HSI investigates fake family units illegally entering U.S. (Child recycling rings uncovered)

  "We've uncovered child recycling rings where the same child is brought across the border multiple times, with a different adult to try to gain that release family units are required under court orders," said McAleenan.

 As an increase in immigrant families crossing the Southern Border continues to be a topic in the Rio Grande Valley, as well as nationwide, agents say they may not all be valid family units. "It's part of the fraud scheme that we're seeing, because they know that they'll be released into the United States if they have a child," said Maria Michel-Manzo, Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). ASAC Michel-Manzo is responsible for managing, directing and coordinating all operational and administrative activities for HSI for Hidalgo and Starr Counties. She says her agents are working around the clock to assist Border Patrol to determine whether family units coming across illegally are truly related. "When they're in Mexico, there have been instances if you're paying a certain about of money, they'll sell you a child to come across with," said ASAC Michel-Manzo. Border Patrol agents are apprehending on average 1,000 people daily in the Rio Grande Valley. "We continue to see these family units and unaccompanied children turn themselves into agents throughout the Valley," said Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Marcelino Medina. Once immigrants are apprehended, they are asked a series of questions to determine how they are related, if at all. Body language is also a key factor for identifying fraudulent causes, according to ASAC Michel-Manzo. "After the initial interview, there's always a secondary interview and there's red flags that come up during the interviews," said Michel-Manzo, "There's been a high rate of male head of households traveling with children and historically it was always the females/mothers." If agents determine the child is not traveling with his or her real parents, they are then considered to be an unaccompanied minor and turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). "They're the ones that do the leg work to get them back to their country, find them a shelter or maybe with a family member or sponsor in the United States," said ASAC Michel-Manzo. Acting Department of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan says it's becoming a growing trend. "We've uncovered child recycling rings where the same child is brought across the border multiple times, with a different adult to try to gain that release family units are required under court orders," said McAleenan. According to CBP records, family units are up 374% from this same time last year throughout the southwest border...MORE

Environmentalists see victory with Green New Deal blitz

Environmentalists and lawmakers are praising a Democratic messaging blitz that they say has put the problem of global warming back at the forefront of the national conversation. Since Democrats took back control of the House, roughly 14 congressional hearings have been held on topics related to climate change, a striking change from the years when Republicans ran both chambers of Congress. Polls are also showing that many Democratic voters are concerned about climate change, increasing the odds, green groups hope, that candidates will talk about the issue and potentially take action if they are elected. New debates also have opened up in both the House and Senate on the need to tackle climate change, putting pressure on GOP lawmakers to put together their own plans and raising the temperature on Democrats to take more serious legislative steps on the issue. “Obviously we’ve seen a much more substantive debate on how we address climate change and build a thriving green economy,” said Charlie Cray, senior research specialist at GreenPeace. “Until now, all we’ve seen is Republicans denying climate change is real and Democrats pushing back based on science. And that’s not enough.” For Elizabeth Schuster, energy policy manager at Food and Water Watch, the change in messaging in Congress has been night and day. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Although they were slowed by the shutdown, the [Democratic leadership] created the House Select Committee on Climate Crisis, the House was able to hold hearings on climate change, it’s a big welcome change,” she said...MORE

Investigators: Border Patrol capturing MS-13 gang members travelling with families

As the surge of undocumented immigrants continues to cross our nation’s southern border through southern Arizona, the News 4 Tucson Investigators have learned that some of those people coming across have ties to dangerous Central American gangs, and that number is increasing. “We are seeing many MS-13 gang members apprehended here in the Tucson Sector. We attribute that to the hard work of the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol that are out there on the front-lines day and night,” Agent Jacob Stukenberg told the News 4 Tucson Investigators. In the ongoing battle against illegal immigration, U.S. Border Patrol agents working in the Tucson sector are seeing more and more undocumented immigrants who have ties to gangs — including MS-13 and others. “It is not just MS-13 gang members that we apprehend. We apprehend other individuals from other gangs also, however MS-13 is one of the most notable ones,” Stukenberg said. According to the latest numbers reviewed by the News 4 Tucson Investigators, since October first of last year, nationwide, agents have apprehended nearly 500 undocumented immigrants with gang affiliations. Customs and Border Protection is on pace to top last year’s number of more than 800...MORE

