Blog
A Day at Fourmile Creek – Klamath Basin, OR
By Nancy Burgon & Todd Wells A canoe, a bluebird sky and miles of pristine stream to explore! As volunteer retirees, Advocates for the West’s Oregon Office asked us to assess the impacts of cattle grazing on the endangered Oregon spotted frogs along Fourmile Creek in the Klamath Basin. Why Are Oregon Spotted Frogs Endangered? As…
Islands of the Sagebrush Sea
By Amy Haak April 12, 2017 I discovered Geography my freshman year in college and have been immersed in the discipline for 40 years. As a lifelong conservationist, the sub-discipline of Island Biogeography and what it can tell us about the preservation of biodiversity is of particular interest. The theory of Island Biogeography was developed…
Inspiration for Better Days
By John McCarthy April 4th, 2017 Spring brings back the flamboyant courtship dance of the greater sage-grouse in scattered spots known as “leks”from Montana to California. Spring 2017 also brings uncertainty on how politics and industrialization may affect efforts to coordinate conservation for the vulnerable and venerable bird. Legislation introduced in February by Sen. Jim…
Just Another “Non-Target Take”
How a federal program uses our tax dollars to kill pets and wildlife. “Why can you plant a bomb near a house?” Fourteen year-old Canyon Mansfield asked after he endured watching his young yellow lab Casey die after triggering an M-44 cyanide ejector capsule planted on the hill behind his Pocatello, Idaho home. The bomb…
Who should control our public lands?
By Tim Palmer March 16, 2017 (originally published in The Register-Guard on April 17, 2016) Public land is the best thing we have going in the West. For many of us, public open spaces are within view as we look to the mountains, within our river basin as we turn the tap and drink clean…
The Fight for Bears Ears
By Mike Medberry March 9, 2017 Featured image of petroglyphs at Bears Ears courtesy of Patagonia. Watch their stunning footage of Bears Ears National Monument and learn how you can help protect this special place today! A flash flood from a distant storm in Slickhorn Canyon on Cedar Mesa almost washed my girlfriend and me down…
Stand For Our Land
By John McCarthy March 1, 2017 Everyone who hikes, boats, or drives the open spaces of the West sees wildlife on the move. Pronghorn antelope, mule deer, red tail hawks – all the creatures of fur and feather move across the landscape regardless of any artificial, human boundaries. Apparently Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who says…
Taking Pruitt’s EPA to Court
By Staff Attorney Bryan Hurlbutt February 23, 2017 Scott Pruitt, Trump’s new Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, made his first remarks to EPA employees on Tuesday. True to form, Pruitt warned employees to “avoid” regulatory “abuses” – confirming our fears that Pruitt is more interested in undermining the EPA than leading it. Described as an “anti-environment warrior”…
The Case for Wolves: Declaration Excerpts from our Wildlife Services Suit
Brett Haverstick Declaration Excerpt “I believe the gray wolf epitomizes the spirit and character of wilderness. Thinking that wolves may be on the landscape has the unique ability to heighten an individual’s senses, expand one’s imagination and enhance the overall experience of a person in backcountry. The scientific literature is clear that wolves also enhance…
Going from Point A to Point A in Seven Years
By Marty Trillhaase Originally published Feb 2, 2017 in the Lewiston Tribune (Photo of U.S. Highway 12 along the Clearwater-Lochsa Wild and Scenic corridor by Roger Inghram) Don’t make a federal case out of everything. Remember that sentiment? You used to hear it a lot. Until everything wound up in a federal courtroom. Just like the…
