What I am Working On

Now, you tell me, does this place need defending? Shall we see this area damned? Will we stand idly by while this area is destroyed? This is my sanctuary, this is my church. This is more important than irrigation, this is more important than some damn project to store water. The desert has just enough water. Just too many people. And this, this is not really the desert. Only the foothills going into the desert. This place needs help!

Wolf Meeting Thoughts

First off, if you ever have a chance to go to a wolf meeting, do so, just for the amazing uneducated dialogue that takes place. I could have watched FOX news and been more educated.


This meeting was simply on the proposed changes for the Wyoming Wolf Management plan, since it was shot down by Judge Molloy in Montana earlier this year. Basically there were four main issues in the judges ruling to overturn Wyoming's management plan. They included: Genetic Connectivity, Minimum Population Commitment, The Trophy Game Management Area, and Depredation Control. This new Emergency Plan is supposed to be a way to address these issues a little bit better, and wishfully thinking, allow Wyoming to regain control of it's gray wolf population.

Bill Rudd basically walked through the word changes, and described them as simply a firmer commitment to maintaining the number of packs, in case something catastrophic happens withing the Parks. They also threw in a new little blurb about the genetic connectivity issue:
To the extent practicable, the Commission is committed to managing the gray wolves in Wyoming so that genetic diversity and connectivity issues do not threaten the gray wolf population. This will be accomplished by encouraging the incorporation of effective migrants into the gray wolf population. Conservation measures will include, but are not limited to, working with other states to promote natural dispersal into and within the WTGMA (Wolf Trophy Game Management Area) and, if necessary, by relocation and translocation. You know, I passed many a college biology test by simply being able to bullshit through what I thought the professor wanted to hear. This is a fine example of that. There is no plan here, no groundbreaking revelations, just a desperate attempt to blow smoke up the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's collective skirt.

There is also some new wording on Lethal Take Permits. Chapter 21, Section 3(a) Chapter 21, Section 3(a) defines "chronic wolf depredation" as "a geographic area limited to a specific parcel of private land or a specific grazing allotment described on the permit within the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area where gray wolves have repeatedly (twice or more within a two month period immediately preceding the date on which the owner applies for a lethal take permit) harassed, injured, maimed or killed livestock or domesticated animals." Wolves taken under the authority of a lethal take permit shall be reported to the Department representative specified on the permit within 23 hours. Lethal take permits shall expire on December 31 of the year issued. However, lethal take permits shall be immediately suspended or cancelled if the Department determines further lethal control may result in the number of wolves in the WTGMA decreasing below 15 breeding pairs or 150 wolves, or below 7 breeding pairs outside the national parks and parkway. In addition, lethal take permits shall be immediately suspended or cancelled if the Department determines further lethal control may result in the re listing of gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act. In either of these circumstances, non-lethal control actions shall be initiated to mitigate continued harassment, injury, maiming or killing of livestock or domesticated animals. Whew! My fingers hurt after that, and what exactly does all that say? Basically if you are Joe Shmoe rancher, and you have evidence of wolves killing animals, you can apply for this permit that will allow you to shoot them on sight. After you kill your two wolves, you can reapply for another permit. Now, there is also a state law, pertaining to all predators, that allows for Joe Schmoe rancher to blast an animal in the act, or even thinking of the act "as a reasonable person would suspect" of hurting their livestock. Add on top of all that, the control measures that the Feds and State will be doing, and it is open season.

Predator status is still a go, one of the main hang ups with a lot of people, myself included. Outside of the WTGMA, people would still be allowed to blast any wolf they saw, for any reason, unless the number of packs falls below 15, where the Feds would step back in and take control. With the changes to the law, you would no longer be required to turn over a pelt and skull, only report your name and address, the date of the kill, the sex of the wolf, and a location. And, this makes me laugh quite hard. The Department may also seek the person's cooperation in obtaining any additional information relevant to wolf management, as warranted. If someone is out shooting wolves for pleasure, what do you think his response is going to be on management? This is not rocket science people!

