EMWH Newsletter

Putting the "Public" Back In "Public Trust"

"This species is different."
Sen. Taylor Brown

Quick note, some of you have not received the recent newsletters due to the targeting as spam. After the July 2nd newsletter, in which I addressed the agenda of SJ15 work group association of a Federal land grab by Sen. Fielder, per her website, blog, facebook and presentation, as well as the other avenues promoting the land grab, this newsletter was intentionally targeted as spam, to block it from being accepted by service providers. We're fighting the big boys for our public lands. When the next newsletter was sent out 5 days later, many came back as non-deliverable due to being labeled spam, as well as the following newsletter. Email addresses of friends and advisory board members which I have regular contact with, as well as recent subscribers were bounced back undeliverable. The following service providers have been blocked - bresnan.net, q.com, optimum.net, charter.net, centurylink.net and a few smaller ones. One way to combat this is to email or call your provider that this address is not spam. Another way listed is to add this address to your email contacts. Bresnan (which also covers charter and optimum), where the bulk of them are from, said to call 1-877-273-7626 and ask for internet repair.

For any that do not wish to receive this newsletter, please reply to this newsletter and type Unsubscribe in the subject line and you will immediately be removed. We have no desire to bother anyone with unwanted emails, simply to network Montanas and others about the threats to our Public Trust, so that collectively we can be more effective to defend what is ours. Thank you.

Update on the Public Trust Dinner - Date has been changed to Sept. 19th. (details on event page)

Comment to Protect Federal Land Grab in Montana
Public Comments are needed on the EQC SJ15 Work Group
The Environmental Quality Council (EQC) in July approved drafts of the reports in order to seek public comment. The comment period ends August 16. Email your comments to jkolman@mt.gov. Please include "SJ 15 Federal Land Study" in the subject line. or by mailing them to the EQC at PO Box 201704, Helena, MT 59620-1704. All comments received by 5 p.m. on August 16 will be compiled and reviewed by the EQC prior to any decisions being made at its September 10-11 meeting in Helena. Comments received after the deadline will be provided to the EQC at the meeting. Comments are welcome in person at the meeting as well. Please let them know that you are opposed to any Federal Public Lands Transfer to the States.
SJ15 Draft Report to the EQC
SJ15 Draft Report Appendices

Back Country Hunters and Anglers SJ15 Public Comment
Way to go BHA! (Yes, that is a shameless plug. I am proud to be a BHA member)

Public Comments needed
HB 609 - Study of Hunting and Fishing Licensing
This report is required by House Bill No. 609, which asked the EQC to study Montana's hunting and fishing license statutes and fees. The governor tasked a citizens' advisory council with a similar study and the EQC has incorporated that effort into its own work. The advisory council proposed a slate of recommendations for simplifying and streamlining Montana's hunting and fishing licenses, as well as generating additional revenue for the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The EQC approved drafting of that slate with two changes for public comment. Email your comments to hstockwell@mt.gov. Please include "HB 609 Licensing Study" in the subject line.

HB 609 draft study report
Appendices
Bill draft

Public Lands
Montana Federal-Lands Policy Turns Political
" 'I think they pursue this at their peril. In my opinion the majority of people don’t support this,' Lieser said...he’s no apologist for the Forest Service, but having worked for the agency he understands its challenges.'The challenges are recognized by many. But if all that land were in state management or ownership they would be responsible for fire suppression costs and that could easily amount to more than $100 million or more,' he said. 'Where is that money going to come from?' "

Our Public Trust - Wyoming Gubernatorial Candidate Calls For Drilling In Yellowstone National Park and promotes the transfer of federal public lands to the states. "Haynes wants to allow all lands in Wyoming, including Yellowstone, to be leased for drilling, mining, and grazing. 'We will manage every square inch of Wyoming,' the gubernatorial hopeful said.

If elected, Haynes would send federal government agencies a certified letter and invite them to attend a meeting in which he will explain his plan. He said they must be gone by January 2015, when he would takes office.

'Then in whichever county they attempt to have any official activity, they will be arrested for impersonating a law enforcement officer in Wyoming,' he said."

