Shrink Them Thar Hills

MIXED BLESSINGS

Give A Little

Take A Lot

secretary on a rampage

A VISION FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS?

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..With the shrinking of Bears Ears National Monument the Interior Department has ceded 250,000 acres back to the Agriculture Department.
.. This reversion removes resource  protection and allows mining, oil and gas exploration, timber production and, grazing on that chunk of land.

SMOKE 'EM

.. Last night, (at the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo,) Ryan Zinke signed an order that requires the federal government to closely coordinate its plans with state agencies and private landowners to ensure the vitality of wildlife corridors.
..  We do need the corridors to insure continued genetic health in terra-migrating species like the pronghorn on Yellowstone's northern range and the Northern Rocky Mountain Grizzly Bears.
.. Coordination is good. We'll see how this works out in the face of protestations from environmental groups and the states affected.
.. Zinke's plan would divide the U.S. into 13 geographic regions, (or maybe 11 or 10 ??)
.. This administrative change would reduce staff and is supposed to change the management focus to perceived unique environmental factors in place of the current state-based system. [[We suspect that there is very little in common between Corpus Christi, Texas and Winfield, Kansas.  How about Omaha, Nebraska and Libby, Montana?]]

THE PREVIOUS SUGGESTION

.. The new management zones ignore state boundaries and are supposedly designed to more closely match geographic areas with similar characteristics and management needs. [[MANAGEMENT NEEDS ??]]
..The governors of 19 western states are miffed. The bipartisan Western Governors Association sent a letter to Zinke on Feb. 1 asking for a delay on the plan.

TAILING LOOP PERFECTION

.. In the letter, the governors said that the association asked Zinke, in recent months, to consult them if he planned to reshuffle the regional management structure.
.. The governors said that Zinke had not consulted them on the proposed changes.  [[ Is this the kind of consultation specified in the order? ]]
.. The proposed plan is based on perceived geographic and environmental similarities.
.. Save for the greater Columbia River system and the Mississippi River mainstem there does not seem to be any concerns over riverine ecosystems or piscatorial sensitivity.
.. Most of this is grab bag shuffling and is part of the "Plan For The Next 100 Years" that Zinke is pursuing.
.. Most of this shakeup at Interior is flying under the radar due to the other higher profile shenanigans that are being displayed by both the Legislative and Administrative branches of our elected government. Did we really do this to ourselves?
.. We will have to pay close attention to this stuff. It seems half baked to us.

RESOURCES

>> Courthouse News Service
>> Associated Press
>> Washington Examiner
>> Federal News Radio
>> E & E  News
>> The Hill (1)
>> The Hill (2)
>> The Washington Post
>> Moldy Chum

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BISCUIT BASIN AT DUSK

.. Rode over to Old Faithful yesterday after rush hour. Pleasant journey with some of the neighbors.
.. No crowds. Traffic going the other way. Wildlife smiling for portraits. Clouds colored up for dusk.
.. Free cookies and apple cider at Snow Lodge. Observing the "Do Me" crowd with winter finery and furs. Didn't fish much. Oh well!
.. The warm continues. 'Twas 50°F in Bozeman and 35°F up here.
.. The pavement is creeping up through the snow and sledheads are using the alleys.
.. Skiers have taken to shanks' mare in town and, the sidewalks are nicely shoveled in front of the trinket stores and feather merchants.
..  The first pot of coffee smells inviting as does the air creeping in the open kitchen window. It's not yet Spring but the pretense is truly convincing.

THE FUZZY JOHN

.. We're currently in the midst of our winter gear maintenance rituals but, there is a rod and reel ready to go in our trusty horse.
.. The roads are clear, the clouds are scudding into view, the breeze is light and the fish are calling.
.. We hear them!

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WALLPAPER:   LEFTOVERS