Archive for the 'Mountain-Prairie Region' Category

Oct 25, 2008

USFWS Rejects Further Environmental Analysis for Drilling in Baca NWR

In the past, this blog has reported on the ongoing controversey about drilling in Baca National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado (see post here and here).
On October 24, 2008, The Valley Courier in Colorado reported on the recent announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that said exploratory drilling at the refuge will [...]

Sep 07, 2008

J. Clark Salyer NWR Featured on KXNet.com

KXNet.com in North Dakota recently published a video piece about J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, which is a 58,700-acre refuge in north-central North Dakota. The refuge is the largest in the state and extends south from the Canadian border for about 45 miles.
One interesting activity featured in the video clip on the KXNet.com website [...]

Aug 27, 2008

Chase Lake NWR Celebrates Its Centennial

Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota will mark its 100th anniversary on August 28, 2008, the day President Theodore Roosevelt — a true conservationist — established the refuge as a “Reserve and Breeding Ground for Native Birds.”
Chase Lake NWR consists of 4,385 total acres, of which 4,155 acres are designated wilderness area, and [...]

Jul 26, 2008

Toxic Reservoir at Hailstone NWR in Montana

In this blog entry, I continue my series of posts about the refuges that were included in the “Refuges at Risk” report that was put out by the Defenders of Wildlife in late 2007, and which highlights the ten most endangered national wildlife refuges.
Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge, in central Montana, is a 2,000-acre refuge that [...]

Jun 23, 2008

USFWS and Tribes in Partnership at Bison Range

Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reached an agreement with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) to jointly manage the National Bison Range, which is in Montana and part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
An original agreement with the tribes at the Bison Range broke down over 18 months ago amid accusations [...]

Mar 30, 2008

Protecting Baca NWR

On Refuge Watch, we’ve been tracking the controversy over proposed oil and natural gas drilling at Baca National Wildlife Refuge, which is in southern Colorado and within two miles of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The refuge was created from a 100,000-acre purchase of the Baca Ranch, but the U.S. Fish and [...]

Mar 08, 2008

EPA Disapproves of Baca NWR Drilling Analysis

As I reported in this blog back on January 20, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has performed an environmental analysis that would allow a Canadian firm to drill for natural gas in Baca National Wildlife Refuge, which is in southern Colorado and within a few miles of the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
On March [...]

Feb 15, 2008

Photo Friday: Valentine NWR

Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, which is 20 miles south of Valentine, Nebraska, was established in 1935 to protect the sand dunes and their wild residents. The 71,516-acre refuge was purchased with Federal Duck Stamp funds and is part of the largest remaining tract of mid and tall grass prairie in North America. In 1976, the [...]

Feb 13, 2008

Refuge Manager Retiring from Quivira NWR

The Hutchinson News in Hutchinson, Kansas, featured an inspiring story about Dave Hilley — the retiring refuge manager at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, which is located in south central Kansas.
Hilley has worked at Quivira NWR for 19 years and has lived there as manager for 17 years. He and his wife also raised two children [...]

Feb 01, 2008

Photo Friday: Gray Wolves

These are tough times for gray wolves in America. In Alaska, wolves are cruelly hunted from the air despite efforts by Alaskans to end this practice. And now the Bush administration’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to take wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains off the endangered species list so the states of Idaho, [...]