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“Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” ― Aldo Leopold

Ya know, when we discuss the improprieties of the Bureau and Land Management (BLM), or the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) bad management, administration, and waste of taxpayer’s money, we are not discussing a Conspiracy. Nope, we are discussing their bad decision making; which is compounded by bad financial choices; which is directly attributable to vented and special interest group appeasements; which is directly attributable or manipulated by political agenda’s. Also often based on bad science and research as well as manipulated data, as the excuse to the public for the obvious costly and awkward decisions made . . .

The problem is — rather than frugal or legitimate scientific-based decision making, America’s government agencies have been invaded by corporations and non-profit groups with narrow special interests only. This is a big problem within our wildlife and environmental community because of this situation. The result is bad decisions, wasting life and lands follow.

After all, American’s pay for legitimate Environmental and Wildlife decisions based on “Good Science” – which by the way is the Department of the Interior’s Mission Statement as well as it’s subordinate government agencies (note: taxpayer’s pay research scientists maximum amounts, which supposedly attracts the talented people – sadly, who can be paid off as well). So why on Earth do they not do this?

When I speak about scientific research of our environment and wildlife, I speak of legitimate research. This includes knowledgeable aspects, by the researchers involved, of proper data gathering (i.e. explained within the technical report within the how-to section), the fulfillment of the data gathering (i.e. also explained within the technical report’s, and along with difficulties in some instances), non-subjective research and perusal of the data gathered, which culminates in the technical report presented to the public — an honest overview of the data and what it means. . . Any other type of research is and remains unqualified to become trustworthy information to make legitimate decisions upon.

IN THE MATTER OF WILD HORSES AND WOLVES (the wild horses information an added highlight within the data gathering in most of these reports):

The following study involved 42 Scientific reports–of quality, and throughout the USA and other countries and involving Large Predators’, e.g. horses, wolves, bears, et al. . . in the Wild. . . :

“These issues do not just affect the United States and a few national parks,” said William Ripple, an OSU professor of forestry and lead author of the study. “The data from Canada, Alaska, the Yukon, Northern Europe and Asia are all showing similar results. There’s consistent evidence that large predators help keep populations of large herbivores in check, with positive effects on ecosystem health.”

American’s have to ask the big questions of our Legislator’s, and to our government agencies. With all the scientific data, and technical reports stating Predators in the wild are needed, then why in the hell does our government agencies support the withdrawal of some predator’s from the Endangered Species List, to be hunted and killed – this at the sake of our future wildlife, our future environment, and at an extremely high cost to taxpayers?

Well, the answer obvious – Welfare Ranchers distribution of false information and outright lies about America’s Wild Horse Herds (Big AG involved as well with their Lobby demands); Non profits such as the Safari Club International that wants to do nothing but kill endangered species, to include wolves, to brag and mount them on their living room or office walls, so they go along with the lies of the welfare ranchers in the US; Then we have Big AG, that since the decline of beef use, want to place more cattle onto Public and Private Lands for foreign sales, and to hell with the upcoming destruction of America’s lands and to hell with the public at large when profits are involved. The same with oil interests, mining interests, and energy interests.

Oh, there exist no humane or human interest listed here! That is because that simply no longer is of value or counts as far as our current BLM or DOI are concerned! Disgusting, isn’t it!

Good Science Clear

In ecosystems around the world, the decline of large predators such as lions, dingoes, wolves, otters, and bears is changing the face of landscapes from the tropics to the Arctic – but an analysis of 31 carnivore species (published in the Journal of Science) shows for the first time how threats such as habitat loss, persecution by humans and loss of prey combine to create global hotspots of carnivore decline. At the same time we see a decline in the overall environment as well as the smaller ecological systems dependent on all animal and plant species within these unique systems.

More than 75 percent of the 31 large-carnivore species are declining, and 17 species now occupy less than half of their former ranges, the researcher’s reported within their technical papers. Hunt clubs and non-profits look forward to killing these now limited species for trophy and bragging rights; Animal Advocates and Environmentalists see this statistical data and frown, concerned over the loss in the “Chain of Life” circumstance, and sadly acknowledge more will be lost than the obvious; the human spirit and soul of animals and humankind alike will be lost also.

It is clear, due to several reasons, to include the arrogance of our government agencies in cooperation with such groups as the Safari Club and other hunt and caged-hunt situations that Southeast Asia, southern and East Africa and the Amazon are among areas in which multiple large carnivore species are declining quickly. With some exceptions, large carnivores have already been exterminated from much of the developed world, including Western Europe and the eastern United States.

“Globally, we are losing our large carnivores,” said William Ripple, lead author of the paper and a professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University.

“Many of them are endangered,” he said. “Their ranges are collapsing. Many of these animals are at risk of extinction, either locally or globally. And, ironically, they are vanishing just as we are learning about their important ecological effects.”

Subjective Reasoning a Danger to America’s Wild Life

Ironically, the fact that an animal is endangered is of no consequence today. Again, we see such organizations as the Safari Club International and other hunt clubs and guided services, to receive permits to “Kill” animals on the Endangered Species List; yes, even to extinction.

There also is evidence, through legitimate scientific research, that document impacts of Cougars and Wolves on the regeneration of forest stands and riparian vegetation in Yellowstone and other national parks in North America. Fewer predators, this research has objectively found, leads to an increase in browsing animals such as deer and elk. More browsing disrupts vegetation, shifts birds and small mammals and changes other parts of the ecosystem in a widespread cascade of impacts.

