Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Lindsey Sterling-Krank of the Human Society (left), Jonathan Proctor of Defenders and Kristy Bly of World Wildlife Fund do their best jump-yip imitation after successfully relocating hundreds of prairie dogs at Thunder Basin last summer.

It’s not everyday that Defenders gets recognition from the federal government for our tireless work to protect and restore wildlife. So when it does happen, it’s cause for serious celebration!

For the second straight year, our prairie expert Jonathan Proctor received an award for his efforts to save prairie dog colonies across the Great Plains. This time he’s getting the Rocky Mountain Region award for “Outstanding Wildlife Partners” from the U.S. Forest Service for work that started several years ago at Conata Basin, part of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in South Dakota,  and has expanded more recently to include Thunder Basin National Grassland in Wyoming.

Jonathan has been instrumental in promoting several prairie dog conservation projects. But in particular, he helped implement new nonlethal prairie dog management strategies on public lands. At Conata Basin, a tall-grass “vegetative buffer” has helped reduce poisoning by over 90 percent. At Thunder Basin, a precedent-setting relocation project has moved hundreds of prairie dogs from areas near private lands where they’re often shot or poisoned to fully protected ground at the center of the grassland. Protecting these prairie dogs also ensures the survival of all the species that depend on them for food or use their burrows for shelter, including burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, golden eagles, swift foxes, badgers and endangered black-footed ferrets. (Read more here about our success at Thunder Basin.)

Lindsey, Jonathan and Kristy at Thunder Basin in 2011.

But Jonathan didn’t do it alone. What makes this award truly special is that it recognizes our close collaboration with World Wildlife Fund and the Prairie Dog Coalition of the Humane Society of the United States, as well as our project partners with the U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Game and Fish and many individual landowners.

Here’s the text of the award:

Outstanding Wildlife Partners – 2012

Lindsey Sterling Krank – Prairie Dog Coalition, The Humane Society of US
Jonathan Proctor – Defenders of Wildlife
Kristy Bly – World Wildlife Fund

Managing prairie dogs, the endangered black-footed ferret, and associated wildlife species on the National Grasslands is often difficult, costly and fraught with controversy.  The Forest Service has received invaluable support from Kristy Bly of World Wildlife Fund, Jonathan Proctor of Defenders of Wildlife, and Lindsey Sterling Krank of the Prairie Dog Coalition-a program of The Humane Society of the United States.

These three individuals and their organizations have been important partners on the Buffalo Gap and Thunder Basin National Grasslands. Over the past four years, these individuals have worked individually or coordinated as a group with the Forest Service and accomplished the following:

1. Purchased 12.5 miles of electric fence materials worth approximately $18,600 for Conata Basin.  This fencing material was key to successfully reducing prairie dog colonization onto adjacent private land by forming an ungrazed vegetative buffer. They provided about 3 miles of electric fence to Thunder Basin for use in prairie dog translocation projects and to create vegetative buffers. Also provided labor to help install electric fences.
2. Purchased prairie dog shooting closure signs worth close to $2,000.
3. Purchased and delivered $10,000 worth of Delta Dust in 2008 for emergency plague control in the Conata Basin, the first year plague was discovered in the ferret reintroduction area.
4. Provided dust donations in 2010 and 2011 for operations in the Conata Basin and Thunder Basin National Grassland.  The donation in 2011 alone consisted of 3,095 pounds of Delta Dust worth approximately $31,000, which helped protect 14,708 acres of habitat from plague.
5. In Dec. 2011, World Wildlife Fund worked with the Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Prairie Wildlife Research to prepare a grant proposal for Conata Basin black-footed ferret recovery, securing $155, 950 worth of Delta Dust and other supplies to be used over the next several years.  Without WWF’s assistance it is unlikely that this would have been successful.
6. Provided labor, equipment and expertise to conduct a prairie dog relocation effort on National Forest System lands, implementing the revised Thunder Basin National Grassland Plan.  This project reduces conflicts with private landowners, while restoring prairie dog habitat that had been diminished by plague in the heart of the ferret reintroduction area. As a result, 899 prairie dogs were moved from conflict areas and 8 new colonies were re-established.
7. Their commitment and tenacity has not only resulted in successful projects, but also helped develop more positive relationships between the Forest Service, environmental groups, and local ranchers and landowners by fostering communication and developing creative solutions.