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

TGIFF! Today we celebrate our 100th Fiddle Friday with a pretty lass, Hillary Klug and her version of Going Across The Sea (2018). You can catch them all by going to our Fiddle Playlist . THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

https://youtu.be/P4RCnNkXbE0

Asylum seekers to be housed at Las Cruces High School gym over Easter break

ABC-7 has learned Las Cruces High School will be used to house immigrants seeking asylum during the Easter break, according to a spokesperson with the Las Cruces Public Schools district. The immigrants are expected to arrive at the LCHS gym Thursday night, where they will remain until Monday. Damien Willis, with LCPS, told ABC-7 the decision to house the migrants at Las Cruces High was made by the Dona Ana County Office of Emergency Management, in coordination with the City of Las Cruces, through a standard use agreement in place. Per the agreement, Willis said, the only facility in the LCPS system allowed to house the migrants is Las Cruces High School...MORE

ACLU calls for investigation of armed vigilantes detaining migrants in New Mexico

Videos have surfaced online that show a vigilante group trying to privately detain hundreds of migrants near New Mexico's southern border. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico is calling for an investigation of an armed vigilante militia group that is detaining migrants near Sunland Park. The ACLU of NM sent a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Attorney General Hector Balderas on Friday. The vigilante group describes themselves as the United Constitutional Patriots and they have already arrested nearly 300 people. In the letter, the ACLU says that the actions of the United Constitutional Patriots "undermine the legitimate efforts of our state's law enforcement officials to keep New Mexico families safe and they erode community trust." In a statement, Balderas said: “My office has been informed that this week, an armed group has detained nearly 300 people near Sunland Park, New Mexico. These individuals should not attempt to exercise authority reserved for law enforcement.”...MORE

New Mexico cabinet secretary tours migrant shelters in Las Cruces

State officials from New Mexico are touring migrant shelters in Las Cruces on Thursday as the city nears the end of its first week accepting asylum seekers. According to city officials, as of midnight Thursday the city has accepted about 940 asylum seekers, with an additional 140 expected to arrive at 1 p.m. New Mexico cabinet secretary for homeland security Jackie White toured the Gospel Rescue Mission in Las Cruces, the shelter that’s been serving as the city’s main staging area for migrant drop-offs from the Border Patrol. White said the point of her visit was to look at how processing is going and hear from shelters on their needs going forward. Donations have continued to pour in, but the city’s shelters said they are experiencing volunteer burnout from the long hours spent feeding and processing migrants. During a tour of the Doña Ana County Triage Center on Thursday, White said that the city of Santa Fe has committed to start taking in migrants to ease the strain on Las Cruces...MORE

720 migrants arrested in New Mexico in 24 hours

More than 700 migrants have been taken into custody in less than 24 hours along the border in southern New Mexico. The U.S. Border Patrol says a group of 230 people was encountered at the Antelope Wells port of entry after midnight Tuesday. A second group of more than 360 people was reported minutes later just west of Mount Cristo Rey near Sunland Park. Another group of more than 130 people later came through Antelope Wells. Authorities say the El Paso sector, which includes part of West Texas and all of New Mexico, documented over 1,800 apprehensions on Tuesday. The surge caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico after a militia group posted a video of the migrants. The civil rights organization contends the group had no authority to ask the migrants to stop while Border Patrol was called KOB

NYC passes sweeping climate bill likened to 'Green New Deal'

New York City approved a sweeping climate legislation package Thursday that is being compared to the Green New Deal. In a 45-2 vote, the city legislature passed the Climate Mobilization Act, which aims to enact the largest carbon reduction measures of any city globally. At the heart of the package is a bill that would require New York’s largest residential and commercial buildings to reduce carbon emissions 40 percent by 2040 and 80 percent by 2050. In comparison, the Green New Deal resolution introduced in Congress aims to get the U.S. electric grid running on 100 percent green energy by 2030. The NYC bill’s requirements focus on buildings over 25,000 square feet, which represent just 2 percent of New York’s real estate yet account for about half of emissions from all buildings in the city. Overall, 70 percent of emissions in the city come from buildings. Buildings that would be bound to the new emissions regulations include One World Trade Center and Trump Tower...MORE