Resolution

Animal Advocates and Environmentalist’s alike must call for a deeper understanding of the impact of large carnivores on ecosystems, a view that can be traced back to the work of landmark ecologist Aldo Leopold. The classic concept that predators are harmful and deplete fish and wildlife is outdated. Scientists and wildlife managers need to recognize a growing body of evidence for the complex roles that carnivores play in ecosystems and for their social and economic benefits.

Another significant fact remains also, that science predicated on manipulated data and political agenda, is simply not acceptable practice any longer. It is shown time and again quite costly to the taxpayers, wildlife, vegetation, and humans alike.

“Nature is highly interconnected,” said Ripple. “The work at Yellowstone and other places shows how one species affects another and another through different pathways. It’s humbling as a scientist to see the interconnectedness of nature.”

“The quicker we humans learn that saving our wildlife and open spaces is critical, to our welfare and quality of life, maybe we will start thinking about doing something about it.” Jim Fowler

Come with me for a moment, let’s take a walk on a trail in the Cascades. We stand before pristine Pines and an occasional Redwood. On this warm day the aroma intoxicates, blends romantically with the snap of a twig. The trail soft, as dry pine needles underfoot.

As we walk into the treeline, we notice, to one side of the trail, is a hound dog. He was used, at one time, for tracking Cougar. His decayed skin and what’s left of the dog’s bones tells its history. He’s been there for awhile, obvious the radio-collar taken off, then left by the owner. Claw marks in the dog’s hide tells the story, wounded and then abandoned . . .

Those of us in the mountains see too many wounded or neglected track-dogs that are left behind, and way too often. To say a majority of these “Hounders” are good animal keepers is an outstanding lie!

Stepping through the treeline we come to a clearing, rather quick. Wait. It’s not a clearing, it was a forested but obvious devastated area. It is a destroyed ecosystem. It’s the result of an over-browse situation from deer, Elk, and several other browsers.

The deer and Elk, supposedly regulated and managed browsers’ (most often incompetently by state or federal agencies), remained in this area too long, that is, until a proper browse no longer existed. The animals then moved-on to another area to devastate. This situation is caused by no Predators (wolves and Cougars especially) available to keep them moving; essentially browsing a little here, chased out, then move to another area and so on – which prevents devastation and over-browse to a single area.

The predator’s here were hunted and trapped, unconscionably, until few remained alive. So the browser’s now go unchecked…

We walk to the edge of the clearing and toward a creek. We want to follow the trail back into the forest; instead we wonder into a dank and rotting smell of decayed animal flesh. A Bear carcass lies along the side of the trail, its flesh rotted, with its stomach contents oozing into the creek. There is a bullet hole in the Bears skull. It is missing claws, teeth, gull bladder and a couple of other organs – the rest left to rot.

The creek is polluted. An oil/diesel and hydraulic-fluid slick floats by in different colors on the top of the water. It comes from a timber clear-cut just up the mountain, out of sight from the main road.

So much for a pleasant morning walk along a mountain trail. . . the fact is Poacher’s and neglectful trophy hunters abundant here, and their supposed conservation ethics seen quit readily, in reality non-existent and yet another outstanding lie – basically only written about in hunting magazines. These negative virtues come from an evolved hypocrisy combined with a not so ironic narcissistic and sociopathic tendency to feel killing a subordinate species to be their “Right” and to hell with everything and everybody else!

Change creates Resolution

What is wrong here is obvious. The methodology or paradigm toward wildlife management, within our mountains and forests, currently emphasize a management-paradigm only for a storage-complex for America’s Wildlife classified as Hunt-Animals – rather than the more humane management that creates preservation of ALL Wild Life and intermixed with a sound and productive Forest/Mountain environment. It is ALL one complex, as one link weakened or taken out, the remainder will collapse within a short time period!

All of our government’s management paradigms remain antiquated. This when compared to superior methodologies toward a diverse usage suggested in today’s more advanced and humane principle’s toward animal/environment management ideologies — rather than Special Interest Use Only principle’s that exist currently, and show beyond a doubt their narrow-defined data-collection and usage-research extremely flawed, via guess-ta-ment percentages, are erroneous most often, and demonstrated repeatedly in the field.

Yes, (one of the best examples, one of many more) these types of paradigms and formulas do not consider the extreme movement of a heard, into one canyon safety-zone, for example, and goes unseen; then the mind-set becomes a “kill-the-predators because they have killed our Elk and deer . . .

The herds, whether Elk, deer, or Antelope, repeated here, were simply unseen by the counters – or the counters were paid but never left their desks in their offices, and relied upon their percentages from previous years – also in error!

The reality becomes daunting to many people . . . An entire realm of American’s, the majority, remains left-out of nature’s finest, and indeed have become a low-priority (the tax payers who pay for it all), compared to hunting in these areas, being our government’s management priority. But our wildlife and environments are being destroyed – It is that simple!

The dead Bear and the dead Dog leave their message. Many of today’s hunters and trappers statements mean nothing, their actions scream to us loud and clear – the profoundness of the occasion, as we acknowledge, is not unique at all, and is one of many within our mountains of today – we see it – we tell others about it – the truth of the matter – and eventually action will be taken, eventually appropriate changes made – but the necessity loud and clear as well, those changes need to be made sooner than later . . .