In appreciation for their tireless efforts, positive attitudes, creative problem-solving, and passion for conservation of prairie species, we are pleased to present Jonathon, Lindsey and Kristy with this award.

Congratulations, Jonathan! And nice team work, everyone!

(Editor’s Note: This post was originally scheduled for Friday, March 30, but our blog has been down. Sorry for the delay!)

Elk, elk and more elk – It was a big week in the press for elk, wolves and their perennially strained public relationship. First, the Associated Press reported that the legendary elk herd of northern Yellowstone continues to decline in size. However, veteran Yellowstone biologist Doug Smith was quick to point out that the herd is still healthy and strong. “That’s some bad news, a 25 percent decline last year and 10 percent this year. But the elk are looking really good,” Smith said. “This was one of the hardest winters we’ve had in decades … We’ve got a leaner, meaner elk herd.” Smith also says that the herd is now more in line with historic levels, down from a high of almost 20,000 in 1992 when an absence of wolves and other predators allowed the population to balloon well beyond the ecosystem’s carrying capacity. A combination of liberal hunts designed to reduce the elk overpopulation, bad winters, drought, and predation by cougars, bears and wolves has brought the herd down to a more manageable level. Notably, the wolf population in the area has also declined by 60 percent in the last five years, suggesting that a more natural balance between elk and their various predators is still being established.

Then yesterday, Nick Gevock at the Montana Standard took on the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for exploiting wolves to line their pockets. Most recently, RMEF offered the state $50,000 to support more wolf-killing by federal agents with Wildlife Services, and they’re looking to raise more money to kill other predators as well. Gevock argues that anti-wolf groups continue to foment wolf hysteria by exaggerating the influence that wolves have on game species. Yet the best available data show that elk populations are still strong, with an estimated 1.2 million elk nationwide and about 150,000 elk in Montana alone. Hopefully Montanans recognize that their state is big enough and wild enough to support healthy populations of predator and prey.

Will Montana’s next governor undo wolf recovery? – Leading Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill is no friend of wolves. While out campaigning this week, he announced his wolf management plan, which would allow trapping and a year-round hunting season. Hill also wants to encourage counties to adopt wolf bounties. The possibility of a governor like Mr. Hill taking control of wolf management in Montana is one reason we worked so hard in and out of the courts to get a stronger Endangered Species Act delisting rule for wolves, one that required more than 100 – 150 wolves per state. As you probably know, Congress overturned our successful litigation so the fate of wolves in Montana above 150 will be in the hands of the next governor.  We’ll certainly be very sad to see the current Montana Governor, Brian Schweitzer. go next year if this is the alternative.

Caught on camera – Check out this clip of a gray wolf in Washington from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife:

And just for fun, here’s a clip of a wolverine using the exact same area!

How many bear biologists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Probably just one. But it takes a whole lot more of them to keep bears out of trouble across the country and around the world.

Erin Edge stands guard at her grizzly bear display at a conference in Missoula.

That’s why 300 wildlife professionals descended on Missoula, Montana two weeks ago for a three-day workshop to learn how they can better protect both bears and people. Attendees of the 4^th International Human-Bear Conflicts Workshop included NGOs, international and national agencies, tribal members, corporations and other interested parties who are looking for ways to help bears and people coexist.

To coincide with the workshop, Defenders launched an expansion of our highly successful grizzly bear electric fence incentive program (see full press release). This year, landowners in eligible counties in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming will be reimbursed 50% of the cost of electric fencing (up to $500) to secure bear attractants, including chicken coops, beehives, compost piles and more.

Check out the nifty advertisement and poster we created to help promote the program, and click here to download the incentive form.

Bear Aware Coordinator Erin Edge represented Defenders very well during the workshop, providing important information about all our bear coexistence projects. On Wednesday, she was even given a round of applause for all Defenders work to protect grizzly bears and called on stage by Mike Madel, Montana Fish Wildlife and Park’s bear management specialist, to talk about the fencing incentive program.

The following day she was also quoted in the Missoulian:

Fencing systems cost around $300 and up, depending on the size and complexity. The nonprofit group Defenders of Wildlife has contributed more than $200,000 to subsidize private fencing projects, and currently offers grants paying 50 percent of the project cost up to $500.

Ranchers and sheep herders have been quick to adopt the fences, while smaller operations like the ones that raise chickens or goats have been slowly coming along, according to Erin Edge, the group’s Bear Aware coordinator. In addition to solar cells, some people have had success with wind turbines in places with less sunlight.

