Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Report: Barbed wire fences deadly to sage grouse

An ongoing study found that collisions with a relatively short section of barbed-wire fence killed dozens of sage grouse over a seven-month period, research that could affect a decision on whether to protect the bird under the Endangered Species Act. In the results released last week, researchers with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department documented 146 instances of finding sage grouse feathers and/or carcasses on or near a 4.7-mile section of barbed-wire fence near Farson in western Wyoming. Placing colored tags on the fence to make the wire more visible seemed to reduce the number of birds killed by about 60 percent, the study also found. However, the research suggests that quite a few sage grouse are dying as a result of colliding with the thousands of miles of barbed-wire fence crisscrossing the West, biologists said. "It's probably indicative of other fences that we're just not watching," Pat Deibert, lead U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist for the sage grouse listing decision, said Tuesday...read more

No problem. Just knock down your fences and hobble all your cattle. Make sure those hobbles are made with organic fiber.

7 comments:

Brett said...

Don't laugh. If they can convince themselves that mandating the implanting of microchips in all livestock is practical and useful, certainly Organic Hobble mandates and fencing restrictions are on the table.

Anonymous said...

GOOD GOD, you two. People are trying to keep sage grouse off the Endangered Species List and you can't see past your own noses.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should get rid of that hunting season...

Frank DuBois said...

My nose is a little crooked, but I can see past it. Been following the sage grouse issue since the '90's when Ron Micheli, then Wyo's Ag Secretary briefed me and other at NASDA.

Ridicule is one of the most effective ways of criticizing a proposal, which is what I was doing here.

Brett said...

I can see the horizon just fine, actually. It's the space from the face up to the edge of my nose that is the problem. It still looks fine in the mirror, though.

Seriously, though, I was just being my ornery self. I wish the folks all the best of luck keeping the bird off the ESA. I am not quite the insider that Mr. DuBois is. I think we are all painfully aware of what is going on, and are all trying to keep things in some sort of workable order. We do need a little fun, though. A 100% focus on politics of any kind will certainly make you miserable, and probably drive you insane if you stick at it.

Nobody has addressed the most serious issue with putting streamers on the fences, though. What are you going to do about the High Schoolers, who will now be excitedly zipping up and down the fences in beat up trucks and Jeeps looking for the party?

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wctube said...

The Forest Service is in trouble for a controlled burn that filled the Yakima Valley with thick smoke for five hours in late September. .