A fairly large issue was brought up, concerning the word "predator". That, as already stated, is a major hang up with the judge in Montana. So why not remove that word? I have my own theories on that, but the way it has been pushed through is simple. The state has to have this plan into the USFWS by November 28th. The Wyoming Commission does not meet until November 17th and 18th, and the State Legislature does not meet until February 14th. The word predator is in law, and can only be repealed by Legislature. Now, a Representative from the Wyoming Government was there, and he said, something to the effect of "Well you people have already been liberal with your Plan under the law, why don't you just remove it and call it good." No one wants to remove that particular word, it is what has held Wyoming up this whole time. If that word were removed, this would go through.

So, what does this mean, long and short? It means victory for people who would like to keep wolf management in the hands of the Federal Government. Wyoming has had it's chance to change the laws, remove predator status, and be cooperative, and they have blown it. They have made their bed, now it is time for them to sleep in it. As for what it means for Wyoming? I doubt we will be re-gaining control in a timely manner. The wording in this emergency plan does not address the issues of litigation proposed by Molloy, and, in fact, adds to the issues in certain places.

Public comments are due in the office of the Wyoming Game and Fish by November 10th. Your comment must be in their hands on this date.
The address to write to is:

Wolf Plan Comments
Attn: Bea Pepper
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
5400 Bishop Blvd
Cheyenne, WY 82006

The next planned meeting in Cody is December 16th.

Wolf Comment Meeting Tomorrow!

If you don't show up and comment, you have absolutely no right to bitch. Here is OUR time to let all of our voices be heard.


The Game and Fish Department has released a draft revised version of the gray wolf management plan for public comment.The draft revised plan addresses many of the issues brought up in recent court decisions regarding removal of the Northern Rocky Mountain population of wolves from the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the public comment period on its proposal to delist the wolves.
That public comment period ends Nov. 28.Wyoming's revised plan will be submitted to the USFWS during this comment period as part of Wyoming's comments on the federal delisting proposal.Revisions to Wyoming's wolf plan are consistent with emergency rule changes to G&F regulations.Those emergency rules were signed by Wyoming Game and Fish Commission president Jerry Galles and Gov. Dave Freudenthal Oct. 27 and are in effect for 120 days.G&F is initiating a formal rulemaking process to make those rules permanent.“First of all, these rules do not become effective unless and until the wolf is delisted in Wyoming,” Freudenthal said. “This is an attempt to operate within the current statute and to be responsive to the signals that we are receiving from USFWS and the judge in Montana.”G&F will hold two public meetings to discuss the revised plan and accept public comments.�Cody, 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Holiday Inn.�Lander, 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Lander Community Center.The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will review public comments and take action on the revised plan at the commission's next meeting Nov. 17-18 in Jackson.Written public comments on the revised plan will be accepted at the Cody and Lander meetings, by mail or by fax and must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 10.“We realize this is a tight time frame for public review,” said G&F director Steve Ferrell. “Our goal is to have a revised plan approved by the Game and Fish Commission at their next meeting. This will allow the USFWS to consider a revised Wyoming plan as they move forward with another delisting proposal.”Draft revisions to the plan include language to clarify Wyoming's commitment to maintain at least 15 breeding pairs of wolves and 150 individual wolves in the established Trophy Game Management Area. The draft also addresses actions the commission will take if numbers within Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks and the Rockefeller Parkway drop below eight breeding pairs.Other revisions in the draft include shortening some reporting requirements for those who kill wolves, either through licensed hunting or through livestock depredation actions, further defining “damage to private property” and “chronic wolf depredation,” further restricting the Game and Fish Commission's ability to change the boundaries of the Trophy Game Management Area and restricting lethal take permits to no more than two wolves.The Game and Fish Commission last revised its wolf management plan in November 2007. That plan was subsequently accepted by the USFWS.Wolves were removed from the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List in March 2008, and were subsequently relisted in September 2008, after a federal judge in Montana granted a preliminary injunction against the delisting decision and the USFWS requested a remand of their delisting rule.“We see revising Wyoming's plan to address the judge's concerns as a necessary step toward getting wolves permanently delisted,” Ferrell said. “It's clear that wolves are recovered in the Northern Rocky Mountains and doing well. We have more than five times the number of wolves called for in the original delisting proposal. It's time for them to be delisted and for the states to assume management.”

