BigHornRam
Well-known member
Passed by a pretty good margine. Here's a wolf hugger who's up in arms over it.
SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE HIGH ROAD ON WOLVES
Montana, Don’t Be Another Wyoming
By Bill Schneider, 3-29-07
I hate being wrong, having to recant earlier statements believed to be fact, but it looks like I might have to do just that. Frequently, when writing about wolves and the delisting process, I’ve praised Montana while criticizing Idaho and Wyoming. To date, Montana has taken a reasonable, professional stance on the controversial species. Instead of continuing to whine about greenie-weenie outsiders and the evil federal government and hoping wolves would just go away, Montana has concentrated on professional management.
Meanwhile, the Idaho Governor is up on the capital steps whipping wolf haters into a frenzy, and Wyoming has refused to do anything on wolves except want them restricted to the national parks and killed as vermin everywhere else in the state. Both Idaho and Wyoming plan massive immediate reductions in wolf numbers upon delisting, but not Montana. Instead, Montana plans to continue to responsibly manage wolves--and kill them when necessary--with little controversy.
The Montana Legislature now stands ready to veer off this high road and lower itself to the level of Idaho and Wyoming.
Earlier this week, the Montana House of Representatives, on a 58-41 vote, passed an appropriation to send at least $150,000 in the hard-earned tax money to a Cheyenne law firm (Budd-Falen) to sue the federal government--at the same time cutting money for programs like all-day kindergarten, assistance for the mentally ill and foster care for Meth babies.
The apparent purpose of the needless lawsuit, yet to be filed, is to force the feds to delist the wolf from the protection of the Endangered Species Act and give management back to the states.
All I can say is: Earth to the Legislature, you have your man in charge, staunch anti-wolfer Dirk Kempthorne, now Secretary of the Interior, and he is already delisting the wolf as rapidly as possible. A hundred lawsuits couldn’t make it happen any faster than it’s happening right now, but could slow down the process.
Currently, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the federal agency in charge of wolf recovery, is in the mandatory public involvement period, which will also be a waste of time and money because we already know what will happen. Over 90 percent of the comments will oppose delisting at this time, but the FWS will do it anyway. (I really don’t see the FWS wolf team calling back to D.C. and saying, “Dirk, I’m sorry we can’t do this wolf delisting thing because most people don’t want it.” Not unless they’ve already decided to retire at the end of the week, of course.)
The lawsuit is to be filed on behalf of a group called Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd, a radical anti-wolf organization. I found the group’s recent comments on wolf delisting, and it shocked me that our elected officials would line up with these folks, let alone fund their frivolous litigation.
The “Friends” wants green groups like Defenders of Wildlife and the Turner Endangered species Fund to be “financially responsible for the decimation of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming game herds.” And the group doesn’t want state wildlife agencies to manage wolves, instead petitioning to have livestock departments take control and ask for federal money to nothing but kill wolves.
Here’s my favorite part: “Friends petitions the court to recognize that wolves are being used as a bio-weapon targeting the civil rights, economy, customs, culture, and heritage of the citizens of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.”
You get the picture, right? And now, the Montana legislature plans to pay for their pointless lawsuit?
I only hope the Montana Senate can see this as a terrible precedent and an embarrassing step backwards and spike this appropriation.
SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE HIGH ROAD ON WOLVES
Montana, Don’t Be Another Wyoming
By Bill Schneider, 3-29-07
I hate being wrong, having to recant earlier statements believed to be fact, but it looks like I might have to do just that. Frequently, when writing about wolves and the delisting process, I’ve praised Montana while criticizing Idaho and Wyoming. To date, Montana has taken a reasonable, professional stance on the controversial species. Instead of continuing to whine about greenie-weenie outsiders and the evil federal government and hoping wolves would just go away, Montana has concentrated on professional management.
Meanwhile, the Idaho Governor is up on the capital steps whipping wolf haters into a frenzy, and Wyoming has refused to do anything on wolves except want them restricted to the national parks and killed as vermin everywhere else in the state. Both Idaho and Wyoming plan massive immediate reductions in wolf numbers upon delisting, but not Montana. Instead, Montana plans to continue to responsibly manage wolves--and kill them when necessary--with little controversy.
The Montana Legislature now stands ready to veer off this high road and lower itself to the level of Idaho and Wyoming.
Earlier this week, the Montana House of Representatives, on a 58-41 vote, passed an appropriation to send at least $150,000 in the hard-earned tax money to a Cheyenne law firm (Budd-Falen) to sue the federal government--at the same time cutting money for programs like all-day kindergarten, assistance for the mentally ill and foster care for Meth babies.
The apparent purpose of the needless lawsuit, yet to be filed, is to force the feds to delist the wolf from the protection of the Endangered Species Act and give management back to the states.
All I can say is: Earth to the Legislature, you have your man in charge, staunch anti-wolfer Dirk Kempthorne, now Secretary of the Interior, and he is already delisting the wolf as rapidly as possible. A hundred lawsuits couldn’t make it happen any faster than it’s happening right now, but could slow down the process.
Currently, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the federal agency in charge of wolf recovery, is in the mandatory public involvement period, which will also be a waste of time and money because we already know what will happen. Over 90 percent of the comments will oppose delisting at this time, but the FWS will do it anyway. (I really don’t see the FWS wolf team calling back to D.C. and saying, “Dirk, I’m sorry we can’t do this wolf delisting thing because most people don’t want it.” Not unless they’ve already decided to retire at the end of the week, of course.)
The lawsuit is to be filed on behalf of a group called Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd, a radical anti-wolf organization. I found the group’s recent comments on wolf delisting, and it shocked me that our elected officials would line up with these folks, let alone fund their frivolous litigation.
The “Friends” wants green groups like Defenders of Wildlife and the Turner Endangered species Fund to be “financially responsible for the decimation of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming game herds.” And the group doesn’t want state wildlife agencies to manage wolves, instead petitioning to have livestock departments take control and ask for federal money to nothing but kill wolves.
Here’s my favorite part: “Friends petitions the court to recognize that wolves are being used as a bio-weapon targeting the civil rights, economy, customs, culture, and heritage of the citizens of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.”
You get the picture, right? And now, the Montana legislature plans to pay for their pointless lawsuit?
I only hope the Montana Senate can see this as a terrible precedent and an embarrassing step backwards and spike this appropriation.
