Big Game Forever
Dedicated to common sense conservation
For Immediate Release: April 15, 2011
President Obama has just signed H.R. 1473 the Budget Resolution, continuing government operations until September 30. A provision within that act will have wide ranging effects on the control of the Grey Wolf populations within some western states. The act requires that in the states of Montana and Idaho the Wolf be removed from the Endanger Species Act (ESA) and returned to individual state management. Language was also included which allows Wyoming to move toward delisting.
Sen. Orrin Hatch expressed, “I couldn’t be more pleased with the inclusion of wolf-delisting language in the budget bill that passed this week. The return of wolf management in northern Utah to state wildlife managers is a very important step in the right direction. This wouldn’t have happened without the resolute efforts of Big Game Forever and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife. I remain committed to doing everything that I can to ensure that the states, not the federal government, have the responsibility for managing wolves. ”
The sportsmen of America are grateful for the leadership of Leader Reid, Senator Tester, Senator Baucus, Senator Hatch, Senator Barrasso, Senator Enzi, Senator Risch, Senator Crapo, Senator McCain and Senator Kyl, Congressman Rehberg, Congresswoman Lummis, Congressman Matheson, Congressman Bishop, Congressman Ross, Congressman Chaffetz, Congressman Simpson and the over 60 total cosponsors who played a role in building the consensus of a need for Congressional action to delist no longer endangered wolf populations.
“We are encouraged that Congress has acknowledged the need to delist no longer endangered wolf populations. It is unfortunate that multiple administrative delisting decisions and ultimately Congressional action were required to obtain a partial delisting of a species that has been recovered for years. We applaud the beginning of the return of management of wolves to state wildlife managers who manage and protect hundreds of game and nongame species so capably,” said Ryan Benson of Big Game Forever.
U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis explained the importance of including language preserving Judge Alan Johnson’s November 2010 ruling. “Upholding Judge Johnson’s ruling is crucial to advancing negotiations on a common sense wolf management plan. This language removes obstacles that would have otherwise hindered discussions on the status of the fully recovered gray wolf in Wyoming. Returning management of the gray wolf to the State of Wyoming is the ultimate goal. Much work remains, but with this provision intact, I am confident we are closer than ever to realizing a full delisting. I look forward to that happy day.”
Don Peay, founder of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, said, “With the need to trim billions from the federal budgets, this was first step to return management of wolves to all states and end redundant federal expenditures for a job states can do better. More importantly, with high unemployment rates and losses of jobs, abundant big game herds are an American Treasure, a renewable resource, and with proper management can sustain tens of millions of dollars in annual economic activity, tens of thousands of jobs, and the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Americans to put food on the table.”
Big Game Forever and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife are grateful for the selfless and dedicated efforts of countless conservation minded sportsmen of America. The responsible livestock producer organizations, the conservation groups and many other organizations who have added their voice to this important effort have helped tremendously to educate for the need to protect healthy wildlife populations and America’s livestock industry.
We appreciate all your efforts Don, Ryan and Big Game Forever, keep it up. – Hunters Against PETA
Hunters Against PETA
Showing posts with label HSUS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HSUS. Show all posts
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
More Good Wolf Fight News
House and Senate pass bill today with wolf delisting language
Folks,
Congressional action to delist wolf populations in Idaho and Montana appears to be moving quickly toward passage. The House of Representatives voted today in support of the Continuing Resolution by a margin of 260-167. The Senate also has voted to pass the Continuing Resolution. We are awaiting confirmation of the actual vote tally in the Senate. The bill continues to include wolf delisting language for a portion of the Northern Rockies.
The President will need to sign the bill into law by midnight tomorrow April 15, 2011 to avoid a shut down of the government. It is expected the President will sign the bill into law.
As many are aware, the wolf language in the bill codifies the April 2009 delisting rule which focuses on the approved wolf management plans for Idaho and Montana. Despite language that would delist portions of Oregon and Washington and a nominal portion of Northern Utah in the delisted zone, the focus on approved management plans in the 2009 rule make clear that the states where management authority will be returned are Idaho and Montana.
Passage of this bill will demonstrate that Congressional delisting is not only possible, but also necessary for states to be able to manage and protect wildlife populations, including wolves, within their borders. We are hopeful the passage of a wolf delisting bill for a few states will be followed by a broader delisting bill which would include additional states in the West and Midwest. While passage of this bill is significant step in the right direction, it clearly does not solve the issue. We continue to support the right of all states to manage wolves and other wildlife within their borders without federal intervention.
The environmental and animal rights community have been working hard to derail the legislation. Feel free to take a minute and call or email your Congressional delegation to let them know your feelings on the pending wolf delisting language in the Continuing Resolution.
Ryan Benson
http://biggameforever.org/
Hunters Against PETA
Folks,
Congressional action to delist wolf populations in Idaho and Montana appears to be moving quickly toward passage. The House of Representatives voted today in support of the Continuing Resolution by a margin of 260-167. The Senate also has voted to pass the Continuing Resolution. We are awaiting confirmation of the actual vote tally in the Senate. The bill continues to include wolf delisting language for a portion of the Northern Rockies.
The President will need to sign the bill into law by midnight tomorrow April 15, 2011 to avoid a shut down of the government. It is expected the President will sign the bill into law.
As many are aware, the wolf language in the bill codifies the April 2009 delisting rule which focuses on the approved wolf management plans for Idaho and Montana. Despite language that would delist portions of Oregon and Washington and a nominal portion of Northern Utah in the delisted zone, the focus on approved management plans in the 2009 rule make clear that the states where management authority will be returned are Idaho and Montana.
Passage of this bill will demonstrate that Congressional delisting is not only possible, but also necessary for states to be able to manage and protect wildlife populations, including wolves, within their borders. We are hopeful the passage of a wolf delisting bill for a few states will be followed by a broader delisting bill which would include additional states in the West and Midwest. While passage of this bill is significant step in the right direction, it clearly does not solve the issue. We continue to support the right of all states to manage wolves and other wildlife within their borders without federal intervention.
