Reblogged from Animal Connection:

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A feel-good tale of sperm whales "adopting" a deformed bottlenose dolphin made an Internet splash this week. The story resonated with readers, including Reddit commenter Fallapoo, who said: "I see a Disney movie in the works."

But the marine mammals aren't the only ones that form odd alliances, experts say.

Such adoptions are relatively common among domestic animals, and occasionally seen in the wild, according to Jenny Holland, author of the 2011 book 

Read more… 542 more words

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Today, I had intended to write a post about the exploitative “reality” television shows that are all over television, but someone beat me to it. Yesterday, while at my health club, one of the channels showed the former “History” channel broadcasting a show called “Swamp People.” I couldn’t hear the dialog of the program but for a solid hour the show showed a collection of cretins impaling alligators with massive hooks and executing them with rifle shots. The killings were followed by showing camo hat types with dubious forms of dental hygiene acting like they were badasses for shooting these hooked animals execution style. This occurred over and over throughout the hour and I was astounded that people would consider these wildlife snuff films to be “entertainment.” Somehow television programs showing cretins executing alligators and other wildlife life have become popular entertainment in the United States. What does this say about our culture? I have a suggestion. How about having a “reality” TV show that shows what happens in a slaughterhouse? Would that be as popular? I doubt it because people do not want to see how that steak or hamburger ended up on their plate. So then why are these wildlife snuff/redneck shows so popular?

Here is an outstanding article about this topic from The Guardian in the UK:

Bloodthirsty ‘factual’ TV shows demonise wildlife

Funny how after centuries of war and massive bloodshed, Europe gets it while we wallow in cowboy fantasies and barbaric “traditions” that the majority of the civilized world has moved on from. Please let me know what you think.

Bear hounders will soon be running their dogs on bears with almost no restrictions in Wisconsin in the name of “training.”

http://dnr.wi.gov/about/nrb/2013/May/05-21-13-3B1.pdf

I talked to Bradley Koele, “wildlife damage expert”.  He said that they have had the option to issue kill licenses on bears who cause $1000 damage ( largely to corn fields) but are taking it to an automatic issue of kill license(s) if a “verified”   (county schmoozer with farmer) $5000 damage has been done.  That license or licenses can be used outside of the bear kill seasons ( usually early September to mid-October) and as many as 20 licenses have been issued to farmers with large farms.  The farmer can “only retain one bear” for himself, but can keep as many skins and heads as he wants – or give them to friends.  He is not supposed to sell the licenses but they can have a good ole boy kill fest on his property – so much easier than going through the lottery.  And a good ole boy time was had by all.  Including dogs at their convenience.

They start running packs of dogs on bears and their cubs July 1.  Bears cannot sweat and die of heat exhaustion when run for miles, out of sight of the “hunters” who just listen to their radio-collared hounds and then drive to wherever.  They separate mothers from cubs, and shake little cubs out of trees to get bloodlust into the dogs.  Rick Hanestad who used to hound bears, told me that easily 30% of the bears run by dogs during the training, are killed on the ground by the dogs.  They are too inexperienced or small to deal with a pack of dogs – or they are run in open farm fields where there are no trees.

Please comment.  We cannot be the only species on the planet who takes everything and not share.  We cannot be the only species that “predates”.  Please say that 90% of us want to have general public funding of wildlife stewardship and a first time democracy in stewarding our wildlife.  With our money ( and we already bring 11 times the revenue of hunters (3 times if you count the $40 million they pay to destroy our wildlife – mostly spent in managing their killing biz) – again, with our money directed to a democratic wildlife fairly funded, fairly participating, we can spread a new ethic of tithing back to our wildlife and some compensation from the 90% of us who pay in anyway.  Then we do not have to be killing – we can be sharing.

What a concept.

Please send your comments to Brad Koele at bradley.koele@wisconsin.gov 

Thanks.

