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Modern Tragedy of the Commons
Ultimately, a well-informed public must take
action at the ballot box
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Putting the "Public" Back in "Public Trust"
"Trustees have managed scramble competition for public wildlife resources fairly well. However, trustee management
is being widely subverted for purposes
of private gain through interference competition.
The modern tragedy of the commons occurs as
private interests control trustees
to capture and control public resources."
 Commentary: Wildlife, the public trust, and the modern day tragedy of the commons PDF
by Dr. James A. Bailey, PhD, retired professor  of biology at Colorado Statue University for 20 years, Montana resident. "The modern tragedy of the commons seeks
to undermine a long and proud history of North American wildlife
conservation. The predominant threat to public trust resources is no
longer scramble competition. It is the growing threat of interference
competition through control of the trustees. Curtailing the tragedy
requires greater awareness of its broad reach and changing nature.
Young, aspiring, and often idealistic wildlife biologists and managers
need be aware of the milieu they are entering. They will have dual, and
sometimes conflicting, obligations to superior trustees and to the
public beneficiaries. For those involved with local and temporal
conservation battles it is useful, but intimidating, to view the
larger historical picture. Ultimately, a well-informed public must take
action at the ballot box."
Thank you Jim, for sharing this with us.
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Trust Us Millions of people visit Montana each year hungry to experience our public places
Montana Board of Land Commissioners at risk
"Republicans want to control the five top-elected seats in Montana and
control the Board of Land Commissioners like they currently control the
state Legislature. They've put forward strong candidates, many with the
ability to self-fund campaigns. There's a likelihood some or many win. Millions
of people visit Montana each year hungry to experience our public
places. Yet for locals our public lands are simply a part of our way of
life, of who we are and why we live here. Still, some just
edeologically oppose conservation. Democrats and Republicans hoping to
be next year's land commissioners should release their plans on how best
to manage our state public lands." 
"Do you wonder where your food came from? Not me. 'Country of origin'
food labeling laws are a big deal now days. I know what country my food
comes from. I came to hunting through a cultural connection to
food. Hunting for food brought me to understand that hunting is the
primary driver of conservation in America. My name is Randy Newberg. I am a hunter." |
FWP wants authority to impound boats at risk of carrying invasive mussels
"Efforts to protect Montana waterways from the devastating impacts of
zebra and quagga mussels are ramping up this spring. Two boat inspection
stations in western Montana have already opened, far earlier than in
past years. And Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has proposed changes
to the rules that would allow officials to temporarily take possession
of high-risk boats, or temporarily lock them to their trailers to
prevent launching, to ensure enough drying time to kill any mussels on
board."
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Public asked to comment on Big Hole, Beaverhead River rules
The public has the chance to weigh in on the Fish and Wildlife
Commission's proposed amendments to the Big Hole and Beaverhead River
rules at two public hearings in March:
* Dillon: Wednesday, March 16, Montana Western, Block Hall 311, 710 S. Atlantic Street.
* Butte: Thursday, March 17, U.S. Forest Service, 1820 Meadowlark Lane
The proposed amendments involve the allocation of temporary client
days for outfitters on these two rivers only. Public notice of the
meetings can be found online at https://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/. Beaverhead and Big Hole Amendment Proposal linkRuby River bridge public access case back in court
"The
legal battle over the public's right to access the Ruby River from
Seyler Lane in Madison County has entered its 12th year with a new
hearing in District Judge Loren Tucker's courtroom in Virginia City
Monday.
While the Montana Supreme Court decided in
2014 the public has the right to use Seyler Lane, which runs through
Atlanta media mogul James Cox Kennedy's property, through prescriptive
easement, what Tucker still has to rule on is how much shoulder the
county needs to maintain and repair the bridge. The hearing will allow
both sides to bring in new witnesses to the case."