The environmental and animal rights community have been working hard to derail the legislation. Feel free to take a minute and call or email your Congressional delegation to let them know your feelings on the pending wolf delisting language in the Continuing Resolution.
Ryan Benson
http://biggameforever.org/
Hunters Against PETA
Monday, February 21, 2011
APNewsBreak: “Montana won’t wait to kill wolves”
“BILLINGS, Mont. — Defying federal authority over gray wolves, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Wednesday encouraged ranchers to kill wolves that prey on their livestock — even in areas where that is not currently allowed — and said the state will start shooting packs that hurt elk herds.
Schweitzer told The Associated Press he no longer would wait for federal officials to resolve the tangle of lawsuits over wolves, which has kept the animals on the endangered species list for a decade since recovery goals were first met.
“We will take action in Montana on our own,” he said. “We’ve had it with Washington, D.C., with Congress just yipping about it, with (the Department of) Interior just vacillating about it.”
State wildlife agents and ranchers already kill wolves regularly across much of the Northern Rockies, where 1,700 of the animals roam parts of five states. Rules against killing wolves have been relaxed significantly by federal officials over the past decade but hunting remains prohibited.
Livestock owners in southern Montana and Idaho have authority to defend their property by shooting wolves that attack their cattle, sheep or other domestic animals. And federal agents regularly kill problem wolves, with more than 1,000 shot over the past decade.
But Schweitzer is moving to expand those killings beyond what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has so far allowed, including to parts of Montana where ranchers are not allowed to shoot the predators.
Fish and Wildlife spokesman Chris Tollefson said the agency was working with Montana and other states in the region to address their concerns over the wolf population.
“We’ve been in negotiations with Montana and the other states for some time, and we’re committed to continuing that and trying to find a solution that works for everybody,” he said.
In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar provided by Schweitzer’s office, the Democratic governor said state game wardens will be directed to stop investigating wolf shootings north of Interstate 90, the part of the state with the strictest protections for the animals.
That follows a similar show of defiance from Idaho’s Republican governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter.
Otter said in the fall that Idaho Fish and Game agents would no longer participate in wolf management efforts, including shooting investigations. The move forced federal officials to step in to enforce restrictions on killing the animals.
Federal enforcement of laws against killing protected wolves also would be expected in Montana.
But critics of federal wolf policies appeared emboldened by the governor’s Wednesday statements. Robert Fanning, who heads a group that advocates protecting elk herds around Yellowstone National Park from wolves, sent out an e-mail urging Montana residents to “lock and load and saddle up while there is still snow on the ground.”
In the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, Schweitzer directed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to begin removing wolf packs blamed for driving down elk populations.
The state has a pending petition before the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove a dozen wolves in the Bitterroot. A decision on that petition is pending, according to federal officials.
But Schweitzer indicated Wednesday he was not going to wait, and would leave it to state wildlife agents to decide when to kill the wolves. He was less adamant in the letter to Salazar, which said the Bitterroot packs would be killed “to the extent allowed by the Endangered Species Act.”
Department of Interior spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said the agency agreed there was an “urgent need” to turn over wolf management to states that have acceptable management plans for the animals.
“But the governor’s letter is not the answer,” she added.
Federal wildlife officials have tried twice in the last four years to lift endangered protections for wolves and turn over management to the states. Both attempts were reversed in federal court.
A provision in a budget bill pending before Congress would revoke endangered species status for wolves in Montana and Idaho. Other measures introduced by lawmakers would lift federal protections across the lower 48 states.
Despite the bitter public divide on the issue, attacks on livestock by other, unprotected predators such as coyotes far exceed damage from wolves, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. But the lack of state control over wolves because of their endangered status has frustrated both livestock owners and elk hunters, who complain that their hands are tied by federal protections.
“This is a real-life problem in Montana — and we plan to start solving the problem,” Schweitzer said.”
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Schweitzer told The Associated Press he no longer would wait for federal officials to resolve the tangle of lawsuits over wolves, which has kept the animals on the endangered species list for a decade since recovery goals were first met.
“We will take action in Montana on our own,” he said. “We’ve had it with Washington, D.C., with Congress just yipping about it, with (the Department of) Interior just vacillating about it.”
State wildlife agents and ranchers already kill wolves regularly across much of the Northern Rockies, where 1,700 of the animals roam parts of five states. Rules against killing wolves have been relaxed significantly by federal officials over the past decade but hunting remains prohibited.
Livestock owners in southern Montana and Idaho have authority to defend their property by shooting wolves that attack their cattle, sheep or other domestic animals. And federal agents regularly kill problem wolves, with more than 1,000 shot over the past decade.
But Schweitzer is moving to expand those killings beyond what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has so far allowed, including to parts of Montana where ranchers are not allowed to shoot the predators.
Fish and Wildlife spokesman Chris Tollefson said the agency was working with Montana and other states in the region to address their concerns over the wolf population.
“We’ve been in negotiations with Montana and the other states for some time, and we’re committed to continuing that and trying to find a solution that works for everybody,” he said.
In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar provided by Schweitzer’s office, the Democratic governor said state game wardens will be directed to stop investigating wolf shootings north of Interstate 90, the part of the state with the strictest protections for the animals.
That follows a similar show of defiance from Idaho’s Republican governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter.
Otter said in the fall that Idaho Fish and Game agents would no longer participate in wolf management efforts, including shooting investigations. The move forced federal officials to step in to enforce restrictions on killing the animals.
Federal enforcement of laws against killing protected wolves also would be expected in Montana.
But critics of federal wolf policies appeared emboldened by the governor’s Wednesday statements. Robert Fanning, who heads a group that advocates protecting elk herds around Yellowstone National Park from wolves, sent out an e-mail urging Montana residents to “lock and load and saddle up while there is still snow on the ground.”