Yet some more petroleum producer news

Care of the Casper Star Tribune


By JEFF GEARINO
Southwest Wyoming bureau
Monday, November 3, 2008 2:05 AM MST

ROCK SPRINGS -- Another fight over oil and gas leasing on Little Mountain and in the Red Desert's Jack Morrow Hills area is brewing in southwest Wyoming.

Hunting and fishing conservationists said this week the groups will submit formal protests for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's planned Dec. 2 competitive oil and gas lease sale.

The areas up for lease include some parcels on Little Mountain in southern Sweetwater County and in the Jack Morrow Hills in northern part of the county.

Conservationists said the auction of oil and gas leases will threaten the two areas, which are rich in wildlife, including prime sage grouse habitat, cultural and recreational resources.

Officials with the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and the Wyoming Wildlife Federation said the leasing of several parcels within the two areas should be put on hold.

"We think this 11th-hour fire sale of our public lands should be put on hold, because the industry already has many times more lease acreage than it can possible drill," said Biodiversity wildlife biologist Erik Molvar.

Several conservation groups formally protested an earlier BLM lease sale Aug. 5, which included some parcels on Little Mountain. But the protests were denied, the sale proceeded and the parcels were leased.

For more than a decade, the Jack Morrow Hills north of Rock Springs have been a key battleground in the oil and gas industry boom enveloping southwest Wyoming -- primarily in the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah oil and gas fields in northern Sweetwater and Sublette counties.

Little Mountain was thrust into the energy fray in December when the Oklahoma-based Devon Energy Co. announced plans to conduct a two-well exploratory drilling project near the mountain.

A popular county recreation area, Little Mountain lies about 40 miles south of Rock Springs, near the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

The mountain is home to several premier hunting areas for elk and deer, as well as sage grouse, Colorado River cutthroat trout and other wildlife.

A loose coalition of conservationists, faith-based organizations, blue-collar workers and hunters panned the project at the time amidst fears the small wildcat project could lead to full-scale development on the mountain.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal also decried the drilling project and a follow-up proposal by Devon to conduct three-dimensional seismic surveys as part of the project.

Devon officials said during a recent tour of the company's two exploratory well sites that geology and technology will go a long way toward reducing the company's footprint on the mountain.

Company officials said with proper planning and the necessary resources, drilling can be conducted in an environmentally sensitive manner and without significant harm to wildlife.

They noted the area's geology would make any commercial development by Devon a "unique play" that would not require nearly as many wells and well pads as the more intense development to the north in the Jonah Field.

Jack Morrow Hills

The 620,000-acre Jack Morrow Hills have been at the center of the national energy debate in western Wyoming for more than a decade. The area contains stark, unique scenery and spectacular formations such as the Boar's Tusk, Steamboat Mountain, the Killpecker Sand Dunes and the Honeycombs.

The area also has vast resources of natural gas, oil and coal. The hills contain an estimated 315 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Bruce Pendery, Public Lands Director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, said in a release it's been more than 10 years since a lease was sold in the Jack Morrow Hills area. He noted during that time, oil and gas development in Wyoming hasn't slowed.

"The Jack Morrow Hills and Little Mountain are too valuable for their wildlife, historical and recreation resources to be opened to development now, when the evidence shows we can have oil and gas without sacrificing areas like these," Pendery said.