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"herd" Saving the American Buffalo - A documentary Kickstarter Project
A Bozeman film company - " 'herd' is a feature length documentary
that will be filmed in stunning 4K resolution. It will follow the last
wild American buffalo as they make their yearly migration from the
harsh winters of Yellowstone National Park into milder conditions of
the Paradise Valley in Montana... As we film these
magnificent creatures we will bring to light the struggles they face
every day; from the inhumane hazing just moments after birth to
claustrophobic penning and slaughtering being enacted by APHIS (Animal
Plant Health Inspection Service) through the National Park Service. Due
to the controversial assumption that Brucella abortus (Brucellosis)
can be transmitted to private cattle stock when the buffalo herds roam
out of park lands, multiple agencies are seeking to eliminate the last
remaining buffalo."
Of
course, I advocate for the science, that we can mitigate livestock
concerns so that they are safe, yet at the same time, we can and should
be treating our wild bison as wildlife, restored to public lands in
Montana. For that to happen, the truth about brucellosis needs to be
told.
Your Wild Backyard Q & A event, Bozeman, March 31st
The panel consists of
world renowned Bozeman wildlife ecologist Dr. Lance Craighead; equally
renowned bear biologist Dr. David Mattson of Livingston; Bozeman-based
conservationist, wilderness advocate and author Phil Knight; retired Forest
Service biologist and conservation activist Dr. Sara Jane Johnson of Three
Forks; and Sierra Club Organizing Representative Kiersten Iwai of
Bozeman. The panel moderator will be long-time Montana wilderness
guide and author Howie Wolke of Park County.
FWP to talk mountain lion management in Three Forks  Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a public meeting
on Tuesday, March 8 to discuss mountain lion management and tentative
quotas for the 2016 mountain lion hunting season in Region 3. The meeting will get underway at 7 p.m. at the Headwaters Community Center at 223 N. Main St. in Three Forks. Sewage pond spills 35 million gallons into Gallatin
"A
pipe below a holding pond in Big Sky broke Thursday afternoon,
spilling an estimated 35 million gallons of sewage water into the the
West Fork of the Gallatin River.
The treated sewage water was flowing into Second Yellow Mule Creek
and then into the south branch of the West Fork of the Gallatin
River... According to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, a
fish biologist would be at the site Friday morning to evaluate the
potential aquatic impact s." |
Occupiers of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge - Coming to a city near you!
'Citizens For Constitutional Freedom' Plan Lewistown Rally "Citizens
for Constitutional Freedom, the group that occupied a national wildlife
refuge in Oregon, is holding nationwide rallies this weekend,
including one in Lewistown Montana... The organizer of the rally
in Montana, John Degel, expects around 100 people at Symmes Park in
Lewiston on Saturday to support the group's cause... He says the group will talk about getting ballot initiatives going to fix the issues they see with government overreach."
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Letter requires FWP investigator to avoid tribal land, cases
"In a Feb. 19 letter, investigator Dirk Paulsen was told to avoid
conducting 'any business on tribally owned lands, the reservation and
sub-marginal lands nearby.' The letter was signed by Region 6 supervisor
Mark Sullivan. A copy of the letter was acquired by The Gazette
through a third party. Sullivan could not be reached for comment... Paulsen
declined to talk on the record considering the nature of the incident.
Last year he was promoted to criminal investigator for the region in
northeastern Montana after applying for the job. Fellow wardens also
honored him as warden of the year in 2015. 'It's very unusual for a law enforcement officer to be told to stand down,' Vinnedge said. 'These guys want Dirk gone.' "
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Wardens Seek Information on Poached Deer Dumped Near Glendive
"Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens are asking for the
public's help in leading them to those responsible for multiple deer
recently poached and found dumped near Glendive... The
mule deer bucks had their heads cut off while one of the whitetail
bucks had its skull cap and antlers removed. A small amount of the meat
had been removed from most of the carcasses but the majority of the
animals were left to rot...
Warden Leonard also noted
that the investigation thus far has yielded some evidence left at the
scene. He is asking the public for assistance in solving this wildlife
crime.