In the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, Schweitzer directed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to begin removing wolf packs blamed for driving down elk populations.
The state has a pending petition before the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove a dozen wolves in the Bitterroot. A decision on that petition is pending, according to federal officials.
But Schweitzer indicated Wednesday he was not going to wait, and would leave it to state wildlife agents to decide when to kill the wolves. He was less adamant in the letter to Salazar, which said the Bitterroot packs would be killed “to the extent allowed by the Endangered Species Act.”
Department of Interior spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said the agency agreed there was an “urgent need” to turn over wolf management to states that have acceptable management plans for the animals.
“But the governor’s letter is not the answer,” she added.
Federal wildlife officials have tried twice in the last four years to lift endangered protections for wolves and turn over management to the states. Both attempts were reversed in federal court.
A provision in a budget bill pending before Congress would revoke endangered species status for wolves in Montana and Idaho. Other measures introduced by lawmakers would lift federal protections across the lower 48 states.
Despite the bitter public divide on the issue, attacks on livestock by other, unprotected predators such as coyotes far exceed damage from wolves, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. But the lack of state control over wolves because of their endangered status has frustrated both livestock owners and elk hunters, who complain that their hands are tied by federal protections.
“This is a real-life problem in Montana — and we plan to start solving the problem,” Schweitzer said.”
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sportsmen Please Take Action
Concerned over the growing momentum behind the American Wildlife and Livestock Protection Act, H.R. 509 and S.249, the environmental community and their champions in Congress have gone on the offensive.
Senator Boxer (D) California and Senator Cardin (D) Maryland have chosen divisive political rhetoric over responsible wildlife management by suggesting the bill sets “a dangerous precedent that undermines the Endangered Species Act and threatens the continued existence of the Gray Wolf across this country.” Sportsmen are being accused of “hysterical anti-wolf hatred” for simply asking the federal government to fulfill longstanding commitments and the promises of the ESA.
Senator Boxer and Cardin, you still don’t get it. Trust the American People, trust local people, not Washington DC Bureaucrats. You can trust the people, the sportsmen, the ranchers, and the state wildlife professionals who have fixed the federal government failures over the last fifty years. Wolves, and all wildlife will be in better hands being managed by the states, than mismanaged by the people who have put our country fifteen trillion dollars in debt and kept our country at ten percent unemployment.
The stage has been set. Anti hunting groups now claim to have sent tens of thousands of emails to members of Congress to slow down this important legislation. It is time for the 65,000,000 American Sportsmen to stand up to the environmental bullies, to protect our rights and to protect America’s wildlife.
Please take 30 seconds and email all of your elected officials using our automated system at http://capwiz.com/biggameforever/home/ Simply click on “Take Action” and with some basic information the system will automatically email your representatives in Congress. Take a few minutes and get the word out to your friends.
Ryan Benson and Don Peay
Founders Big Game Forever
http://biggameforever.org
We support Big Game Forever 100% and urge all sportsmen to take action and contact your elected officials ASAP, together we can win this war. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Senator Boxer (D) California and Senator Cardin (D) Maryland have chosen divisive political rhetoric over responsible wildlife management by suggesting the bill sets “a dangerous precedent that undermines the Endangered Species Act and threatens the continued existence of the Gray Wolf across this country.” Sportsmen are being accused of “hysterical anti-wolf hatred” for simply asking the federal government to fulfill longstanding commitments and the promises of the ESA.
Senator Boxer and Cardin, you still don’t get it. Trust the American People, trust local people, not Washington DC Bureaucrats. You can trust the people, the sportsmen, the ranchers, and the state wildlife professionals who have fixed the federal government failures over the last fifty years. Wolves, and all wildlife will be in better hands being managed by the states, than mismanaged by the people who have put our country fifteen trillion dollars in debt and kept our country at ten percent unemployment.
The stage has been set. Anti hunting groups now claim to have sent tens of thousands of emails to members of Congress to slow down this important legislation. It is time for the 65,000,000 American Sportsmen to stand up to the environmental bullies, to protect our rights and to protect America’s wildlife.
Please take 30 seconds and email all of your elected officials using our automated system at http://capwiz.com/biggameforever/home/ Simply click on “Take Action” and with some basic information the system will automatically email your representatives in Congress. Take a few minutes and get the word out to your friends.
Ryan Benson and Don Peay
Founders Big Game Forever
http://biggameforever.org
We support Big Game Forever 100% and urge all sportsmen to take action and contact your elected officials ASAP, together we can win this war. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Here's Your Chance to Help Stop the Wolves
The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho For Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Idaho Outfitters and Guides and a host of other groups are working together on a public policy event on wolves in Idaho on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at Boise State University in the Jordan Ballroom at 7:00 pm. Our featured presenter will be Mr. Jim Beers. See his bio below.
We are writing to request your help and support in three possible areas:
1. Help market – promote the event to your members, friends and other like-minded groups
2. Be an event sponsor – so far we have a $200 and two $500 sponsors
our event budget is about $3500
3. Donate an item for fund raising auction – outdoor item, gift certificate, adventure trip, etc.
If you can help in any way please let me know asap. We are just 3 weeks away from this important event and need people to help market and help sponsor the event. We have promises of $1200 so far and the event cost will be about $3500. We also need items for the silent auction.
Sponsor donations of any amount may be mailed to Idaho Freedom Foundation, PO Box 2801, Boise, ID 83701. Put wolves in memo.
