Conservationists Want Probe into Reports of Wolf Baiting Conservation groups want the Interior secretary to order an investigation by the inspector general into allegations that a Mexican gray wolf was baited into killing a cow so the wolf in turn could be killed. Representatives of 15 conservationist and environmental groups, in a letter dated Thursday to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, said an investigation should be launched into the possibility the wolf was killed through abuse of government-provided telemetry radio receivers and by ranchers taking advantage of a rule that requires removal of any wolf that kills three head of livestock within a year. Kempthorne's office could not immediately comment until officials had seen the letter. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been looking into a December report in High Country News _ an online, independent biweekly news magazine _ that quoted an employee of Adobe-Slash Ranch in Catron County, Mike Miller, as saying, ``We would sacrifice a calf to get a third strike.'' The article alleged ranch hands branded cattle near the wolf's den. Miller denied the allegations in the article, written by contributing editor John Dougherty. High Country News editor Jonathan Thompson said the magazine stands by its story. The conservation groups also asked for an investigation by law enforcement, with prosecution if warranted....
The Next Great Hunt On a cold, sunny day on the treeless plains of north-central Montana, hunters close in on their prey. Several bison and their calves watch nervously as a pickup truck slowly circles them, a rifle pointed out of the passenger window. A shot rings out, and a few minutes later, a young bison calf plops down on the ground, grunting and squirming. The hunting party—a team of biologists—moves in, warily eyeing the larger bison, eager to get a blood sample and move away from the agitated creatures. Once they fill a giant plastic syringe, they give the calf a shot, and it stands up on wobbly legs and staggers back to the herd. Welcome to the American Prairie Foundation preserve, the front lines of the efforts to save America’s bison and restore a large swath of the North American Great Plains. The bison is often heralded as the nation’s first and greatest conservation victory—in the last century the population grew from fewer than 1,000 to half a million—but the story is not that simple....
Forest Service backs off from Meeker Ranch demolition Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Craig Bobzien is suspending plans to demolish decaying buildings at the old Meeker Ranch near Custer pending discussions with artist Jon Crane and others who want to save the place. Bobzien said Thursday that he plans to meet with Crane sometime in April, after the artist and his wife, Gail, return from a winter on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. The Cranes are driving to Mexico now in a four-wheel-drive mobile home. Bobzien and other Black Hills National Forest officials had planned to demolish all but the original cabin at the ranch, located about four miles northeast of Custer. A house built later and other decrepit buildings on the ranch site, as well as a cistern, pose hazards for the public, Bobzien said. But Crane believes the buildings can and should be saved. He hopes to paint a series of watercolors of the place and dedicate a percentage of sales to its preservation. Crane said Thursday by cell phone from New Mexico that he was encouraged by Bobzien's decision. Crane wants to clear up some confusion about the wishes of the last private owner of the Meeker Ranch, Ina Davis. Davis sold the 278-acre ranch to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which then sold it to the U.S. Forest Service....
Road, Trails Protection Pact to Be Signed Soon Two documents currently being finalized will empower multiple agencies in the Ouray County area to preserve access to public roads and trails, dating back to when the county was created in 1877. The first document is a Memorandum of Understanding that will create a “partnership” between public land managers, members of the recreation community – including motorized and non-motorized users, and Ouray County public officials. Members of the various organizations are uniting in a unique effort to identify and codify which public roads and trails merit future protections from private encroachments. The purpose of the agreement is to “preserve and protect” trails “at risk of disappearing,” and with that historic public access into perpetuity. The Memorandum of Understanding provides for “acquisition of necessary easements” from private landowners, negotiation, reciprocal easements as may be acquired by the county through its development processes, and the United States Forest Service through “any appropriate regulations permitting land trades.”....
States prepare for wolf hunts With gray wolves in the Northern Rockies poised to come off the endangered species list in the coming weeks, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming are moving ahead with plans to begin hunts as early as this fall. It's still unclear, though, how the states will use the hunts to manage the population in the long term and how many people will plunk down the money for a tag. "It's certainly uncharted territory for Montana, at least in recent times," said Quentin Kujala, management bureau chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife division. There are more than 1,500 wolves in the Northern Rockies, but hunting and other measures will likely keep the population between 880 and 1,250 after delisting, according to Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Federal officials said wolves in the three states are recovered and ready to come off the endangered species list. The delisting rule is expected to be published around Feb. 20 and take effect 30 days later. The decision will mean that Montana, Wyoming and Idaho officials will take over management. A key part of all three states' plans is instituting a hunt....
FWP seeks comments on grizzly resolution The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission is seeking public comment on a draft resolution that urges federal wildlife biologists to finish their status review of grizzly bears by the end of 2008. The measure also calls for Congress to provide complete funding for grizzly conservation efforts and for removing the bears from the Endangered Species List in the Lower 48 states. The agency estimates it will cost $1.6 million this year to manage the grizzly population. The commission wants grizzlies removed from federal protection. It tentatively adopted the resolution Dec. 20 and is taking public comments until Feb 1. The FWP is pushing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fulfill its commitment to finish its analysis of grizzly bear populations in Montana, Idaho and Washington. The FWP commission wants all grizzlies in the state removed from the endangered list, not just those in the greater Yellowstone area....
Wildlife department looking into cattle killings State wildlife officers are looking for those involved in the recent shootings of 2 dozen cattle and a llama in northeastern Oklahoma. Captain Jeff Brown with the state Wildlife Department says it appears someone is driving around and shooting the animals just for meanness. Most of the shootings have been in the Chelsea area east of Oologah Lake and the latest occurred Christmas night when three cows and the llama were shot. Brown says it's often difficult to see if a dead cow has been shot because the hide closes over the bullet hole. He says any rancher who finds a dead cow should report it to authorities to determine if the animal was shot.
Argentinean Beef Industry Shrinks, Ranch Lands Decline By 10 Percent Despite Argentineans' love for beef, farms are switching to other crops caused by rising grain prices and beef export limits. Rather than raise herds, Argentinean farmers are slowly switching to planting wheat and other lucrative crops resulting to a 10 percent drop in ranch lands. Pablo Adreani, economic analyst of AgriPAC Consultores, said since 2005, 18.3 million acres (7.4 million hectares) have been converted to grain farms. The domestic market has been flooded with local beef as a result of an export cap placed by former Argentinean President Nestor Kirchner to contain inflation. The export limit caused the decline of Argentina's beef exports causing it to fall from number one until the 1950s to fourth in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rankings, behind Brazil, Australia and India. By 2008, Argentina will likely slip to fifth place behind Canada....
Tough lives of ranchers captured For every Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight, storied, wealthy Western cattlemen, there are a hundred "Red" Howells, maybe a thousand, with their small, hardscrabble outfits going from OK to bust, drought to glut. In "A Red Howell Fit" (Raging Brook Press, $20), Beth Smith Aycock and Jorga Riggenbach have created a historical novel based on the life of "a quintessential Southwest rancher, Lewis 'Red' Howell." Howell, who was born in Texas in 1886 and died in Arizona in the 1970s, ranched in West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Not a perfect human but a likable one, and eventually his bad luck overwhelmed the good. Aycock and Riggenbach paint an unsentimental picture of the hard, unpredictable lives that early ranchers lived.