Enviro-whackos?

[OntarioVanMan]

An excerpt from my sister-in-laws column...

The enviro-whackos are at it again! Two of the greenie groups are doing their level best to put the agriculture community out of business using lawsuits against the federal government as their weapon. WildEarth Guardians is suing USFW to have the prairie dog listed as an endangered species. Wildlife officials in Utah are responding by conducting prairie dog roundups this summer. They trap the rodents and relocate them a hundred miles away on federal land. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must issue a preliminary determination by Nov. 30 on whether the animal should be considered for designation as threatened or endangered. If there was justice in this world, these idiots should be forced to try to feed themselves using only prairie dog towns like the ones in Conata Basin to raise their own food!

The other lawsuit comes to us courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation. This Monday a federal judge in Seattle, Wash., granted a request by the National Wildlife Federation to halt the penalty-free haying and grazing of CRP acres to protect wildlife habitat and nesting areas. This isn’t much of a problem for us here where we’ve actually got both grass and hay this year, but this will be a real hardship for ranchers in the many areas still dealing with a continueing drought. In areas where the CRP has been opened for grazing, the ranchers have had to take their cows off the CRP acres they just recently were allowed to graze.

I think I’ve cautioned you against allowing anyone to hunt your land who will admit to belonging to either SDWF or NWF. Chris Hesla with the South Dakota Wildlife Federation has testified against every property rights issue that has come up in Pierre and neither organization is a friend to agriculture or landowners.

 

[arkjarhead]

I agree with some points in this article. I mean why shouldn't the land be grazed. Before the invention of barbed wire alot of land in this country was free range and it did very well. The reason alot changed was mainly due to cattle rustlers and disputes between ranchers on ownership of cattle. Alot of times the cattle would be in their spring pastures and calves would be born. Now there would be no brand on the calf and there would be disputes as to who it actually belonged to and who's bull actually bred the cow to produce the calf. It was a mess. Barbed wire solved alot of this. Something else I learned about in U.S. History and various agri related classes taken in high school.

Plus before Europeans arrived the continent was grazed by deer,buffalo, elk, and many other wildlife. Add this to the fact that there were wildfires that burned until they burned themselves out. This is how land was managed naturaly before we had a hand in it. The Native Americans did grow some row crops in their villages, but nothing compared to modern agriculture. Most of the continent was open grassland and forests. I think to do the land justice we should try to go back to this in areas. Allow the land to be grazed, if it catches fire allow it to burn to a certain degree and other things. The burnt vegatation is actually good for the soil, and it allows old trees to be burnt during the fire so new ones can sprout. Alot of times they can't grow due to a couple large ones shading them from sunlight. I have seen and studied where people have done this on their private land and the results are great. The land becomes more fertile, the grazing is better, and the area just looks better. It just takes work, effort, and people working together.

Another thing don't give me the bull about overgrazing. I'll save you the effort. If bovine are given a large enough area to graze they move around and graze the area in segments. This is why some ranchers have their pastures sub-divided into what is called paddocks. That way they can move the cattle. As long as their is 1 acre per head of cattle they will not overgraze. You'll notice they are usually ganged up in a certain area. One of my money making ideas stemmed from this idea, but again I don't have the capitol to get it off the ground, and until I come into contact with a rancher that wants to do some foward thinking things on his land that will make him extra money the cat is staying in the bag.

 

[always confused]

just what is the rational for considering them endangered? that they are very prolific and seem to be having no problem maintaining very large 'towns' that spread unless active population controls are used. i guess because some consider them 'cute' and therefore deserving protection. they are rodents, like mice and rats. other than serving as a food source for predators i don't see any redeeming features.

overgrazing can occur if stock levels are not properly managed. but in this case who eats the cost of moving the livestock. first permission is given, then withdrawn because of a animal rights group? if they are that concerned let em pay. it has been shown wild animals will over populate and end up starving... something about lack of predators. there is no such thing as natural balance. there are prey and predators.

too many predators and they begin to starve.

too many prey and they begin to starve.

 

[Crazynuff]

On the subject of the enviornment , if Ontario passed a speed limiter law because they are so concerned about conserving fuel and reducing greenhouse gases , why do they ship thousands (millions ? ) of tons of trash to Michigan instead of having a landfill in Ontario ?
Canadian Trash: Frequently Asked Questions

 

[OntarioVanMan]

On the subject of the enviornment , if Ontario passed a speed limiter law because they are so concerned about conserving fuel and reducing greenhouse gases , why do they ship thousands (millions ? ) of tons of trash to Michigan instead of having a landfill in Ontario ?
Canadian Trash: Frequently Asked Questions

Easy question...Toronto wanted to bury the stuff a mile or 2 down abandoned Gold mines way up in the Timmons area...and the locals refused it....Can you imagine the LEACHATE runoff from that many tons...appears Michigan needs the money so they will take the chance. And Michigan is closer then Timmons.
The whackos really have things screwed up...can't burn it can't bury it....but yet they make it.....go figure.