Otero County declares state of emergency regarding immigration

Otero County declared a state of emergency Wednesday, calling on New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to deploy the National Guard to reopen the Customs and Border Patrol checkpoints that were closed in March. The resolution was passed unanimously with amendments. The declaration notes the need for open checkpoints to stop drugs and illegal activity at the border. “If this demand is not met by the State of New Mexico in one week’s time, the County of Otero will take action itself to provide security and safety and well-being for the people in this county,” Otero County Commission Chairman Couy Griffin said. “Otero County will also consider litigation in regards to the State of New Mexico failing to follow its constitutional duties towards the people of Otero County.” U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints in the El Paso Sector, which includes West Texas and all of New Mexico temporarily shut down in late March, as agents were pulled to help process a large influx of migrants claiming asylum at the border. The permanent highway checkpoints are part of the Border Patrol's immigration and smuggling enforcement system in the border region...MORE

Drone used to guide undocumented immigrants into U.S.

EL PASO, Texas - Human smugglers are resorting to the use of drones to help guide groups of undocumented immigrants looking to enter the United States, the Border Patrol said. Earlier this week, a U.S. Border Patrol agent was monitoring the border at night utilizing an infrared camera when he observed a small airborne object traveling northbound across the U.S. International boundary. The object traveled approximately 100 yards over U.S. soil and then return to Mexico, officials said. The object repeated this pattern three times. Approximately two minutes after the object returned back to Mexico for the third time, a group of ten undocumented immigrants entered the U.S. illegaly in the same area in which the object had been hovering. Border Patrol agents immediately took the group of undocumented immigrants into custody. "This is the first known time in recent history that a drone has been utilized as a 'look-out' in order to aid in illegal entries in the El Paso Sector," said the Border Patrol in a news release. Tuesday, April 16th began with two large groups shortly before 1 a.m. The first group of over 230 people was encountered at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in the boot heel of New Mexico at 12:45 a.m. The second group was encountered just west of Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, New Mexico, consisting of more than 360 people around 12:50 am. The Antelope Wells Port of Entry would encounter a second large group consisting of more than 130 subjects right before the end of day at 11:45 p.m...MORE

Greg Norman’s Colorado Ranch Is a Sportsman’s Paradise—and It Just Hit the Market for $50 Million

While Tiger Woods may have stolen the show—and the gold—at the 2019 Masters this past weekend, many of us still remember when Australian pro Greg Norman was the talk of the green. And the golfing legend has kept busy since his championship days of yore, especially in the world of luxury homes and products. In fact, his eponymously named Greg Norman Company operates over a dozen enterprises, ventures ranging from wakeboarding to Wagyu beef. But when the entrepreneur isn’t busy building luxury homes in Los Cabos, he’s been known to kick back in his own personal oasis—a 14,000-square-foot ranch house in Meeker, Colorado. Now, the golfer is offering up his retreat to another lucky soul; the property has just been relisted for $50 million. Known by the owners as Seven Lakes Ranch, the property isn’t just a home; it features 11,600 acres of mountainside tranquility and trails, all bordered by the White River National Forest. Originally purchased from businessman Henry Kravis, Norman had fallen in love with Meeker and its promise of freedom and seclusion—something that was in short supply during his high-profile career.
The main lodge comes with eight bedrooms and nine baths, plus two guest half baths. The first floor boasts 30-foot vaulted ceilings, a saloon-esque bar, formal dining area, state-of-the-art kitchen and a movie theater room. An antler chandelier adorns the main entryway, and stone fireplaces and metallic finishes give the whole space a Wild-West-meets-taxidermy-chic look. But the ranch didn’t always have such a rustic-glam aesthetic. It had previously been used as a corporate retreat under Kravis, so when Norman inherited it, the interiors had a dark, heavy, more professional color palette. Luckily, in addition to meat, eyewear and sports gear, Greg Norman Company also has a baked-in design arm: Norman Design Group, led by Norman’s wife, Kirsten. After two summers of revamp, the space went from professional respite to sportsman’s paradise...MORE

