George Wuerthner

Bryce Andrews, in describing how he killed a wolf that had preyed upon some cattle in Montana, refuses to take responsibility for the conflicts he has created for our wildlife by placing livestock among our wildlife on our public lands (HCN, 8/20/07). Every cow on public lands is eating forage that would otherwise support native […]

I just read your article about how environmental groups are working with loggers to thin forests in New Mexico. While I am not opposed to thinning trees near communities to increase their defensibility against wildfires, I do think we need to examine the assumptions that underlie thinning programs. There is an implicit assumption that large […]

Measure 37 was not a referendum on Oregon’s land-use laws (HCN, 11/22/04: In Oregon, a lesson learned the hard way). The ballot measure was designed to make it impossible to have those regulations in place. However, that is not the question that was asked. The measure asked voters whether they would approve compensation to private […]

I just read “Riding the middle path” (HCN, 12/8/03: Riding the middle path). As a writer and photographer, I am acutely aware of how word and photo choice influences perception. And once again HCN proves that it is incapable of writing about the livestock industry without being a sop to the industry. When I read […]

Dear HCN, Ranching advocates like Ed Marston and Rick Knight present a faulty argument when they assert that ranching can prevent sprawl (HCN, 1/20/03: THE GREAT RANCHING DEBATE). If we wish to prevent sprawl and its effects — a worthy goal — we need to implement effective land-conservation strategies. Ranching as a land-preservation strategy is […]

Dear HCN, I believe Ray Ring’s piece on Montana environmental politics lacks a broader contextual framework that would provide insight and result in different conclusions. The suggestion that Montana’s progressive environmental legislation passed in the early 1970s due to greater collaboration with rural industries misses a big historical point. Although briefly acknowledged by Ring, the […]

Dear HCN, Your article on the Sierra Club’s zero-cow initiative (HCN, 2/26/01: ‘Zero-Cow’ initiative splits Sierra Club), as with so many pieces that HCN does related to grazing issues, once again misrepresents the issues by trying to create a black and white – either/or – situation. The article portrays the Sierra Club’s zero-grazing initiative as […]

Dear HCN, The recent article by Steve Stuebner about wolves in Idaho demonstrates why wolf recovery is an ongoing failure (HCN, 5/22/00: Activist calls for cease-fire on wolves). If it were not for a few livestock-free safe havens like Yellowstone Park and the core of central Idaho wilderness, there would be no wolf recovery whatsoever. […]

Dear HCN, Tom Knudson’s story on the Trout Creek working group in Oregon lacked some important factual information that would have cast the “success’ of this BLM propaganda project in a less favorable light (HCN, 3/1/99). The article implies that the Trout Creeks can serve as a model solution for public-lands grazing disputes across the […]

Dear HCN, The report by Steve Stuebner on subdivisions in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho (HCN, 12/9/96) included one remark that requires some commentary. Stuebner said reducing cattle grazing along streams to protect salmon habitat may result in the subdivision of private ranchland, and condos are worse than cows – aren’t they? I […]

Dear HCN, I noticed that you now have at least three ranchers on your board of directors – Farwell Smith, Diane Peavey and Doc Hatfield. At least two out of the three are well known and outspoken advocates of public-lands grazing. Isn’t this just like the National Cancer Association having a couple of tobacco farmers […]

Dear HCN, To suggest that logging in some way is a way towards forest health is like the medieval doctors who thought the best way to save a dying patient was to bleed them to rid them of “bad blood.” From an ecological perspective, there is no forest “health” problem. Disease, insects, and yes, even […]

Dear HCN, Fred Wagner’s essay on elk in Yellowstone begs for a response. While I won’t suggest that the Park Service doesn’t occasionally attempt to control what is said or done with regard to park policy, I don’t think they are “destroying” Yellowstone as Wagner or his graduate student, Charles Kay, allege. Wagner’s ideas are […]

Dear HCN, As retirees and industries flock to the West, many fear the loss of the region’s open spaces and wildlife habitat. Officials from extractive industries such as farming, ranching and timber capitalize on this fear, warning that if environmentalists and others who are demanding an end to subsidies are successful, subdivisions will proliferate as […]