Arrogance Run Amock

by Stephen Capra, Executive Director, Bold Visions Conservation

We start this by acknowledging that often, in writing about the Game and Fish Commission, some could say I rant. However, it is vital to educate and inform you about a Governor, Legislature and Commission and Agency that are doing all they can to destroy biodiversity and predators in both Idaho and Montana. We see this as documentation of their misdeeds, and we will continue to record it and push everyone in both states to be a voice for wildlife.

We cannot allow such stupidity and old-world mentalities to continue to destroy wolves and other creatures and steal from us the chance to see them in the wild. This is a war that must be fought to stop these people's control over this beautiful wildlife. They must be stopped, and we must make our outrage clear; these people deserve no respect. It again proves that the Game and Fish departments are dinosaurs that need a complete overhaul. Wildlife must be given a chance to thrive!

This past week, we were subjected to some of the most arrogant and disgraceful aspects of the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission. The commission meeting was full of their usual efforts to expand hunting of any and all species. The commission added a new bow season on moose and allowed more killing of bighorn sheep. Naturally, they voted to support the radicalized bill passed in the legislature last year that allows ranchers to kill grizzly bears if they feel threats to cows or sheep on public lands, often very remote public lands.

The bill should never have been permitted as it once again gives powers to ranchers that should not be grazing these lands from the start and will result in the killing of more bears while the state races to delist this magnificent animal that should never be hunted-period. They are happy with the bison being killed, and they want wolves destroyed.

Yesterday was a special hearing that they gave the public short notice about because when more than 25% of wolves have been killed, it requires a review. This review was their chance to say "fuck you" to those of us that love wolves and demand their protection. Rather than take the situation with a level of decorum or seriousness, the following unfolded. Commission Lane was in his truck watching his cattle. Commissioner Cebull was in blaze orange hunting from a blind while on the call. Commissioner Tabor was leading the call and acting as though he was doing us a favor by having the call and defending their stance on wolves. They were making a statement that arrogance is power.

What was at stake remained that five wolves had already been killed by slob hunters on the Yellowstone border, unit 313. The commission could have ended the hunt on the call and perhaps showed a little decency. A total of six can be killed. Tabor kept pushing, saying they had already reduced the number from 10 to 12. But the whole call was clear: no one cared. If a sixth wolf is killed, no one will know for 24 hours, then the season will end. But by allowing this, they leave the chance open that more wolves will die before the public knows to stop, which did not bother them in the least. So, they allowed the number of six to stand. The only thing missing was for Cebull to start shooting when the decision was agreed upon, too.

As I have said many times, this commission represents the bottom of the barrel regarding people and their disdain for wildlife. They harbor unscientific notions and the dogma of rural ignorance of species like wolves and bears. What they want most is to kill and anger people like us who love wildlife. They are true believers in killing species and supporting trapping. They are Safari Club, NRA members, and groups like the Foundation for Wildlife Management that send out false and discredited information to the public and want only to trap and kill wolves and bears for their own profit. These are not normal humans, but rather sick people who will do the work of the Governor with no moral integrity of what they are doing to the natural world.

Let's understand clearly that these people are trying to hold on to an old paradigm; they know what they are doing and will continue to kill until we win. Until we stop the madness. We will win, but the fight will be brutal; it already is, but wolves need us to be warriors, and grizzlies do, too. We must fight for their right to co-exist and stop the bounties and the need to destroy the very species that keep our natural world healthy. To stop the power of ranchers and demand the management of people, not wildlife. To elect educated people who put wildlife first. That is our assignment.

Let's remove self-serving people like Pat Tabor, as well as the rest of this commission, that has destroyed a once-respected organization, which today is simply a voice for killing and destroying the wild beauty we all love. Let's be loud and proud!

Remember, wildlife will thank you for your efforts, and so too will generations to come.

The killing must end.

Six Months In, a Powerful Voice for Change

by Stephen Capra, Executive Director, Bold Visions Conservation

As we barrel towards the end of the year, it is essential to reflect on what Bold Visions has done to help wildlife and public lands. It was just this past June that we began this journey. That is when Bold Visions was reconstituted after many years in the dark, and I officially left Footloose Montana.

From the start, our goal has been to be a voice for wildlife and to enhance protections for our public lands so wildlife can thrive. Over the past six months, we have achieved the following:

— We have worked to educate and create a proposal to protect more than 1.6 million acres of public lands near Bozeman into the Madison-Gallatin National Monument, a name likely to change if we garner native American support. This vast tract of wildlands is home to wolves, grizzlies, wolverines, lynx, and bison, to name just a few species. It is the first Monument designed to be created for wildlife.

— We are signing up businesses and working to grow support. Early next year, I have been asked to present this idea to all the Tribes of Idaho and Montana at a gathering. This is a unique honor and could make a real difference in supporting this Monument.