Rick Perry Planning His Exit as Trump’s Energy Secretary, Sources Say

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is planning to leave the Trump administration and is finalizing the terms and timing of his departure, according to two people familiar with his plans. While Perry’s exit isn’t imminent and one person familiar with the matter said the former Texas governor still hasn’t fully made up his mind, three people said he has been seriously considering his departure for weeks. All of the people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. An Energy Department spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, rejected the idea that Perry would be leaving the administration any time soon. “He is happy where he is serving President Trump and leading the Department of Energy,” she said in a statement. The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Perry, an Air Force veteran who was previously Texas’s longest-serving governor, has enjoyed a good rapport with President Donald Trump. Trump personally asked Perry if he’d take over as Homeland Security secretary, before the president asked Kirstjen Nielsen to resign earlier this month, two of the people said. Perry declined, they said. Perry has been preparing the agency’s deputy secretary, Dan Brouillette, for the transition, two people said. It’s unclear if Trump would name Brouillette as secretary. Part of Perry’s motivation in seeking to leave before the end of Trump’s first term is a desire to build his income before retiring, two people said...MORE

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

Here is some early Flatt & Scruggs:I'll Never Shed Another Tear (1950). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

https://youtu.be/dtk7XyiuCXU

Meat Industry Lobbyist Eric Bohl Found Impossible Whopper 95% Beef Accurate

“I’ve tasted it with my own mouth, and this fake meat is ready for prime time.”

Director of Missouri farm Bureau tried the Burger King’s Impossible (vegan) Whopper that is plant-based, alongside the original beef-based counterpart. And according to him, based on what he tasted, “these plant-based “burgers” are here to stay.”
According to Eric Bohl, the new shift of innovations in the plant-based burger patties are ‘fundamentally different’ than that were earlier. He said until now, plant-based products like burger patties primarily marketed themselves as a health-conscious alternative to beef-based ones and barely any products even tried to mimic the look, feel, taste and taste of beef. All those products tried to be the best version of themselves. On contrary to this, he said, Impossible Foods have deliberately taken the ‘different route.’

“If I didn’t know what I was eating, I would have no idea it was not beef.”

“Unlike many predecessors, the company is not hoping to guilt or shame consumers into buying an inferior product on moral grounds. Its goal is to make a patty indistinguishable from animal-based meat,” said Eric Bohl, after he barely found any distinction between the two burgers, despite the Impossible Whopper being 100% plant-derived.

“If farmers and ranchers think we can mock and dismiss these products as a passing fad, we’re kidding ourselves,” Bohl said after sampling the two burgers that he purchased for a side by side comparison. He said the plant-based Whopper isn’t any random product or ‘another disgusting tofu burger’ that only a dedicated hippie could convince himself to eat. Instead “it’s 95 percent of the way there” and the recipe will only get better with time. 

READ ENTIRE POST 

Armed U.S. militia in New Mexico catches 300 illegals

Hundreds of asylum seekers who were trying to cross the border illegally Tuesday night surrendered to an an independent group of armed New Mexico citizens. DailyMail.com reported an estimated 300 men, women and children gave themselves up to the ‘United Constitutional Patriots.” The group, which says it’s comprised of veterans and former police officers, turned over custody of the asylum seekers to U.S. Border Patrol agents. One of the members of the group, Jim Benvie, streamed live on Facebook the handover. Benvie had been camping out on the New Mexico-Chihuahua border for two months, DailyMail.com reported. “I literally walked out and I looked, and all I saw was hundreds of people coming at us,” said Benvie. He said that once the migrants came, “then we did what we do, and that’s to help Border Patrol get them to the processing van. So, everybody is safe.” Asylum seekers are required to apply for asylum at ports of entry. Benvie described his group to DailyMail.com “We’re just Americans. We’re veterans, we’re ex-law enforcement, we’re people that care about our national security,” he said...MORE

Wyden says he will lead effort on new Owyhee initiative

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, announced last Saturday he will spearhead an effort to generate a multi-use plan for the Owyhee Canyonlands. Wyden, delivering the news at a town hall session at the Oregon Army National Guard Armory in Ontario, said the aim is to create a land use blueprint with input from ranchers, conservationists and residents. He said he wants to create a land use template for legislation that could reviewed by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as early as this fall. Wyden is a member of the committee. Wyden emphasized the effort will be collaborative. He said it will focus on finding a philosophical middle ground for an area that has long fueled debate between conservation groups and Malheur County ranchers and residents. “Our team will be talking to everybody. That’s how we do it,” he said. He dubbed the endeavor the Community Empowerment for Owyhee – or CEO – and said his office will “have to reach out to a lot of people.” He said the Owyhee Basin Stewardship Coalition, the local rangeland advocacy group, approached him for help last December, when group leaders visited Washington, D.C. Coalition chair “Steve Russell and the group asked me to step in,” said Wyden. Wyden said the CEO effort will focus on protecting current ranching uses in the Owyhee area, preserving the unique culture of the area while also protecting “the bedrock environmental value” of the Owyhees. In that effort, he said, “everyone will have to be talking to people who they disagree with.” “We need to get going on this because it has been going on so long. The Owyhee is a special place, and this has dragged on for years and years,” said Wyden. After the town hall, Russell and coalition vice chairman Mark MacKenzie said they are encouraged by Wyden’s effort...MORE

