1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: From Mediators World News Headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: Cal's weekend review, presented by Steel Steel products are available 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: only at authorized dealers. For more, go to Steel Dealers 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: dot com. Now here's your host, Ryan cal callahan. Over 5 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: sixty Turkey vultures fell from the sky and into the 6 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: ocean along Florida Keys last week, igniting a multi agency 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: rescue effort and sparking theories among residents of military technology 8 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: and alien interference. Thanks to Daniel Parabox for sending this 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: one in Turkey. Vultures are large, black, red headed birds 10 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: that feed on dead animals. If you live in North 11 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: or South America, you've probably seen them gathered around a 12 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: carcass or sitting on a dead tree. They shouldn't be 13 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: confused with the Indian vulture, which was the inspiration for 14 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: the Beatles quartet in Jungle Book with friendly with every 15 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: creature coming down the pike head we've never met we 16 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: did anyway. Vultures aren't waterfowl, so scientists at the Dolphin 17 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: Research Center were confused when they discovered a vulture flapping 18 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: around in the ocean along the Middle Keys. They called 19 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: the Marathon wild Bird Center, who told them that when 20 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,680 Speaker 1: there's one vulture in the water, there are usually more. 21 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: Sure enough, the dolphin researchers spent what I'm sure was 22 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: an unusual day floating around and scooping up the floundering vultures. 23 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: They rescued about thirty, and the remaining birds were rescued 24 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: by officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 25 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: and local fishermen. According to the Miami Herald, all but 26 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,960 Speaker 1: seven of the birds recovered and were released back into 27 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: the wild. At this point, you're probably wondering how did 28 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: a whole flock of vultures end up in the ocean. 29 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: Vultures don't feed on dead animals in the water, but 30 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: they do migrate. Some vultures don't migrate at all, but 31 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: some travel thousands of miles every year. One bird biologist 32 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: told the Miami Herald that the population and Florida keys 33 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: is migratory, so they think the birds just got tired 34 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: and were forced to land in the ocean. That the 35 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: birds get too cold or too wet they can't get 36 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: out of the water, which is how you end up 37 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: with sixty tired, but draggled turkey headed balls of feathers 38 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: in the Gulf of Mexico, or, as Daniel told me, 39 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,799 Speaker 1: local residents think the military or aliens are more likely 40 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: to blame. The Navy has a big air station on 41 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: Key West and between Chinese by balloons and u a ease. 42 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: The skies are more dangerous than ever before. This week 43 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: we've got legislation, venom grizz and so much more. But 44 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: first I want to talk to you about my week. 45 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: In My week was super interesting. I was able to 46 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: sit in on a bunch of mule Deer migration talk 47 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: with the Mule Deer Working Group NOWN in Salt Lake City, 48 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: courtesy of the Mule of your Foundation. Secretarial Order three 49 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: three six two, issued by then Secretary of the Interior 50 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,519 Speaker 1: Ryan Zinky, instructed state and federal agencies to work together 51 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: on mapping, protecting, and preserving migration and corridors. If you 52 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,639 Speaker 1: have ever checked out the Migration Initiative dot org, you'll 53 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: be amazed by the distances animals travel on a yearly 54 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: basis and how many fences, bureaucracies, roads, agencies, municipalities, sovereign 55 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 1: nations they crossed to do that. Why is this important? Well, 56 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,799 Speaker 1: because it forces us to look at ecosystems or landscapes 57 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: as a whole. Mule deer winter ground can be very 58 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: different than summer ground, And what's the point of preserving 59 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: summer ground. If the mule deer in their winter ground 60 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: and they can't get back to their summer ground, you 61 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: get up. It's like showing up to an Airbnb and 62 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: it's already fall. Kind of super cool to point out 63 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: that even though this work started under a previous Republican 64 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: lead administration, it is continuing under the current Democratic leadership. 65 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: That's called bipartisanship. Everyone loves to point out how different 66 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: the Biden and Trump administrations are, but they have migration 67 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: corridors in common, and they both keep their classified documents 68 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: in the same place. Another super fun side trip happened 69 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: this week. I was able to ride along with Montana Fish, 70 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: Wildlife and Parks as they patrolled the ongoing bison hunts 71 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: on the edge of Yellowstone National Park. These hunts can 72 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: be slow unless you do atag. This year, big snows 73 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,599 Speaker 1: have gotten the bison migration moving earlier and in larger numbers. Also, 74 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: the park bison population is at an all time high 75 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: of around six thousand animals, so it's a good year 76 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: to have a bison tag in your pocket. During my 77 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: half a day of riding along, I watched a state 78 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 1: hunter phill a tag on a bowl and watched several 79 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 1: tribal members working on butchering animals in the field. The 80 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: hunt in the area just north of Gardener is very constricted. Geographically, 81 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 1: there is plenty of country, but the bison like to 82 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: move through a very small portion of real estate. The 83 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 1: word and I rode with explained that about animals are 84 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: harvested in one zone, which I would estimate to be 85 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: under sixty acres. The bison of access to hends of 86 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 1: thousands of acres, but that's where they congregate, So that's 87 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: where the hunters congregate. If you were thinking of some 88 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: sort of like dances with wolves type scenario bison hunt, 89 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: you're gonna be real disappointed. The point in fact is 90 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,040 Speaker 1: efficiently reducing herd size and preventing bison for moving beyond 91 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: the management zone where they could mingle with domestic cattle, 92 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 1: posing both a disease threat and a threat to win 93 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: or for it. I thought it was really cool to 94 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: see this is a meat hunt, and I witnessed a 95 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: lot of meat being packed and carted away. Bison are 96 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: highly regulated. There were tribal game wardens, state game wardens, 97 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: park wardens, and since bison migrate out of the park 98 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: in several different states, harvest numbers are shared through the 99 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: inter agency Bison Management Team, and those numbers are kept 100 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: up to date every day. One thing that really made 101 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: a lot of sense while I was watching the show 102 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: this morning, I think tribes should be able to hunt 103 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: inside Yellowstone National Park, a you know, well regulated hunt 104 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 1: modeled for sustainability for sure, but allowing tribal members to 105 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: hunt inside the park would spread out the hunting pressure 106 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: and probably move more of these big grazers out into 107 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: spots where state hunters, as in hunters who participate in 108 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: the state tag allocation system can get to them. I'd 109 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: love to see this happen. Maybe our current Secretary of 110 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: the Interior, Deb Holland is the one to do it. 111 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: Moving on to the legislative desk, in Minnesota, s F 112 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: three one four would eliminate the shotgun only zone for 113 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: white tailed deer and allow center fire rifles to be 114 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 1: used throughout the state. As of this recording, that bill 115 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: is still sitting in the Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee. 116 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 1: H F four zero would allow portable tree stands to 117 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: be left overnight on state land in certain circumstances, and 118 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: h F six zero five would require the Game and 119 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: Fish Commission to create an open season for wolves if 120 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 1: the species is not listed under the Endangered Species Act. 121 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,280 Speaker 1: Current law allows the Commission to open a hunting season, 122 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: but this bill would require it to weigh in on 123 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: any of these bills. Get in touch with your Minnesota 124 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 1: state representatives. Down in Kansas, HB two zero seven nine 125 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: gives lifetime hunting license holders a free any season white 126 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: tail deer permit, with the option of purchasing one additional 127 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: any season white tailed deer permit for the same calendar year. 128 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: Those who hold a non lifetime hunting license would only 129 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: be offered one free antlerless white tailed deer permit. This 130 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: bill would also move the opening day of white tail 131 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: rifle season back to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This would, 132 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: as Kansas bow hunter Jacob Hellaker told me, allow rifle 133 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: hunters a shot at primetime rut in the legendary Kansas 134 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: white tail woods. Hellica isn't a fan of the bill, 135 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: and I imagine most bow hunters would also not be 136 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: a fan of this. If you're a rifle hunter who 137 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: wants to see the season moved back or a bow 138 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: hunter who does not, you both need to get in 139 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: touch with your Kansas legislators today. Over in Wyoming, legislators 140 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: are considering a bill that would crack down on landowners 141 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: who post fake no trustpassing signs on public land. House 142 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: Bill one four seven would categorize such behavior as hunter interference, 143 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: which comes with a maximum ten thousand dollar fine for 144 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: the first offense and fifty grand for every subsequent conviction 145 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: that sucker has got some teeth. The bill has already 146 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 1: passed the House on a nearly unanimous one vote and 147 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: is currently being considered by a Senate committee. Up in Vermont, 148 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: Tyler Brown wrote in to tell me about a bill 149 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: that would ban recreational trapping in the state. Would prohibit 150 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: the trapping of furbearing animals unless the person trapping is 151 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: authorized to trap in order to defend property or agricultural crops, 152 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: or the trapping is conducted by a licensed nuisance wildlife 153 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: control operator. This bill has not yet been a signed 154 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: into a committee. Makes you wonder if rats and mice 155 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: have fur. Over in Iowa, Senate file would allow hunters 156 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: to use airbows to target whitetail during firearms season. Air Bows, 157 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: for those unfamiliar, are high powered air rifles that shoot 158 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: arrows instead of pellets or babies. They're like that thing 159 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 1: that you came up with in the backyard and your 160 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: parents yeld at you for it. For an overview of 161 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,439 Speaker 1: these products and the state of the industry, check out 162 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: the article by Jordan's Sillers at the meat eater dot com. 163 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: Over in Utah, HB two two two would allow year 164 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 1: round bison hunting outside the state's bison management areas. These 165 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: include the Henry Mountains, Antelope Island, the Book Cliffs, and 166 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: the Ute Indian Tribes reservation lands on the East Tavaputs Plateau. 