Columbia Falls, Mont. – Two orphaned black bears got a late jump on hibernation but a new lease on life when they were placed in a man-made den last month. Biologists hauled the tranquilized twin cubs by snowmobile, then tucked them into the 20 below zero snow cave. If all goes well, they will slip […]
Wildlife
Campbell sides with Telluride
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D, Colo.) says he will introduce legislation to condemn a developer’s dream house built in Colorado’s West Elk Wilderness – if the Forest Service rejects a proposed land exchange with the developer. A Campbell spokeswoman said the senator wants to give the Forest Service another tool to deal with Tom Chapman, […]
Will plan save or destroy the grizzly?
A two-month battle between environmentalists and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials over the newly released Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan may end up in court. On Jan. 26, three environmental groups, the Fund for Animals, the Colorado-based Biodiversity Legal Foundation, and the Montana-based Swan View Coalition, gave 60-days’ notice to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife […]
Wyoming lawsuit would privatize wildlife
No one owns the sky. At least not yet. But ownership of the land, the water and now the wildlife is continually sought by people with too much money and a lot of greed. This country was founded by people running from kings who only let land-owning aristocrats hunt. Even if they were starving, the […]
Timber industry mounts an offense
The timber industry this winter launched a $1.5 million campaign in the Pacific Northwest to derail President Clinton’s Option 9 forest plan and lift court injunctions on timber sales. In addition to radio and television ads, the industry created three citizen committees in Washington, Oregon and northern California that have sent mailings to 1.5 million […]
Wyoming county tries to put itself on the map
By the time you read this, 200 avid sportsmen will have enjoyed a festive three-day “coyote shoot” in which the killers of the most and biggest animals take home $500 prizes. Sponsored by the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce in northeastern Wyoming, the Feb. 3-5 shoot is not unique. Similar events go on throughout the […]
Why care about a snail the size of pinhead?
Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, Can she save ecosystems? MOLLIE BEATTIE: Even if not a single job were created, wildlife must be conserved. Why? Because we are linked to it, and it is in our immediate self-interest to care about it. When we see the snails and […]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: A chronology
Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, Can she save ecosystems? 1885: Congress creates the Section of Economic Ornithology within the U.S. Department of Agriculture and appoints prominent naturalist C. Hart Merriam to head it. Merriam begins an exhaustive survey of the geographic distribution of the nation’s birds and […]
Can she save ecosystems?
Mollie Beattie got an uncomfortable preview of the realpolitik that still pervades the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last summer while she waited for Senate confirmation as the agency’s director. One Republican senator after another anonymously exercised the right to place a “hold” on her confirmation. Some, no doubt, were simply curious about this 46-year-old […]
Poachers target grizzlies
Poachers target grizzlies Bear researchers say the remote Selkirk Mountains, between Washington, Idaho and British Columbia, could support up to 90 grizzlies. Instead, the current population of about 30 bears has dropped by one. In late November an unknown person shot Sy, a 15-year-old female grizzly, who was the last bear in the Selkirks wearing […]
Lost and found study
Lost and found study Under former Utah Gov. Norm Bangerter, the bumper sticker “Wilderness: land of no use” became popular. At the same time, managers under Bangerter ignored a 1991 draft state study that said wilderness could actually benefit Utah’s economy. Gov. Mike Leavitt recently unearthed the report after the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance pressed […]
The third man
The third man The number three man in the Forest Service, Deputy Chief James Overbay, has retired. Overbay, a member of the agency’s old guard, was replaced by Gray Reynolds, regional forester for the Intermountain Region of national forests in southern Idaho, Nevada, Utah and western Wyoming. Environmental activists in the Intermountain Region were not […]
Judge bumps snail off endangered species list
The tiny Bruneau hot springs snail is having a large impact in Idaho – and perhaps the entire country. On Dec. 14, U.S. District Judge Frank Ryan removed the 4-millimeter animal from the endangered species list. It was the first successful challenge of an animal or plant listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Ryan’s […]
Wildlife refuge needs money
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Wildlife refuge needs money.
Poachers zero in on Yellowstone’s prized wildlife
More poachers take wildlife from Yellowstone. Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s features stories about grizzlies in Yellowstone Park. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Poachers zero in on Yellowstone’s prized wildlife.
Critics want foresters fired
Environmentalists urge Jack Ward Thomas to remove the two top forest managers in the agency’s Southwest region. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Critics want foresters fired.
Newspaper series unsettles the Northwest
The Spokesman-Review publishes a series about Forest Service mismanagement in five national forests in the Northwest. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Newspaper series unsettles the Northwest.
Andrus’ suit gains support
A coalition of environmentalists and business owners support Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus’ suit to hold dam operators responsible for killing salmon. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Andrus’ suit gains support.
The missing lynx
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agrees to launch a multistate search for the rare lynx. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The missing lynx.
Agency makes it harder to steal trees
Forest Service Chief Dale Robertson creates an independent law-enforcement branch. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Agency makes it harder to steal trees.