“Every single fence is a different situation,” Edge said. “It’s picking up each year since we started the program.”

Various agencies and NGOs from around the world inquired about the program and were excited about the potential results of such an incentive.  We plan to organize two electric fencing workshops this spring to help others learn how to reduce attractants on the landscape and minimize human-related grizzly mortality.

Great work, Erin and congratulations to our entire grizzly bear coexistence team!

Expanded Idaho wolf hunt – Idaho’s 2011-12 wolf hunt ends in most of the state next week and it will have claimed at least 367 wolves (the current total) by hunting and trapping, plus dozens more that were removed by state and federal wildlife agents. In two units, the season continues through June – through denning season when packs and their pups are easy to find at their densites. Wolves will only get a short reprieve, however until the next season begins at the end of August.

At the Idaho Fish and Game Commission monthly meeting this week, there were more wolf supporters than wolf opponents. Between 30 and 40 attendees testified on behalf of wolves, yet the Commission ignored their concerns about escalating wolf killing in Idaho. They failed to address any of the concerns presented, including that:

• using traps and snares on public land is unsafe for pets;
• no areas are set aside for wolf-watching;
• Idaho’s wildlife belongs to all citizens, not just hunters, trappers and fishermen, and
• a 72-hour trap-check policy allows wolves to suffer for days.

Instead, commissioners approved even more aggressive wolf hunting and trapping plans for next year by increasing the number of wolves that individual hunters can kill in a season, allowing trapping in more areas, and extending the season later in the year (see full AP story).

Defenders’ wolf expert Suzanne Stone gave testimony about the success of the Wood River Wolf Project that was well received, but it wasn’t enough to talk the commission out of taking more aggressive action. Regardless, thanks to all our supporters who spoke out in support of wolves! We’ll need all the help we can get at every meeting to help turn the tide of anti-wolf sentiment in Idaho.

Idaho commissioner comes to DC – Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen is the liaison between the county and our Wood River Wolf Project, and his support has been instrumental in growing the project. Larry traveled to Washington in early March to help share the success of the project with the Idaho delegation and other agency stakeholders. Hearing directly from a respected Idahoan has helped strengthen our case that nonlethal tools are a valuable part of wolf management and deserve more support from the federal government. Read more about Larry’s trip in his hometown paper, the Idaho Mountain Express.

Wolf death under investigation in Oregon – According to state police, a dead wolf was found on private property in northeast Oregon last week. The cause of death had not been determined, but authorities planned to conduct an investigation to rule out any wrongdoing. At the end of 2011 there were an estimated 29 wolves in Oregon. Read more in the La Grande Observer.

On Wednesday, the first day of spring, we began a new chapter in bison restoration by celebrating an incredible victory for wildlife conservation with the tribal leaders of Fort Peck and Fort Belknap reservations, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, and state and federal officials.

Jamie looks on during the tribal ceremony, a reminder of the connections between the bison, the tribes and life on the Great Plains.

Watching the bison come storming off the stock trailers Monday night was a historic moment for wildlife conservation that I will never forget. But the heartfelt speeches and tribal ceremony I witnessed Wednesday were equally powerful and brought home for me the broader significance of the bison’s return.

Plains Indians refer to themselves as “The People of the Buffalo” to signify their intimate relationship with the animal, and for centuries their fates were intertwined. The Assiniboine, Sioux and Gros Ventre tribes that now live at the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap reservations once relied on the buffalo for food, clothing, and countless other materials. Tragically, as the herds of wild bison perished during the mass slaughters of the 1800s, so too did the Plains Indians.

As one of the tribal council members said at the celebration, we can’t change the past, but we can change the future. Returning genetically pure, wild bison to the Great Plains is a chance for a new beginning for the animals and a chance for the tribes to reconnect with an essential part of their culture and history. I take heart now knowing that the bison will once again roam the plains of northeast Montana and that future generations of Assiniboine, Gros Ventre and Sioux families will be able to live with bison as their ancestors did.

When it was my turn to say a few words to the community, my thoughts turned to my own family and in particular to my 12-year old son Carson. For the past few years, he has joined me on summer trips  to Yellowstone.  Each year he has asked about the bison stuck in quarantine just outside the park. He saw other bison roaming the grasslands of Yellowstone National Park and couldn’t reconcile why these animals were cooped up on the side of the road just standing around.  He repeatedly asked when we were going to find them a better home, and I’m so excited to tell him that it’s finally happened.

