Rainbow trout, bighorn sheep, South Fork of the Shoshone River at Mariposa Ranch, North Fork of the Shoshone River
               Home  |  Mission  |  News  |  Contact  |  Members  |  Sponsors  |  Join   


Minutes

Jan
   

Welcome to the news page for the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming Chapter of Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife. Here you can find up to date news for our local chapter, including minutes from our meetings and information about upcoming and current events.

RECENT NEWS

Absaroka Elk Ecology Project
Big Horn Basin SFW has contributed $15,000 to this project with another $10,000 pledged for the next phase of the study. Read about this important study and what data is being gathered here. Read the Billings Gazette article on the study here. Any donations to this important project are appreciated by Game & Fish. Sixteen different agencies and sportsmens groups are cooperating to help fund the study.

Wolf program analysis flawed
Read the Billings Gazette article here.


State, feds eye wolf accord
Read the Casper Star article here.


Wolves hit bottom line.
Read the Casper Star article here.


Wyoming prepares wolf lawsuit.
Read the Gazette article here.


Feds begin destroying wolves attacking livestock near Sula.
Read the Gazette article here.


Feds kill Idaho wolves.
Read the Casper Star article here.


Wyoming loses try at delisting gray wolf.
Read the Gazette article here.


Here is a video clip from early 2006 regarding the pine beetle outbreak in the Shoshone National Forest from the Billings Gazette and the deforestation we are currently witnessing in our area.

Who will pay for wolf management after delisting? Read the Billings Gazette article here.
Be sure to read the comments below - anyone can add.

More on grizzly delisting - read the Casper Star article here.

Federal appeals court upholds the dismissal of Wyoming's lawsuit against the federal government - read the Casper Star article here.

Are wolves a boost to local economies? - read the following Billings Gazette article which claims that some folks visit this area specifically to see wolves.

Interesting Billings Gazette article on how Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists try to keep track of wolves.

Crowd gathers to watch wolf eat elk - read the Casper Star article here. Imagine that!

Governor defends wolf stance - read the Casper Star article here.

Grizzly delisted
Grizzlies are slated for removal from the endangered species list. Read the MSNBC article here.

2006 Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife State Banquet
The 2006 Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife State Convention and Banquet was held at the Riley Ice Arena in Cody on Friday, March 31st and Saturday April 1st. The event was a huge success , as it sold out. We had in excess of 800 people in attendance and grossed somewhere around $150,000!

Hunt of a lifetime winner!
The drawing for The Hunt of a Lifetime Raffle was held on September 1, 2005 at Outdoor Sports in Cody, Wyoming at 12:00 Noon. The winner of the drawing of the Hunt of a Lifetime Raffle was member Terry Whitpan. He bought one ticket for $25.00. Congratulations Terry! We hope it's an exciting hunt.

Click for larger image

We sold 306 tickets totaling $5,285.00. Please know that only current or past SFW members received information on this awesome opportunity. Thank you all for making this a successful raffle.


Wolf Populations Up
Wolf populations are up in the Northern Rockies, especially in Idaho. Read the Billings Gazette article available here. Wyoming has again filed a petition for delisting of the gray wolf. Information about the wolf delisting petition is available here

SFW response to newspaper articles regarding our position on nonresident set-aside licenses.
In response to articles that appeared in the Sunday July 24, 2005 Casper Star Tribune and in the Monday July 25, 2005 Billings Gazette, please read the following clarification of our stand. The original Casper Star article can be viewed here, and the Billings Gazette article can be viewed here.

Wolf depredation photos taken in October 2004.
These are pictures taken by Board Member Rori Renner in October of 2004. Depredation photos.

Levi Haugen
We recently donated a rifle to Levi to use on his 2005 hunt. Details and pictures are available here.

2005 Rifle Raffle:
This is a beautiful firearm - an 1886 Browning - Winchester 45-70, "1 of 3000", Collector Value - $5,000. The drawing was held October 31st, 2005, and our lucky winner was Gene Kraus of Illinois. We have another raffle starting for our 2006 fundraising. Details and pictures available soon.

Click for larger image Click for larger image Click for larger image

House Passes Bill Protecting State Authority
Great news for hunters and wildlife conservation. Details available here.

This is a great link that graphically shows the impact that wolves are having on our elk herds. Much of the information is from 2002 and 2003, but it proves the old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words". Coupled with the update from Don Peay (Wasting Precious Conservation Dollars), it is obvious that wolf reintroduction that been a disaster for both wolves and the wildlife they prey on.