That is certainly not the process used by NM's two Senators. Their approach is:

---Receive a proposal from the NM Wilderness Alliance
---Make a big show of public input and collaboration
---Ignore the above and make only minor, insignificant tweaks to the NMWA proposal
---Encourage the President to create a monument by executive fiat, or
---Use the Heinrich Maneuver to attach legislation to an omnibus or must-pass bill

That, my friends, is a quick synopsis of how federal lands policy is made in NM

 

Steel fences, barbed wire, and natural barriers: The borders that divide us

The international border between New Mexico and Mexico stretches 180 miles. Some of it is closed off by steel walls. Other areas just have barbed wire fences. Doña Ana, Luna and Hidalgo are the three New Mexico counties that border Mexico. In Hidalgo County, the two countries share an 81-mile stretch of border. Several miles of that is Normandy fencing; dozens of miles of that perimeter is only barbed wire. "That is all of the barrier within Hidalgo County along our border," said Hidalgo County Manager Tisha Green. In the boot heel, much of the border is on private land. Many of the ranchers installed the barbed wire fences themselves. Rugged terrain is also an issue. "I don't see out in this area, out in Hidalgo County, where a wall would be even, where you'd even be able to put a wall up, in most the places, there's a lot of rough terrain," Green said. A few miles east, Luna County shares about 54 miles of border with Mexico. Normandy fencing, post and rail vehicle barriers, steel fences and barbed wire are the different structures the county has in place. "The barbed wire is the weakest link in our portion of the border," said Russell Johnson, a rancher in Deming. To the east of Luna is Doña Ana County, where they share 45 miles of border with Mexico. Most of the county has a structure in place along the border...MORE

Liquid Blood Extracted From 42,000-Year-Old Foal Found Frozen in Siberia

Scientists in the Yakutsk region of Siberia have managed to extract samples of liquid blood from a 42,000-year-old foal that was found embedded in permafrost back in 2018. The scientists are hoping to collect viable cells for the purpose of cloning the extinct species of horse. The male foal was discovered in the Batagaika depression on August 11, 2018. Permafrost left the remains in remarkably good shape, raising hopes that its cells could be extracted. The specimen is thought to belong to an extinct species of horse known as Lenskaya breed (also known as the Lena horse), as the Siberian Times reported last year. A collaboration between North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk and the South Korean Sooam Biotech Research Foundation is currently analyzing the remains with the explicit intent of cloning the prehistoric horse. To do so, however, the researchers would have to extract and grow viable somatic cells—something they haven’t been able to do just yet. More than 20 attempts to grow cells from the animal’s tissue have all failed. A detailed analysis of the horse began last month, with work expected to last until the end of April...MORE

District Attorney forms task force to investigate horse deaths at Santa Anita Racetrack

District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced Tuesday that she has formed a task force to investigate the horse deaths at Santa Anita Racetrack. The news comes in light of the deaths of 23 horses at the facility since Dec. 26. “I have formed a task force of experienced deputy district attorneys and sworn peace officers with varied expertise within my office who will thoroughly investigate and evaluate the evidence to determine whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety of horses at Santa Anita Park,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. Demonstrators from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protested outside the district attorney's downtown Los Angeles office just over a month ago to urge a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the horses' deaths, with a D.A.'s spokesman saying soon afterward that investigators had been assigned to work with the California Horse Racing Board. Santa Anita issued a statement saying it has been working cooperatively with investigators from Lacey's office. "Santa Anita has, is and will continue to fully cooperate with the district attorney's investigation,'' according to the track statement...MORE

