The Sonoran Desert National Monument was designated in 2001, but livestock grazing persisted until 2015. Now the BLM wants to restock a portion of this national monument. Photo George Wuerthner
The Sonoran Desert National Monument is a spectacular representation of the Sonoran Desert landscape managed by the Arizona office of the Bureau […]
Continue Reading →This is the last of a three-part series on this multi-faceted and important issue. Part one which explored the myths of Stewardship, Perpetuity, and Creation, can be found here. Part two, which explored the myths of Legality, Special Jurisdiction, History, and Economy, can be found here.
Myth of Popularity
It is […]
Continue Reading →This is part two of a three-part series on this multi-faceted and important issue. Part one, which explored the myths of Stewardship, Perpetuity, and Creation, can be found here. Part three, which will explore the myths of Popularity, Local Authority, and Process, will be posted soon.
Myth of Legality
Somewhat related to the myth […]
Continue Reading →Rending fact from fiction regarding ranching in our national park
Introduction: a critical controversy continues to simmer unnoticed on the West Coast. The question of how to administer one national park, and by extension how to manage public lands, is as-we-speak being answered at Point Reyes National Seashore, just north of San Francisco. So far, […]
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The Sonoran Desert National Monument was established in 2001 with very specific terms about how grazing should be managed on these lands. The Proclamation basically said that grazing should be permanently banned from parts of the monument and could only continue on portions of the monument where it was found to be compatible with resource […]
Continue Reading →One hears continuously that the Forest Service doesn’t clearcut anymore. Of course, what constitutes a clearcut is subject to interpretation. The following photos are all taken on the Deschutes NF in Oregon. These are “forest thinning” projects designed to reduce wildfires and “improve” forest health. How many trees do you need to leave behind so […]
Continue Reading →The North Bridger Range is a proposed wilderness. Photo George Wuerthner
In an article in the Bozeman Chronicle about the North Bridger Timber sale, the Forest Service justifies logging the forests based on what it calls “forest health”. The agency claims logging will “restore” resiliency. But few ask what exactly constitutes a […]
Continue Reading →Wildflowers along the North Fork of the Salmon River near Salmon, Idaho. Photo George Wuerthner
High Country News tries to portray itself as a source of environmental news, but reporting on wildfire issues often leaves much to be desired.
In its recent June 1, 2021 article Wildfire and A Forest Worth Fighting […]
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Bison herd. Photo George Wuerthner
Many authors today suggest that Indigenous people somehow behaved differently from other humans, particularly western culture that now dominates the globe in their relationship and exploitation of natural lands.
The general theme is that while the human influence pre-European contact was significant, human exploitation was tempered […]
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