You can go to this site to RSVP or for more information http://www.facebook.co/event.php?eid=148285101894174
The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho For Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Idaho Outfitters and Guides and a host of other groups are working together on a public policy event on wolves in Idaho on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at Boise State University in the Jordan Ballroom at 7:00 pm. Our featured presenter will be Mr. Jim Beers. See his bio below.We are writing to request your help and support in three possible areas:
1. Help market – promote the event to your members, friends and other like-minded groups
2. Be an event sponsor – so far we have a $200 and two $500 sponsors our event budget is about $3500
3. Donate an item for fund raising auction – outdoor item, gift certificate, adventure trip, etc. If you can help in any way please let me know asap. We are just 3 weeks away from this important event and need people to help market and help sponsor the event. We have promises of $1200 so far and the event cost will be about $3500. We also need items for the silent auction. Sponsor donations of any amount may be mailed to Idaho Freedom Foundation, PO Box 2801, Boise, ID 83701. Put wolves in memo. You can go to this site to RSVP or for more information: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148285101894174
We encourage all sportsmen to help out and do their part to help out these groups and help save our wildlife from being wiped out by wolves. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
We are writing to request your help and support in three possible areas:
1. Help market – promote the event to your members, friends and other like-minded groups
2. Be an event sponsor – so far we have a $200 and two $500 sponsors
our event budget is about $3500
3. Donate an item for fund raising auction – outdoor item, gift certificate, adventure trip, etc.
If you can help in any way please let me know asap. We are just 3 weeks away from this important event and need people to help market and help sponsor the event. We have promises of $1200 so far and the event cost will be about $3500. We also need items for the silent auction.
Sponsor donations of any amount may be mailed to Idaho Freedom Foundation, PO Box 2801, Boise, ID 83701. Put wolves in memo.
You can go to this site to RSVP or for more information http://www.facebook.co/event.php?eid=148285101894174
The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho For Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Idaho Outfitters and Guides and a host of other groups are working together on a public policy event on wolves in Idaho on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at Boise State University in the Jordan Ballroom at 7:00 pm. Our featured presenter will be Mr. Jim Beers. See his bio below.We are writing to request your help and support in three possible areas:
1. Help market – promote the event to your members, friends and other like-minded groups
2. Be an event sponsor – so far we have a $200 and two $500 sponsors our event budget is about $3500
3. Donate an item for fund raising auction – outdoor item, gift certificate, adventure trip, etc. If you can help in any way please let me know asap. We are just 3 weeks away from this important event and need people to help market and help sponsor the event. We have promises of $1200 so far and the event cost will be about $3500. We also need items for the silent auction. Sponsor donations of any amount may be mailed to Idaho Freedom Foundation, PO Box 2801, Boise, ID 83701. Put wolves in memo. You can go to this site to RSVP or for more information: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148285101894174
We encourage all sportsmen to help out and do their part to help out these groups and help save our wildlife from being wiped out by wolves. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Monday, January 24, 2011
“Horse roundup near Pickens, (Reno, NV) sanctuary criticized” (by animal rights groups)
This article was taken directly from Chron.com
“RENO, Nev. — Animal rights activists are lashing out at plans to remove about 2,000 wild horses from the range near two northeastern Nevada ranches that the wife of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens purchased to serve as a mustang sanctuary.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management planned to begin rounding up the horses Sunday near philanthropist Madeleine Pickens‘ ranches, which are in the 1.3 million-acre Antelope Complex near the Utah line, roughly 70 miles southeast of Elko.
Pickens’ Saving America’s Mustangs, the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other groups urged the BLM to postpone the roundup, saying it makes more sense financially to leave the animals on the range in Pickens’ sanctuary instead of shipping them to the Midwest.
“Why disturb them and move them to another state?” Pickens asked. “It’s a slap in the face to every taxpayer in this country. I don’t think the BLM has come to grip with the fact that America is out of money.”
The BLM offers horses gathered from the range for adoption to the public. Those too old or considered unadoptable are sent to long-term holding facilities in the Midwest, where they can live for decades.
Spokesman Tom Gorey in Washington, D.C., said Pickens’ plan to send those horses to her sanctuary is not a practical alternative at this time, and the agency was waiting for more details from her to determine whether it would be feasible.
The BLM has a mandate under federal law to remove some horses to sustain the health of herds, rangelands and wildlife, Gorey said.
Horse herds can double in size about every four years, he added, and the BLM has determined the Antelope complex can handle 427 to 788 of the animals.
“There’s nothing new in their arguments. They oppose gathers, period,” Gorey said of the activists. “They say there’s no need and let the population explode. Their laissez-faire management philosophy would result in cataclysm on the range, both to the range itself and the animals that depend on it.”
Pickens last year purchased the 14,000-acre Spruce Ranch and adjoining 4,000-acre Warm Creek Ranch to serve as a sanctuary that would keep mustangs on the range instead of in government-funded holding facilities.
The Elko County ranches, which she has renamed the Mustang Monument preserve, come with grazing rights on about 564,000 acres of public land.
Activists are calling for a reallocation of grazing rights in the Antelope complex, saying the BLM annually authorizes the equivalent of more than 2,000 privately-owned cattle and nearly 7,000 privately-owned sheep to graze in it.
“The bias favoring welfare livestock is shocking,” said Ginger Kathrens, director of the horse advocacy group Cloud Foundation based in Colorado. “It is time to re-slice this pie and give wild horses their fair share of our public rangelands.”
BLM spokeswoman Heather Emmons said some of those with permits in the Antelope complex have been forced to scale back or cease grazing in allotments because of scarce forage caused by an overpopulation of horses.
The federal agency has a multiple-use mandate for public lands, she said, and has authorized about 2,400 cattle and 10,500 sheep annually in the complex.
“I wouldn’t say we’re catering to anyone, but we’re trying to follow the law and do what the land can sustain out there,” Emmons said. “We’re way over with horses out there. We want to get in there and manage them correctly with the right numbers.”
Activists also contend that winter roundups — involving helicopters that drive horses to corrals — expose the animals to the risk of respiratory illness. They noted more than 100 horses died in a roundup north of Reno last winter.
BLM spokeswoman JoLynn Worley said mustangs are easier to gather in the winter because they move from mountains to valleys and stand out better with snow on the ground.
