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Author Archives | Mike Leahy

Two More Tributes for Dave Gaillard

Posted on 08 February 2012. Tags: wolverine

In Memory of David Gaillard.

As we carry on the work of our colleague Dave Gaillard, lost in an avalanche on New Year’s Eve, we want to share two last noteworthy tributes because of what they can teach us and because, well, he deserves them.

The first, a resolution of the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission, highlights the value of the kind and respectful way Dave conducted his life and work. We are not always in full agreement with the Commission, but their appreciation of Dave and his approach to conservation reaffirms that we share a commitment to wildlife and can be more effective when we respect one another. Thank you, Commissioners!

MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS COMMISSION RESOLUTION

David Gaillard, a resident of Bozeman, Montana in body, but a member, both in spirit and presence, of wild places in Montana and a true human friend of all wild things with whom he shared his outdoor home, lost his life tragically in the prime of his years on December 31, 2012.

Whereas: David Gaillard was endowed with special qualities of personal character and natural leadership that caused his fellow Montanans to seek him out as a leader of their choice for their conservation advocacy and was a long-standing member of the conservation community with a kind and generous heart.

Whereas: David Gaillard appeared in front of Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission on several occasion in support of wolverines, fishers, kit fox, and wolves. David Gaillard was always polite, informative, and considerate even when the Commission did not support his position. This approach to public discourse and public participation was a tribute to his character and set the standard for wildlife advocates in the public arena.

Whereas: David Gaillard was a family man with a loving daughter and wife who live on in his absence. David’s work on behalf of wildlife in Montana will benefit not only the wildlife owned by the people of Montana but will insure that Montana’s wild places continue to be wild for many generations to follow.

Whereas: David Gaillard cared deeply about the public good, effective in his debate, informed in his advocacy, committed in his service, thoughtful in his approach, tolerant in his message, and responsible to the future.

Whereas: One of David Gaillard’s highest priorities was to get people in the conservation community and the other stakeholders in wildlife management issues to work closely, effectively and in a collegial manner.

Whereas: Advocates for wildlife conservation often look deep into their past to find inspiration in the life works of great citizens of high office many generations gone; we the living generation of Montana
wildlife conservationists, hunters and anglers need look no further into our past than the life and works of David Gaillard to find our personal inspiration to a calling greater than ourselves – to preserve a clean and healthy environment for this and future generations.

———

Therefore, that his memory should serve the future, be it resolved by acclamation of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission acting in regular session on January 19, 2012 in Helena Montana that the life and service of David Gaillard to the people of Montana and to the preservation and enhancement of the fish and wildlife resources of this state be formally honored and preserved in the public record.

THE FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS COMMISSION

Bob Ream, Chairman Dan Vermillion, Vice-Chairman

Shane Colton, Commissioner A. T. Stafne, Commissioner

Ron Moody, Commissioner

[pdf of signed resolution]

Nai'a LeDain of Bozeman, Montana

The second, from an impressive young lady inspired by a wolverine educational event Dave hosted, refreshes us with a reminder of the positive results and broad reach our work can have. Thanks Nai’a!

Monforton School FundraiserAs an enthusiastic supporter of Defenders of Wildlife, it was with sadness that I began 2012 learning of the news of my friend David Gaillard’s death in Cooke City. My name is Nai’a Le Dain and I am in 6th grade at Monforton School in Four Corners, Montana, which is just to the west of Bozeman. After doing my annual Solstice adoption of an endangered species with my mom (this time a mom and baby polar bear), I decided to do a fundraiser at my school to further bring the issues facing endangered species to my schoolmates (click here to see the flyer I made).We successfully completed a fundraiser in honor of David Gaillard and for Defenders of Wildlife last week. Our school and friends brought over $300 to David’s memorial fund, with awesome experiences throughout the process of making the people at Monforton aware of all the endangered species. David Gaillard was also my art teacher Ms. Filloux’s ex-husband and they have an 11-year-old daughter. His death was very hard for many that had been touched by who he was and his amazing passion for his work. He helped me, personally get more information about one of my favorite topics, endangered wildlife – initially starting with our amazing local super creature, the wolverine.

