Wildlife and People

Thank You for Your Generosity

We at W.I.S.E are deeply grateful for your generous donations that have helped to make our multi-site web institute the premier online library and source for cutting-edge science in forestry, fire, wildlife, and other environmental sciences.

Nearly fifty book reviews and original articles have been added this year, including works by Stephen J. Pyne, William Woods, William Denevan, Charles E. Kay, Roger Underwood, Bob Zybach, Charles C. Mann, Ken Schlichte, M. Kat Anderson, Travis C. Cork, and many others.

Once again we tracked large fires at W.I.S.E. Fire Tracking and posted news clippings at W.I.S.E. Forest, Wildlife, and Climate News. We have three Commentary sub-sites now, SOS Forests, Wildlife and People, and News From the Salmon Front, and we posted many voices discussing responsible, scientific stewardship of forests and wildlife.

We are very appreciative to all those who have provided news tips and content for our subsites, including the authors of the books and papers reviewed in the Colloquia and the numerous guest authors of posts in the Commentary sub-sites.

Please join us [here] in a New Years resolution to ask your friends who have not donated to do their part.

Thank you very much for all your help. We couldn’t do it without you.

Best Wishes to You and Yours,

Mike Dubrasich, Exec Dir W.I.S.E.

The Western Institute for Study of the Environment is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational corporation and a collaboration of environmental scientists, resource professionals and practitioners, and the interested public.

W.I.S.E. provides a free, on-line set of post-graduate courses in environmental studies, currently fifty topics in eight Colloquia, each containing book and article reviews, original papers, and essays. In addition, we present three Commentary sub-sites, a news clipping sub-site, and a fire tracking sub-site. Reviews and original articles are archived in our Library.

Another USFWS Cover-Up

by Jim Beers

The White House is determined to make Dan Ashe (the former political partisan at the heart of the USFWS theft of $45 to 60 Million from the Pittman-Robertson excise taxes on arms and ammunition during the 1990’s) Director of the USFWS.

This is very bad news because there was no justice when the General Accounting Office reported an Audit documenting that theft to the US House of Representatives Resources Committee a decade ago. No one in USFWS was held accountable and the state fish and wildlife agencies never even asked for the funds to be replaced. In other words, state fish and wildlife agencies and state hunting and fishing programs were and are probably more than $60 Million dollars poorer thanks to the unholy alliance between the “New Green” USFWS and the state agencies that are steadily more dependent on a federal mammary.

* Mr. Ashe and the current FWS managers are the ones responsible for the wolves and grizzly bears that are decimating elk, moose and deer herds.

* They are responsible for the state agencies becoming more and more like federal subcontractors in the drives to kill hunting, fishing, gun ownership and private property up to and including the redefinition of federal “Navigable Waterways of the US” to include every periodically damp spot and its watershed throughout the US.

* They are the driving force to give federal bureaucrats primary jurisdiction over all “Invasive Species” that are pictured as killer bees and kudzu but in reality will be pheasants, brown trout, Great Lakes salmon, Hungarian partridge, west coast striped bass, Russian Olive trees, and myriad other plants and animal species that are desirable and useful parts of the American environment circa 2010.

* They are the driving force behind the movement to give the federal government the overarching job to restore “Native Species” and “the Native Ecosystem” to the great detriment to rural economies, rural families, private property rights, and American liberty.

* They are the linchpin for environmentalists and animal rights radicals to implement their extremist agendas.

* They are the federal agency doling out public funds to give all of the above a patina of “science” that is simply Middle Ages alchemy, a combination of lies and mirrors meant to enrich those thought to be “wizards” and impoverish the populace by making impossible promises in return for money and power.

more »

Depredations of Livestock Up 450 to 1,000 Percent in Montana

by MT St. Sen. Greg Hinkle, Clark Fork Chronicle, December 19 2010 [here]

A few weeks ago I was talking with Hot Springs area rancher Kim Baker, President of Montana Cattlemen’s Association, about depredation of livestock. Since we have seen an increase in wolf depredation in Montana I was wondering if there was a relationship with other predator livestock losses. Kim told me she would see if those figures were available from predator control specialists. I wanted to compare the preceding years with current statistics. Kim went to John Steuber, State Director/Supervisory Wildlife Biologist (USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services) to have a look at those figures. I have received those figures for 2006 and 2010. What I see is more than alarming and it is a side of the wolf issue that has not been adequately addressed.

Mr.Steuber stated in an email, “The attachment shows all verified and report predator damage for the years 2006 and 2010. I’m stunned at the increase in depredations from 2006 to 2010.” “Remember that this includes damage that was reported to us as well as damage we verified. I’m guessing that one of the reasons other predator damage went up is because we were forced to spend more and more time trying to deal with the exploding wolf population and the damage wolves do. Wolves have made it almost impossible to do much preventative work on coyotes, that is work to prevent livestock depredations before they occur. We are just not able to get up on summer range ahead of the cattle and sheep anymore since we are so busy with wolf work. During this same time period we did not get any additional money from the Federal government or from the state (Fish, Wildlife and Parks). We are losing the battle. I am appalled that the number of livestock killed by predators has increased so dramatically.”

