Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted a motion allowing the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to enter an amicus curiae brief supporting state-regulated wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana.
The move means RMEF positions will be considered against an emergency injunction filed by 13 environmental groups asking the judge to stop a planned hunt and return gray wolves to the endangered species list.
A hearing is scheduled for today and Molloy’s ruling could follow soon afterward.
The Elk Foundation’s amicus curiae brief is posted at www.rmef.org. -- Jay Cassell
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Outdoorsmen to Salazar: Keep BLM Lands near Bristol Bay Off-Limits to Mining
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 26, 2009) -- Hundreds of hunting and fishing groups representing millions of America’s conservationists and anglers, outfitters, guides, lodge owners and others have asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey to protect from mining 1.1 million acres of federal fish and wildlife habitat near Bristol Bay, Alaska.
This large swath of BLM land is near one of the world’s most productive salmon and rainbow trout fisheries. In a letter to Salazar, the group expressed deep concern that during their final days in office, Bush Administration officials finalized a plan to remove existing protections for fish and wildlife on the BLM lands and to open the area for mining. The group called on Salazar to direct Abbey to reverse that decision. "Sport fishing in Bristol Bay is a $60 million business while commercial fishing pumps another $300 million into the economy," said Chris Wood, Chief Operating Officer of Trout Unlimited. "One out of four wild fish sold in America comes from Bristol Bay. Thousands of Alaska Native families depend on the area for subsistence. Never before have commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and subsistence users been so united on a single issue. Secretary Salazar and Director Abbey have a chance to do the right thing for Alaska Natives, commercial fishermen, and recreational anglers and hunters who come to Alaska from all over the world." For the full story, and to see a copy of the letter, go to www.savebristolbay.org – Jay Cassell
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Leading Conservation Groups Call on U.S. Senate to Block “Regulatory Czar” Nomination
Fifteen of the nation’s leading conservation and sportsmen organizations sent a letter today to all U.S. Senators requesting they oppose the nomination of Cass R. Sunstein to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).
In the letter, the organizations express deep reservations about Sunstein’s views on animal rights and hunting. Sunstein has been quoted as saying, “we might ban hunting altogether, at least if its sole purpose is human recreation,” as well as his discussions about offering animals the rights to sue humans. The letter makes clear that as the head of the OIRA, a powerful federal agency with extensive authority to block rules, such views, “raise serious concerns about the agenda Mr. Sunstein will carry with him into this position if he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.” For the full story, go to ussportsmen.org – Jay Cassell
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wild Atlantic Salmon Return to New York
Scientists recently discovered wild young Atlantic salmon in New
York’s Salmon River, a tributary to Lake Ontario. This is the first time in more than a century that salmon produced naturally in the wild have been found in what was once New York’s premier salmon stream. Forty-one wild Atlantic salmon were collected in June and July. All of the salmon were less than 1 year old and measured between 2 and 2 1/2 inches. "This discovery suggests that, after many years of reproductive failure, restoration is starting to work for this species," said Jim Johnson, station chief for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Tunison Lab of Aquatic Science in Cortland, New York. "This finding should provide real excitement and impetus for biologists and sport groups interested in bringing this species back to the area," said Johnson, whose lab made the discovery. Lake Ontario once supported the largest freshwater population of Atlantic salmon in the world and the Salmon River helped supply the lake with it namesake species. Due to damming of tributaries, overfishing, deforestation, and pollution, the salmon had vanished from the lake by the late 1800s.. For the full story, go to http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2289 – Jay Cassell
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
THE ALIENS ARE COMING!
Imagine aliens —taking the shape of a seemingly harmless plant or small animal—coming into your community and taking over. They no longer face threats from their natural enemies, so they thrive—ravaging native plants, birds and other wildlife, significantly altering the ecosystem. These aliens aren't from outer space—they're Earth-born and bred, and they're infesting more than 100 million acres of American landscape.