The experiences I had were both good and bad. When speaking with one of the Kindergarten classes, for instance they were not really paying attention until I said we would get stuffed animals. They ended up being one of the classes that raised the most money. The hardest part of doing this fundraiser was not having David Gaillard to help me get more information. The fundraiser would have happened in half the time it took for me to organize this if David had been there to help me.

I loved the support everyone gave to me. One of the second grade teachers, Mrs. Henderson, was so supportive and kind. She really made me feel good. Ms. Filloux has been so strong and everyone is very proud of her for staying strong through this very hard time. And Lacy Gray at our local Defenders office organized getting Monforton endangered “wildcat” (our mascot) plushies and adoption certificates which will now live in our school trophy case.

So thank you to everyone who donated money and thank you to everyone who helped. If you have read this I hope you are encouraged to do something for endangered wildlife. Let’s just say, you can do anything as small as just going and enjoying nature to making a fundraiser.

We learned a lot from Dave while he was with us, and we continue to learn from him through those he touched.

Posted in Features, Heroes, Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, Species at Risk, Wildlife, Wolverine0 Comments

Defenders Mourns Tragic Loss of David Gaillard

Posted on 03 January 2012. Tags: fisher

Carnivore conservation expert killed in avalanche outside Yellowstone

BOZEMAN, Mont. (Jan. 3, 2012) — Defenders of Wildlife mourns the passing of David Gaillard. Dave was buried in an avalanche Saturday afternoon while cross-country skiing near Pilot Peak in the Shoshone National Forest south of Cooke City, Montana.

David Gaillard

Dave had been the Northern Rockies Representative in Bozeman, Montana for Defenders of Wildlife since 2007. Prior to coming to Defenders, Dave worked on carnivore conservation in the Northern Rockies region for a number of organizations since 1991. Dave was a leading champion for the conservation of some of the smaller and lesser known carnivores in the region – lynx, wolverines, fishers, and martens. Dave was very generous with his time and talents and worked on many other issues including wildlife adaptation to climate change, state wildlife action plans, and habitat conservation plans.

Dave was a great, long-standing, and effective conservation advocate, with a kind and generous heart, a quiet but hilarious sense of humor, and a warm and friendly demeanor. One of Dave’s highest priorities was to get people in the conservation community and far beyond to work more closely, effectively and cordially together, as evidenced by his work to bring wolverine researchers, managers, educators, and advocates together to form the Wolverine Network (http://www.wolverinenetwork.org/).

Dave was also a strong family man and community member.

Dave’s passing is a great loss for the conservation community, particularly the species he championed the most – lynx, wolverines, and fishers. It is a great loss for his family, many friends, and the Bozeman community. We are grateful for the time we had working with and getting to know Dave as a colleague and a friend. We express our condolences to Dave’s family, and to his friends and colleagues.

To learn more about Dave’s work for Defenders, visit his staff profile and recent blog posts. Click here to view a photo of Dave.

Read the full story reported by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and a touching tribute from freelance writer and friend Todd Wilkinson.

Posted in Canada Lynx, Experts, Features, Heroes, Press Releases, Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, Wolverine2 Comments

At Last, Yellowstone Bison Catch a Break

Posted on 28 October 2011. Tags: Fort Peck, Yellowstone

(This blog post originally appeared on High Country News)

Bison live to wander, but bison with the audacity to wander beyond the invisible northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park have long been chased back into the park, sent to the slaughterhouse or simply killed outright. Recently, Montana has been trying some new approaches, and this is a very good thing for North America’s only wild bovine.

The first change occurred last spring, when Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer effectively halted the shipment of bison to slaughter and negotiated an additional 70,000 acres in the Gardiner area for them to roam north of Yellowstone. Though most locals seem willing to live with bison, Montana’s wildlife department is addressing the concerns of those residents who are less tolerant of wandering animals, putting up fences and using other tools to keep the creatures from roaming a little too far.

