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Welfare Ranching

Species Spotlight:Bears

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As human development encroaches onour last remaining wild places, morepeople are learning that wilderness

comes with wildlife. In many parts of theU.S., this includes the American Black Bear(Ursus Americanus), a shy and reclusiveanimal that’s also the most common andadaptable of the seven different bear speciesin the world. Today, a prolific black marketfor bear organs is the greatest threat to blackbears. The second greatest threat is you andme. As humans encroach on bear habitat,habituate bears through our behavior andcreate situations that attract bears, we

increase bear encounters. Almost always,federal agencies and law enforcement officialsrespond to nuisance bears by killing them, awidespread practice that is unnecessary, canactually exacerbate problems and is almostalways preventable.

State and federal wildlife managers havebeen trained to kill wild animals in cases ofextreme danger. That’s their job. Handlingnuisance bears is not a core function of lawenforcement, and most officers are nottrained to handle bears at all, let alone in a

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predator pressPredator Defense Working to protect wildlife since 1990 Winter 2003 Vol.9 Issue 1

SCARING BEARS TO SAVE THEMPredator Defensewww.predatordefense.org

Hungry Bears WakingFrom Hibernation SoonSpring is going to be herebefore you know it, and blackbears in the Northwest arealready starting to wake fromtheir winter slumber. Here atPD, we’re gearing up for abear season that’s bound to beeven busier than last year’s.The summer 2002 forest firesdidn’t just affect trees andpeople. Fire often forces bearsto flee their homes and, ashuman habitat continues tobump up against bear habitat,wandering bears are morelikely to encounter humans.More often than not, thoseencounters lead to death ofbears. Predator Defense wasable to help many “problem”bears in 2002. And we haveplans to redouble our effortsthis year. To find out moreabout preventing bearproblems and non-lethal bearcontrol, read our cover story.Or visit predatordefense.org. NONLETHAL CONTROL OPTIONS

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The Predator Press is published byPredator Defense, a nonprofit 501(c)3organization. For more than a decade,PD has been working to stop cruel andunnecessary methods of trapping,poisoning, snaring, trophy huntingand aerial gunning to kill wolves,coyotes, bears, cougars and otherpredators. Predator Defense closelymonitors and challenges the state andfederal wildlife management agenciesthat use tax dollars to kill these species,often on public lands.

Predator DefensePO Box 5446Eugene, Oregon 97405Phone: 541.937.4261Fax: 541.937.4358info@predatordefense.orgwww.predatordefense.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Cheri Briggs John Ebeling, Brooks Fahy Jon GramstadBea Johnson

ADVISORY BOARD

Katie Fite, MS, IDRick Hopkins, Ph.D. CA Paul Joslin, Ph.D. AK Mollie Matteson, MS, OR Sander Orent, MD, Toxicologist, COGeorge Wuerthner, MA, ORIn Memorium: Joy Belsky

LEGAL ADVISORY BOARD

David Atkin Gretchen BiggsPete Frost Gary KahnDan Stotter

Printed on Recycled Paper© 2003 Predator Defense

NEW NAME: PREDATOR DEFENSE

You may have noticed we’ve taken the“Institute” out of “Predator DefenseInstitute.” That’s not a typo. We’re still thesame organization, but we’ve shortenedthe name to better reflect our grassroots,action-oriented approach. Our boarddecided that “Institute” placed too muchemphasis on academic research. PredatorDefense underscores exactly what we do:Defend predators.

Here at Predator Defense, weeat, sleep and breathewildlife issues. And I

realize that puts us in theminority. No doubt, it’s all mostAmericans can do to stayinformed on the terrorism issue,the economy or a possible war inIraq (Hopefully, by the time thisreaches you, war is still just apossibility and not reality).

That leaves little room forwildlife issues. More than ever,our job is to simply remindpeople of predators: theirimportant role in ecosystems, thethreats they face and the

government policies that use ourtax dollars to pay for cruel,expensive and ineffective wildlifekilling programs.

Let me tell you then, fromwildlife-centered perspective,that we face some formidablefoes right now. The Republicansweep in November is just whatBush needed to ramp up his anti-environment, anti-wildlife agenda.In fact, it’s just about as bad asI’ve seen it in all my years ofgrassroots activism and wildliferehabilitation.

