Category: Wildlife
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Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act Reintroduced
The Beartooth Mountains contain some of the most extensive alpine terrain in the Rockies. Photo by George Wuerthner The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) is the most comprehensive and ecologically defensible legislation currently before Congress. The Act was first introduced in 1993. NREPA was reintroduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Madeleine Dean, who…
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Upper Green River Allotment Grizzly Mortality Sink
The Upper Green River headwaters are in the Wind River Range. Photo by George Wuerthner The 170,000-acre Upper Green River Allotment, located on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, is the largest grazing allotment under Forest Service administration. It is also one of the best wildlife habitats in the West, and it is easily comparable…
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The Last Wild Bison
The wild bison in Yellowstone National Park are the last major herd of buffalo, the least domesticated members of their genus left in the United States. When Yellowstone was established in 1872, an estimated 25 wild bison roamed the park, a relic of the great herds that once roamed the entire West. With protection, the…
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Why Tribal Co-Management Is A Threat to Our Public Lands
Given the wrecking ball the Trump administration is taking to our public lands and public values, it might seem trivial to worry about tribal co-management. Our public lands are among the most democratic of American institutions. Every American has a right to voice their opinion about public lands management, but no group should be elevated…
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Why the Alliance for the Wild Rockies is Taking Yellowstone National Park to Court over Its Scientifically-Deficient Bison Management Plan
Tens of millions of wild bison once roamed across western North America. Today, wild bison occupy less than one percent of their former range. Yet in spite of this, the National Park Service’s new bison management plan does nothing to expand the range of the 5,000 wild bison that live almost exclusively in Yellowstone National Park. Instead,…
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The Livestock Industry Fights to Keep Killing Wildlife by Running Them Over Legal!
You probably remember this photo from last year when Cody Roberts brought a wolf he had run over with his snowmobile into the bar in Daniel, WY. The story and photo went around the world and generated nearly universal disgust. Now, more than a year later, it is still legal. The new legislative session has…
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Bighorn Sheep vs. Domestic Sheep
As many of you know, domestic sheep are the primary impediment to bighorn sheep recovery because the domestic sheep transmit disease to the bighorn sheep. PBS did a decent video on the issue: What the video fails to mention is that livestock permits on our public lands are a privilege, not a right, and can…
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Trump’s Assault On Alaskan Wildlands
One of the first Executive Orders from the Trump Whitehouse is to reverse environmental protections for federal lands in Alaska and hasten, expand, and encourage resource development. Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to: (a) fully avail itself of Alaska’s vast lands and resources for the benefit of the Nation…