Some bison have been quarantined for as long as six years, and now those animals may finally have somewhere to go. They were confined because of worries about the potential spread of brucellosis, a disease that can cause some animals, including elk and cattle, to abort their young. The animals still in confinement have survived extensive testing, confirming they are brucellosis-free; those that failed the testing were slaughtered. But the remaining healthy bison have been kept penned up ever since, waiting for state wildlife officials to decide what to do with them.

In September, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks released a draft environmental assessment that looked at moving these long-held Yellowstone bison to up to four different locations across the state. The state operates two of the sites as wildlife management areas; the other two are on American Indian reservations.

This is great news for bison conservation, which has essentially stagnated in recent years without more places to put Yellowstone’s recovering herd. Descendents of just a couple of dozen bison saved from poachers in Yellowstone in the early 1900s, about 3,500 bison now thrive within the confines of the park, and they are among the few that have never been crossbred with cattle. All these bison are long overdue for fresh stomping grounds.

More than 600 bison were packed into the Stephes Creek holding facility last year. Without the relocation plan, bison that wander outside of the park this winter are likely to be held in captivity again. Photo courtesy of Lacy Gray/Defenders of Wildlife.

Some ranchers, however, fear the prospect of Yellowstone bison in their midst. Though the chances of bison infecting cattle with brucellosis are low, many in the livestock industry oppose relocating bison for fear of the disease – and the animals — spreading. When Gov. Schweitzer gave Yellowstone bison some room to roam north of the park last spring, the county and local stockgrowers responded by suing to stop the plan. Then the livestock industry lobbied hard in the Montana Legislature to prohibit bison from going back to the tribes or onto public lands — even though 70 percent of Montanans surveyed by the National Wildlife Federation said they were in favor of bison restoration.

It’s doubtful that the state’s bison plan will allay all the ranchers’ fears, even though it is loaded with compromises. Each of the four recovery areas under consideration will be fenced. Both the state of Montana and the tribes involved have action plans in place to monitor and quickly deal with any bison that escape. The plan is also only an interim solution until a more comprehensive restoration plan is completed by 2015.

Of course, most conservationists would rather not see bison behind a fence, no matter how large the area it encloses. But wildlife supporters and Montana officials have not yet done the work to get us there, despite state commitments to identify large landscapes for restoration. Still, what we have now is a step forward that allows Yellowstone bison new places to roam.

The plan also creates a model for returning wild bison to Montana’s Sioux, Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes at the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Indian reservations. For thousands of years, these tribes depended on bison for food and materials, and the animals can still provide these products today. The tribes have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on fencing and other preparations to get ready for the bison; they shouldn’t have to wait any longer while healthy animals languish in quarantine.

Someday, I think we will see wild bison fanning out across the Great Plains as they re-occupy some of their historic home turf. But for now, we should applaud these small steps that free some bison from confinement and create a few new places for the animals to flourish.

Mike Leahy is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (hcn.org). He is the Rocky Mountain program director for Defenders of Wildlife in Bozeman, Montana.

Posted in Bison, Commentary, Experts, Features, In the News, Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, Species at Risk2 Comments

IN THE FIELD: Spotlighting For BFFs

Posted on 20 September 2011. Tags: black-footed ferret, prairie dog, RMR field notes

If you’ve ever wanted to know what goes on in the wild at night, it’s hard to beat helping your local black-footed ferret biologist spotlight for ferrets. Stick a magnetized spotlight on your hood and head out with one of the few federal or state ferret biologists in the country to help them count, capture, and vaccinate the ferrets in their care and you will see all kinds of interesting life between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. I did just that with the biologist for the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, a magnificent 1.1-million-acre refuge that hugs the Missouri River (and Fort Peck Reservoir) as it moves through northeast Montana.

Check out my pictures:

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CMR vista

A view of the refuge from afar

Bull elk

CMR is known for its abundant elk

Site prep

Refuge biologist Randy Matchett cover a cage trap he has set to capture and survey black-footed ferrets.

More site prep

Randy gets down and dirty setting up another trap.