One of the most brazenexamples is the administration’stotal reversal of a ban onsnowmobiles in Yellowstone and

the Grand Tetons, despite noise,pollution and the often-lethaleffects on wildlife.

Many more subtle, but equallyserious, political moves havedramatically reduced wildlifeprotection with little mediaattention or public outcry.

How have they changed somuch, but remained under themass media radar? By quietlychanging administrative rules,refusing to fully enforce the law,changing policies in backroomsettlements of industry lawsuitsand, in some cases, directlycontradicting court rulings.

As they increase logging,mining, grazing, drilling anddevelopment on wildlife habitat,they are taking the teeth out ofthe Endangered Species Act andother laws protecting wildlife.Meanwhile, the mainstreampress seems to be looking theother way.

That’s why we plan toredouble our efforts to spread theword and draw media attentionto this assault on wildlife. In2003, Predator Defense will bedoing everything we can toincrease awareness, spread theword and expose the waste,corruption and cruelty of wildlifekilling programs.

Also, I’m proud to say we’vewritten a chapter for WelfareRanching, an enormous bookthat’s bound to have an enormousimpact (see story, p.4).

Executive Director Brooks Fahy

Making Tracks

The Republicansweep in Congress,

plus the currentWhite House, means

nothing but badnews for wildlife.

3Winter 2003 Predator Press

Help Stop Anti-Wolf Legislation Sooner or later, there will be wolvesin Oregon (see story, page 7) andstate legislators are working to rollback laws protecting the predator.SB 97 would remove the gray wolffrom Oregon’s endangered specieslist and add provisions that wouldalso weaken protection for otherspecies. Even if you don’t live inOregon, please contact statelegislators and urge them to voteagainst Senate Bill 97. Find an Oregon legislatorwww.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/findset.htmGive your comments onlinewww.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr/writeset.htmNot online? Call (503) 986.1000

Sky Didn’t Fall: Pronghorns OKWithout their aerial gunningprogram, the pronghorn antelopepopulation at the Hart MountainNational Antelope Refuge wouldsuffer, claimed wildlife officials in1996. That’s the year PredatorDefense and the Oregon NaturalDesert Association stopped aproposed campaign to shootcoyotes from airplanes. They madethe same claim in 1998, when westopped a coyote hunt. But thecount was a record high last year,marking the fourth year in a rowthat the population has increased!

Gray Wolf Pups Killed In September, two wolf pupswere found killed just east ofDillon, Montana. M-44 traps,set on private land by WildlifeServices, were responsible.

Rancher Info. UnreleasedLast October, a district judgedismissed a lawsuit calling forrelease of information aboutranchers who use lethal livestockpoison collars, claiming that suchinformation would violate theFreedom of Information Act.

Likes What We’re DoingI like what you folks are doing. NJis the worst for wildlife—the mostpopulated state, lots of developersand people moving in who haveno experience with wildlife but to“get rid” of them. We are trying tostop a bear hunt coming in thespring (savenjbears.com), roundup and slaughter of our geese, etc.Always a need for education ofhumane techniques. I’ll be intouch to book you for my radioshow. Keep up the good work! P.S.I have a visiting coyote in mybackyard and live in a verysuburban area. He/she wants toget at my pet rabbits so inside theycome every night.-Suzanne Dragan, “Animal Talk” WCTC New Brunswick , NJ

USDA Wildlife Services TargetsVirginia VulturesLast September, Wildlife Servicesannounced their intention tocontinue vulture exterminationefforts in Virginia. The agency plansto kill up to 4,000 vultures everyyear. Lethal control methods haveproven ineffective, as vultures fromoutlying areas migrate to replacethose that are killed. Effectivenonlethal methods for controllingvultures are available.

Public Lands Grazing Costs UpTo $1 Billion Every YearA ground breaking report from theCenter for Biological Diversityreleased last October reveals howAmerican taxpayers lose between$128 million and $1 billion topublic lands grazing every year.Currently, the 23,600 westernranchers who rent publicly-ownedland pay a fraction of what theywould pay to graze on privatelands. Also, taxpayers foot the billfor stream restoration, fencing,water filtration and governmentfunded predator killing programs,the report found. Even if fees wereincreased to the equivalent marketvalue, the revenue would fail tocover the full costs of public landsgrazing, provided all the costs tothe public were included in theaccounting process.