— We created the sportsmen’s group Hunters in Defense of Predators, defenseofpredators.org, and hired Joey Morin as the Executive Director. The group is designed to push for a more Leopolian sense of fair chase and ethics. They oppose trapping and wildlife-killing contests and the use of modern technology in hunting. They also are making clear that Montana and Idaho Game and Fish do not have the best interests of wildlife. Much more to come.

— We continue our contract with Mike Bader, the person responsible for removing 64 days from this year’s trapping season; he will be working on new maps and biological reports shortly.

— We are working with Garrick Dutcher of Living with Wolves in Idaho to create a 500,000-acre area off-limits to the hunting and trapping of wolves near Boise that would be called the Youth Education and Research area. This would be the only place in the state where wolves are not being slaughtered.

— We have testified and written extensively about the pathetic state of Montana and Idaho Game and Fish. We will never stop until trapping is banned on public lands and the slaughter of wolves and grizzlies is stopped.

These are not straightforward campaigns, given the conservative climate of both states, but they are vital.

We continue to speak out and do so with honesty and heart. There is so much to do in the year ahead, but we feel grateful for our successes in just six months; 2024 will be exciting! For now, we wish you the best of Holidays full of love and joy.

We also ask that you consider an end-of-the-year donation! All donations will be matched 100%. Take some time and visit our website. BVconservation.org

Happy Holidays from all of us at Bold Visions Conservation.

Guest Sermon

Mike Bader works with Bold Visions Conservation and other organizations on many relevant issues. We would like to congratulate Mike on his recent victory in protecting wolves from horrible traps during grizzly bear hibernation season.

Without Predators Ecosystems Become Zoos

By Mike Bader

Throughout the West and particularly in Montana and Idaho, there has been a vilification campaign against carnivores, omnivores and predators. Partly based on misinformation, some borders on the hysterical.

Wild claims have been made that predators including wolves and mountain lions are decimating elk populations. The facts are, elk populations in Montana and Idaho are at historic highs and many districts are above population objectives. Nor do the claims that wolves are taking an enormous toll on livestock hold up. The actual numbers are miniscule and far less than losses from weather and disease; just 0.00415% in Montana and 0.00428% in Idaho (Servheen 2022) and these losses were compensated.

Lawmakers in Montana and Idaho have enacted a set of draconian laws that allow the most extreme and unsporting methods to reduce predator populations. Expanding wolf trapping seasons using baited meats and snares and allowing huge traps that have caught grizzly bears and moose. Use of night-vision devices and laser sites. Night hunting using spotlights. Hunting black bears and mountain lions with dogs. Paying bounties to wolf trappers and hunters. Allowing black bear “hunting” using baits of garbage, bacon, etc. Proposing to allow ranchers to shoot grizzly bears on PUBLIC lands.

The aim of expanded wolf trapping and shooting is significant population reduction to minimums. The same applies to mountain lions, which face a 40% population reduction in Montana. If grizzly bears are delisted from Endangered Species Act protection, Montana will allow the population in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem to be reduced by more than 300 bears before any management changes would occur. Similar cuts would occur in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Managing for minimums is contrary to the best available scientific information on proper wildlife and ecosystem management. The changes spurred 35 wildlife professionals including 13 retired Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists to speak out publicly (Servheen et al. Missoulian 1/7/22).

Healthy wildland ecosystems like those in the Northern Rockies are driven and regulated by predators. As a top-level predator the wolf, through its position at the top of trophic cascades maintains ecosystem structure and integrity. Wolf packs keep ungulates on the move (Dellinger et al. 2019).

Ripple and Beschta (2004) present the benefits of trophic cascades with wolves at the top which include: elk foraging and movement patterns adjust to predation risk; there is increased recruitment of woody browse species; there is recovery of riparian functions, recolonization of beaver and recovery of the food web support for aquatic, avian and other fauna; channels stabilize and there is recovery of wetlands and hydrologic connectivity. Many species benefit from wolf kills helping them endure hard winters. For example, grizzly bears appropriate wolf kills providing a much-needed source of protein that was previously unavailable.

The omnivorous grizzly bear is the quintessential indicator of ecosystem health. It is known as an “umbrella” species due to its wide range and specific habitat requirements including security. Scientists have found that as many as 300 other species are protected under the grizzly umbrella. Grizzly bears are an indicator in landscape changes brought about by climate change that may affect food sources and numerous other species.

The wildlands of the Northern Rockies are unique and possess 98% of the species that were here when the Lewis & Clark Expedition passed through. The wolf, the grizzly, the mountain lion and other carnivores hold these landscapes together.

The extreme laws and regulations in the Northern Rockies states are based on unscientific information and do not represent fair chase or proper wildlife management. Without the predator-prey relationship, these wildland ecosystems would become glorified zoos.

Mike Bader is an independent consultant in Missoula, Montana. He frequently writes about western wildlife and wildlands. This piece was originally published in Counterpunch and the Missoulian.