May 25, 2020
Groups challenge U.S. administration’s authorization to kill 72 grizzlies near Yellowstone
Environmental groups challenged a decision to allow 72 grizzly bears to be killed to accommodate livestock grazing in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest, near Yellowstone National Park.
The grazing program area includes the headwaters of the Green and Gros Ventre rivers and two designated wilderness areas.
For more information, check out Lawsuit Challenges Administration’s Authorization to Kill 72 Grizzlies Near Yellowstone
Photo: © Chris Darimon
Court: U.S. administration wrongly opened 5,000 acres of Colorado forest to coal mining
A court ruled in March that the U.S. Forest Service should have considered excluding land in the Gunnison National Forest’s Pilot Knob roadless area opened to coal mining, which would have protected bald eagles, elk, mule deer and Gunnison sage grouse.
For details, read Appeals Court: Administration Wrongly Opened 5,000 Acres of Colorado Forest to Coal Mining.
Photo: Peter Hart, Wilderness Workshop
Forests recovering from beetles, but elk, deer slow pace
Athough more than 90 percent of Engelmann spruce trees were killed by bark beetles in many portions of the forest around Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado, forests can recover, researchers found.
However, while greater tree species diversity prior to the bark beetle outbreaks was a key component of resilient forests, elk and deer grazing on younger trees stunted growth.
For details, check out Forests bouncing back from beetles, but elk and deer slowing recovery
Photo: Robert Andrus
Wolf pack spotted in northern Colorado
In January, the Center for Biological Diversity reported that a pack of gray wolves may have been spotted in northwest Colorado one day after a measure to reintroduce wolves in Colorado won approval to appear on the 2020 ballot.
Over the years, individual wolves have occasionally made the journey from Yellowstone through southern Wyoming to Colorado.
For more information, view Scientists Welcome Reports of Wolf Pack in Northern Colorado, Call for Reintroduction to Ensure Recovery.
Photo: John and Karen Hollingsworth, USFWS