Some 33,700 wild horses roam freely in 10 Western states, about half in Nevada. The BLM set a target level of 26,600 horses and burros in the wild, and removed 10,637 of the animals from the range in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Of the $63.9 million designated for the BLM’s wild horse and burro program in the last fiscal year, holding costs totaled about $37 million.
More than 40,000 horses are in government-funded holding facilities, Gorey said.”
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
“RENO, Nev. — Animal rights activists are lashing out at plans to remove about 2,000 wild horses from the range near two northeastern Nevada ranches that the wife of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens purchased to serve as a mustang sanctuary.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management planned to begin rounding up the horses Sunday near philanthropist Madeleine Pickens‘ ranches, which are in the 1.3 million-acre Antelope Complex near the Utah line, roughly 70 miles southeast of Elko.
Pickens’ Saving America’s Mustangs, the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other groups urged the BLM to postpone the roundup, saying it makes more sense financially to leave the animals on the range in Pickens’ sanctuary instead of shipping them to the Midwest.
“Why disturb them and move them to another state?” Pickens asked. “It’s a slap in the face to every taxpayer in this country. I don’t think the BLM has come to grip with the fact that America is out of money.”
The BLM offers horses gathered from the range for adoption to the public. Those too old or considered unadoptable are sent to long-term holding facilities in the Midwest, where they can live for decades.
Spokesman Tom Gorey in Washington, D.C., said Pickens’ plan to send those horses to her sanctuary is not a practical alternative at this time, and the agency was waiting for more details from her to determine whether it would be feasible.
The BLM has a mandate under federal law to remove some horses to sustain the health of herds, rangelands and wildlife, Gorey said.
Horse herds can double in size about every four years, he added, and the BLM has determined the Antelope complex can handle 427 to 788 of the animals.
“There’s nothing new in their arguments. They oppose gathers, period,” Gorey said of the activists. “They say there’s no need and let the population explode. Their laissez-faire management philosophy would result in cataclysm on the range, both to the range itself and the animals that depend on it.”
Pickens last year purchased the 14,000-acre Spruce Ranch and adjoining 4,000-acre Warm Creek Ranch to serve as a sanctuary that would keep mustangs on the range instead of in government-funded holding facilities.
The Elko County ranches, which she has renamed the Mustang Monument preserve, come with grazing rights on about 564,000 acres of public land.
Activists are calling for a reallocation of grazing rights in the Antelope complex, saying the BLM annually authorizes the equivalent of more than 2,000 privately-owned cattle and nearly 7,000 privately-owned sheep to graze in it.
“The bias favoring welfare livestock is shocking,” said Ginger Kathrens, director of the horse advocacy group Cloud Foundation based in Colorado. “It is time to re-slice this pie and give wild horses their fair share of our public rangelands.”
BLM spokeswoman Heather Emmons said some of those with permits in the Antelope complex have been forced to scale back or cease grazing in allotments because of scarce forage caused by an overpopulation of horses.
The federal agency has a multiple-use mandate for public lands, she said, and has authorized about 2,400 cattle and 10,500 sheep annually in the complex.
“I wouldn’t say we’re catering to anyone, but we’re trying to follow the law and do what the land can sustain out there,” Emmons said. “We’re way over with horses out there. We want to get in there and manage them correctly with the right numbers.”
Activists also contend that winter roundups — involving helicopters that drive horses to corrals — expose the animals to the risk of respiratory illness. They noted more than 100 horses died in a roundup north of Reno last winter.
BLM spokeswoman JoLynn Worley said mustangs are easier to gather in the winter because they move from mountains to valleys and stand out better with snow on the ground.
Some 33,700 wild horses roam freely in 10 Western states, about half in Nevada. The BLM set a target level of 26,600 horses and burros in the wild, and removed 10,637 of the animals from the range in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Of the $63.9 million designated for the BLM’s wild horse and burro program in the last fiscal year, holding costs totaled about $37 million.
More than 40,000 horses are in government-funded holding facilities, Gorey said.”
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Hunters and Sportsmen Please Help Out Michigan Hunters
In September, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Forest Service’s regulations required that it consider banning hunting with firearms on lands designated as “semi-primitive” within the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
The Court feels that the noise associated with gun hunting could harm the quality of the recreational experience of hikers, backpackers, and cross country skiers. Additionally, the Court ruled that the Forest Service had to consider closing these areas if other public hunting land was available for gun hunting nearby.
As a result of the court ruling, the Forest Service began a formal review to determine if it should move forward with a gun hunting ban on these areas. Currently, the Service is considering two options:
1. a “No-Action” alternative which would allow hunting to continue without change; and
2. a “Modified Closure” alternative that would implement either a complete or partial ban on hunting with guns in the semi-primitive areas.
Take Action! Sportsmen should submit comments to the Forest Service supporting the “No-Action” alternative that would continue to allow hunting with firearms on areas designated as semi-primitive. Sportsmen can mail comments to:
Lee Evison, Forest Planner, Huron-Manistee National Forests
1755 S. Mitchell Street
Cadillac, MI 49601
Sportsmen can also fax comments to Lee Evison at (231) 775-5551 or email comments to comments-eastern – huronmanistee@fs.fed.us.
Please include your name and address with your comments. Emailed comments must include “Forest Plan SEIS” as the subject line of the email.
All comments must be received by February 11, 2011.
We urge everyone who reads this to please take a few minutes and submit your comments and opinions opposing this idea by voting that they take option #1 “NO ACTION”. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
The Court feels that the noise associated with gun hunting could harm the quality of the recreational experience of hikers, backpackers, and cross country skiers. Additionally, the Court ruled that the Forest Service had to consider closing these areas if other public hunting land was available for gun hunting nearby.
As a result of the court ruling, the Forest Service began a formal review to determine if it should move forward with a gun hunting ban on these areas. Currently, the Service is considering two options:
1. a “No-Action” alternative which would allow hunting to continue without change; and
2. a “Modified Closure” alternative that would implement either a complete or partial ban on hunting with guns in the semi-primitive areas.