Caught in the headlights

Two ferrets spotted popping their heads out a burrow

Hawk

Hunting dinner in prairie dog country

Burrowing owl

These critters like to hide out in prairie dog burrows

Ferret inspection

Captured ferrets are vaccinated against plague and have their fleas removed.

The release

I got to release a ferret after its vital stats were recorded in the lab.

CMR at dawn

Open plains make ideal habitat for prairie dogs and ferrets.

Ferret camp

Sometimes called “The Yellowstone of the Plains” and best known for its elk, the refuge also reveals burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, badgers, coyotes, rabbits, mule deer, and much more after just a few hours of spotlighting. All of these species thrive in prairie dog colonies, which some people see as wastelands even though many scientific studies have documented the importance of prairie dogs to healthy prairie ecosystems.

Black-footed ferrets are one of the most endangered animals in North America – they were twice declared extinct, and the recovery continues to be thwarted by plague and intolerance from many ranchers for prairie dogs, which ferrets depend on for survival. Ferret biologists say at least 1,500 adult ferrets in at least 10 viable black-footed ferret populations, each with at least 30 breeding adults, are needed to improve the status of black-footed ferrets from endangered to threatened. This requires at least 10,000 acres of prairie dogs per site, and therein lies the rub – it’s hard to find such large blocks of prairie dog habitat given opposition from ranchers who want the grass that prairie dogs nibble for their cattle instead.

Defenders has been working for years to promote enough large prairie dog complexes to support ferret recovery, but plague has thrown a wrench in these plans. Both prairie dogs and ferrets are very susceptible to plague, a disease not native to North America. It remains to be seen if the “CMR” Refuge will someday serve as a one of the viable ferret populations that move them toward recovery, but the Refuge is giving it a good go. Only five ferrets survived a recent outbreak of plague. But, rather than give up, Refuge biologist Randy Matchett spent 12 consecutive sleepless nights searching for ferrets. He counted 24 this year – not as many as he was hoping for, but a definite improvement and a tribute to the Refuge’s good wildlife stewardship.

I joined him for three of those nights. Starting about 7:30 p.m. we set traps over prairie dog holes that Randy knew or suspected contained ferrets. We spent the rest of the night driving refuge roads looking for the green glow of ferret eyes as they popped out of prairie dog holes to see what was causing the commotion. Ferrets previously caught had been marked with temporary dye and were left alone. Traps – the humane kind – were set for new ferrets, or those that had not been caught yet this year. When caught, ferrets were taken to “The Hospital” – an old trailer – and sedated so they could be weighed, assessed, and vaccinated. Best of all for the ferrets, fleas were removed (to be sent to a lab and tested for plague). After awakening, ferrets were released back into the hole they came from.

As the rosy-fingered dawn pushed back the night (and faint northern lights), we checked the traps one last time, closed them, and headed back to “ferret camp” to sleep as best as the 90 degree heat and the chattering prairie dogs throughout camp would allow.

Posted in Experts, Features, Photo, Prairie Animals, Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, Species at Risk, Success Stories, Wildlife0 Comments

Montana Wolf Kill Bill Stopped In Its Tracks

Posted on 13 April 2011.

Not all news is bad news for wolves these days.

While Congress is still pushing forward with an outrageous budget rider to strip federal protections for wolves, Defenders supporters and colleagues have made a successful stand for wolves here in Montana.

With help from Montana Defenders, other conservation groups, and some moderate hunters, a bill was stopped in the Montana Legislature this week that would have expanded wolf-killing on private property. SB 414, the Montana Wolf Control Act, would have made it legal for anyone to shoot wolves on private land, at any time, for any reason without a hunting license or permit. This bill also would have greatly curtailed the success of wolf recovery in Montana and seriously undermined Montana’s federally-approved wolf management plan.

Extreme anti-wolf groups like Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife were pushing hard to get this ball passed, trying to take advantage of Congress’s unjustified action which could allow states to manage wolves as low as 100 to 150. But together with our conservation allies, we were able to put a stop to this wolf kill bill before it went any further. Montana’s legislators responded to opposition to this bill and voted for wolves to be managed like other native wildlife, as a valuable part of Montana’s wildlife heritage, not like unwanted vermin.

