Wyoming Conservation Projects to Receive RMEF Grants

MISSOULA, Mont. – Wildlife conservation projects in 12 Wyoming counties have been selected to receive grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in 2010.

The new RMEF funding, totaling $335,500, will affect Albany, Big Horn, Carbon, Converse, Fremont, Hot Springs, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, Sheridan, Sublette and Teton counties.

“These grants are possible because of the successful banquets and fundraisers staged over the past year by our Wyoming volunteers, most of whom are elk hunters as well as devoted conservationists,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. “Since 1984, our annual grants have helped complete 408 different projects in Wyoming with a combined value of more than $40 million.” Read more

A Warning To Outdoor Users About Echinococcus, From Worms

by

Tom Remington

This is a warning to outdoor users about a potentially deadly biological event that could result from one’s curiosity to poke at and kick through scat from wolves, coyotes and foxes. Of course not everyone knowingly does this but many hunters, trappers and simply the curious, want to know what these animals have been eating.

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Picture This!

With all the great stories, equipment, adventures and people out there I thought it would be great to get some pictures.  If you have any pictures from a hunt, your gear or best of all you geared up that would be great.  If you send in pictures I will post on our site as well as putting some of the best pictures on all our sites.

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Wolf Protectors Uncloak Greed, Reveal Irrational Behavior

Sportsmen across Idaho this morning are claiming some sort of victory in the ongoing wolf debate, as hunters will take to the field with the hopes of bagging a wolf. Yesterday’s hearing in federal court, aimed at putting an emergency halt to the wolf hunt, ended without a decision from Judge Donald Molloy. He promised a quick ruling. While people wait, hunters are taking advantage of the situation and heading afield.

But in the court room yesterday, the plaintiffs, a group of 13 environmentalists fighting against the wolf hunts, openly displayed their greed when the lawyer for Earthjustice told Judge Molloy that there needed to be 3,000 to 5,000 wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains region before they would consider the reintroduction a success. He didn’t say they would deem it a success. He said they would consider it a success. This has been part of the problem from the onset. 3,000 to 5,000 wolves is a far cry from the original claim that 300 wolves would do the trick. The environmentalists just keep moving the goal posts further away. Read more

Panel Discussions On Wolves A True Reflection

I was just reading an article in the KPVI.com website in regards to a panel discussion that was held at the Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho on wolves. We know debates about wolves become emotional and passionate and as you have come to expect, I’ll add flame to that fire this morning.

Those in attendance? Read more

The List Grows To Sue U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Over Wolves

Not what most have come to expect when talking of lawsuits brought against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pertaining to endangered species, some are suing because they have been left out of delisting. While there is a list of eco-fascist groups suing to stop the feds from removing the gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act protection list, this time around a group is suing the feds because Wyoming was excluded from states where wolves should be delisted.

Among others, agencies that have joined a lawsuit include the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Wyoming Wool Growers Association, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife Wyoming, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, and the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association. Read more

More Idahoans Demanding Something Be Done About Wolf Management

From reports I’ve gotten about a recent meeting in Hailey, Idaho about wolves, perhaps the tide is beginning to turn in favor of once and for all forcing the hand of the federal government to let the people of that state and others take care of the gray wolves the feds dumped in their back yards over 14 years ago.

I wasn’t at that meeting but one report I have says as many as 350 were in attendance and the estimate was that 99.9% were there hoping to see wolves managed properly by the state before more damage is done by expanding wolf packs. Read more

Wolf Wars Appear Eminent

Speaking of gray wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming only, it now appears that wolf wars may be on the horizon. Sportsmen, ranchers, individuals, legislators and other rational thinking people are coming to the end of their ropes on this wolf issue. One item may have temporarily stemmed the tide – Obama’s announcement to proceed with removing federal protection of the wolf. How long will this put off the inevitable?

This means very little to most in the Northern Rockies who have been lied to in the past, promises made and promises reneged on. And now in some areas, sportsmen sit helplessly by as years of money and effort are being flushed down the drain as an unmanaged and out of control wolf pack destroys deer and elk herds. Read more

New Wolf Control Facts

Note: The following article was originally printed in The Outdoorsman No. 33, February 2009 by the publisher, George Dovel. With his permission, I am republishing for Black Bear Blog readers.

Before I present the current Idaho wolf population data, the following highlights from the Alaska Board of Game wolf and bear control program approved in early March 2009 are very interesting. Because Alaska DFG Biologists are the undisputed experts in North American wolf research and in state control of wolves adversely impacting big game populations, this information should be read and discussed by every legislator and biologist involved in the wolf delisting process.

In early February, 2009, before the AK Game Board even met to consider requests for wolf control, Defenders of Wildlife (DOW) mounted a television campaign in opposition to aerial wolf control, using Hollywood actress Ashley Judd as its spokesperson. Judd called aerial killing of wolves “senseless savagery,” and attacked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for approving the practice (ID and MT take note). Read more

People Think Obama Should Oppose Wolf Delisting Because Bush Supported It

It appears maybe Barack Obama will have his recent statement that all his decisions will be based on science tested immediately. Shortly before leaving office, the Bush administration once again announced plans to remove protection of the gray wolf. Upon Obama’s taking over the White House, an order was sent out suspending all pending actions by the Bush administration. This included the wolf delisting proposal.

Ken Salazar took over at the Department of Interior and recently it was announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would proceed with the proposal Bush and then Sec. Dirk Kempthorne had devised. Needless to say this angered a lot of people who, it seems, just assumed that Obama would oppose delisting because it was a Bush initiative. Read more

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