Patricia Randolph
State Journalist
Madravenspeak living wildlife column
Capital Times online newspaper

Last week the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources bombarded the news media with figures showing that the wolf population this past winter remained “flat” following the “known” slaughter of almost 250 wolves last year. The DNR claimed that the wolf population is currently 834. From this article:

“The management objectives remain to put downward pressure on the population,” DNR carnivore specialist David MacFarland said. “The mortality levels experienced in 2012 didn’t achieve that objective or only made slight progress toward the goal.”

The DNR’s current wolf management plan calls for an off-reservation population of 350. The agency’s count found as many as 834 animals roamed the state as of March. That compares with as many as 880 wolves around the same time last year. The 2013 count marked only the fourth time since 1985 the DNR hasn’t detected an increase in the wolf population.

So just to reiterate, the DNR states that there are as many as 809 to 834 wolves in Wisconsin as of this past winter. That sure is strange, because just two weeks prior the DNR held a Wolf Tracking Survey Meeting on April 19th in Wausau, Wisconsin where they stated that the current wolf population was estimated to be 785 to 813. I wonder how the DNR can explain this significant difference? I supposed just like those mysterious “missing” calves this is just another example of the books being cooked to show higher numbers of wolves than there really are. I would expect nothing less from an agency ran by Cathy Stepp and her bear hounder masters.

In this meeting the DNR told of their “investigations” into the rampant wolf poaching occurring in our state:

In addition to tracking activities, DNR Conservation Warden Dave Zebro said DNR wardens were involved in several law enforcement investigations. Thirty wolf-related investigations were conducted, with 10 citations issued related to hunting and trapping. Fourteen illegally harvested wolves were recovered, Zebro said.

Funny how the DNR and their propaganda arms in the state newspaper “outdoor” pages went out of their way to show lurid photographs of everyone from children to old white men posing over freshly slaughtered wolves, there was never a mention in the media about these “investigations.” So 10 “citations” were issued but 14 poached wolves were “recovered?” So if that is the case then there are likely poachers that killed multiple wolves, or the DNR isn’t taking enforcement action against some poachers. Why has this not made the news? If I remember correctly Patrick Durkin was recently talking about how poaching concerns were “overblown” and acted as though they almost never happened and if they do it isn’t a big deal.

In that same meeting we had the usual shills from the killing cartels pushing to get their grubby hands all over the wolf counting that in the past was done by mostly volunteers. From this article:

The event drew a variety of DNR staff members, volunteer trackers, and other stakeholder groups, such as the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin Bowhunters Association, Wisconsin Conservation Congress, and Wisconsin Fur Trappers Association.

Ralph Fritsch represented the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. He encouraged greater use of hunters and trappers in the counting procedures. “How accurate are these figures in establishing the current state wolf populations?” he asked. “Even though these are minimum number counts, how many areas within the state are not covered?

“(This could) greatly add to a more stable and accurate count, and hopefully give a number closer to maximum population numbers,” said Fritsch, who also serves on the Conservation Congress as a delegate from Oconto County.

What a shock. They want to eradicate wolves and what better way than to allow wolf haters free reign to come up with their own numbers. Each of those groups listed, with the exception of a few volunteer trackers, are on record as being anti-wolf. Sure sounds like a “fox in the henhouse” scenario to me, but of course the DNR will welcome them with open arms and then take their “counts” at face value. Remember these are the same people that year in and year out claim that wolves are “eating all the deer.” Wake up Wisconsin or we are not going to have any wolves left.

And there was this little tidbit from the above article that needs more explaining:

One change for 2013, Koele said, is that everyone must allow public hunting and trapping access. While the new rule was generally well-accepted, there was some pushback from “a couple of landowners who objected.”

So now landowners must open their lands to slob hunters, trappers,and hounders that want to kill wolves? I assume this is for the ones that had “depredations” but this is very concerning. I thought the right wing that runs this state were all about “property rights?” I guess not when it comes to killing wolves. They will openly violate the constitutional rights of citizens to achieve their goal of pushing this animal back to the brink.