Anyone who has information on these deer can
contact Warden Leonard directly at 406-853-7500 or can call FWP's
24-hour TIPMONT line at 1-800-847-6668. Those calling the TIPMONT line
may remain anonymous if they so choose. Individuals who contribute
information leading to a conviction may be eligible for up to a $1,000
reward."
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West & US
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 Trump ally arrested; 14 more indicted for Bundy's Nev. siege
"Federal
authorities today arrested a New Hampshire man and and 11 others after
a federal grand jury indicted 14 more people for their roles in Cliven
Bundy's armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in 2014,
marking a major expansion in the government's crackdown on militant
protesters of federal land control." How an East Coast think tank is fueling the land transfer movement
"ALEC has played a role in public lands debates as far back as 1995, when it drafted
the 'Sagebrush Rebellion Act,' to establish mechanisms for public land
transfer to state control, though the act never passed. The Center for
Western Priorities estimates that up to six of ALEC's model policies
advocate public lands transfer. Four years ago, ALEC provided model
legislation to undermine the Antiquities Act and give states power in
designating national monuments. Then in 2015, the organization released a
white paper, which it cites regularly for legislators, that concluded
states would serve as 'superior environmental and economic stewards of
select lands within their borders.' Though some
legislators, like Ivory, are publicly open about their ALEC membership,
the group does not release who its members are. ALEC did not respond
to multiple requests for comment for this article. But according to
Jones' statements, more than 200 state legislators are members, and 85
members of Congress, seven governors, and four presidential candidates
are alumni. In 2011, the Center for Media and Democracy, a liberal
watchdog organization started by former Department of Justice official
Lisa Graves, launched a project to identify legislators in the U.S.
with ALEC ties. According to the center's latest data, each state in
the West has at least a handful of politicians involved with ALEC -
with the most being in Utah and Idaho." US government to accelerate solar development on public lands "The
strategies apply a landscape-level approach to managing development in
designated areas, known as Solar Energy Zones (SEZs), on public lands.
In line with BLM regulations for other types of development on public
lands, the guidelines identify natural, cultural and human resources
that could be impacted by potential solar development and seek to
mitigate any unavoidable impacts off-site. 'The strategies provide
certainty to potential project developers by recommending a per-acre fee
that would fund off-site mitigation measures and streamline
environmental review for individual projects within the zones,' the BLM
said."
Allegations of corruption surround Utah Hunting and Conservation Expo
"The
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has come under fire for a decision
made last December. State authorities approved a wildlife conservation
group, Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife, as a permit distributor for a
hunting expo that takes place in Salt Lake City every year.
In doing so, it appears the state dismissed millions of dollars
that would have been used for wildlife conservation efforts in the
state of Utah." |
 "Oh
my gosh Kathryn, I have read just part of this yet, but I have to say
it is brilliant! Counting deer is not enough anymore. Indeed, when
budgets for government agencies have been cut to the point they cannot
do their jobs." Nancy Ostlie "watched the video. like he said, the big problem we have is the politicization of our science infrastructure, .. . and get the conservation we fight for..." George Bauer "Kathryn:
Since you had Martin's talk linked to your Newsletter, maybe my paper
in California Fish and Game Journal on the modern tragedy of the
commons (attached) could be linked as well? I think it is pertinent to
the issues of the day." Jim Bailey
Absolutely, done and done, thank you. "Kathryn,
Been reading your emails and really enjoying your hard work &
efforts... You are doing a awesome job... keep it up." Eric Hammer "I
looked at your web site an seen you have been very busy. I have a
lot of reading to do to catch up on all the information you have
provided. What do see as the most pressing issue I need to get up
to speed on? I follow your passion an respect your research." Bob
Diggers
I would like to thank the following contributors for supporting EMWH. Your gift is very much appreciated.
Eric Hammer
If you would like to further this work and research, please click to contribute to EMWH. Thank you,
Kathryn QannaYahu
406-579-7748 |
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Enhancing
Montana's
Wildlife &
Habitat
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