Support HR 3432!

On Wednesday, November 16, H.R. 3432, the Rural Economic Vitalization Act (REVA), was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Adam Smith (D-WA-9th) and six original cosponsors.

This bill would allow federal grazing permittees to voluntarily relinquish their grazing permits back to the managing federal agency in exchange for compensation paid by a third party.

Grazing permit retirement is a voluntary, non-regulatory, market-based solution to public lands grazing conflicts.  Permittees determine if and when they want to retire their grazing permits. Permittees and third parties separately agree how much a permittee will be paid for relinquishing their permit. And federal agencies facilitate the transaction by immediately retiring grazing permits received from a permittee. The Rural Economic Vitalization Act caps the total number of grazing permits that may be retired each year at 100.

Send a letter urging your House Representative to cosponsor this bill!
Click here to go to letter

Idaho Declares Disaster Emergency

"The uncontrolled proliferation of imported wolves on private land has produced a clear and present danger to humans, their pets and livestock, and has altered and hindered historical uses of private and public land, dramatically inhibiting previously safe activities such as walking, picnicking, biking, berry picking, hunting and fishing."

Excerpt of Otter's Declaration Letter

Idaho Conservation League commented:

This action is over the top, even by Idaho standards.

Gov. Otter enacted H0343 to deal with this drama. Here's a snippet:

 67-5807. GOVERNOR -- EXECUTIVE ORDERS. (1) Pursuant to this act, the governor may issue executive orders and proclamations and amend or rescind such orders and proclamations. Executive orders and proclamations have the
force and effect of law. A disaster emergency may be declared by executive order or proclamation of the governor if the governor finds any of the following:

(a) Any Canadian gray wolf within the state is a carrier of a disease harmful to humans, livestock, pets and wild game and that there is a risk of transmission of such disease to humans, livestock, pets or wild game;
(b) The potential of human–wolf conflict exists and that the Canadian gray wolf is frequenting areas inhabited by humans or showing habituated behavior toward humans;
(c) That the potential for livestock–wolf conflict exists and that the Canadian gray wolf is frequenting areas that are largely ranchland with livestock or showing evidence of habituated behavior toward livestock;
(d) The numbers of Canadian gray wolves are such that there is an impact to Idaho big game herds as identified in the wolf management plan of 2002, and that there is evidence that increasing the number of wolves beyond one hundred (100) has had detrimental impacts on big game populations, the economic viability of the Idaho department of fish and game, outfitters and guides, and others who depend on a viable population of
big game animals;
(e) The numbers of big game animals have been significantly impacted below that of recent historical numbers and that there has been a measurable diminution in the value of businesses tied to outfitting and other game or hunting based businesses.

Control Wildlife for Brucellosis

There's a new anti-wildlife bill that's pretty vague. The bill SB237 establishes the Department of  Fish & Wildlife as puppets for livestock managing wildlife to protect the holier than thou cattle in Montana. The bill was given to Governor B.S. on April 11th and is awaiting his signature. He has 10 days to sign it.

Some text of the bill:

(2) If the source of brucellosis transmission resulting in an order or regulation promulgated under subsection (1) is:

     (a) wild buffalo or bison, the administrator shall enforce the provisions of 81-2-120 in a manner that ensures that the risk of additional transmission from wild buffalo or bison to livestock is eliminated or minimized as much as possible; or

     (b) from any other species of wildlife, the administrator shall, in coordination with the department of fish, wildlife, and parks, develop brucellosis surveillance and prevalence reduction procedures for the wildlife species identified as the source of transmission within the area affected.

     (3) The department shall pay testing costs for the surveillance of livestock pursuant to subsection (1).

What is "ensures that the risk....is eliminated or minimized...?" and what on earth are "prevalence reduction procedures?"

That leaves it wide open to all out slaughter of wild bison, which is a common occurrence in Montana (unfortunately for the bison, ecology, and those that like bison.)

Tell Gov. B.S. to VETO BILLS!

There are currently 2 bills waiting for Governor B.S. signature.

HB 318 ALL wild bison, even if the bison are certified brucellosis free by state veterinarian, must have approval of county commission before the bison can be allowed into county. This bill also gives lethal and non-lethal actions allowed when wild buffalo or bison from a herd that is infected with a dangerous disease enters the state of Montana on public or private land...

SB 212

Wild buffalo or bison as species in need of management -- policy -- department duties. (1) The legislature finds that significant potential exists for the spread of contagious disease to persons or livestock in Montana and for damage to persons and property by wild buffalo or bison. It is the purpose of this section:

     (a)  to designate publicly owned wild buffalo or bison originating from Yellowstone national park as a species requiring disease control;

     (b)  to designate other wild buffalo or bison as a species in need of management; and

     (c)  to set out specific duties for the department for management of the species.

     (2)  The department:

     (a)  is responsible for the management, including but not limited to public hunting, of wild buffalo or bison in this state that have not been exposed to or infected with a dangerous or contagious disease but may threaten persons or property;

Please tell Governor B.S. to VETO these bills!
Here is a pre-written letter by Greater Yellowstone Coalition
https://secure3.convio.net/gyc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=324

Bison Bills Update

There have been alot of house and senate bills on bison. Here's the latest status of them.

SB 207--putting ALL bison under authority of DOL--passed the 3rd reading and has hearing 3/29/11

SB 148-- creating new group to oversee bison management with DPHHS--no vote "Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal"

HB 482--making bison "valued native wildlife in need of conservation and management"--no vote "Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal"

SB 174--prohibiting state funds to move bison onto Spotted Dog WMA--passed 13-7 and in 2nd House

SB 214--classify all wild bison as livestock--no vote "Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal"

SB 184 --permit "use of bows and arrows" to hunt bison--passed 18-2 and in 2nd House

HB 482 Dies in House

The bill to recognize bison as valued native wildlife in Montana failed 14-6.
I'll post more about the meeting later this week.

Montana Votes for Horse Slaughter

This isn't about wildlife, but it is about the slaughtering of animals, so I wanted to write on it.

Again with the ranchers....
The MT house of representatives endorsed a bill to allow a slaughter house to open.

Why? Ranchers complain it's too expensive to euthanize a horse and need a way to deal with all the abandoned/ill horses.
A sponsor of the bill not surprizingly is, Republican Rep. Ed Butcher who says slaughter is "a humane way to address the problem.”

What's wrong with this logic?
1) Currently all ill horses are shipped to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. How is this cheaper than euthanizing?

2) Slaughter is in NO WAY "humane". These same people who see a slaughter house as economical would never even think to dump off their 20 year old pickup into a junk yard.

The last slaughter house was closed in 2007.

Montana has NEVER been able to live with animals wild or domestic. They just want to slaughter them.

http://www.miamiherald.com/business/breaking-news/story/920508.html