Each and every day more and more disturbing information comes to light about how the DNR is scheming to find every way imaginable to persecute this animal. Do they think that this is making them friends int he general public? And they wonder why donations to the Endangered Resources Fund are way down over the past few years? Also disturbing is how supposed “biologists” are obsessed with this “350″ number in the 1999 Wolf Management Plan. That number was never intended to be a maximum yet that is exactly what the DNR is trying to make people believe. That number was only to be the point at which the state felt that wolves could be “managed.” It was NEVER designed to be a maximum population number. In fact the federal government accepted their plan based on this number and now the DNR is hellbent on getting to that number as quickly as possible. Apparently they are too arrogant to realize that they are supposed to be monitored by the feds for five years following delisting and their so-called “plan” is front and center in the lawsuit brought by the Humane Society of the United States challenging the delisting of the wolf in the Great Lakes. How about we establish maximum numbers for the other animals that people love to kill in Wisconsin? How about we have a maximum number of deer allowed? How about a maximum number of turkeys, ducks, geese, and everything else they love to kill?

Enough is enough, Wisconsin and it is time to get active. We cannot allow this insanity to continue and or rights be trampled on. The WDNR is proving themselves time and time again to be “cooking the books” or is misleading when it comes to wolf numbers and their alleged “depredations.” And we are supposed to believe them now? The proverbial fox is getting deeper and deeper into the henhouse while we just standby and watch. Please, get active!

Please read and comment on Patricia’s latest column here:

Patricia Randolph’s Madravenspeak: NRA targets kids at Outdoor Education Expo

The usual anti-wildlife trolls continue to take over the comment section of Patricia’s columns. Please comment and report all abusive comments from these trolls to the moderators.

Imagine the following scenario from the perspective of a “conservative,” “pro-life,” hunter, trapper, and wolf hating Wisconsinite.

Wisconsin has elected a progressive and pro-living wildlife governor and legislature. The governor has decided to appoint an outspoken living wildlife advocate as the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Upon assumption of the position the Secretary of the DNR decided to “reassign” most of the pro-hunting and trapping biologists and wardens along with filling her assistant positions with outspoken living wildlife advocates, former lobbyists from groups such as the Humane Society of the United States, and other outspoken animal welfare advocates. One of these assistants was a former state legislator responsible for an amendment to the state constitution that allowed for a guaranteed right for wildlife watchers to enjoy and protect wildlife and not be subjected to hunter harassment and intimidation. The agency is also now funded solely by wildlife watchers.

The next step in the governor’s revamp of the WDNR comes with her appointments to the Natural Resources Board. Upon the expiration of the terms of the current pro-hunting/anti-wolf board members, the governor decided to fill the board with pro-living wildlife advocates including the president and CEO of a pro-wildlife lobbying group, The Wildlife Watchers Rights Coalition, that pays lobbyists to argue on behalf of living wildlife before the legislature.

To take advantage of these changes the legislature introduced and approved, several laws banning or limiting barbaric hunting practices were enacted. These pieces of legislation included the ban on using dogs against any form of wildlife, the banning of trapping, and the requirement that all wildlife killed by hunters be consumed and not used as trophies. These bills were all passed and signed into law in record time. The Natural Resources Committees in both the Assembly and Senate gave the public 24 hours notice of their public hearings and rubber stamped the proposed laws despite massive opposition from hunters and their respective groups in the state. The DNR and Natural Resources Committees said that while public input is important, it really has no bearing on what is ultimately decided by them. After the laws were signed by the governor, they went before the Natural Resources Board. The Natural Resources Board received in excess of 3,000 letters voicing opposition to these laws but decided to ignore them and voted to approve all of the DNR recommendations on the laws.  