To give you an idea of the problem, here are a few comparisons. In 2006 coyotes killed 111 calves and 698 lambs, in 2010 (to date) there have been 1,348 calves and 2,488 lambs killed. This is about a 474% increase in four years! There has been a tenfold increase with the same type livestock killed by grizzly bears. Black bears are responsible for a 150% increase in the same time period. I also have the figures for lion, and fox kills. These show dramatic increases as well. As the wolf continues to decimate game animals the other predators will be forced to seek other food sources such as livestock and pets. The problem is going get much worse if the wolf population is not controlled soon.

On top of that are the funding problems Wildlife Services are experiencing. Resources have been diverted to mitigate wolf depredation. This has resulted in less aircraft control of coyotes and less time on the ground by control specialists. In this year alone, collections paid by stock growers amounted to $251,660 and expenditures are estimated to be $528,250. Per-capita fees, 100% paid by livestock producers, are used for predator control and it should be noted that predator control is the only benefit some ranchers may get for the taxes they pay.

I find it unconscionable that they are experiencing a dramatic increase in livestock losses and a decrease in the protection they pay for. To put it another way, the per-capita paid has increased while the predator control has decreased. The control of coyotes by aircraft is in jeopardy which will further compound the losses to Montana’s livestock industry.

Our elected leaders are slow to resolve the issue. I have been convinced for years that the wolf introduction/protection will prove to be a ecological disaster that will take decades to recover from, if ever. Montana’s ranchers and sportsmen deserve better and the wolf should be treated like the vermin it is.

Western Members Introduce Bill to Delist Gray Wolf

Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including regulations), the inclusion of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) (including any gray wolf designated as “non-essential experimental”) on any list of endangered species or threatened species under section 4(c)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 1533(c)(1)) shall have no force or effect.

Bishop’s Counsel, Releases from US Representative Rob Bishop, December 2, 2010 [here]

Washington – Today eight Members of the Congressional Western Caucus joined together to introduce the State Sovereignty Wildlife Management Act [here]. The legislation returns management authority of gray wolves to the states and removes the gray wolf from the endangered species list respectively. Unmanaged wolf populations pose a serious threat to key wildlife species throughout the West. Wildlife officials in many states have attributed declines in their big game herds to the unchecked growth of wolf packs. The State Sovereignty Wildlife Management Act would improve the balance of both wolf and prey populations by allowing individual states to develop management plans that address their unique needs.

In states where gray wolves exist, wildlife resource agencies and their personnel will develop successful management programs that will ensure the long-term health and vitality of wildlife populations throughout the West. However, in order to implement these programs, the wolf must be delisted as an endangered or threatened species.

“State and local wildlife management agencies and their personnel have proven capable of managing and preserving gray wolf populations. In fact, thanks to their efforts, the gray wolf is thriving throughout the West,” said Western Caucus Chairman Rob Bishop. “The federal government needs to get out of the way and allow the knowledgeable experts to begin implementation of programs designed to meet the unique and individual needs of their state’s wildlife. I have the utmost confidence that, with this legislation, states will be able to successfully manage each wolf population and ensure their long-term health and viability.”

“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s goal to recover wolves in Wyoming was met long ago. Wolves are thriving, but Wyoming’s ranchers and large game herds are taking a hit – the Gros Ventre moose herd, for example, has been decimated. All the while Washington stands idly by, and activist courts continually move the goal posts. Instead of waiting for Washington to fulfill its end of the bargain by delisting the wolf, it’s time the states take things into their own hands. Our experts in Wyoming are best suited to manage wolves in our state,” said Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis.

“Returning wolf management to the states isn’t a partisan issue that pits Republicans against Democrats. It’s about state’s rights. After holding hearings in Montana and reading thousands of comments, it’s clear that folks in Western states like Montana are sick and tired of powerful environmental interest groups funded out of places like San Francisco and New York telling us how to manage our lands, resources and wildlife,” said Congressman Denny Rehberg.

“State wildlife agencies are in the best position to manage wildlife, not judges. They know the geography, habitat, and what it takes for native wildlife populations to thrive. Allowing extreme environmentalists to dictate wildlife management and abuse the Endangered Species Act is bad for wildlife, property rights, and people. State wildlife agencies should not be prevented by activist judges or Washington bureaucrats from doing their job,” said Congressman Dean Heller.

“Judge Malloy’s decision to put wolves back on the endangered species list is wreaking havoc in Idaho,” said Congressman Mike Simpson. “It is frustrating to me that some people persist in acting as though the end goal in this process is to simply keep wolves on the endangered species list instead of to recover the species so that it can be properly managed by the states. It is clear that wolf recovery has exceeded goals and expectations and that Idaho’s state management plan has proven effective, and we need to act now to restore the states’ authority to manage these animals.”

“The federal government must allow states to manage wolf populations. Recent court rulings signal judicial support for state management plans,” said Congressman Jason Chaffetz. “Now is the time for Congress to act. Wolf populations have grown significantly since first receiving protection under the Endangered Species Act. It is appropriate to have the wolf delisted at this time. The states are better equipped to manage and maintain recovered wolf populations.”
The following Western Caucus Members joined in introducing today’s bill:

Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01)

Rep. Cynthia Lummis (WY-At Large)

Rep. Denny Rehberg (MT-At Large)

Rep. Mike Simpson (ID-02)

Rep. Trent Franks (AZ-02)

Rep. Wally Herger (CA-02)

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT-03)

Rep. Dean Heller (NV-02)