[…] are generally of lower density than populations in the East, and they often spend significant amounts of time on private lands during hunting season. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, for example, elk spend the warmer months in the high country, which is overwhelmingly public land, but spend 80 percent of their winters on private […]
[…] prevents extinctions but also succeeds in recovering imperiled species, explore the links below. The Road to Recovery: How restoring the Endangered Species Act’s two-step process can prevent extinction and promote recovery “ Yellowstone” and the Endangered Species Act: Incentives for species recovery need more carrot and less stick Don’t Reject Trump’s Endangered Species Rules Outright
[…] demands? On private lands, the answer is simple: They negotiate. When my organization, PERC, sought to conserve habitat for elk and other wildlife on private lands near Yellowstone, we worked with a rancher to come up with a deal. In exchange for setting aside a portion of their ranch for migrating elk, PERC paid the […]
[…] as a cure not a curse on the environment. Harnessing private capital to sustain wildlife habitat With rapid regional growth, ranchers in Montana’s large working lands outside Yellowstone National Park face growing pressure to sell to developers for subdivisions, threatening iconic wildlife populations. Migratory elk herds in particular rely on working ranches for up […]
[…] through government action, but through individual cooperation and voluntary trade. 1. Elk Occupancy Agreement As elk herds make their annual migration out of the high country in Yellowstone National Park down to their winter range on the private agricultural lands of Paradise Valley, they find themselves at the center of controversy. While the elk […]
[…] topics such as reforming federal grazing to enable markets for voluntary conservation, encouraging species recovery under the Endangered Species Act, motivating private land conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and channeling visitor enthusiasm into more sustainable funding mechanisms for national parks. “Temple’s contributions to PERC’s scholarship have been invaluable,” said PERC Vice President of […]
Spring has arrived, and for many Montanans that comes along with excitement for warmer days ahead. But for the hard-working cattle ranchers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, springtime brings new challenges. One of those is the risk of brucellosis, a reproductive disease that elk and bison can transmit to cattle. Each year, thousands of […]
[…] abundance. Today, the wolf is following in their footsteps. Wolf restoration in the West began in 1994 when 41 wolves were reintroduced to their former range in Yellowstone National Park. They were followed a year later by an additional 15 wolves released into the wildlands of Central Idaho. Three years later, 11 wolves of […]
[…] West-style violence. And wildlife issues, especially when they involve large carnivores, arouse intense controversy. Several decades ago, when one Montana environmentalist, Hank Fischer, met with ranchers in the Yellowstone region to discuss reintroducing wolves, his proposal was met with hostility. “Hank Fischer!” a rancher shouted as the meeting began, “Ain’t nobody killed you yet?” Wolves have […]
[…] Parks’ draft grizzly bear management plan. PERC applauds FWP for its role in recovering grizzly bears, Montana’s state animal, in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and for the work that went into this proposed statewide plan. The recovery of grizzly bear populations in the state has been an incredible conservation […]