Rocky Mountain Elk Controversy

Hunting is a common activity all around the world, and if performed properly, can have many benefits to us and the rest of the planet. The art of hunting has been around since the beginning of time. Living off of the land used to be a necessity across the world, until the mass production of food came along. In America, people do not usually need to hunt to survive. However, the population of animal species needs to be controlled. Too many of one type of animal can cause a drastic change to any ecosystem. Food supplies decline quickly, leaving many animals without food. Hunting can help keep the population of a group of animals at a good number, making the lives of the other

Question 3: Mainstream environmentalists were correct to stop Pacific Lumber from ravaging it’s timberland. Prior business practices provided ecosystem shelter for endangered species and protected virgin forest from being logged. Changes to federal

In America, deer are an animal hunted widely throughout our country. Each winter citizens have mixed emotions about the sport. Some say its barbaric and cruel, while others argue that it’s beneficial and useful. Although people may say hunting is cruel and barbaric, have they ever thought about the upsides to be gained from hunting? While this is a topic that can be argued viciously back and forth, I believe hunters win the argument. Deer hunting keeps the population down, protects farmers’ crops, boosts economic sales, betters a person’s mental health, and teaches lifelong lessons on respect. These are just a few of the amazing benefits that can be gained from hunting.

Predators, hunters, and habitat contribute to the increasing densities of whitetail deer in some locations. The populations of predators, wolves and cougars, have greatly declined in suburban areas. This declination has helped with the increase of the deer population. Since the 1970’s the number of hunters has been declining. This may be because of the number of people that do not believe in recreational, or sport hunting. For some hunting has become a hobby to show off and brag about causing others to be turned off to the whole idea of hunting. Although hunting can be popular it is prohibited in parks,

One of America’s greatest conservation achievements is the Wilderness Act of 1964. Fifty-two years later, this act has a legacy to withhold. A legacy that meant something in 1964 and remains the same today: to protect unspoiled land. Even though, through this act millions of acres have been conserved, the key word is continue. That is why America should pass laws to preserve the wilderness before developers spoil them.

Gauss’ Law states that no two organisms can occupy the same ecological niche without excluding the other, but what happens when man gets involved with nature and tries to introduce a species where it doesn’t belong which in turn provides a second organism to fill the same niche as the first? The results of human intervention have often been disastrous for the organism that we’re supposedly helping. Humans often times do not understand the complexity of the implications that are caused directly through our intervention. In 1974, the gray wolf was listed on the Endangered Species List, and in an effort to reestablish their populations, wolves were re-introduced into Yellowstone

There are numerous organizations supporting either side. Some organizations that support ethical hunting are, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), the National Wild Turkey Federation, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). The RMEF operates to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage (“RMEF Mission Statement,” n.d.). The QDMA works to promote sustainable, high-quality deer populations,

The state legislature has favored the ranching industry above ecology and continues to do so. Public polls “conducted by Boise State indicate that the overwhelming majority of Idahoans (nearly 70 percent) support wolf restoration” (Laverty, par. 4) and the legislature is seeking to remedy this by re-educating the public with “a balanced view of the impact of wolves on big game species, those sectors of the economy dependent upon sport hunting, livestock, domestic animals, and humans” (State, 3). Furthermore, the “cost of wolf reintroduction will be presented as a part of any public education program including direct and indirect costs” (State, 3).

Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the crowned jewel of the nation’s 544 refuges is in danger of destruction (Lamar and Markey 12). ANWR has been in existence since 1960 and has slowly become one of the most controversial topics to hit Congress. ANWR is composed of 19 million acres on the northeast coast of Alaska. Although the government has been provided with this immense land they are fighting to gain more land. Why? ANWR is the second biggest oil field that is owned by the U.S. Now the government wants more land to construct oil reserves. The refuge is home to many endangered species such as migratory birds, polar bears, and wolves (Lynne and Roberts 1). Most of ANWR’s designated oil area is owned by indigenous Alaskan

With the hopes that it wouldn't snow, I traveled to Silverton Colorado with my dad in October. My dad and I had six elk tags for the very first rifle season. We pulled our camp trailer down to a nice wooded area about five miles before you get into town. The camp sight was about a quarter mile off of the highway. There were trees all around the camping spot; the only break in the trees was where the road came through.

“The Facts About Hunting.” Friends of Animals And Their Benefits. Friends of Animals And Their Benefits, Web. 8 November 2013

For the past decades, public land policy debates have intensified among scholars, planners, and policy makers. The root of the debates is a question of which types of public lands management can provide better economic benefits to adjacent regions that are referred to gateway communities. For a long time, resource extractive industries – such as mineral, oil, coal, and timber development sectors - have been a primary growth engine for the economic growth in those communities. However, since the past three decades, several federal land use policies such as the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (Public Law 86-517) and the Wilderness Act of 1964 began to restrict this type of development (Duffy-Deno, 1998; Rasker, 1994). As a result, the restriction of public lands use has been enhanced, and tourism- and service-based development has been promoted.

“Hunting and ecosystem-based management is the smartest and most cost-effective way to manage our wildlife. The basic idea of ecosystem-based management is that you manage ecosystems rather than specific species or disciplines.” For example “you do not mange pheasants as much as you manage the ecosystem in which the pheasants live. If the ecosystem is improved, it will produce more pheasants naturally.”(1)

The head of the New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency has resumed the black bear hunts that had been paused for five years due to over hunting. In this time, the population of black bears has risen once again to a safe level for hunting, and the republican controlled government has allowed hunters to resume their hunting. Some wildlife activists see the hunts as unnecessary and cruel, and wish to defend the bears. This belief is opposed by the hunting organizations that have pointed to a long history of hunting, as well as the potential danger that black bears present, as points that may hinder their cause. I am on the side of the hunters, as I think that the government's job is to make sure both the bears are protected and the hunters are happy, and therefore a happy medium must be reached.

The following section outlines the economic, ecological, and social costs of clear-cut logging in the Northern United States. I believe that the costs far outweigh any good that politicians, lobbyists, or logging companies could argue come from aggressive clear-cut logging operations. In 1993 logging on public lands in the northern Rockies (Region One) by the United States Forest Service cost the government between $100 million and $200 million more than the amount received for the sale of the timber (Bass, 1996). Compare this with the $2.5