Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Sheep station scrutinized

Federal and state agencies, sportsmen groups and environmentalists are calling for an end to sheep grazing on a federal research ranch in the Centennial Mountains, saying the decades-long practice is coming at the expense of grizzly bears and other wildlife. The land, on the Montana-Idaho border south of Dillon, is part of the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, which was established in 1926 to conduct research on sheep breeds, grazing and rangeland health. Today, federal shepherds tend 3,000 sheep on more than 47,000 acres ranging from lowlands near Dubois, Idaho, to over 10,000 feet elevation on the property, which is run by the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. But several government agencies, as well as environmental groups, say keeping sheep in prime grizzly bear, wolf and bighorn sheep habitat so close to Yellowstone National Park has become a major impediment for those and other species to expand their range. But Jim Brown, a Dillon lawyer and spokesman for the Montana Wool Growers Association, said the criticism of the station is misguided. He disputed that the station is a problem for grizzlies, noting that only one has been killed in recent years on the station. Sheep producers say the station provides valuable data that helps the industry nationwide. And they say the station has been there for years and wildlife has thrived in the area, showing that its management has worked for everyone. But environmentalists and wildlife groups counter that while deer and elk can coincide with the station, it’s been a huge wall for predators and bighorn sheep. And they said with Congress considering deep spending cuts to bring runaway federal deficits under control, the sheep station is a waste of taxpayer money that benefits a small and shrinking industry...more

Let's see: Sheep and wildlife successfully living together for 85 years with research to back it up - no wonder the enviros want to shut it down

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