Formal charges filed in South Park bison deaths Texas businessman Jeffrey Scott Hawn has been charged with 32 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals in connection with the killing this past winter of 32 bison belonging to South Park rancher Monte Downare. The animal cruelty charges allege that between Feb. 26 and March 14, the 44-year-old Hawn unlawfully and knowingly "tortured, needlessly mutilated, or needlessly killed" the animals. Hawn is also charged with one count of theft of more than $20,000, alleging that Hawn intended to permanently deprive Downare of the bison and a single count of criminal mischief. Cruelty to animals is a Class 6 felony; and the theft and criminal mischief charges are both Class 3 felonies. Hawn is to appear in court on Aug. 4 to be advised of the charges. Pamela Mackey, Hawn's criminal defense lawyer, didn't return a call for comment. The shootings of the bison came shortly after Hawn and his Denver civil attorney, Stephen E. Csajaghy, complained about Downare's bison damaging Hawn's property....
Robert Redford Fights Global Warming With Poetry Robert Redford has been fighting on behalf of the environment for more than 30 years. From producing documentary films about solar power to lobbying Congress, his work has been both in the field and inside the Beltway. These days, he has a new venue for environmental activism: slam poetry. Sponsored by Redford's Sundance Preserve, in collaboration with Youth Speaks, a nonprofit that presents spoken-word performances, the Academy Award-winning actor is getting his message out in rhyme....
Grizzlies kill 71 sheep south of Choteau At least one and possibly two subadult grizzly bears have killed an estimated 71 sheep on two ranches southeast of Choteau since June 13, state and federal wildlife officials said on Monday. Snares have been set on both ranches but as of Monday nothing had been caught and wildlife officials were putting out the word that anyone recreating along the Teton River should be aware of the bears’ presence. Also, homeowners along the river corridor should take care to remove potential bear attractants — such as bird feeders, garbage and dog and cat food — from their yards and to put vulnerable small livestock — sheep, goats, chickens and ducks, for example — in safe, enclosed pens or buildings at night. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grizzly management specialist Mike Madel of Choteau on Monday said that the depredations occurred over at least five different nights on June 11 and 12 and then again on July 8, 9 and 10. The bear or bears killed 65 head of ewes and lambs owned by Zane Drishinski and six head owned by Bill and Betty Jo Miller in pastures along the Teton River about a mile south of Choteau on the east side of U.S. Highway 89, Madel said....
Governor names 5 to oversee easements Gov. Bill Ritter on Tuesday named five people to a new panel established to prevent abuses of the state's land-preservation tax- credit program. Four more commissioners will be appointed by the board of Great Outdoors Colorado, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado agricultural commissioner. The commission, created by House Bill 1353, will meet at least once a quarter to review applications for conservation-easement holder certification. The bill calls for several other measures to thwart abuses to the conservation-easement program, including increased accountability for conservation-easement appraisals and creating a one-year holding requirement mirroring the IRS limitation on the value of a conservation contribution for property held less than a year....
Idaho rules on 3 recent wolf killings Idaho Fish and Game officials say 2 of 3 recent cases of wolf killings have been declared legal under state rules. But a third case remains under investigation. That case involves a wolf taken near Casner Creek near Lowman. Agency investigators say the wolf was shot with a small caliber rifle. The two cases deemed legal involve wolves attacking sheep dogs or livestock. A wolf killed by a sheepherder on June 21 in Boise County was deemed legal after investigators concluded the wolf was attacking two border collies. State and federal agents recently wrapped up an investigation into a wolf killed by an Arco rancher after finding the wolf mingling with his cattle....
Preble's mouse still threatened in Colo., not Wyo. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that it will remove the Preble's meadow jumping mouse from the threatened species list in Wyoming, but keep the mouse on the list in Colorado. The government said the mouse can be delisted in Wyoming because new populations have been confirmed in habitat not at risk for development. But in Colorado, home construction and other types of development continue to threaten Preble's mouse habitat, Fish and Wildlife officials said. “Much of Preble's riparian habitat in Colorado has been severely altered or destroyed by human activities,” said Steve Guertin, director of Fish and Wildlife's Mountain-Prairie Region. “Continued rapid development is expected along Colorado's Front Range as the population continues to grow. Without the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act, much of Preble's habitat would be lost.” The Preble's mouse, a largely nocturnal mammal with a tail twice the length of its 3-inch body, lives mostly in streamside habitats thick with vegetation and adjacent foothills of southeastern Wyoming and along part of Colorado's Front Range, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. It can jump as far as three feet to escape predators....