Take Action! Sportsmen should submit comments to the Forest Service supporting the “No-Action” alternative that would continue to allow hunting with firearms on areas designated as semi-primitive. Sportsmen can mail comments to:
Lee Evison, Forest Planner, Huron-Manistee National Forests
1755 S. Mitchell Street
Cadillac, MI 49601
Sportsmen can also fax comments to Lee Evison at (231) 775-5551 or email comments to comments-eastern – huronmanistee@fs.fed.us.
Please include your name and address with your comments. Emailed comments must include “Forest Plan SEIS” as the subject line of the email.
All comments must be received by February 11, 2011.
We urge everyone who reads this to please take a few minutes and submit your comments and opinions opposing this idea by voting that they take option #1 “NO ACTION”. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Update Regarding Our Wilderness
This article was pulled directly from MSNBC.com
DENVER — The Obama administration on Thursday undid a Bush-era policy that curbed some types of wilderness designations within the 245 million acres managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management.
While Congress remains the only body allowed to create “Wilderness Areas,” the move gives BLM field managers the go ahead to protect areas determined to have “wilderness characteristics.”
“I am proud to sign a secretarial order that restores protections for the wild lands that the Bureau of Land Management oversees on behalf of the American people,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in Denver, where he announced the shift.
Congressional Republicans pounced on the announcement as an attempt by the Obama administration to close land to development without congressional approval.
“This backdoor approach is intended to circumvent both the people who will be directly affected and Congress. I have to question why this announcement is being made only after Congress adjourned for the year,” said Washington state Rep. Doc Hastings, a Republican tapped to lead to the House Natural Resources Committee when the GOP takes control of the House in January.
The order essentially repeals a policy adopted in 2003 under then Interior Secretary Gale Norton. That policy stated that Interior could not designate some wilderness protections on its own and had to rely only on Congress for any designations.
The 2003 policy reflected an out-of-court deal struck between Norton and then-Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt to remove protections for some 2.6 million acres of federal land in Utah.
The policy allowed oil and gas drilling, mining and other commercial uses on land under consideration as wilderness areas.
The new policy creates a management category called “Wild Lands”.
The Interior Department said that “‘Wild Lands,’ which will be designated through a public process, will be managed to protect wilderness characteristics unless or until such time as a new public planning process modifies the designation.
“Because the ‘Wild Lands’ designation can be made and later modified through a public administrative process, it differs from ‘Wilderness Areas,’ which are designated by Congress and cannot be modified except by legislation, and ‘Wilderness Study Areas,’ which BLM typically must manage to protect wilderness characteristics until Congress determines whether to permanently protect them as Wilderness Areas or modify their management.”
BLM Director Bob Abbey said it hasn’t been decided how many acres are expected be designated as “Wild Lands” and whether those acres will be off-limits to motorized recreation or commercial development while under congressional review. It’s also unclear whether there will be a time limit on how long acres can be managed as “Wild Lands” before a decision is made on their future.
Salazar said the agency will also resume evaluating federal BLM lands that could be recommended to Congress for designation as wilderness areas.
The BLM has six months to submit a plan for new wilderness evaluations, Salazar said.
Ranchers, oil men and others have been suspicious of federal plans to lock up land in the West, worrying that taking the BLM land out of production would kill rural economies that rely on ranchers and the eastern Montana oil and gas business.
Their suspicions have been heightened since memos leaked in February revealed the Obama administration was considering 14 sites in nine states for possible presidential monument declarations.
That included 2.5 million acres of northeastern Montana prairie land proposed as a possible bison range, along with sites in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.
Environmental groups praised the reversal, though there has been grumbling that it took the Obama administration nearly two years to overturn the Bush-era policy.
“Washington D.C. always takes longer than you want, but we’re glad we’ve gotten here,” said Suzanne Jones, regional director for The Wilderness Society.
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
DENVER — The Obama administration on Thursday undid a Bush-era policy that curbed some types of wilderness designations within the 245 million acres managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management.
While Congress remains the only body allowed to create “Wilderness Areas,” the move gives BLM field managers the go ahead to protect areas determined to have “wilderness characteristics.”
“I am proud to sign a secretarial order that restores protections for the wild lands that the Bureau of Land Management oversees on behalf of the American people,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in Denver, where he announced the shift.
Congressional Republicans pounced on the announcement as an attempt by the Obama administration to close land to development without congressional approval.
“This backdoor approach is intended to circumvent both the people who will be directly affected and Congress. I have to question why this announcement is being made only after Congress adjourned for the year,” said Washington state Rep. Doc Hastings, a Republican tapped to lead to the House Natural Resources Committee when the GOP takes control of the House in January.
The order essentially repeals a policy adopted in 2003 under then Interior Secretary Gale Norton. That policy stated that Interior could not designate some wilderness protections on its own and had to rely only on Congress for any designations.
The 2003 policy reflected an out-of-court deal struck between Norton and then-Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt to remove protections for some 2.6 million acres of federal land in Utah.
The policy allowed oil and gas drilling, mining and other commercial uses on land under consideration as wilderness areas.
The new policy creates a management category called “Wild Lands”.
The Interior Department said that “‘Wild Lands,’ which will be designated through a public process, will be managed to protect wilderness characteristics unless or until such time as a new public planning process modifies the designation.
“Because the ‘Wild Lands’ designation can be made and later modified through a public administrative process, it differs from ‘Wilderness Areas,’ which are designated by Congress and cannot be modified except by legislation, and ‘Wilderness Study Areas,’ which BLM typically must manage to protect wilderness characteristics until Congress determines whether to permanently protect them as Wilderness Areas or modify their management.”
BLM Director Bob Abbey said it hasn’t been decided how many acres are expected be designated as “Wild Lands” and whether those acres will be off-limits to motorized recreation or commercial development while under congressional review. It’s also unclear whether there will be a time limit on how long acres can be managed as “Wild Lands” before a decision is made on their future.
