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Re: [RC] Cattlle in the dry? west area - heidiAhem...clearing my throat. I've been quiet for a long time...but not any more: If cattlemen want to raise cattle on public lands, they should pay the consequences for grazing on public lands, which includes accepting that wolves are an integral part of the landscape, EXCUSE ME??? We DO accept the wildlife that was here naturally--and we live with it in reasonable harmony. Actually, it is the cattlemen who have IMPROVED the habitat sufficiently to support the game herds we enjoy. But WOLVES WERE NEVER AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE LANDSCAPE!! They are NOT natural here--they were foisted on us by the Federal government! They are like rabbits in Australia, that reproduced like wildfire because there was nothing to keep THEM in check, and then took the forages down to nothing so that other NATIVE species could not survive. The wolves have been ARTIFICIALLY introduced into a system that normally supports many ungulates (elk, deer, bighorn sheep, antelope--AND domestic ones such as cattle) so there is a seemingly limitless food supply. This in turn has caused the wolves to reproduce explosively. The ONLY things that will keep them in check are 1) to limit the food supply--which means not only do the domestic ungulates have to go (cattle, horses, sheep) but also the wild ungulates--the elk, the deer, the bighorn sheep, the antelope, etc. Or, 2) we can take responsibility for man's having introduced wolves into this ecosystem by killing them when their numbers get out of hand and start to threaten the other species. We live with coyotes and cougars. But we are also allowed to keep them in check if their numbers get out of hand. If we could do the same with the wolves, we could probably get along with them, too. But the agenda behind the wolf introduction IS to drive the ranchers off the land. That agenda has never been particularly disguised. Fortunately, there ARE strides being made toward deregulating wolves (and no, they are NOT a truly endangered species--Canada STILL has plenty that they'd LOVE to send us), and with any luck, before it gets TOO much worse, we'll be able to defend not only our livestock but also the wild ungulates before too much longer. (At least the feds ARE beginning to confess that they need to take out the worst packs and thin some of the other packs if there are going to be any elk left...) If I can shoot a wolf that comes among my horses as I can a cougar, and not be sent to jail for it, that will be a BIG improvement. Heidi ============================================================ REAL endurance is dressing for 20 degrees in the AM and by noon its 85 degrees! ~ Heidi Sowards ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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