The next step for the WDNR Secretary was to revamp the 17 “citizen advisory” committees that advise policy to the DNR. The Secretary has decided to place representatives of the HSUS, Defenders of Wildlife, PETA, Wisconsin Wildlife Ethic, Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf, and tribal representatives on these committees. One of those on several of the committees is a paid lobbyist for a “coalition” of groups that are very influential with several legislators. This lobbyist is a former state senator with a wind-tunnel tested hairdo, and he will be a member on 13 of the 17 committees. The lobbyist works for the Wildlife Watchers Rights Coalition ran by a member of the Natural Resources Board. The lobbyist is also notorious for making numerous controversial comments that offended many hunters and anti-wolf citizens. While the lobbyist claimed to represent the HSUS on the website for the Wildlife Watchers Rights Coalition, the HSUS claimed no ties with him or support for his offensive comments. The WDNR decided that none of the controversy or dishonesty mattered and allowed the paid lobbyist to remain on the 13 committees. Concerns by hunters and their affiliated groups were ignored by the WDNR and the paid lobbyist continued to “advise” the WDNR through the committee and wrote several pieces of anti-hunter legislation for pro-wildlife legislators.

Then there is the “citizen advisory” group known as the “Conservation Congress.” The Conservation Congress, once dominated by hunters and the groups that support them, has experienced a radical change and is now stacked with living wildlife advocates. In fact the leaders and spouses of most of the wildlife advocacy and lobbyist groups have been elected as “delegates” for the secretive group. These delegates include high ranking leaders of the most active pro-wildlife groups in the state, including those also represented on the DNR’s own “advisory” committees and the Natural Resources Board. 

All of the above sure sounds crazy, corrupt, undemocratic, and certainly unethical, doesn’t it? But if you just switch the roles from living wildlife advocates to the anti-wildlife forces currently running this state each and every one of these things are currently occurring, and much worse than described above. This is how each of the above scenarios are occurring today:

• Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker appointed former state legislator and real estate developer, Cathy Stepp, to the position of DNR Secretary. Upon taking over the position Stepp filled her deputy positions with pro-killing shills like Scott Gunderson who “authored” the Constitutional Amendment that allows the “right” to hunt, fish, and trap in the state. Stepp has also appointed numerous anti-wolf employees to prominent positions within the department and has excluded those with pro-wolf leanings from being involved any in the processes or having contact with the media.
• The Natural Resources Board is now being filled with appointees of Governor Walker that give new meaning to the term “conflict of interest.” Most prominent of all is Walker appointee, Greg Kazmierski, who is a hunting outfitter and the founder of the “Hunters Rights Coalition.” The HRC is a lobbying group that pays former state senator and he of the wind tunnel tested hairdo, Bob “Connecticut Effect” Welch, to lobby for their group. So for those not making the connection, Walker appointed a hunting outfitter that is also the founder of a lobbying group that lobbies on behalf of issues Kazmierski supports before the legislature. Kazmierski then can vote on rules and regulations that directly benefit himself financialy from his seat on the NRB. Don’t people in other states either recuse themselves when their is a conflict of interest? Don’t people in other states actually go to jail for this kind of “pay to play” behavior? I guess in Walker’s Wisconsin this is perfectly acceptable. How can this have not garnered more attention?
• And speaking of Bob Welch, he is considered a member on 13 or the 17 “advisory committees” that the DNR has set up. Not only is a paid lobbyist a “member” of supposedly “citizen based” committees, Welch also represents the “Hunters Rights Coalition,” and he also is the paid lobbyist for the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, and the Wisconsin Chapter of Safari Club International. And guess what? All of these groups take up individual spots on the various committees. So essentially the DNR is allowing the deck to be stacked from the get go by allowing one lobbyist to be a “member” representing all of these groups on the committee. What? Can someone explain to me how a PAID LOBBYIST is allowed to be on “citizen” and “science-based” committees?
• Continuing with Bob Welch (anyone sensing a pattern here?), how can we forget the nefarious bills that allowed Wisconsin wolves to be slaughtered and ALL state parked to be opened up to hunting and trapping for SEVEN MONTHS of the year? Welch and his bear hounder benefactors admitted before the Senate Natural Resources Committee that they and seven lawyers had written the wolf kill bill that Rep. Scott Suder (R-ALEC) claimed authorship of. There is also the fact that the bear hounders, George Meyer, and other anti-wolf factions knew about the “public hearing” in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee almost a week before the public was notified regarding this nefarious bill. The public was given 24 hours notice. So much for that “citizen input” they claim matters so much. Of course the bill went on to be rubber stamped by the Legislature, signed by Walker, and again rubber stamped by the Natural Resources Board, featuring Greg Kazmierski.
• And about the NRB. Amazing how the Board had received well over 3,000 letters and e-mails strongly opposed to the use of dogs against wolves, yet completely ignored them along with impassioned citizen testimony and again rubber stamped the use of dogs against wolves. And guess who was there speaking in support of the use of dogs against wolves? You guessed it Mr. Wind tunnel Tested Hairdo himself, Bob Welch. And of course guess who one of the voting members on the NRB was? None other than the one that pays Welch to lobby for the organization that he heads, Greg Kazmierski. Funny how the same names and the ties that bind them keep appearing.
• Finally, we come to the illustrious “citizen advisory” group known as the “Conservation Congress.” Not known to many citizens in the state, except for the hunting clubs, this group was legislatively enacted decades ago to be the “sole” citizen advisory to the DNR on wildlife issues. Unfortunately, this organization has essentially become a propaganda arm for the DNR and the killing cartels in the state. Look no further than the fact that the “congress” doesn’t advertise their yearly spring gatherings in each county as anything other than “hearings” when in reality they are elections for sending delegates to the group and for advisory questions. Because the group has long been dominated by the killing cartels in the state, the vast majority of the “advisory” questions are geared toward providing more and more killing opportunities and less and less restrictions on those activities. On April 8th of this year the election of pro-wildlife delegates from the counties of Dane, Milwaukee, and Polk sent shock waves through the good old boy club. Gasp! The pro-killing factions now control over 300 of the seats and wildlife advocates control five. If you read the “outdoor” pages you would have thought our side ran the tables and now control the entire group. But as expected if the killing cartels do not have 100% control they scream doom and gloom for their “heritage.” And their is this little tidbit as well. As it turns out many of the “delegates’ for this “citizen advisory” group come directly from the killing cartels like the dubiously named “Wisconsin Wildlife Federation” including one of that groups leaders, Ralph Fritsch, who is a “delegate” from Onconto County. And to top it all off, the wife of the WWF head, George Meyer, is a delegate from Dane County. So the killing cartels even have their tentacles entrenched firmly in this supposedly “citizen advisory” group.