American Black Vulture

Your tax dollars at work: Public lands grazing costs us as much as $1 billionevery year, according to a study released this October.

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Sometimes you can read abook by its cover. You don’teven have to crack open

Welfare Ranching: The SubsidizedDestruction of the American West(Island Press, $75) to know wherethis book stands on the issue ofgrazing in the West.

But one thing makesWelfare Ranching stand outamong an entire bookcaseof worthy efforts exposingthe West’s environmentalills: Bulk.

At 346 pages andweighing seven pounds, editorsGeorge Wuerthner and MollieMatteson have assembled themost comprehensive array ofessays, photos, facts, charts andsources ever published on thesubject. This voluminous atlas ofgrazing compellingly supports thebook’s main conclusion: Grazingon public lands should come toan end.

Funded by the San Francisco-based Foundation for DeepEcology, the large-format (11-by-13 inches) book is being madeavailable to members of Congress,selected journalists and otheropinion-makers just as a coalitionof five Western environmentalgroups ramps ups its NationalPublic Lands Grazing Campaign.

Last September, groupsplanned a week-long lobbyingblitz in Washington, D.C. to push

for legislation authorizing federalagencies to buy out grazingpermits on public lands.

Modeled somewhat afterClearcut (also a foundationproject), which a decade ago raisednational awareness about thelogging of old growth forests,Welfare Ranching aims to helpconvince the public that a centuryof grazing has been very bad forthe ecological health of publiclands in the West.

“It’s a pretty narrow subject,but it is analogous to whatwhaling and clear-cutting werebefore they became high-profilenational issues,” says SharonDonovan, publications directorfor the Foundation for DeepEcology in San Francisco. Books

such as Clearcut and WelfareRanching, she adds, “document,visually, the environmentaldamage that often isn’t seen bythe general public.”

“This book will be a real eye-opener,” adds Keith Raether of theNational Public Lands GrazingCampaign in Missoula, Montana.

The book may never havecome about without the efforts ofWuerthner, a photographer, writer,ecologist and longtime wildlandsactivist. Matteson is also anaccomplished writer, editor andecologist. They moved to Vermontwith their kids in late August,where Matteson took a job withForest Watch, the state’s premierenvironmental group. “I’ve beeninterested in the effects of livestockand grazing for a long time and feltit hadn’t gotten the attention itdeserved,” says Wuerthner.

He’d been approachingpublishers for some time, tryingto convince them that a bookabout grazing had merit. But“it’s not the kind of topic that isgoing to be a best-seller,”Wuerthner admits, and mostpublishers balked until theFoundation for Deep Ecologydecided to take on the project.

Wuerthner envisioned afairly modest book, butthe foundation wanted

something with a bigger impactmodeled after Clearcut: A large“coffee table book” format withlots of photos, essays and research.Wuerthner became the managingeditor of the project, lining up thewriters and the photographers;Matteson served mainly as thenuts-and-bolts editor, helpingrefine copy. Both wrote essays, and

many of Wuerthner’sphotos are in the book. Inaddition to articles byWuerthner and Matteson, itfeatures essays by animpressive list of notedwriters, ecologists andnatural resource experts,

including the late Edward Abbey. Wuerthner wrote an effective

section called “Ranching Myths”that counters many of the industrymessages about grazing, such as“livestock benefit wildlife.” There’sa section called the “IronPentagon,” which connects thedots among the political andeconomic interests that supportsubsidized grazing on public lands.

The essays on the ecologicaleffects of grazing are compellingand well researched, but some ofthe more interesting sections dealwith the history, economics andculture of ranching and grazing.

Although crammed withwords and statistics, the photosare what bring the impact ofgrazing home to the reader.Wuerthner says Welfare Ranchingwas a photographic challenge,because the environmental

It’s a pretty narrow subject, but it isanalogous to what whaling and clear

cutting were before they becamehigh profile national issues.

Welfare RanchingA book review by Lance Robertson

5Winter 2003 Predator Press

humane manner. More than ever,most encounters with bears aremoderate cases where the bear iscreating a nuisance, but there is noimmediate danger. Just as today’spolice officers are often called todeal with people (such as thementally ill or homeless) whowould be better served by socialworkers, officers are also called tohandle wildlife simply because noone else is available to help.