Salazar said the agency will also resume evaluating federal BLM lands that could be recommended to Congress for designation as wilderness areas.
The BLM has six months to submit a plan for new wilderness evaluations, Salazar said.
Ranchers, oil men and others have been suspicious of federal plans to lock up land in the West, worrying that taking the BLM land out of production would kill rural economies that rely on ranchers and the eastern Montana oil and gas business.
Their suspicions have been heightened since memos leaked in February revealed the Obama administration was considering 14 sites in nine states for possible presidential monument declarations.
That included 2.5 million acres of northeastern Montana prairie land proposed as a possible bison range, along with sites in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.
Environmental groups praised the reversal, though there has been grumbling that it took the Obama administration nearly two years to overturn the Bush-era policy.
“Washington D.C. always takes longer than you want, but we’re glad we’ve gotten here,” said Suzanne Jones, regional director for The Wilderness Society.
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Group Pushing for Wolves to be Put Back into all lower 48 States
This article was pulled directly from ‘Heraldextra.com’
BILLINGS, Mont. — Environmentalists said Tuesday they intend to sue the Obama administration to force it to restore gray wolves across the lower 48 states — even as Republicans in Congress sought unsuccessfully to strip the animals of protection.
The Center for Biological Diversity said in a formal notice to the Interior Department that it will sue the agency in 60 days unless the government crafts a plan to bring back wolves throughout their historical range.
“Wolves once roamed nearly the whole country and down into Mexico, but at this point there just in a fraction of that range,” said Noah Greenwald, director of endangered species for the Center for Biological Diversity.
About 6,000 wolves live in the lower 48 states. They are protected from hunting except in Alaska.
Biologists for the Arizona-based group argue there is enough wild habitat to support thousands of wolves in New England and New York, the southern Rocky Mountains, parts of Colorado and the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington.
But prospects for new wolf packs in other parts of the country are uncertain at best, given how polarized the debate over wolves has become in recent months.
Like the Bush administration, the Obama administration has pushed to end federal protections for wolves and turn control over the animals over to states. Lawmakers from states where wolves already roam say there are too many of the predators.
On Tuesday, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, tried to force a full Senate vote on a bill to strip wolves nationwide of federal protections.
The measure was backed by Republicans in Wyoming and Utah, but failed in the face of Democratic objections.
Wolves were poisoned and trapped to near-extermination in the United States in the last century. They have bounced back in some wilderness areas over the last few decades, in part through government-sponsored reintroduction programs.
Crapo said the growing population of wolves in the Northern Rockies — more than 1,700 at the end of 2009 — was harming big game herds and domestic livestock.
“The longer we wait to resolve this issue, the more difficult it’s going to be,” he said.
But Sen. Benjamin Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, said the Republican bill would undermine the Endangered Species Act. He criticized what he called an attempt “to solve politically what should be done by good science.”
Cardin suggested he would support a compromise pushed by Montana lawmakers and the administration that would limit the scope of the bill to include only wolves in the Northern Rockies.
Crapo said that proposal was unacceptable because it would have forced Idaho to change the way it manages the animals.
Public hunts for wolves were allowed briefly in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in recent years. Those were halted after the federal government was rebuffed by the courts in several attempts to take the animal off the endangered list.
Judges have ruled that the government has not proved existing wolf numbers would ensure the population’s long-term survival.
Wolves are notorious predators. Experts say they could survive in most of the country if they were allowed. But a hunger for livestock often gets the animals into trouble, particularly in the Northern Rockies where ranches and wolf territories often overlap.
Young adult wolves sometimes travel hundreds of miles when looking to establish a new territory. In the last several years, packs have gained a toehold in parts of Oregon and Washington. Others have been spotted in Colorado, Utah and northern New England.
“We’ve learned from where wolves have been reintroduced that they have a tremendous benefit,” Greenwald, of the Center for Biological Diversity, said. “They force elk to move around more, which allows riparian vegetation to come back and increases songbirds, and they control coyote populations.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently analyzing research into wolf genetics to see how populations in different parts of the country relate to one another.
Agency spokesman Chris Tollefson on Tuesday said the effort is not part of a nationwide recovery plan, but declined to say if it could be used for such an effort in the future.
He said results of the agency’s work are expected in early 2011.
“It’s designed to establish the best scientific foundation to make future management decisions about wolves. That’s about all I can say about it at this point,” Tollefson said.
We will fight this and do whatever it takes to stop wolves from being reintroduced back into the 48. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
BILLINGS, Mont. — Environmentalists said Tuesday they intend to sue the Obama administration to force it to restore gray wolves across the lower 48 states — even as Republicans in Congress sought unsuccessfully to strip the animals of protection.
The Center for Biological Diversity said in a formal notice to the Interior Department that it will sue the agency in 60 days unless the government crafts a plan to bring back wolves throughout their historical range.
“Wolves once roamed nearly the whole country and down into Mexico, but at this point there just in a fraction of that range,” said Noah Greenwald, director of endangered species for the Center for Biological Diversity.
About 6,000 wolves live in the lower 48 states. They are protected from hunting except in Alaska.
Biologists for the Arizona-based group argue there is enough wild habitat to support thousands of wolves in New England and New York, the southern Rocky Mountains, parts of Colorado and the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington.
But prospects for new wolf packs in other parts of the country are uncertain at best, given how polarized the debate over wolves has become in recent months.
Like the Bush administration, the Obama administration has pushed to end federal protections for wolves and turn control over the animals over to states. Lawmakers from states where wolves already roam say there are too many of the predators.
On Tuesday, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, tried to force a full Senate vote on a bill to strip wolves nationwide of federal protections.
The measure was backed by Republicans in Wyoming and Utah, but failed in the face of Democratic objections.
Wolves were poisoned and trapped to near-extermination in the United States in the last century. They have bounced back in some wilderness areas over the last few decades, in part through government-sponsored reintroduction programs.