So what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if wildlife advocates behaved and legislated in the manner that is currently occurring on our state? We would be called “undemocratic” and be accused of ignoring the “will of the people.” Just try to fathom the outrage. Yet, this is exactly what is happening in Wisconsin this very day. Corrupt, undemocratic, and unethical behavior is the norm when it comes to the DNR, NRB, and the state legislature. The ties that bind the DNR, the NRB, the legislature, the killing cartels, and their lobbyists are plain to see. Wake up Wisconsin. We need to expose these blatant unethical and corrupt practices that seem to have become the norm in our state.

Please share your thoughts.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

**Update** Apparently there are some that cannot understand sarcasm, so I will further elaborate about the “missing calves” issue. Last year after contacts with the DNR we were told that the DNR automatically attributes any livestock losses over 2.3% to “wolf depredation.” When contacted the DNR had no answer or evidence as to why so much money is being paid out for “missing calves.” Even more disturbing is that there was ZERO evidence that wolves were involved, only that there may have been wolf “activity” in the area. This is why I said that wolves in Wisconsin must have “magic” powers that allow them to just make these calves “disappear” considering that there is nothing left behind, not even bones to show that these calves even existed. For more on this please read this article.

All over the local news today were stories from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources proclaiming that the wolf population in the state is “stable” or “slightly” decreasing. The DNR claims that the current wolf population stands at “as many as” 834 animals. Last year they claimed the population was between 815 and 880 wolves. Now the talking heads at the DNR are using their new numbers to set the stage for what is likely to be an all out slaughter of wolves this fall by again obsessing on the ancient “management” number of 350 from the 1999 plan. Not content having over 243 wolves killed last year by “hunters,” trappers, Wildlife Services assassins, poachers, and “unknown causes,” the DNR is gearing up for all out war this coming fall.