Unlocking the Water Held by U.S. Forests Not So Easy Can forests, which process nearly two-thirds of the nation’s water supply, be managed to help slake our growing demand for water and avert the worst consequences of climate change? A new report from the National Research Council suggests a need for caution in trying to tap greater water output from forests, and recommends more research and citizen involvement to help protect water quality and quantity as forests come under increased pressure from many directions. The National Research Council report, written by a panel of 14 experts, was requested by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the nation’s largest water wholesaler, and the U.S. Forest Service, which manages 193 million acres of land. The report, "Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape," explores how better management of forest resources could increase water supplies and quality and identifies future research needs. The report examines how removing the forest canopy, wildfires, insects, climate change, road networks, and applications of chemicals like fertilizers and fire retardants can affect the water output of a forest....
Rural lawmakers, cattle groups work to block beef imports from Argentina Farm-state lawmakers have introduced legislation to prevent the Bush administration from allowing imports of meat from Argentina into the United States. Fresh and frozen beef, mutton and other meat imports from Argentina, one of the world’s largest cattle producers, have been banned since 2001 because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. But a pending rule at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would allow imports from certain areas of Argentina deemed clear. Reps. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.) and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would prohibit fresh and frozen Argentine meat from entering the U.S. market until the USDA the South American country can categorically prove is free of foot-and-mouth disease. The bill mirrors a similar effort proposed in the Senate by Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) last week. The moves follow an intense lobbying effort by U.S. cattle producers....
Brucellosis probe spurs one Wyo. rancher to spay herd A western Wyoming rancher opted to have 750 cattle spayed rather than tested for brucellosis as part of an investigation into an outbreak of the livestock disease, a state livestock official said Wednesday. State and federal investigators are testing 13 herds for brucellosis, a disease mainly passed among animals, that can cause weight loss, infertility, lameness and abortions. The 13 herds had contact with a herd near Daniel that tested positive last month for brucellosis. Two of the 13 herds tested negative last week for the bacterial infection. Assistant state veterinarian Jim Logan said the rancher who chose to spay his herd had the choice of testing for brucellosis, slaughtering the herd or spaying the herd. By having the animals spayed, he eliminated the possibility that the cows could transmit brucellosis. The herd of 750 "feeder heifers" was not intended for breeding and will likely be sent from pasture to a feedlot and then the slaughterhouse, Logan said. Investigators still need to test 10 more herds in Wyoming. Logan said he expects that testing to take place in August, September and October, when the cattle are brought in from their summer ranges....
Equestrian community still saddled with slaughter debate Beginning in the late 1990s, animal activism organizations, including the National Horse Protection League and the Humane Association, and celebrities as varied as Bo Derek, Willie Nelson and Paul Sorvino, threw considerable weight against slaughterhouses, ultimately succeeding in convincing legislators, state by state, to ban killing horses for human consumption. The last horse slaughter facility in the United States, the Cavel plant in DeKalb, Ill., owned by a Belgian company that shipped horse meat to Europe, closed after an Illinois law made horse slaughter illegal. Cavel International appealed the ban in federal appeals court and lost; the Supreme Court refused to hear the case last month, thus rendering it judicially dead. But what sounds like a triumph for horses, owners and equine aficionados everywhere is actually a far more complex issue, because the question of how to deal with unwanted horses, including debilitated, dangerous and abandoned animals, remains unanswered. In the equestrian community, the subject is so sticky that while everyone is talking about it, no one's using names. One area veterinarian who wishes to remain anonymous believes the emotional arguments against killing "pet" horses fail to confront the realities of starvation, neglect and death from untreated ailments....