Schweitzer to Feds: Shove IT...over and out...

Yellowstone NP Wolf Kill early on in the wolf recovery prior to the current political/judicial driven wolf management debacle...

In a bold move somewhat unbecoming your average self-serving politician our Guv has essentially told the USFWS to...well, shove IT!!!! For a more informative look check out the Helena Independent Record report by clicking the link below.

http://helenair.com/news/article_e9109c18-3a67-11e0-bf79-001cc4c03286.html

Lest anyone get the wrong idea here, my stance on the wolf debate remains the same: Allowing state management is not only the best way tis the only way to bring anything close to sanity on what really has become a pathetic charade: list, delist, list, delist on and on ad nauseum, enough already, get on with it.  

FWP Approves Montana's First Bighorn Management Plan

FWP Commissioners approved what seems to me a much overdo state-wide management plan for bighorn sheep. Biologists say about 5700 bighorns in 45 herds scattered across the state could be expanded by as many as 1000.

As with just about everything involves Montana wildlife, or anything else for that matter, the news received enthusiastic boorahs from some and loud boos from others; still others on both sides the fence took a more cautious wait and see approach. No news there, eh?

The biggest hurdle to expanding the bighorns' range is the very real hazard the wild sheep come in contact with domestics--which carry a lung infection fatal to wild sheep but harmless to the carriers. Wool growers are of course concerned about losing public land grazing leases. But there is a line in the plan says FWP will not lobby federal land managers to remove domestics to enable bighorn expansion unless ranchers involved are on board. Quentin Kujula, FWP's biologist point man on such issues says, "Without that collaboration expansion is pretty much dead in the water in most cases."

The Safari Club has gone on record as feeling the plan does little but maintain the status quo...in other words hardly worth the paper it's printed.

John Helle, major domo Dillon wool-man, says, "We're not opposed to wild sheep just the propaganda and attempts to remove us from lands we've been ranching for generations.

Jim Weatherly, Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, basically approves the idea, adding concerns for needing rancher approval are largely unfounded since given how much land they control expansion is impossible without it.

And the beat goes on...

More from Great Places Montana

It seems Montanans as a whole are more likely to rave about our mountain-man cum cowboy roots than talk about the ravages that the cut-and-run mining industry wreaked upon the landscape and left behind for future generations, as happens way too often.

It seems too we are most proud of our incredible wildlife heritage; everything from grizzly bears and bison to tundra swans and relic sage grouse.

It seems also we are quite proud of our wild lands, natural lands, such as found in our two National Parks--Glacier and Yellowstone--and our 21 National Wildlife Refuges,attendant Waterfowl Production Areas and our many state parks and wildlife management areas.

And rightly so.

Given that a large majority of our residents spend far more time outdoors than in; that something like one in four hunt and even a larger percentage fish, to say nothing of the thousands who hike, bird watch,climb mountains, mountain bike, camp, canoe, picnic and otherwise just like to kick back under our high, wide and handsome big sky.

Between the covers of Great Places Montana you won't find it all but I guarantee the wealth of information we've gathered here will more than get you started.

Happy Trails.