The animals’ sturdy nests can preserve clues about the climate for 50,000 years or more.
Wildlife
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The science behind Yellowstone’s bison cull
Some wildlife biologists say the cull makes sense — but not because bison can spread brucellosis.
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Should coyote hunting contests be banned?
The debate over organized kills and whether they actually impact population, via a new podcast.
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Malheur occupation could set conservation efforts back years
Invasive carp may recolonize areas they were once eradicated from, depending on how long the occupation lasts.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
Fracking illness reports, fisher release and the worth of permafrost
HCN.org news in brief.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
Latest: Yellowstone officials to cull hundreds of bison
Meanwhile, Montana released a plan to let bison roam year-round outside the park.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
The tree in the river
A writer ponders a remnant of past disaster.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
Wildlife Services and its eternal war on predators
The federal agency has been researching nonlethal means to protect livestock for decades. So why is it still killing so many carnivores?
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A place where bears own the right of way
A few months ago, I found myself in a remote area of Alaska, watching pink and chum salmon splash through the shallows of an unnamed stream. The sounds of the salmon, the breeze coming off the ocean, the breakers on the beach, and the continuous calls of gulls made for an Alaskan symphony. A bush […]
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Don’t delist: Yellowstone grizzlies still need federal protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has indicated that it plans to remove the iconic Yellowstone grizzly bear from the protection of the Endangered Species Act early this year. The federal agency’s plan is irresponsible and premature because grizzlies are struggling to adjust to declining food sources, even as they face an uncertain future caused […]
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PZP: Where hope, science and mustangs meet
The longtime mustang advocate, TJ Holmes, and I head into southwestern Colorado’s Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area, searching for mustangs. We do this regularly. TJ has documented these mustangs for eight years, working in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. A big part of her work is administering PZP, the fertility-control vaccine (porcine […]
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The obscure music where wild animals sing from the heart
In a small corner of popular music, there are songs that have been written and sung in the haunting voices of animals, and the Canadian singer-songwriters Gordon Lightfoot and Ian Tyson have written what I think are the best of them. In Lightfoot’s “Whispers of the North,” a loon speaks: whispers of the northsoon I […]
Posted inDecember 21, 2015: Secrets of the Deep
Pet the nipping pup and hide your newcomer roots: tips from a failed campaign.
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
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Fishers recolonize Washington, part of a Northwest rewilding
The forest carnivore’s return was helped by human intervention.
Posted inDecember 7, 2015: Good Neighbors
Ending the murrelet malaise
After decades of declines, Washington state finally has a plan to preserve the bird’s habitat.
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Range riders track wolves in eastern Washington
Wolf-livestock conflicts have increased, and ranchers and environmentalists are gathering data to mitigate the clashes.
Posted inDecember 7, 2015: Good Neighbors
Latest: California’s plan for conservation-minded energy development takes its first step forward
The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan is intended to guide energy development, while protecting wildlife and recreation.
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Wyoming seeks compromise on wildlife migration corridors
Migration science has advanced, and the Game & Fish Commission is looking to reassess land use.
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Raptors are our fierce allies. Shame on those who harm them.
Note: the opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of High Country News, its board or staff. If you’d like to share an opinion piece of your own, please write Betsy Marston at betsym@hcn.org. Birds of prey soar over the human imagination like no other creatures […]
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Looking back on a century of poisoning predators
Note: the opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of High Country News, its board or staff. If you’d like to share an opinion piece of your own, please write Betsy Marston at betsym@hcn.org. We celebrate most anniversaries, but there are some we should just acknowledge by pausing […]