Unfortunately, this meansbears are killed for no good reason.PD has been able to prevent thedeath of many bears by workingdirectly with communities. Often,simple habits such as securingtrash can lids or cleaning BBQ’shave stopped bear problems

damage isn’t always glaringlyapparent to the untrained eye, asit is with clear-cutting.

The solution was to show side-by-side photographs comparing ahealthy ecosystem with streamsand rangelands damaged byovergrazing. One two-page spreadshows grass-filled rangeland onthe cow-free side of a fence andstart, barren ground on theovergrazed side.

The “How to Look…And See”section – one of Wuerthner’sinnovations – is a primer on howto identify grazed-over riparianareas and rangelands that usesnumber keys to pinpoint theeffects of poor or good rangemanagement practices.

“The pictures and captionsprovide a way for people toquickly look and learn,”Wuerthner says. “This is a verydifficult issue to portray. It’s notlike clear-cutting where someonewithout any background inecology can look at a clear-cut andimmediately conclude thatdamage has occurred. The impactsof grazing are much harder toshow visually.”

He admits, though, that atnearly 350 pages, readers may becarpet-bombed with information.That’s why the photographs,coupled with the show-and-tellnarrative, are the “heart of thebook.” Despite its size, the book

altogether. In other cases, we haveconditioned bears with aversionmethods to regain their naturalfear of humans. Loud noises andsome prodding from a bearspecialist are enough to scare bearsaway for good.

Last summer was our busiestbear season ever, and we plan tostart getting calls soon, as hungrybears wake from hibernation andstart looking for food. Our overallstrategy has two parts: Preventionand aversion.

First, most bear problems canbe prevented by eliminatingconditions that attract bears.We’re working to get people livingin at-risk areas to change a fewsimple habits.

offers a “dramatic look at thedegree of devastation on publiclands in the West,” says thegrazing campaign’s Raether.Welfare Ranching distills everyaspect of the public lands issues inthe West today.”

Second, nuisance bears can betrained to fear people through adeliberate program ofreconditioning. Once bears regaintheir natural fear of humans, theproblem is solved–without killing.

As long as human and bearpopulations continue to grow, andpeople continue to move closer tonature, encounters between bearsand humans will increase. Withthe continued support of ourmembers, we can make sure thatdoesn’t mean killing more bears.For more information aboutaversion condition, nonlethal bearcontrol and what you can do tohelp, please visit our web site:www.predatordefense.org.

Scaring bears to save them, continued from cover

Editors Mollie Matteson and George Wuerthner have assembled the most comprehensivearray of essays, photos, facts, charts and sources ever published on the subject.

PREDATOR DEFENSE WRITES CHAPTER FOR BOOKWhen the editors asked us to write a chapter for Welfare Ranching,our challenge wasn’t finding information. It was trimming down allthe information we have into one chapter. A War Against Predators:The Killing of Wildlife Funded by Taxpayers includes our essentialargument against lethal predator control and some very compellingphotographs. Predator Defense is honored to be a part of this projectand thankful to our supporters. Only through membership gifts arewe able to continue working on education and outreach projects.

Winter 2003 Predator Press

Species Spotlight

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Symbol of RenewalThe bear has been part of our stories and mythology since earliesthuman civilization. Remains of bear shrines have been dated backto the Neanderthal age. Siberian, Greek, Scandinavian, Celtic,Mongol, Norse and Native American traditions all honor the bear.Common themes run through these myths and rituals, includingrenewal, initiation and bravery.

Three species of bears inhabit the U.S. American Black Bears, asthe name suggests, are usually black, but can also be cinnamon,blond or even white or bluish gray. They can live more than thirtyyears in the wild and are highly adaptable, which may explain whythese are the most common species of bear found in the U.S.

How can you tell a brown bear from a black? The brown hashumped shoulders, an upturned snout, longer fur and longer claws.The size and color of brown bears varies from region to region.Those with grizzled coats living in the West are called “grizzly”bears, while those from the Northwest are called “Kodiak” bears.The greatest concentrations of grizzly bears are Yellowstone andGlacier National Park.

