The Great Outdoors
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Release seemed to briefly stall, but now the goats are raising kids and expanding territory- In 2010 45 mountain goats were released on the east slopes of Mt. Jefferson, a tall volcano in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. Soon 3 of them slipped to their death or were killed by predators. Most survived, however, and last July…
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Ten photos of jaguar near at site of 6,990-acre Rosemont mine project area- Arizona is pockmarked with abandoned copper pit after pit and associated toxic tailings. There are also some active pits and old ones starting back up. Finally there are plans for another new giant pit on the north end of the Santa Rita Mountains…
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Disease ridden domestic sheep killed off the bighorn in early 1900s and pose the same disease barrier today- As has been written so many times, domestic sheep are full of diseases that are fatal to their wild cousin, the bighorn. Now plans to restore the mighty bighorn to the rugged Bridger Mountains to the northeast…
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Ravalli Republic publishes photos of 4-member cougar family in Sapphire Mountains- The Sapphire Mountains are the range on the east side of the Bitterroot Valley. Outside of the immediate area the mountains on the west of the Valley, the Bitterroot Mountains, are better known. The Sapphires are much more gentle and have a lot of…
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Will firefighters be able to prevent a new run even farther to the east? Update 9/17. Eastward spread of fire most likely contained. The Mustang Fire has burned at least a hundred miles now, west and east along the main fork the Salmon River in Idaho. The River contained the Fire’s southward spread, and firefighters…
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Red Flag warning day with leading east flank of 261,000 acre fire less than 2 miles from U.S 93- After several days of gentle breezes, Aug. 9 began with a “red flag” warning over all of Eastern and East Central Idaho. High winds and the super dry forest, grass, and brush covering the Salmon River…
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Fire burns into Montana, threatens U.S. 93, 9/3/12, 210,000 215,000 221,000 acres in size- 9/3-2012. Update: check with Inciweb for latest evacuations along or near U.S. Highway 93, North Fork, or in the Montana portion of the fire (such as Hughes Creek). These evacuation levels have been increased. There are now 933 960 personnel, including…
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate lands in Arizona and New Mexico- Not all endangered species receive a designated “critical habitat.” This is a big thing for the big cat that is a rare inhabitant of the SW U.S. The trouble is jaguars may not even inhabit the United States on a continuing basis.…