Wolf Update
State Wolf Lawsuit Dismissed
Click here for more from an article that was published March 21, 2005 in the Casper Star Tribune.
Here is another article from the Casper Star Tribune that was published March 23, 2005 .
Here is an article from the Sublette Examiner that was published March 24, 2005 .
Wyoming appeals - Billings Gazette article published March 29, 2005.
Detail on the actual lawsuit and legal documents from Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank's office can be found here.


Wyoming Mule Deer Poll from Monster Muleys.com is available here.

This is a great satire on how Governor Dave Freudenthal might have responded to the dismissmal of the wolf lawsuit.
Satire.

Our director elections were tallied last meeting. The new directors are listed here. The biographies that were submitted by candidates for our board are available here.

Bob Wharff gives a recap of the legislative session and a report on the SFW WY's first two banquets of the year here.

Chip Clouse was sent this letter regarding Bob Wharff by State Representative Kathy Davison of Kemmerer on February 18, 2005.

2006 Coyote Reduction Program
kicked off on 2/15/06. It will run until funds are exhausted. For details, click here

Wolf shot on the Wood River
After suffering confirmed wolf losses, rancher Craig Griffith was issued two shoot on sight permits. Get Cody Enterprise coverage here.

Joe Tilden forwards this link sent from Bob Wharff. This is an article titled "THE SABLE AND THE WOLF "by Jim Beers (USFWS) that makes some great points.

E. K. Bostwick alerts us to the possibility that the winter elk hunt in Gardiner, MT may soon be coming to an end. Read the Bozeman Daily Chronicle article here.

Wyoming Game and Fish seeks state money. Read the Billings Gazette article here.

Here you can find the list of witnesses that testified (from Senator Craig Thomas) on Monday, August 23, in Washington, D.C. regarding possible and needed changes in the Endangered Species Act going forward. Bob Wharff was there on behalf of SFW of WY. Bob's testimony is available here. Bob sends us an additional link regarding the ESA here.

Pine beetles numbers and damage are reaching epidemic proportions in our area.

Here are two good links regarding forest health and pine beetles found in Wyoming.
USDA Mountain Pine Beetle Information
USDA Western Pine Beetle Information

Sage grouse numbers have seen a dramatic decline over recent years, and the
sage grouse is being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Here is an all encompassing link regarding the plight of the sage grouse in Wyoming.
NOTE: *from the webmaster... When I was a kid in Riverton in 1971, it was not uncommon to see flocks (hunting in the Sweetwater River area of South Pass) of from 50-70 birds,
and frequently flocks of sage grouse numbering 200+ birds.
Those days are gone for the time being.


SFWPC float won 1st place in the 2004 Cody 4th of July parade.
Special thanks to Bill Overfield for his tireless efforts and J. C. Fulkerson of SFB for donating his shop space. Photos are available below!

Click for larger image Click for larger image

2004 Rifle Raffle:
This is a beautiful firearm! The raffle was very successful thanks to Bob Carter and his daughter. The winner was SFWPC Member Nick Misciagna of Cody, WY. Congratulations Nick!

Click for larger image Click for larger image

Judge dismisses wolf trespass case
Get Cody Enterprise coverage here.

Wolf shot on Carter Mountain
We find it ironic that the same government agency that spent thousands and hundreds of
thousands of dollars to reintroduce wolves is now spending thousands and hundreds of
thousands of dollars to fly around in helicopters SHOOTING wolves!
In this case, wolves are the unfortunate victims, as opposition groups would prefer that they eat porcupines vs. sheep or cattle. Wolves aren't dumb. Agent Mike Jimenez uses the phrase "chronic problem" twice in this article. As soon as the pups grow up, they will kill cattle as readily as an elk or deer. Get Cody Enterprise coverage here.

For more information on recent articles in the Cody Enterprise (from January 0f 2004 to the present), click here (for a search on wolf) or here (for a search on wolves).

Read Don Peay's recent email regarding the wolf in Utah here.

Here is another email from Don regarding a recent Arizona Court Ruling which may have far reaching implications for residents trying to draw resident tags. You may never draw a tag as a resident again!

Other links regarding wolves and wolf legislation.
Here are some other links regarding the upcoming legislative conflict, news, and other links.
NOTE: Some of these groups oppose us.

  • WY G&F Final Wolf Plan
  • Sierra Times
  • Searching Wolf
  • Wolfpark
  • FWS - Gray Wolf Page

  • Drought is a huge concern in our area.
    We can initiate leglislative debate on some issues, but not on changing weather patterns.

    Here are some links regarding the drought in our area.

  • National Weather Service
  • Drought Photos 2002


  • North Fork of the Shoshone River

    Home  |  Mission  |  News  |  Contact  |  Members  |  Sponsors  |  Join   

    © bighornbasinsfw.org 2005
    All Rights Reserved