Anti Wild Sheep rider!

[shoots-straight]

I would hope that the FNAWS would be all over this,

This is from Glenn Hocket president of Gallatin Wildlife Association.

There is anti-bighorn sheep Rider that will be worse than it was in 2012, unless we can get it removed from the 2013 Appropriations Bill. Representative Mike Simpson in Idaho is responsible for this special interest favor to Margret Soulen-Hinson, a public land sheep grazer and sister-in-law of Idaho Lt. Governor Brad Little. These Riders are attached to must pass spending bills without public comment or scientific review. Indeed this Rider flies in the face of years of bighorn sheep research, monitoring, public discussion, public review and scientific planning. As well, this Rider affects bighorn sheep across the West. Please let Senator’s Tester and Baucus know that this Anti-Bighorn Sheep Rider must be removed from the 2013 Appropriations Bill. You can also leave a message with Representative Mike Simpson in Idaho at: 202-225-5531

I have been advised that it is very important to call the DC offices of Senators Baucus and Tester as well as Representative Mike Simpson from Idaho and leave a short message requesting the Anti-bighorn sheep rider be removed from the 2013 Appropriations Bill. Their contact information is provided below.

Please spread the word and thanks for making a quick call.

Senator Jon Tester
Washington D.C.
(202) 224-2644

Senator Max Baucus
Washington D.C.
(202) 224-2651 (Office)


U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson
Washington D.C.
(202) 225-5531

http://appropriations.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=34778

 

[Ben Lamb]

Wild Sheep Foundation (FNAWS) is on it.


Send emails to Tester's office asking him to help kill this bad rider: http://www.tester.senate.gov/Contact/index.cfm

Tester is on the Interior Subcommittee for Appropriations in the Senate. Here is the website of the whole subcommittee: http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/sc-interior.cfm

Feel free to let 'em know that this sucks.

 

[Oak]

It is Section 423 of the linked Appropriations Bill:

http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bills-112hr-sc-ap-fy13-interior.pdf

The text of the section is below:

DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK GRAZING

SEC. 423. (a) PROHIBITION REGARDING POTENTIAL DOMESTIC SHEEP AND BIGHORN SHEEP CONTACT ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, including the Record of Decision signed on July 20, 2010 for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, (other than the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and regulations issued under such Act), none of the funds made available by this Act or made available by any other Act for fiscal year 2013 only may be used to carry out—

(1) any management restrictions on domestic heep on parcels of National Forest System land (as defined in the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a))) and public lands (as defined in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702)) with potential domestic sheep and bighorn sheep (whether native or nonnative) contact in excess of the management restrictions that were being implemented on July 1, 2011; or

(2) any other agency regulation for managing bighorn sheep populations on any allotment of such National Forest System land if the management action will result in a reduction in the number of domestic livestock permitted to graze on the allotment or in the distribution of livestock on the allotment.

(b) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary of Agriculture may make such management changes as the Secretary determines to be necessary to manage bighorn sheep if the management changes—

(1) are consistent with the wildlife plans of the relevant State fish and game agency and determined in consultation with that agency; and

(2) are developed in consultation with the affected permittees.

(c) VOLUNTARY CLOSURE OF ALLOTMENTS.—Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the voluntary closure of existing domestic sheep allotments when the closure is agreed to in writing between the permittee and the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture and is carried out for the purpose of reducing conflicts between domestic sheep and bighorn sheep.

(d) WAIVER OF GRAZING PERMITS AND LEASES.— The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture may accept the voluntary waiver of any valid existing lease or permit authorizing grazing on National Forest System land described in subsection (a) or public lands described in subsection (c). If the grazing permit or lease for a grazing allotment is only partially within the area of potential domestic sheep and bighorn sheep contact, the affected permittee may elect to waive only the portion of the grazing permit or lease that is within that area. The Secretary concerned shall—

(1) terminate each permit or lease waived or portion of a permit or lease waived under this subsection;

(2) ensure a permanent end to domestic sheep grazing on the land covered by the waived permit or lease or waived portion of the permit or lease unless or until there is no conflict with bighorn sheep management; and (3) provide for the reimbursement of range improvements in compliance with section 4 of the Act of June 28, 1934 (commonly known as the Taylor Grazing Act; 43 U.S.C. 315c).

 

[Big Fin]

Anyone who wants to improve their odds of ever drawing a bighorn sheep tag should be weighing in on this one and trying to get it killed from the bill. Hopefully the Senate will do what is right.

 

[ismith]

If its a PRO-range maggot bill then Testors buddy Baucus is all for it.

 

[TheTone]

Bad piece of legislation, sad really.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Ahhhhhh...... the good ol' boys in the GOP, always looking out for the best interests of Welfare Ranchers.

Lemme see if I got this straight.

GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney doesn't understand the value of My Public Lands and said he "doesn't know the purpose of public lands".

US Senator Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) wants to kill off the Wild Sheep for Welfare Ranchers to be able to run their Range Maggots on My Public Lands.

US Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) called on the Interior Secretary to NOT protect the proposed lands for the last 2 remaining caribou in the state of Idaho right after comng out in favor of drilling the shit out of My Public Lands. " It is important that we focus on the roadblocks that our own government is putting in the way of people who want to create jobs and who want to deliver energy to the American people." - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID)"

The list goes on and on.

 

[JoseCuervo]

And if you have ever wondered why they are called Welfare Ranchers.....

Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho has added an amendment to the 2013 Interior Appropriations Bill which passed yesterday out of the House Interior and the Environment Appropriations Subcommittee which he chairs. The rider effectively stops the Forest Service and the BLM from implementing any further restrictions on domestic sheep grazing in areas of high risk for contact with bighorn sheep. But, more specifically, it coddles just two domestic sheep ranchers on the Payette National Forest who are facing further cuts in the third phase of grazing closures on the Payette National Forest.

One of the permittees who will benefit from this move is Soulen Livestock Company, owned in part by Margaret Soulen-Hinson, the president of the American Sheep Industry Association, and Teresa Little, the wife of Lieutenant Governor Brad Little. Between 1995 and 2010, Soulen Livestock Co received government subsidy payments totaling $1,246,818.

 

[tjones]

Tester has his "oh shit" bill looks likes Simpson now has his. Sad.

 

[shoots-straight]

If its a PRO-range maggot bill then Testors buddy Baucus is all for it.

ismith, have you asked Baucus where he sits on this issue? You might be surprised the direction he goes.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Just got word from Wild Sheep Foundation that the rider may be pulled. Good news if it's true!

 

[Ben Lamb]

FYI:
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2012...horn-sheep-in-idaho-simpson-changes-his-tune/

 

[Big Fin]

FYI:
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2012...horn-sheep-in-idaho-simpson-changes-his-tune/

That is great news. To all of you who lobbied, sent letters, etc., I say Thank You. If you want to do more for your own chances to eventually draw a sheep tag, advocating on behalf of wild sheep is the best thing you can do.

More sheep = more sheep tags.

Consider joining the Wild Sheep Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society. There are so many areas void of sheep or limited in sheep numbers, where they were once abundant. Getting wild sheep back in that habitat is the key to getting more sheep and getting more sheep tags. As simple as that.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Simpson took heat.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - On-again, off-again efforts to delay Payette National Forest grazing closures are off again.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho on Wednesday pulled a measure meant to keep 7,700 acres open to domestic sheep for another year.

Since 2010, Payette managers planned the closure to protect wild bighorn sheep from diseases transmitted by their domestic cousins.

But last December, Simpson intervened on behalf of ranchers with a measure to keep them open.

So environmentalists went to court, saying the Forest Service couldn't use Simpson's measure to block the closures.

A judge sided with them.

Then, Simpson this month introduced a new measure to counteract the ruling.

On Wednesday morning, however, Simpson backed off, saying he wanted to schedule round-table talks between ranchers and wild sheep advocates to resolve the controversial issue.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Statement from Simpson:


June 27, 2012

Subcommittee Chairman Simpson’s Statement on Bighorn Sheep Provision

Washington, D.C. - “Recently there has been a great deal of controversy regarding the bighorn sheep and domestic sheep grazing provision in the FY12 Omnibus Appropriations bill and the FY13 House bill. Ground zero for this issue has been in Idaho where many long-time ranching families have been put out of business due to concerns about potential disease transmission to bighorn sheep. I will repeat what I’ve said before—I think there is a better way and we can both protect bighorn sheep while avoiding putting ranching families out of business.

“Today, I’m calling for a ‘time out’ from the fighting and allegations—many of which are false. I got involved in this issue because I care deeply for our ranchers and for the tribes and sportsmen who work so hard on bighorn sheep conservation. I got involved to find a reasonable solution and tried to work with ranchers, hunters, and land management agencies to solve this problem. Unfortunately, this has only elevated the rhetoric and controversy of the issue. Fighting over this problem serves no purpose and does not benefit hunting or ranching. As a result, I am pulling this provision from the Interior Appropriations bill; however, I am only doing this to have all interested parties come to the table and work with me on a solution. Too often, one side or the other is satisfied with the status quo. In this case it is not acceptable—and losing part of our heritage, whether it be bighorn sheep in Idaho or ranchers in Idaho—is not an option. I intend to hold a round table soon to discuss this problem and potential solutions.

“Good people can disagree on issues and in this case, good people do disagree. I have heard that the science is settled and I have heard that the science is not settled; this comes from scientists, land managers, hunters, ranchers and state agencies. What is clear is there’s no consensus. Intelligent people on both sides of this issue disagree. To me, this means more research is needed and this should be supported by all parties.
“I also must correct some of the misinformation circulating on blogs:

• The provision currently in effect for FY12 allows changes to domestic sheep grazing on federal lands as long as those changes are consistent with State wildlife management plans. States should have more say in the management of wildlife on federal lands—especially when millions of dollars—much of it private donations--have been spent to enhance wildlife.
• Domestic sheep grazing can be carefully managed and monitored to help prevent interactions with bighorn sheep; many of these practices are already in place, but further research needs to be done.
• Hunting and ranching are vitally important to the economies of rural America. Both need to be preserved.
• Any type of vaccine is several years away from practical application—this is not a silver bullet or short-term solution—but it is worth further research and development.
• Land management agencies, including the Forest Service and BLM, need to work with the Agricultural Research Service and universities cooperatively to further research.
• Risk assessment and habitat modeling need to be rigorously reviewed by peers, state agencies and others, to ensure management decisions are based on sound science.”
###

 

[shoots-straight]

Glad to see this pulled. Chalk one up for the good guys.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Glad to see this pulled. Chalk one up for the good guys.

Chalk one up for Representative Simpson. It's not every day you get a politician who's willing to admit he made a mistake.

 

[spook12]

Ben stepping away from excessive heat is a self preservation move. figuratively and literally.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Ben stepping away from excessive heat is a self preservation move. figuratively and literally.

I just want to look at the bright side of this.

 

[spook12]

I understand. Regardless this is a good thing, glad he came to his senses!