Crapo said the growing population of wolves in the Northern Rockies — more than 1,700 at the end of 2009 — was harming big game herds and domestic livestock.
“The longer we wait to resolve this issue, the more difficult it’s going to be,” he said.
But Sen. Benjamin Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, said the Republican bill would undermine the Endangered Species Act. He criticized what he called an attempt “to solve politically what should be done by good science.”
Cardin suggested he would support a compromise pushed by Montana lawmakers and the administration that would limit the scope of the bill to include only wolves in the Northern Rockies.
Crapo said that proposal was unacceptable because it would have forced Idaho to change the way it manages the animals.
Public hunts for wolves were allowed briefly in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in recent years. Those were halted after the federal government was rebuffed by the courts in several attempts to take the animal off the endangered list.
Judges have ruled that the government has not proved existing wolf numbers would ensure the population’s long-term survival.
Wolves are notorious predators. Experts say they could survive in most of the country if they were allowed. But a hunger for livestock often gets the animals into trouble, particularly in the Northern Rockies where ranches and wolf territories often overlap.
Young adult wolves sometimes travel hundreds of miles when looking to establish a new territory. In the last several years, packs have gained a toehold in parts of Oregon and Washington. Others have been spotted in Colorado, Utah and northern New England.
“We’ve learned from where wolves have been reintroduced that they have a tremendous benefit,” Greenwald, of the Center for Biological Diversity, said. “They force elk to move around more, which allows riparian vegetation to come back and increases songbirds, and they control coyote populations.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently analyzing research into wolf genetics to see how populations in different parts of the country relate to one another.
Agency spokesman Chris Tollefson on Tuesday said the effort is not part of a nationwide recovery plan, but declined to say if it could be used for such an effort in the future.
He said results of the agency’s work are expected in early 2011.
“It’s designed to establish the best scientific foundation to make future management decisions about wolves. That’s about all I can say about it at this point,” Tollefson said.
We will fight this and do whatever it takes to stop wolves from being reintroduced back into the 48. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Monday, November 29, 2010
The HSUS gets support from Pepsi
The HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) which happens to be the largest anti-hunting organization in the world is very close to receiving a $250,000 dollar grant from Pepsi.
Pepsi will give $250,000 to the top two vote getters in an online grant program it developed to provide funding to a variety of different projects. Currently, the HSUS is leading the race.
This program is called the ”Pepsi Refresh Program” and was started in January, 2010. Here’s the rules: “an online grant program which makes available millions of dollars to be granted to projects which are intended to improve communities through an online, democratic voting process…”
“Basically is states that up to 1,000 ideas can be submitted each month by individuals, companies and non-profit organizations. Thirty two of those ideas will be approved for funding based upon the number of votes received from registered online users. Of those thirty two; two will receive $250,000 and ten each will receive grants of $5 thousand, $25 thousand, or $50 thousand.”
“The Pepsi Refresh Program rules state that no proposal seeking funding can involve lobbying for the changing of laws.” The HSUS’s proposal that is leading in the current round of voting claims its goal is to “rescue animals who are suffering from extreme neglect.”
However the HSUS can do whatever they like with the grant money if they win, consequently putting more money in their pocket to further fight our hunting rights.
All sportsmen please take action and let Pepsi know that you’re displeased with them supporting the HSUS.
•Register at the Pepsi Refresh Program website, www.refresheverything.com and vote for a more worthy proposal.
•Contact Pepsi through their consumer phone number, 1-800-433-2652 or Click here to send an e-mail by picking “Question or comment about the Pepsi Refresh Project” from the drop down menu. Please ask Pepsi Co. not to support the HSUS. Explain that HSUS is the number one anti-hunting organization in the United States and has opposed sportsmen on many issues for years.
We at Hunters Against PETA are currently putting together a letter that we will send to Pepsi telling them the truth about the HSUS and our disapproval of them supporting the HSUS.
Other great groups such as the USSA and the Animal Agriculture Alliance have sent letters expressing their disapproval and we encourage all sportsmen to follow suit. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
Pepsi will give $250,000 to the top two vote getters in an online grant program it developed to provide funding to a variety of different projects. Currently, the HSUS is leading the race.
This program is called the ”Pepsi Refresh Program” and was started in January, 2010. Here’s the rules: “an online grant program which makes available millions of dollars to be granted to projects which are intended to improve communities through an online, democratic voting process…”
“Basically is states that up to 1,000 ideas can be submitted each month by individuals, companies and non-profit organizations. Thirty two of those ideas will be approved for funding based upon the number of votes received from registered online users. Of those thirty two; two will receive $250,000 and ten each will receive grants of $5 thousand, $25 thousand, or $50 thousand.”
“The Pepsi Refresh Program rules state that no proposal seeking funding can involve lobbying for the changing of laws.” The HSUS’s proposal that is leading in the current round of voting claims its goal is to “rescue animals who are suffering from extreme neglect.”
However the HSUS can do whatever they like with the grant money if they win, consequently putting more money in their pocket to further fight our hunting rights.
All sportsmen please take action and let Pepsi know that you’re displeased with them supporting the HSUS.
•Register at the Pepsi Refresh Program website, www.refresheverything.com and vote for a more worthy proposal.
•Contact Pepsi through their consumer phone number, 1-800-433-2652 or Click here to send an e-mail by picking “Question or comment about the Pepsi Refresh Project” from the drop down menu. Please ask Pepsi Co. not to support the HSUS. Explain that HSUS is the number one anti-hunting organization in the United States and has opposed sportsmen on many issues for years.
We at Hunters Against PETA are currently putting together a letter that we will send to Pepsi telling them the truth about the HSUS and our disapproval of them supporting the HSUS.
Other great groups such as the USSA and the Animal Agriculture Alliance have sent letters expressing their disapproval and we encourage all sportsmen to follow suit. – Hunters Against PETA
http://www.HuntersAgainstPETA.com
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