Don’t believe me? Just look at the quotes and propaganda being put out by one of their talking heads:

“The management objectives remain to put downward pressure on the population,” DNR carnivore specialist David MacFarland said. “The mortality levels experienced in 2012 didn’t achieve that objective or only made slight progress toward the goal.”

Of course, “only” 243 wolves were known to be slaughtered last year and magically the numbers are exactly the same. Funny how that happens considering biologists estimate that over 70 percent of pups born each year die from various causes, and adult wolves actually do die from natural causes. I guess in addition to consuming entire animals and leaving no trace, Wisconsin wolves can apparently magically replicate so that their numbers never go down even after hundreds of deaths. So here is the DNR setting the stage for a massive increase in their kill quota because there are still “too many” wolves for the DNR and their bear hounder puppet masters.

And if there hasn’t been enough exaggeration and hyperbole about the states wolf population there is this:

The wolf hunt has been a flashpoint of contention since Republican lawmakers authorized it last year. Supporters say the state’s wolf population is exploding and devastating livestock. Animal rights advocates have countered the wolf population is still too fragile to support a hunt and people should leave what they consider a majestic animal alone. The state’s Chippewa tribes also are vehemently opposed to the hunt; they consider the wolf a spiritual brother.

Wolf populations are “exploding” and they are “devastating” livestock. Really? From the DNR’s own numbers here:

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/wolf/documents/WolfDamagePayments.pdf

Remember last year when the wolf killing proponents were trying to justify their persecution of wolves by claiming that wolves were “devastating” livestock to the tune of almost $215,000? In 2012 the DNR paid out over $190,000 of that money for “missing” calves alone. Of course all of that money came from the Endangered Resources Fund that was generated from the sale of “Endangered Resources” license plates, featuring a wolf, and from income tax check-offs. Upon passage of the wolf kill bill last year those “depredation” funds now come from the sale of wolf killing licenses, and guess what? Suddenly the “depredation” payouts for 2013 have amazingly been cut to the amount of $139,174 over the same span of time. Of course again the vast majority of these payouts, $95,519, went for “missing calves” and $14,000 went for SIX dogs used by hounders. Another funny aspect is that wolves in Wisconsin have apparently decided to go to a beef only diet because amazingly they no longer “predate” on deer, pigs, chicken, and turkeys. They did apparently break away to “predate” on one $135 sheep, and one $625 goat though. But as long as that “missing calves” scam is still bringing in the dough it keeps the illusion alive that wolves are still “devastating” livestock. And as usual there is ZERO evidence that wolves were involved in the disappearance of the calves, but as we know Wisconsin wolves have magical powers that allow them to consume every last scrap of these calves, including bones (Authors note: this is SARCASM). Remember that all livestock losses over 2.3% are automatically attributed to wolves if their is “evidence” of wolf activity. Can you say scam? Also amazing was that there were not any $10,000 deer from canned hunting operations claimed this year. I guess now that the wolf haters have to pay for the “depredations” out of their killing licenses the number of claims have amazingly dropped. And of course this allows our wolf hating governor to drop the cost of a wolf killing license from $100 to $50 so that more killers will be out there gunning for wolves.

So all of this sets the stage for this:

The agency has formed an advisory committee to develop a 2013 kill limit recommendation. The committee plans to meet on May 23 in Wausau to work on the quota. DNR leaders will consider the committee’s recommendation as it finalizes a quota. The Natural Resources Board likely will vote on the number in June or July.

“The goal is 350 animals,” said MacFarland, who sits on the committee. “We’re working with that as the objective.”

Natural Resources Board Chairman Preston Cole had no immediate comment on what the population count might mean for the 2013 quota, saying he wants to gather more information from DNR staff.

Definition of HYPOCRISY (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Badger Army Ammunition Plant near Baraboo, WI.