Wildlife
Disease threat to our Bighorn Sheep Population and Grizzly conflicts continue due to special interests, Montana's Rep. Daines (website boast) and Idaho's Rep. Mike Simpson's (Idaho Statesman) domestic sheep special interests have blocked the overdue closing of the outdated ARS Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois, Idaho and Montana which operates without an EIS (background). Domestic sheep are natural carriers of pneumonia and malignant catarrhal fever. Domestic sheep pneumonia is a major killer of our Bighorn Sheep populations. Additionally, there have been a grizzly bear killings in the area, due to conflict with the domestic sheep. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, BLM, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; and Idaho Fish and Game sent a joint letter to the Sheep Station in 2012 asking them to find an alternative area to graze sheep."

FWP Bison Discussion Group Meeting, Billings, July 14 & 15 page with audio
Removing "wildlife" designation from wild bison, privatizing and outfitting "wild bison" on private lands and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation - "...the old model is not working that good." A major discussion ensued at the end of the second day concerning the labeling, classification of bison as wildlife, some of which began the first day. I still have the notes from that segment to get up, but the audio is already available. This is a major concern. Sen. Taylor Brown stated this species is different. Why is is different? Biologically it is an animal, as our other wildlife are. It is not different in its wildness or ability to survive in the wild as other wildlife - hence the term wildlife. It is only different politically, because it is a larger ungulate and therefore seen as a forage competition.

As I stated on Hunt Talk, using well known human historical examples, dehumanizing, changing the classification of people was necessary in order to justify the slavery/ownership of some of them. In Africa, the Muslim slave traders dehumanized the people by saying if they werent Muslim, they were not people and therefore could be owned, bypassing the slavery issues in the Quran. Happened to Jews, Romaniy and other ethnicities in Europe. Happened here in the US with Native Americans being label savages. This is part of the slippery slope. Bison are wildlife. Domesticated bison are classified as livestock, just as they do to captured deer and elk on game farms. To remove the wildness/wildlife from bison is to privatize them, plain and simple.

Satirical Magpie - Montana Ungulate Choir
Click image to enlarge

Advisory panel hears concerns about bison reintroduction from public
"Members of wildlife, hunting and conservation groups disagreed, pointing out that no one has said anything about locating bison on private land and asserting that public lands belong to all Americans."

Group offers up ideas to formulate new state bison management plan
" 'The idea of being able to solve it together means you keep your power,' she told the group. 'If it goes to court, it’s a jump ball.'

Group member Ron Moody, a public hunter and former Fish and Wildlife commissioner from Lewistown, agreed. 'When you are declaring "my stand is going to be no bison, no way," we’ll be in the same position as when they reintroduced wolves. We could have done it our way. Think about that.' "

State efforts key to return wild bison to public lands
Jim Bailey author of American Plains Bison, Rewildling An Icon
"Above all, the report fails to clearly explain that real restoration of public wild bison will not occur without state efforts. The feds will not initiate the process."

UPOM's distorted perspective of bison restoration - Private property ownership - either by Native American Tribes, individual ranches or private non-profits. "The model of bison restoration that is currently working just fine is for individual ranches, private nonprofits and Indian tribes to use their own resources to establish and grow bison herds. Under this model, we’ve had thousands of bison restored to the Montana landscape in multiple locations around the state."

New FWS Report Spotlights Wetland Loss in Prairie Pothole Region of parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota Minnesota and Iowa.
" 'Extreme weather patterns, rising agricultural commodity prices and oil and gas development are threatening millions of acres of prairie wetlands, putting further pressure on the most valuable breeding area for ducks in the Americas,' said FWS Director Dan Ashe."

Montana landowners can kill 100 wolves a year under new rule
"The landowner quota is separate from the state’s annual wolf hunt. Hunters must have a wolf license and operate during an annual season, while landowners or their agents can kill wolves 'that are a potential threat to human safety, livestock or domestic dogs' at any time of year. That option comes from S.B. 200, passed in the last Legislature.

Landowners may also kill wolves in the act of attacking livestock without affecting the 100-animal quota." This is just like the extra kill permits and elk management removal hunts, as well as the increased quota of mountain lions that the FWP and the FWP Commission approved, not based on science, but politics and some land owner preferences.

Skyline/Anaconda Elk Litigation Fund
PO Box 173, Butte, MT 59701
Skyline Sportsmen and Anaconda Sportsmens Associations lawsuit against FWP & the FWP Commission

Thank you,
Kathryn QannaYahu
406-579-7748
www.emwh.org