So much of what we do at Defenders is focused on the future and creating a better world for our kids and grandkids. Our legacy to them is saving, protecting and restoring as many of our native plants and animals as we can in their natural communities.

Saving 60 Yellowstone bison is a major accomplishment in itself, but more importantly, it paves the way for restoring bison to other areas across the region and revitalizing America’s vast prairie ecosystems in the years to come.

I’ve returned from Montana with a renewed sense of hope, and I’m looking forward to all the great work that still lies ahead!

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Gov. Schweitzer at the podium

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer delivers a passionate speech about returning bison to the tribes.

Jamie congratulates tribes

Jamies talks about the importance of restoring the bison to the Great Plains for future generations.

Tatanka Oyate

A tribal drumming group performs at Wednesday's celebration at Fort Peck Community College in Poplar, Montana.

A powerful moment

Jamie looks on during the tribal ceremony to honor the connections between the bison, the tribes and life on the Great Plains.

Bison at Fort Peck

On Monday, about 60 bison were safely relocated from Yellowstone National Park to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. They will be held temporarily in a corral until tribal wildlife managers complete fencing on a much larger pasture.

Talking bison with tribal leader

Jamie discusses the future of bison with a member of the Fort Peck tribal council.

Running bison

Bison run around the corral getting used to their new home.

Ceremonial drumming

Tatanka Oyate drummers perform during the celebratory pipe ceremony at the bison corral.

The last light was fading fast from the sky when the first three trailers arrived. Gale force winds were ripping through the high plains, and the thermometer had dropped well below  freezing. Still, I was incredibly excited and gratified to be part of the small gathering with Fort Peck tribal members  to witness a historic homecoming and tremendous win for wildlife.

It was so worth it to spend  almost the entire day yesterday traveling from Washington, D.C. to eastern Montana, for the return of wild bison to the Great Plains. I watched in awe last night as the tribal wildlife manager flipped the latch of the first trailer, opened the door, and out roared the first two wild bison from Yellowstone National Park, storming back onto the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

One of the Yellowstone bison emerging from a trailer into a corral at Fort Peck Indian Reservation in eastern Montana.

The bison had spent all day as well, traveling  about 500 miles from a quarantine facility just outside Yellowstone, where some of them had been  for more than five years. But last night, they were finally set free where they truly belong in their new home.

In total, about 60 genetically pure, wild bison completed the journey. These are some of the only descendants of the historic herds that once roamed the Great Plains by the millions, and they are the first Yellowstone bison ever to be relocated to the Great Plains—the heart of their historic range– to start new herds.

Half of them will soon be moved to the nearby Fort Belknap Reservation once fencing is completed there. Both reservations will manage their new herds sustainably as a valuable cultural resource for the tribes.

Defenders has been able to work closely with the tribes to help bring Yellowstone bison to Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Reservations. Over the last few years, we’ve helped the tribes secure grazing permits to convert tribal land from cattle grazing to bison, paid for wildlife-friendly fencing, and lobbied with them against bad bills in the state legislature. We even chipped in for trailers to help transport the bison from Yellowstone.

But our work here isn’t finished yet. We’ve already committed resources to help the tribes at Fort Belknap, hopefully the next release site, put up fencing around their bison pastures this spring and summer. And in coming years, we’ll be helping the tribes set aside more of their lands  to expand the areas where bison can roam free.

Mike Leahy, Jonathan Proctor, Fort Peck Fish & Game Director Robbie Magnan and Jamie Rappaport Clark at the bison corral (left to right).

Incredible wildlife moments like these leave an indelible mark that will stay with me forever. As I listened to those bison hooves cantering around  on the prairie last evening,  I was reminded how fortunate I am to lead an organization like Defenders. I am also gratified and thankful for the many Defenders donors who have been with us on this long journey to restore bison to their native lands in northeast Montana and have so generously supported us along the trail.

I feel truly honored to have been able to share this incredible conservation achievement with the Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, and Sioux tribes of Fort Peck and Fort Belknap. I also want to thank Gov. Schweitzer and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for their leadership with bison restoration. Their persistence and perseverance has ensured that future generations of Americans will be able to witness magnificent wild bison out on the range once again.