It wasn’t enough that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wanted to turn the Mackenzie Environmental Center near Poynette into a “training center” for wildlife killers, now they want to do the same to the now defunct Badger Army Ammunition Plant. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Conservationists who want land near Baraboo to be used for quiet activities are angry that the state might use it for motorcycle trails or shooting ranges.

The state Department of Natural Resources is in the process of deciding what to do with the 7,300 acres on the site of the now-defunct Badger Army Ammunition Plant. A plan approved in 2001 called for the property to be used for activities such as agriculture, hiking and bird-watching, but the agency said it has to consider whether conditions have changed in the past 12 years.

The plan in question was approved by the Sauk County Board in May 2001. It called for the land to be used for conservation, education and agriculture, as well as low-impact recreation, such as hiking and bird-watching.

Of course the “conditions” have changed. Now Bob Welch, the bear hounders, and other killing cartels have complete and total control of the WDNR. Screw nature lovers, the DNR just wants this land to be used for any and all destructive means possible. Apparently the backlash they have received about their plans for the Mackenzie Center mean absolutely nothing to them. It also seems that the DNR has no interest in seriously providing opportunities for wildlife watchers and nature lovers unless that wildlife is being watched via a rifle scope.

I have been to this area many times and not long ago there was talk about reintroducing free roaming bison, and providing for all kinds of opportunities for nature lovers. So much for that. Now they want to replace what could be a pristine natural prairie (give or take a few toxins) with gunfire and motorcycles. Then we have a DNR representative telling us that majority public opinion has no bearing on how they make their decisions:

But DNR regional director Mark Aquino said the reuse plan was just a “guidance document.”

“Their task was to develop a common vision,” Aquino said of the committee that developed the plan. “Since it is 12 years old and because our planning process requires us to have other involvement, we have to see whether conditions and desires now are sufficiently different.”

The DNR will issue three alternatives this summer and hold open houses and public hearings to gather comment on the plans, he said. The three scenarios range from a plan focused on conservation and quiet activity to one that emphasizes more high-intensity recreation.

Aquino said the agency already received 388 comments during a public comment period that ended last winter. Although a list of those comments on the DNR website shows that many favored conservation and low-impact recreation, Aquino said the final decision on which plan to recommend doesn’t necessarily rest on how many people favor a particular use.

“This isn’t a vote process,” Aquino said. “The public input is only one part of what we consider.”

So in other words here is a big middle finger to nature lovers. So much for our state being any semblance of a democracy anymore. Majority rules has no place in Wisconsin, we only care about what special interests want, in this instance the DNR is pandering not only to shooters and motorcycle riders, but to ATV people as well.

Another point to consider is which recreational opportunities are underrepresented, he said. He noted, for example, that the Wisconsin ATV Association has been telling the Natural Resources Board for years that ATV users have too few recreational options in southern parts of the state.

So make sure to add earplugs to go along with your orange jacket while dodging the landmines called traps when trying to enjoy nature in our state. Just make sure that while dodging the traps you don’t get ran over by a motorcycle, ATV, or get mauled by a pack of vicious dogs participating in some of that good old Wisconsin “tradition.” Should we expect anything different from an agency headed by a real estate developer? read more here:

Conservationists, DNR spar over use of old Badger ammo plant

A HIGHLY ENDANGERED black rhino and her calf

When I first read the headline a week ago about an American trophy “hunter” that received approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to import the dead body of a HIGHLY ENDANGERED black rhino that he slaughtered in Africa any aith that I had left in our president concerning wildlife disappeared. Even less surprising is that the wealthy trophy killer hails from the kill everything state of Wisconsin. Not content being able to kill just about every living creature in Wisconsin, David Reinke, traveled to Namibia in 2009 to kill a HIGHLY ENDANGERED black rhino all under the guise of “conservation.” Not content just using the ridiculous ”conservation” argument this guy even had the nerve to claim that he was “saving” other rhinos from being injured by killing the 34 year old male rhino. I didn’t know whether to laugh or vomit when I read Reinke trying to justify killing this highly endangered animal. From the article: