Cows or wolves? Which Impacts more wildlife?

by: Matthew Koehler

Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 06:52:54 AM MST

"Dad, are we going to see many birds?"

I hope so, son. It looks like a good year.

Every parent knows that the hours we have with our offspring are fleeting. You cling to the bonding times, the moments when you make discoveries together that will provide opportunities for reflection later on.

For our family, some of the more memorable autumn afternoons have unfolded in pursuit of mountain blue grouse.

Bushwhacking through downfall and across high meadows is exhilarating, particularly with what you look forward to seeing along the way.

It matters less that we arrive home with wild game birds to eat. What's important is that the grouse are there, where they should be, in the national forest, on public land.

This year, as last year, as the one before it, there was no trace of birds at our favorite destinations, only broken clumps of juniper; brome mowed down to the dirt; trees rubbed bare of bark by bovines; a proliferation of cow pies; spotted knapweed rising from the disturbed soil; and trampled streamsides that used to harbor frogs.

The side valley I mention is akin to many each of us knows.

According to the revised local national forest management plan, cattle grazing is not supposed to come at the expense of achieving favorable habitat conditions for native wildlife and watershed protection.

I am a sportsman. Some organizations make claims - unsubstantiated by science - that reintroduced wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are a "foreign" wolf subspecies never native to these parts. I've also heard of some Montana stockmen referring to bison as "exotic animals."

In what category, then, do they place beef cows and wool sheep?

Cows in the public land dale which we formerly nicknamed "grouse valley" are taking forage that would normally go into the bellies of elk, moose, and mule deer.

Tributary creeks left muddied by concentrated hoof traffic send silt into bigger streams important to native trout, clotting their spawning cobble with muck. Mountain grouse do not tolerate cattle well. The herds scatter skittish avians off of the ridge tops where they would normally be, and eat away their grassy cover where they lie in wait during the fall for grasshoppers.

In fact, amid the Forest Service meadows where cattle have been all summer, we encountered very little wildlife of any kind. There are no wolves or grizzlies to blame.

Ranchers who graze livestock on public lands get a great deal. Most pay below private market rates for the grass their cattle eats; their animals roam almost anywhere untended; and they get taxpayer subsidized predator control.

It was difficult to find a spot in grouse valley that did not resemble a private pasture peppered with cow poop.

To those who will try to distort my words, let me be clear: I am not anti-livestock grazing, anti-cow, or anti-rancher. As a sportsman and wildlife watcher, I am pro-wildlife and pro-habitat on public lands.

Should one's private livestock be allowed to impair the camping experience on public lands? If yes, then why? Should cows be allowed to sully a stream corridor (the richest wildlife habitat on a landscape), thereby marring hunting and wildlife watching opportunities?

Should the welfare of private non-native bovines be given precedence over native predators on public lands such as grizzlies and wolves?

Last year, 75 percent of the 20 wolf-related cattle depredations in Wyoming happened on public land and 42 percent of the 195 sheep losses occurred on national forests, Bureau of Land Management tracts or other public parcels.

When assessing the best use of a national forest, there shouldn't be any blind spots or sacred cows. Some of the most outspoken critics of government and condemners of wolves are those who use public lands to make a living and get a sweet deal doing it.

Many are responsible stewards gracious for the privilege; some are not.

If we in the West are going to have an honest discussion about wolves - and we should - then we ought to also have a truthful conversation about the costs of livestock grazing imposed upon taxpayers, the public land, and the corresponding loss of public values including wildlife diversity, especially in Greater Yellowstone.

The impacts of domestic livestock grazing on wildlife inhabiting public lands are huge and far greater than wolves. If we're going to have an honest accounting and blunt discussion, let's put everything on the table.

Staying ahead of the power curve

by: Jay Stevens

Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 11:09:13 AM MST

You might not expect Montana to be a climate change pioneer. Though Montanans emit nearly twice as much greenhouse gases as the average American on a per-capita basis - thanks to the state's long distances and cold weather - the Treasure State accounts for just 0.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. But under Gov. Brian Schweitzer, this often right-leaning state is tackling both the effects of global warming and its causes, in a way that puts the federal government to shame.

The report mentions the findings of the recent climate change advisory committee, which made recommendations that would reduce Montana's "greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020," and our state's involvement in a Western coalition to impose a regional carbon cap-and-trade program.

The interesting part of the report is Schweitzer's nod that investing in alternative energy - and shying away from coal - is good for Montana's economy. Not only is coal an antiquated industry, alternative energy brings in money for the state. For example, while producing biofuels from corn may not be possible in Montana - putting aside the fact that producing corn for fuel negatively impacts food prices - but the state can produce "waste crops for cellulosic ethanol."

One thing for sure is that we don't want to be like Wyoming, as many big energy advocates are saying. From New West's report on the recent state Oil & Gas Symposium:

Wyoming currently has 67,000 gas wells operating, with another 60,000 planned. Photo after photo was shown of the Wyoming gas fields, the drilling rigs and pads, the traffic, the truck-killed antelope, the winter range under the dozer's blade, the sage grouse habitat and mating grounds, or leks, surrounded with dots that represented drilling operations.  And it was freely admitted, over and over, that many of these photos were of one place- the Jonah Field and Pinedale Anticline developments in the Green River of Wyoming.

Montana is known as the "Last Best Place," not because it's the last place to freely drill for coal and oil. Preserving our wild spaces is paramount. Destroying those same qualities of Montana that drew us and keep us here for a temporary, dead-end infusion of jobs and money is not the answer. Investing in energy technologies sitting on the forefront of development is.

Conrad "Duke" Williams, Louisiana conservationist and lawyer:

"When I was a flier in the Navy, we had a saying: always stay ahead of the power curve, or you'll crash. Well, we started out behind the power curve, and we never caught up, and it is not pretty. Don't make the same mistakes we made down there ... they'll tell you this is no big deal, only a trillion cubic feet of gas, no need to worry. But they are here, leasing all this land, so it must be a big deal ... This oil and gas issue is one of the most important issues this state has ever faced."

Let's not let a few big business advocates push us behind the power curve. If we're going to develop energy, let's do it on our terms that brings the most and best benefit to all Montanans, not to the bottom lines of Big Energy and the bonus payments of a few suits on Wall Street.

We Won't Have Barbara Cubin to Kick Around Anymore

by: Matt Singer

Fri Nov 09, 2007 at 16:25:26 PM MST

WY - Trauner announces his second run against Cubin

by: jhwygirl

Mon Oct 15, 2007 at 21:20:42 PM MST

You might recall that Karl Rove reportedly wrote-off two seats in Congress prior to his suprising-but-oh-so-welcome White House departure - Cubin's and Rehberg's.

Trauner lost to Cubin in hotly contested bid in 2006.  A hearbreaking loss, Gary lost by 1,012 votes.

Gary is a good guy.  A Progressive who walked the whole state knocking on doors, Gary campaigned on issues of honesty in government, healthcare, responsible energy development and fiscal responsibility.

I'm wishing Gary the very best.  I still have my Trauner button, and I'll be digging it out tonight.

Send Gary some early l$ve.  Go Trauner!

Freudenthal rues cost of Iraq war

by: Jay Stevens

Tue Sep 18, 2007 at 06:17:55 AM MST

Military expenses are siphoning federal dollars that could be used for research and development of domestic energy production that also addresses climate change, Gov. Dave Freudenthal said here Monday.

The Democrat suggested that a "war tax" might be needed to fund domestic needs, as overseas conflicts are consuming federal funding. He joked that he could make such a suggestion because he's not a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Freudenthal said the responsibility for pursuing research on technologies such as carbon sequestration has fallen to the states, as the federal government is dealing with war costs. Those costs will likely continue into the future, he said.

It's sort of obvious, isn't it? The war's effects are starting to hit the mainstream. We haven't rationed, there's been no draft, our casualties, while too high, haven't been spread evenly through our population. We don't see the effects of cluster bombs, car bombs, or Blackstone mercs on the Iraqis.

Now we're seeing it in decaying infrastructure. States and local governments are paying the price. Expect this to get worse before it gets better.

On a side note, Freudenthal briefly mentioned CTL:

Regarding coal, Wyoming's most abundant resource, Freudenthal said the question is not how to quit using it, but how to start using it right, and carbon sequestration is a key component.

At least he's saying sequestration technology should be in place first. That's progress!