He said the two leases in the hills include some prime sage grouse habitat sites that are included in the governor's recently adopted sage grouse conservation strategy.

The deadline for protests is 4 p.m., Nov. 17, according to the BLM's lease sale notice. Once the protests are received, the agency will make a decision to either withdraw the parcels or to proceed with offering the parcels at the sale.

Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at (307) 875-5359 or gearino@tribcsp.com

Defenders of Wildlife Wolf Update

It’s an awful Halloween surprise.

Earlier this week, the Bush/Cheney Administration launched another attack on wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies -- re-packaging a proposal that could lead to the killing of as many as 1,000 of America’s most important and iconic animals.

Take action now. Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that our wolves deserve a lasting future in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies.

Following several bloody months of wolf killing in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, a federal court ruled earlier this year against an earlier version of the Administration’s proposal to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the region’s wolves. In response, the Bush/Cheney Administration actually withdrew that proposal just a few weeks ago.

But with the clock winding down on the Bush/Administration, federal officials are launching a last-ditch attempt to re-package and ram through a plan that could lead to the slaughter of as many as two-thirds of the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies wolf population.

Don’t let them get away with it. Urge federal officials to come up with a responsible management plan that ensures a lasting future for these majestic animals.

Time and time again, Defenders of Wildlife has been at the forefront of efforts to save wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies, fighting -- and winning -- in court, on the ground and in Congress to ensure responsible, balanced management of our wolves.

In the last two years, caring people like you have sent tens of thousands of messages, made thousands of calls, and donated to help us fight the Bush/Cheney Administration and their allies in court, educate the public and support wolf-saving efforts in the field.

Help us safeguard wolves. Take action now.

Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to stop this audacious 11th-hour sneak attack on our wolves. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is only accepting public comments until November 28th, so please take action now.

For the Wild Ones,

Rodger Schlickeisen, President Signature
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife
Rodger Schlickeisen, President (c)Daniel J. Cox/www.naturalexpos


P.S. Over the next month, we need to generate thousands of public comments on this outrageous plan. We need to mobilize conservation activists to show up at public meetings and speak out. And we have to prepare for what could be another long, difficult legal fight ahead.

Concerning Grizzle Bears... from the Casper Star Tribune

By The Associated Press:


JACKSON -- Biologists estimate that 39 grizzly bears have died in northwestern Wyoming this year.

Seventeen bears were shot by hunters and enough male grizzly bears have died to exceed a 15 percent mortality threshold for management review.

Under that provision, if the mortality rate for male grizzly bears exceeds 15 percent for three years in a row, state agencies would review their management policies for grizzly bears.

Such a review could result in putting grizzlies back on the Endangered Species List.

If another female grizzly is killed by a hunter this year, female bear deaths would pass a 9 percent threshold that would trigger a similar review after two consecutive years.

The thresholds were last surpassed in 2000. The grizzly death counts aren't exact numbers.

When someone other than a wildlife manager reports a grizzly bear death, researchers count it as three toward the thresholds because roughly two-thirds of citizen-caused grizzly deaths go unreported, said study team leader and U.S. Geological Survey researcher Chuck Schwartz.

"We know that there are bears that die in the ecosystem that we don't hear about," he said.

Schwartz said the numbers were being released while large numbers of hunters head for the woods for the general hunting season, two to four weeks before grizzlies begin hibernation.

"We wanted to get the word out before a large number of hunters hit the field so we don't end up with a bunch more dead bears on the ground," he said. "We want to emphasize to the public that you have to be careful out there. We don't want to reconsider delisting the bear."

Researchers estimate that the Greater Yellowstone's grizzly population is higher than last year: 596 bears, up from 571. Schwartz and his team made the estimate based on 84 new cubs observed with 44 females.

Researchers estimate that the population continues to grow about 4 percent annually.

Louisa Willcox, a wildlife advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said she was shocked about this year's bear deaths so far.

"It's very, very disturbing and should give us all pause," she said.