Polar bears, the world’s largest land predators, live in northernmostAlaska. Their fur is not actually white, but comprised of hollow,transparent hairs that scatter and reflect visible light, much like snow.This fur (and a layer of blubber as thick as 4.5 inches) insulates polarbears so well, they emit almost no heat. Polar bears in captivity havedemonstrated high levels of intelligence; Some scientists say that theirability to construct elaborate structures and break ice to obtain fishdemonstrate an intelligence equal to primates.

Fear, misunderstanding and ignorance have tapped much of ourrespect and reverence for bears. No other predator species, exceptperhaps the wolf, has been so reviled by society. And so needlessly killed.Predator Defense is working to promote nonlethal solutions for nuisancebears and teach people in bear-prone areas how to safely coexist withthese intelligent and fascinating predators.

Bear Facts● Number of grizzlies roaming

the lower 48 states in 1850:more than 100,000. Numberof grizzlies today:approximately 1,100,restricted to less than 2% oftheir former range.

● Polar Bears’ “white” fur isreally comprised oftransparent, hollow hairs thatreflect light in much thesame way that transparent iceor snow can appear white.

● Bears molt, shedding their furand regrowing it each year.

● The only bear species thathibernate are the brown bear,the black bear and the AsiaticBlack Bear.

● Most bear deaths are causedby humans killing bears.

● Male bears are called boars.Females are called sows.

● All bear species can surviveup to six months in thewinter without food or water.

● All bear cubs are blind at sixweeks old.

● A polar bear’s claws can growsix inches long.

● Sloth bears, a species found inIndia, are the only bears thatcarry their young on their back.

Bears

The Grizzly Bear is actually one variety of the Brown Bear species

Winter 2003 Predator Press 7

who has accustomed himself to regard the life ofany living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving

also at the idea of worthless human lives.Coyote killed “just for fun in a cruel contest.

-Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

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To bears, an industrial timber plantation is like a candy store:Even aged stands of fast-growing trees have high levels ofcarbohydrates and sugars under the bark, a natural food for

bears. To logging corporations, that means lost revenue.Since the mid-80’s, Wildlife Services has helped timber

companies trap and kill bears found on private timberland. Asspring approaches and hungry bears begin to awaken fromhibernation, the agency is reexamining the bear control program. Aspart of their plans to conduct an environmental assessment of theprogram, the agency is required to obtain public comments.

Since 1940, bark-peeling behavior by bears has increased becauseforest management has simply made bark peeling more attractive.By eliminating the natural variety and density of trees found in theforest, encouraging faster growth with intensive management andeliminating natural berries and downed trees, forestland ownershave created the perfect environment for bears to peel bark.

YOU HAVE UNTIL FEBRUARY 14 TO VOICE YOUR OPPOSITIONAsk Wildlife Services to stop killing bears and start asking timberlandowners to take some responsibility. Key points to include: ✒ Bears don’t like hardwoods and prefer younger trees. Diverse treespecies and ages discourage bark peeling. ✒ Natural berries anddowned trees provide bears with something else to feed on andreduce peeling problems. ✒ Timber companies have created evenaged tree plantations, and profited from them. ✒ Taxpayers shouldnot be forced to foot the bill for bear killing programs. ✒ Nonlehtalalternatives are effective and less expensive.

Contact USDA Wildlife Services: 6135 NE 80th Avenue | Suite A8 | Portland, OR, 97218(503)326.2346 | FAX: (503)326.2367

Help PD Stop Bear Killing on Private “Forests”

Anyone

Ready or Not: WolvesHeaded for Oregon.

State wildlife officials held aseries of townhall meetingsthroughout Oregon this winter

to discuss the imminent return ofthe gray wolf to the state. Threeconfirmed wolf sightings have beenreported and unofficial sightingshave been increasing steadily. It’sonly a matter of time until wolvesfrom Idaho (one of the three state’sthat have successfully reintroducedthe species) enter Eastern Oregon.So far, Oregon Department of Fishand Wildlife (ODFW) officials havenot developed a management planfor the wolf. This summer, theagency rejected a proposal to adoptsurvival guidelines for wolves.Currently, wolves are protectedfederally under the EndangeredSpecies Act. However, the lawincludes special exemptions forexperimental populations. Federalofficials are considering downlistingthe species. In Oregon, legislatorshave already begun proposing lawsthat would decrease protection forthe gray wolf. For the latestinformation on wolves in Oregon,visit www.predatordefense.org

Predator Defense PO Box 5446Eugene, OR 97405

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Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)