blacktail Fire was only 5 acres when suppression was ordered- Although Yellowstone has had several “spot” fires this year, lightning caused the first real (potentially) large fire today. The order to suppress it came when the fire was only about 5 acres in size. It is burning between the the gravel Blacktail Plateau Drive and…
-
Wildlife Services has high average non-lethal record for all animals, but not for large carnivores- Lately there has been a lot of media critical of USDA-Wildlife Services; often called by its critics something like “the federal government’s wildlife killers.” In an effort to mount a defense the Service has pointed out that 80% of its…
-
Do grizzly bears threaten chickens or do chicken owners threaten grizzly bears? Earlier today we wrote an article about people putting up a lot of new chicken coops in well known NW Montana grizzly bear country. The result of this is dead grizzly bears when bear “mangers” have the bears put down for eating a…
-
Remarkably low value activity results in grizzly bear deaths- Wherever grizzly bears roam outside a much too small, couple of American national parks, they are often threatened by cattle and sheep, which many grizzlies figure out are made of meat. Heroic efforts have been made over the years to keep grizzlies from discovering this source…
-
Earlier this year two dams on the Elwha River in Washington state that had blocked migration of salmon and steelhead for over a hundred years were finally removed. Within just months salmon and steelhead trout swam past the dam sites and spawned. Such a quick response is what everyone had hoped for, although some believed they…