These aliens plants and animals find their way—via man, by animals, even by the wind—in a new place far from where they originated. Some of these aliens don't make much of an impact but others land in areas where they invade, thrive and completely take over—as they have no competitors, no predators, and nothing to really stop them. These species are referred to as "invasive species." Examples include a nonnative fish called the northern snakehead, which threatened to ruin the ecological balance of the entire Chesapeake Bay. Also the South American rodent called nutria, which found itself in the middle of the marsh in coastal Maryland, and is eating its way out. For more info, and what you can do, go to www.stopinvasives.org – Jay Cassell
Friday, August 14, 2009
Tests Prove Georgia Panther Came from South Florida
Last fall, a Georgia deer hunter shot and killed a cougar as it walked by his tree stand. He reported his kill to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, after which the body of the cat was brought to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens, Georgia, for necropsy. Genetic testing revealed that the young, healthy mat
 ure male was a resident member of the south Florida remnant population of critically endangered Florida panthers.With the recent genetic confirmation that the animal is indeed a Florida panther, it's possible it could have traveled all the way from south Florida to Georgia. Male panthers will often travel long distances in attempts to establish their own territory. The question is, if there was one, are there more? For the full story, please go to http://www.examiner.com/x-13344-Wildlife-Conservation-Examiner%7Ey2009m8d5-Endangered-Florida-panther-shot-in-Georgia – Jay Cassell
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologists Take One-on-One Approach to Washington
Saint Paul, Minn. – August 11, 2009 – Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Farm Bill Biologists recently took a short break from meeting with private landowners to meet with legislators and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The meetings focused on the success of the Farm Bill Biologist program and the need for more Farm Bill Biologist positions in additional states to maximize wildlife habitat impact.
Farm Bill Biologists touting the program included Jason Selvog of Waite Park, Minnesota; Kelsi Niederklein of North Platte, Nebraska; Matt Morlock of Brookings, South Dakota; and J.D. Armstrong of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The foursome represent Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's improved model of conservation program delivery. Designed to educate farmers and landowners about the benefits of conservation programs, as well as assist those farmers and landowners after programs have been implemented, Pheasants Forever first began employing Farm Bill Biologists in 2003 and now has 36 Farm Bill Biologists working in s  ix states – Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. In just over six years, Farm Bill Biologists have contacted and consulted 28,065 landowners, resulting in the improvement of nearly 1.3 million acres!For details, go to http://www.pheasantsforever.org/ or http://www.quailforever.org/--Jay Cassell
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Federal Court Ruling Supports National Roadless Rule
In a decision that could have far-reaching implications for management of national forest roadless areas and important fish and wildlife habitat, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a 9th District Court judge’s ruling that the Bush administration unlawfully repealed the national roadless rule when it established a short-lived rule that enabled development of state-specific plans for roadless area management. The District Court’s 2006 ruling enjoined the state petitions rule and reinstated the 2001 roadless rule.
Citing “procedural shortcomings” that violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act, the 9th Circuit Court decision stated that “the district court did not abuse its discretion in ordering the Forest Service to comply with the Roadless Rule as a remedy” for these deficiencies. To get the full story, go to trcp.org/issues/roadless -- Jay Cassell
Monday, August 3, 2009
Labor Unions Promote Conservation Measures in Climate Change Legislation
A diverse group of America’s labor unions last week sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, requesting that dedicated funding to safeguard fish, wildlife and ecosystems important to sportsmen be included in climate change legislation being deliberated by Congress.
The 20 unions, all partners of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, stress that a share of annual funding, no less than that contained in the version of the bill recently passed by the House of Representatives and not subject to annual appropriations, should be directed toward protecting and restoring the natural environment. “New dedicated resources are needed to protect and restore the natural environment, including fish, wildlife and their habitat, on which human health and economic vitality depends,” the unions write. “A portion of these funds should be provided to ensuring that climate change strategies are integrated into state wildlife action plans, state coastal zone management plans, and other state wildlife species or habitat plans.” For details, please go to trcp.org – Jay Cassell |
If you or someone you know is working on a conservation project, we want to reward your efforts. Click Here to contact our editors with information on your project. All nominees are eligible for the grand prize and runner up prizes, which will be announced this fall. 
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