Thank you to all Defenders supporters and others who stood up for wolves and resisted these extreme measures to kill wolves. We’ll need your continued help to make sure that Montana and neighboring states manage wolves responsibly, based on the best available science not the fear-mongering of anti-wolf fanatics.

The political climate in Helena, Montana’s capital, has been very bad for wolves in recent months. So this decision to prevent unjustified wolf-killing is very encouraging. Hopefully that bodes well for the future of state management here. Let’s keep Montana and other western states moving forward on wolf recovery instead of falling backward.

Take Action: Tell Western Governors to Adopt Science-Based Wolf Management Plans

Some extremists are pushing for the elimination of all wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies. We can’t let them win.

Tell Western governors that wolves deserve a place on our lands. Send your message now.

Posted in Features, Heroes, Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, Success Stories, Wolf4 Comments

Owl and Eagle

Posted on 30 December 2010. Tags: eagle, Outside Bozeman, owl

Walking through a Jefferson County ranch one summer day, I inadvertently flushed a great horned owl. Before I could clear out so she could return to her roost, two ravens and a golden eagle swooped in from above. The eagle didn’t think much of the owl’s attempt to look large and took her to the ground.

Golden eagle.

I wouldn’t normally intervene, but feeling guilt about flushing the owl in daylight, I ran over to break up the fight. Wings flapped furiously above prairie grasses. The mobbing ravens flew off on my arrival, but the eagle couldn’t get airborne with the owl and didn’t seem willing to give her up even after my two friends showed up. After a couple vain attempts to fly, Eagle stopped trying. From then on both birds—Eagle face down, wings spread, Owl face up under and behind Eagle—appeared resigned to their fate and moved only their eyes.

We could not believe Eagle was so unafraid of us shouting and jumping that it wouldn’t let Owl go, but after much puzzling and probing we realized Eagle’s finger-sized talons were empty. Owl wouldn’t let Eagle go! Or perhaps she couldn’t, for her talons were all sunk deep in Eagle’s upper thighs.

It’s hard not to anthropomorphize in a situation like this. It was easy to see how owls gained their reputation for wisdom, as Owl’s eyes calmly followed our every movement. Eagle, on the other hand, looked straight forward with an intensity that I could only translate as a constant stream of unprintable words. F*@#! F*@#! Stuck! F*@#! The intensity never let up; maybe that’s just how eagle eyes look. All three humans got the distinct impression that Owl and Eagle were indifferent to our meddling, as if we were irrelevant spectators to an age-old war.

Owl had two clean puncture wounds in her chest, at least two we could see. She eventually began to gasp for air, tilted back to get more, drooped her eyelids, and expired. Posthumously, her talons only seemed to tighten their death grip. I’m sure Eagle would have starved to death or suffered Prometheus’s revenge at the beaks of the ravens if we didn’t pry Owl’s talons out of Eagle’s thighs.

Great horned owl.

Eagle looked fine and mighty again flying off despite serious wounds, including perhaps to his pride, having been fought to a draw by an owl at most a third his size.

Owl had chicks in her nest. Perhaps her death grip was to save them from Eagle. The male owl should have continued to feed and raise them, but after days without a sign of his attendance, the Montana Raptor Conservation Center collected the owl chicks for release to another nest.

The owl and the eagle help me explain to myself, if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else, why I hunt, why I walk the land, why I am committed to conservation. However you get to an appreciation for conservation, I hope you will appreciate one more perspective on a complicated world.

This story originally appeared in the Winter 2010-2011 issue of Outside Bozeman.

Author Archives | Mike Leahy

Two More Tributes for Dave Gaillard

Defenders Mourns Tragic Loss of David Gaillard

Carnivore conservation expert killed in avalanche outside Yellowstone

At Last, Yellowstone Bison Catch a Break

IN THE FIELD: Spotlighting For BFFs

Montana Wolf Kill Bill Stopped In Its Tracks

Take Action: Tell Western Governors to Adopt Science-Based Wolf Management Plans

Owl and Eagle

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