US Sheep Experiement Station

[dustinf]

An inside look:


https://youtu.be/oW2dou_GsAs

 

[Gerald Martin]

I hunted on the Montana side after the sheep had gone several years ago. Sure is pretty country but there wasn't much grass left on the mountain. Lots of other plants and flora, but the sheep had picked the grass pretty clean.

Beautiful country.

 

[katqanna]

Woohoo - The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling reducing domestic sheep grazing on the Payette National Forest by about 70 percent to protect bighorn sheep from diseases.

The three-judge panel said the U.S. Forest Service met the requirement of federal law in making its decision to reduce sheep grazing in the west-central Idaho area.

United States Circuit Judge, A. Wallace Tashima has sided with the Payette National Forest and intervenors, The Wilderness Society; Western Watersheds Project; and Hells Canyon Preservation Council.

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision

Ultimately, the Forest Service used top-rate model designers; relied on peer-reviewed methodologies applied by other bighorn researchers addressing similar issues; and incorporated on-the-ground data of bighorn sheep movements within the Payette. Given the foregoing, and in light of the deference owed to the agency when undertaking technical analysis within its purview, the Forest Service’s reliance onthe risk of contact model was not arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion.

 

[Oak]

United States Circuit Judge, A. Wallace Tashima has sided with the Payette National Forest and intervenors, The Wilderness Society; Western Watersheds Project; and Hells Canyon Preservation Council.

Great news for bighorn sheep and sportsmen today. If not for the groups who challenged the decision to continue grazing domestic sheep in bighorn sheep habitat in the Payette NF forest plan revision in 2005, we wouldn't have this precedent-setting decision. The Payette decision has helped land management agencies make better management decisions throughout the west, as well as bringing domestic sheep producers and bighorn sheep advocates to the collaboration table.

 

[RobG]

Can you give us more background on this Oak?

 

[Oak]

Can you give us more background on this Oak?

The opinion issued by the court today (attached) includes the background.

 

[RobG]

Was hop'n for the cliff notes .

From the opinion:

The administrative process underlying this appeal began
in 2003, when the Forest Service, pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), issued the Southwest
Idaho Ecogroup Land and Resource Management Plans Final
Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision
(“EIS”), which revised the 1988 Payette National Forest Land
and Resource Management Plan. The EIS was appealed,
appellants urging that the EIS “violated the [National Forest
Management Act] and Hells Canyon National Recreation
Area (HCNRA) Act on the Payette National Forest by
providing for grazing of domestic sheep within or near the
range of bighorn sheep, thus threatening the viability of
bighorn sheep though [sic] disease transmission.” ROD 1. In
March 2005, the Chief of the Forest Service agreed that the
EIS “did not adequately address viability [of bighorn sheep
populations in the Payette] or the potential for disease
transmission.” Id. The Chief therefore rejected the EIS’s
analysis.

Almost got my answer from that, but not quite... I was wanting to know which groups appealed the 2003 EIS. Do you remember?

 

[Oak]

I was wanting to know which groups appealed the 2003 EIS. Do you remember?

Idaho Sporting Congress
Idaho Conservation League
Idaho Rivers United
The Wilderness Society
Pacific Rivers Council
Erik Ryberg
Nez Perce Tribe
Hells Canyon Preservation Council

 

[JoseCuervo]

It only took 7 years for Environmental groups, environmental attorneys, and hunters to prevail over Welfare Ranchers in court.

Clear science shows the effects of grazing domestic sheep within bighorn habitat range, which prompted the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to close the allotments in question. Yet, despite the facts, the Idaho Woolgrowers Association (IWGA) challenged the decision in 2014. We intervened on behalf of the USFS, and just one week after oral argument, the court ruled in our favor. But the IWGA just couldn’t let it go and appealed the decision. Armed with an arsenal of facts and data to support our position, we quickly challenged the appeal; we’re elated today to see that the court’s opinion held strong and bighorn sheep will remain protected!

This welcome decision affirms seven years of hard work by Advocates for the West and our clients to restore viable populations of bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon and Salmon River Canyon of Idaho.

Kinda funny seeing this result and this victory for hunters while there is an active thread deriding environmental groups as "Big Green", deriding environmental attorneys as "drive-by litigators".



Score 1 for hunters, chock up another loss for Welfare Ranchers on My Public Lands.

 

[Oak]

Per the original post and the WSF statement referencing the Snakey-Kelly allotments, 9th Circuit Court Judge Candy W. Dale today granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting turnout of domestic sheep on the Snakey and Kelly allotments tomorrow. See the attached TRO order.

 

[RobG]

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.c...cle_0faea95e-876b-5ec2-a66e-29cf70334773.html

As some know, Glenn and John are a notorious and litigious thorn in the side of the domestic sheep industry, but this is a good column. In addition to the waste of money "experimenting" on sheep, what I find so annoying about this is that access is closed off except for a couple outfitters who hunt it in the fall.

I believe Wild Sheep Foundation will be posting a similar opinion soon.

rg

 

[Gerald Martin]

what I find so annoying about this is that access is closed off except for a couple outfitters who hunt it in the fall.

^^^^^^THIS!


I unknowingly "trespassed" on this area about ten years ago assuming that public land was public land. The sheep were gone for the year. After I got off the grazed to the ground portion of the station and made it further than 1/2 a mile in, it was some incredibly cool country.

How is is legal or acceptable that commercial use outfitters can be allowed to access this piece of public lands and public hunters are not? And, to be clear, I don't have a problem with the outfitters using it. I have a problem with the public not being allowed access.

Our taxes subsidizing an experiment for the benefit of private industry that excludes our access to our lands.... #WINNING

 

[MTGomer]

What is the purpose of the never ending ‘experimenting’ of domestic sheep?

 

[Firedude]

My friends wife works at the sheep experiment station. I talked to her a little about what they do. It's mostly rangeland management practices. Things like grazing affects on fires and natural plantlife short and long-term as well as predation prevention etc. One of the things they are working on now is a vaccine for the Pneumonia that is transferred to bighorn sheep. 2 years ago we swabbed every animal we killed. Deer, elk, and my bear. Just to see if they were also carries of the strain. Then sent them further north to the lady in charge of the research. That would be great if they could get that done. While it is easy to say just graze them further away there is always the wandering lost sheep that can get into bighorns and cause problems.

As far as access goes I actually talked to the guy in charge looking for permission for my antelope tag. I forget his name but he was pretty nice and very reasonable. He said they are working on access for hunting. They are considering doing a permit like the INL does that allows you access to a large portion of federal property once the sheep are moved out. Even though BLM shows it as public on the maps and GPS, it's federal use property like the INL so there will be a process for access. I'm going to call him again this winter and ask how it's going as I plan on putting in for the antelope archery tag again. I will update when I do.

 

[Oak]

The Forest Service settled the lawsuit by agreeing to complete the EA before grazing domestic sheep on the allotments.

 

[TheTone]

The Forest Service settled the lawsuit by agreeing to complete the EA before grazing domestic sheep on the allotments.

Sounds like a potential win. There is a lot of domestic grazed country in the Centennials that IMO could support some bighorns depending on where they would go for winter.