Gun control group targets Nevada sheriffs over new law

A national gun control lobbying organization on Tuesday made Nevada the latest Western state where it is trying to show that gun rights groups including the National Rifle Association are behind a "Second Amendment sanctuary" drive. The Brady advocacy group said it believes gun rights advocates improperly orchestrated resolutions by rural lawmakers and sheriffs who say they won't enforce a new state law requiring background checks on all gun sales, including purchases at gun shows and on the internet. "These Nevada county commissions and sheriffs have gone rogue," Brady President Kris Brown said in a statement saying the officials are endangering public safety by declaring they won't enforce strict background checks. "If your job is to keep your constituents safe and defend public safety, you should have a vested interest in keeping guns out of dangerous hands," she said. The National Rifle Association didn't immediately respond to messages about the Brady organization filings seeking emails and communications from commissioners in four of Nevada's 17 counties and sheriffs in three. Don Turner, head of the pro-gun Nevada Firearms Coalition, said he supports the counties and sheriffs for balking at laws "that infringe on U.S. and Nevada constitutions." Brady spokesman Max Samis acknowledged that communications and lobbying happens on both sides of the gun issue. "This is different," he said. "This is telling law enforcement officers not to enforce the law." The push for documents in Nevada follows requests by the Brady organization for records last month in New Mexico, where at least 26 county commissions approved so-called Second Amendment sanctuary ordinances in opposition to an expanded gun background checks law due to take effect July 1...MORE

Sen. Ed Markey: “We are now in the era of the Green New Deal”

When it comes to the Green New Deal, most media attention has focused on first-term New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who’s leading a leftist insurgency in the Democratic Party. But when she introduced the resolution to Congress last month — a resolution calling for a total, rapid, and equitable decarbonization of the US economy — it was with a co-sponsor by her side: Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey. Markey is no insurgent; he is a consummate Democratic insider. He has been in Congress for more than four decades, first elected to the House in 1976, then to the Senate in 2013. He’s got a long legislative record, famously including the 2008 Waxman-Markey climate bill, which passed the House before dying in the Senate in 2010. That bill was later criticized — most notably by political scientist Theda Skocpol — for relying too heavily on insider, elite consensus and too little on a base of intense public support. So it’s notable that Markey is now backing a very different kind of effort, in the form of the Green New Deal: an outside-in strategy relying on organization and people power. Markey’s involvement doesn’t fit the media’s favored narrative that the GND is unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky socialism, so it doesn’t get discussed much. But I was curious about his take on exactly what’s in the resolution, what people have said about it, and how it might evolve — so I got in touch. The senator says the resolution has sparked a wave of education and interest, drawing in other members of Congress (he cites Ron Wyden, chair of the Appropriations Committee) and shifting poll numbers among Democratic primary voters. He is undaunted by the criticism the resolution has received and believes that “we are now in the era of the Green New Deal.”...MORE

Bloodsucking worms found in Florida rattlesnake species alarm researchers: It's a 'nasty situation'

A stomach-churning parasite typically known to infect southeast Asia’s Burmese python has now made its way to central Florida - and, scientists warn it could spread across the country in a matter of years. The worms, known as pentastome parasites, invade the lungs of their victims and feed exclusively on blood. While it’s well known that the presence of Burmese pythons is wreaking havoc on native species, scientists say they've identified an ‘alarming’ new cause for concern after discovering a dead pygmy rattlesnake with parasitic worms spilling out of its mouth. Experts say the parasite already appears to be traveling north, and there’s no telling how far or fast it will spread...MORE

First Yellowstone golden eagle fitted with tracker killed by lead poisoning

The first golden eagle in Yellowstone to be fitted with a tracking device has reportedly died of lead poisoning. ABC News reports officials with the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the death of the eagle and attributed the lead poisoning to the bird likely consuming lead bullet fragments while scavenging for food in the fall and winter months. The female eagle was equipped with a backpack-like radio transmitter that tracked its whereabouts at all times, with it recently flying outside the national park boundary. It likely ate the remains of an animal killed by hunters outside the park.

Since the bird was first equipped with the tracking unit, several others eagles have followed suit, maintaining research efforts for the animal...MORE

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

Today we feature Grandpa Jones' 1952 recording of The Closer To The Bone (The Sweeter Is The Meat). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

https://youtu.be/E5mIB0HRVIg