Urban sprawl coming to the Tetons

by: Qwijibo

Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 08:15:08 AM MST

For those unfamiliar with the area, the towns of Driggs, Victor, and Tetonia, Idaho sit on the western face of the Teton Range. Across the Targhee Pass is Wilson, WY and the expansive valley more commonly known as Jackson Hole. 

hermans tour day 2

by: Kilgore

Sun May 27, 2007 at 22:03:48 PM MST

5/27/07, 10:30am
Murdo, SD

The great plains are great for thinking, about Kerouac, Sioux Indians, America and the pioneer spirit.  The rolling prairie once filled with bison, a seemingly limitless food source for thousands of people.  It's very beautiful here.  Chris says, "I'd rather live here than in Iraq." 

Ditto.

the hermans spring tour pt. 1

by: Kilgore

Sat May 26, 2007 at 21:21:57 PM MST

Out in the Wyoming desert.  Stalking America. Nothing but coal, oil wells, herds of pronghorns, and more coal in train hoppers.  Plenty of sun and wind for clean energy, but old habits die hard, or not so much at all.
Suddenly, an oasis of ponderosas, and hills, snatching some rain out of the dry sky.  For a second we think we're somewhere else.
"Is this Colorado?" I ask.  And then its flat and empty again and here comes South Dakota.

My Kind of Partisanship

by: Matt Singer

Tue Feb 27, 2007 at 13:31:29 PM MST

Reading it, two things came to mind:

1. Damn -- he nailed it.


2. What the hell was Wyoming thinking when they didn't elect him?

I should note, briefly, that the Millenial Generation went for Trauner in a big way. Voters under 30 broke for him by 16 points or so. Good for them.

The price Montanans are paying for the war...(with more)

by: jhwygirl

Sun Feb 18, 2007 at 23:11:50 PM MST

This came from something else I'm working on, and I thought it deserved a post of its own.

my math was wrong on Montana, these are the corrected numbers. 
Per capita deaths of Montanans in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 58,125
Per capita deaths of Montanans in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 54,706

Compare that with this:
Per capita deaths of Pennsylvanians in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 83,581
Per capita deaths of Pennsylvanians in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 77,312

Per capita deaths of Californians in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 109,816
Per capita deaths of Californians in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 101,130

Per capita deaths of Texans in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 84,229
Per capita deaths of Texans in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 77,814

Per capita deaths of Coloradians in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 129,167
Per capita deaths of Coloradians in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 113,414

Per capita deaths of Idahoans in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 81,765
Per capita deaths of Idahoans in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 81,765

Per capita deaths of Utahans in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 165,000
Per capita deaths of Utahans in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 145,58

Per capita deaths of Wyomingites in the Iraqi war theatre:  1 per 56,111
Per capita deaths of Wyominites in both the Iraqi war theatre and in Afghanistan:  1 per 45,909

I used figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Population Estimates 2000 to 2006, and ballparked the above states average estimated population for the period between 2000 and 2006 (I used 930,000 for Montana; 12,370,000 for Pennsylvania; 35,800,000 for California; and 23,500,000 for Texas.  4,650,000 for Colorado; 1,390,000 for Idaho; 2,475,000 for Utah; and 505,000 for Wyoming)

I took military death information from the Department of Defense, but I did use other more up-to-date death figures for Montana.  I used 16 for the number of Montanans killed in Iraq, and 1 for the number of Montanans killed in Afghanistan. 

You can nosh that around any way you'd like - but a consistent approach will show one thing that I started thinking about back at the beginning of the year when I wrote the original post linked to above - that Montanans are paying a pretty high price for an illegal war in Iraq.

What's So Hard About Same Day, Brad? It Works Fine Just South of Here.

by: Matt Singer

Mon Feb 05, 2007 at 10:21:42 AM MST

The process works well in Wyoming, if my experience at the polls during the past two election cycles are any measure. In 2004, I volunteered as a pollwatcher for the Democratic Party. In 2006, I worked as an election judge. This past November, with five precincts in the Lions Park Community House in Cheyenne, I saw no problem with walk-in registration. In Wyoming it gets even more complicated during the primaries as we allow people to switch parties to vote on that day and even switch back once they've finished. So, fellow Democrats who wanted to see Barbara Cubin go down in flames to her Republican challengers went over to the dark side for a few minutes.