WILD BILL
Pombo, Green Anger and the Endangered Species ActThe Endangered Species Act is like a wolf, one of the species it strives to save. Wherever the Act goes, controversy follows. In fact, is there an environmental law on the books more controversial? I doubt it. Now, even before the January changing of the guard, the Blue Congress is sending out positive signs that the approach to the ESA will change -- and change for the good.
During the Red Congress recently sent home to lick its wounds, enviros barely fought back many attempts to “revise” or “modernize” the ESA. But no more. Now, Congress will concentrate on overseeing the law to make sure agencies implement it as intended by its authors.
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WILD BILL
An Open Letter to the New, Blue CongressIs anybody sad about having the election behind us? I doubt it, unless you work for a company selling political advertising.
Now that it’s over, the analyzing phase begins--what happened and why, and of course, what should we do now. You’ve heard a lot of this type of talk already, but here’s one part of it you probably haven’t heard, yet.
We have heard many times that the voters were angry, primarily with the Trillion Dollar War and the fiscal mismanagement following it. I don’t mean to imply that my concerns compare with people dying needlessly in Iraq or issues like Medicare/social security reform, the health care crisis and immigration, but out here on the “outdoor beat,” so to speak, people were just as angry. We’ve been singing the blues for many years, so I have a message for our newly elected congressional leaders.
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WILD BILL
NRA Supports Conrad Burns, Proving Again it Doesn’t Represent HuntersBack in July, I managed to rile up the National Rifle Association when I wrote a column about the largest gun rights organization--and perhaps the nation’s most powerful lobby--not representing hunters. In the column, I wrote that the NRA does a superb job of representing gun owners and should stick to its core mission, protecting the Second Amendment. The NRA should not pretend to represent hunters because the group’s political endorsements conflict with the best interests of hunters. This idea gives a few people severe heartburn. If you want to see for yourself, check out the comments on the column.
Now, four months later, in the midst of our general big game season, we hunters here in Montana are due to receive--on election day morning no less--vivid proof that it’s true. The NRA is only about guns, not about hunting, and the group does not and can not represent both gun owners and hunters. You can argue that the two are connected at the hip because most hunters use guns, but in reality gun ownership and hunting are separate issues.
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Snowblog Grok
Snow Report Wake-Up Calls and Resorts Try to DiversifyFirst Tracks ran a story over the weekend on PowderFone, a snow report wake-up call service that rings only when your chosen mountain has received the number of inches of powder that justifies your getting out of bed. (And I thought it was a bit much to have the snow report on my speed dial.) The free service covers 1,200 resorts worldwide, so chances are no matter where you ski or ‘board you can get a wake-up call that’ll actually make you roll out instead of roll over. Have a look at PowderFone.com for more information and to sign up.
Also in the Snowblog Grok today: Resorts try to attract more minorities; a round-up of all the resorts making the switch to “green” power; and, in Aspen, the most expensive home in the country is on the market. Click more below for the full Grok.
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As the Summer Wanes
Riding a Doomed TrailI feel like an ant trapped in a cereal bowl. The mountains tower all around us as Aaron Teasdale and I pedal our mountain bikes up a near vertical wall toward a tiny notch called Limestone Pass. I am physically unprepared for the demands of this epic trail, but feel compelled to ride it before a possible ban on bicycling in Montana's proposed wilderness areas takes effect. My legs were spent even before we climbed two-thousand feet from the junction with the Monture Creek trail four miles back. Now, I have doubts I can climb that last two hundred feet. Even with the top in sight, my will crumbles. I am out of water and food is not far behind. We lost Rod Kramer on the way up -- leaving him back in the forest eating trailside huckleberries, napping and waiting for our return. As my legs churn more and more slowly up the switchbacks, more than one part of me thinks he has the right idea. [more]
Column: WiLD BILL
Rock Creek Mine Decision Sells Off Grizzly’s FutureI suppose mitigation is a fact of life nowadays, but every time I say the word, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I prefer we call it legalized bribery, and bribing our government to buy the approval of a bad development will always be a lousy idea. All we're really doing is selling off public resources, which is exactly what's happening up on Rock Creek in Montana's Cabinet Mountain Wilderness.
Do we really want to do this?
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WILD BILL
Rex Rammell Could Be a HeroThey say you should address the issue, not the person. But in this case, I'm going to make an exception because like most people, I like to give credit where credit is due, to honor somebody who has done something not many people have been able to do.
Which brings me to Dr. Rex Rammell, the now-notorious owner of a game farm near the west edge of Yellowstone National Park--you know, the one with a big hole its fence.
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WILD BILL | column by bill schneider
Beyond the Roadless RuleAs I said two weeks ago, you gotta feel for Forest Service employees. In addition to the frustration of being pawns in the political chess game played out in the Beltway, they must feel like tennis balls at Wimbledon.
I say, let's get out of the courthouse and beyond the Roadless Rule. We have work to do! Here are a few thoughts on what needs to be done.
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WILD bILL
Time to Re-Think Glacier’s Bicycle RestrictionsI've ridden the Going-to-the-Sun Highway up to Logan Pass many times, and it might be the best bike ride in the New West. But every time I travel up to Glacier to enjoy this premier bike ride, I struggle with trying to understand the regulations imposed on cyclists by the National Park Service (NPS).
It's easy to understand the basis for most regulations. Good examples in Glacier would be prohibiting large mobile homes on Logan Pass because there's no room for two of them to meet or limits backcountry camping permits to reduce overuse of fragile landscapes. But I can't see any reason for these restrictions.
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Idaho Elk on the Lam Will Be Hunted
Governor Risch: “We Don’t Mix Domestic Elk With Wild”Idaho Governor Jim Risch, along with the Department of Fish and Game, today announced that elk which have escaped from a ranch in Fremont County will be taken by licensed hunters in a phased sequence.
Estimates are that 75 to 150 domestic elk escaped in August from a commercial ranch owned by veterinarian Dr. Rex Rammell, who had not applied the required blaze-orange ear tags to identify the animals as domestic. Fish and Game also said he did not properly maintain protective fencing on his elk ranch 35 miles east of Rexburg.
Rammell has run into trouble before with his Chief Joseph hunting reserve. He’s been levied fines of close to $750,000.00 for violating several Fish and Game wildlife regulations, but little has been collected. Rammell is not a member of the Elk Breeders Association, a group whose members agree to follow wildlife law and agreed-upon policies.
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