167 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: As wild animals tend to do, bison have been wandering 168 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: off these management areas and onto private grazing land. Ranchers 169 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,200 Speaker 1: aren't thrilled about bison competing with their cattle for food, 170 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: so represent editive Christine F. Watkins proposed this legislation to 171 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: encourage the animals away from private land. Proposing a year 172 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 1: round hunting season on America's most iconic animal didn't sit 173 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: well with the House Natural Resources Agriculture and Environment Committee. 174 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,079 Speaker 1: They voted to hold the legislation, which likely means it's 175 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: done for the year, but Western state residents should keep 176 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: their eye out for other bison related bills and their legislatures. 177 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,959 Speaker 1: At the federal level, the U. S. House Representatives passed 178 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: a bill that would force the White House to make 179 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: more federal land available for oil and gas development if 180 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: the President orders the withdrawal of more oil from the 181 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 1: Strategic Petroleum Reserve. President Biden has been pulling record amounts 182 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: from this reserve to keep gas prices down, but critics 183 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: say we should increase drilling rather than drain the reserve. 184 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: This bill would require that the percentage of federal lands 185 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 1: and waters open to leasing be the same as the 186 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: percentage of oil drawn from the reserve, with a limit 187 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,559 Speaker 1: of ten percent. So to be clear, if the President 188 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 1: sells ten percent of the petroleum Reserve, the White House 189 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,199 Speaker 1: would have to make ten percent of federal land available 190 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: for drilling. If that trade strikes you as fair, well, 191 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: I have a bridge in Brooklyn. I'm going to sell you. 192 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:18,080 Speaker 1: All Republicans and one Democrat voted for the legislation, which 193 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,560 Speaker 1: tells you pretty much everything you need to know about 194 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 1: its chances of passing the Democrat controlled Senate. Moving on 195 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: to the pit mining desk, the Berkeley Pit and beaut 196 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: America hasn't been an operational copper mine since, but it's 197 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: still wreaking havoc on local wildlife. Thanks to Shaun o'keeye 198 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: for sending this one in. When the pumps to the 199 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: open pit copper mine or shut off nearly four decades ago, 200 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 1: groundwater began to seep in and created sulfuric acid that 201 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: leached metals out of the rock. The seven acre lake 202 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:58,200 Speaker 1: now has in a city level of two point five pH, 203 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 1: which is about the same acidity as coca cola, lemon juice, 204 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: or gastric acid. The lake also contains copper, cadmium, and arsenic. 205 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: This combination of chemicals and acidity is so dangerous birds 206 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: that land on the lake for more than a few 207 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:16,199 Speaker 1: hours could be cooked from the inside out, so local 208 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,599 Speaker 1: volunteers and wildlife biologists use hazing methods to try to 209 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:24,559 Speaker 1: keep the birds off the lake. These include drones, fireworks, lasers, 210 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 1: and a sonic cannon. During migration seasons, volunteers are in 211 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: the area at least once an hour to watch over 212 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: the birds, which include snow geese, avosets, and greebs. They 213 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 1: have good reason to be vigilant. In two thousand sixteen, 214 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: and estimated sixty thousand snow geese landed on the pit 215 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: and about three thousand of them died. You may have 216 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: heard of the Berkeley Pit, but I wanted to mention 217 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: it to make everyone even more grateful that the e 218 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: p A just blocked the pebble mine up in Bristol Bay, Alaska. 219 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,720 Speaker 1: The pebble mine would have been an open pit copper mine, 220 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,079 Speaker 1: and it would have been constructed at the headwaters of 221 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: the world's largest Sakai salmon run. The Bristol Bay Watershed 222 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: produces half of the world sakai salmon, which helps maintain 223 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: the productivity of the entire ecosystem. This includes numerous other 224 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 1: fish and wildlife species like brown bears, rainbow trout, bald eagles, 225 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,960 Speaker 1: dolly varden, and Arctic grayling. The e p A estimated 226 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 1: that the pebble mine would have destroyed eight and a 227 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: half miles of anadromous fish streams. It also would have 228 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: destroyed ninety one miles of additional streams and two thousand 229 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: on eight acres of wetlands and other waters that support 230 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: an Adramus fish. I briefly mentioned the EPA's decision last week, 231 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: but today I have more details. Meat Eaters spoke with 232 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: John Gale b h as Vice president of Policy and 233 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:46,319 Speaker 1: government Relations. We asked him how permanent the e p 234 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: a S decision would be, will it survive lawsuits and 235 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:53,559 Speaker 1: future presidential administrations. He explained that the mechanism the e 236 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: p A used, something called a four O four C 237 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 1: veto under the Clean Water Act, is very durable. The 238 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: agency has only used this veto power thirteen times since 239 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty and none of those vetos have been overturned 240 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 1: or overruled. Is not bulletproof, but it is very durable. 241 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 1: Never in the history of e p a S use 242 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: of that tool has a decision ever been over. They've 243 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: used it incredibly judiciously, and the fact they've only used 244 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:31,120 Speaker 1: it a couple of times before give us some encouragement 245 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: that this is gonna have some resilience to it and 246 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: it's going to be enduring. The Trump administration did attempt 247 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: to provoke the four or four C veto of Yazoo Pumps, 248 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 1: a proposed hydraulic pump plant in Mississippi, but those efforts 249 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 1: were unsuccessful. The only true permanent protection for Bristol Bay 250 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: would be for Congress to pass a bill authorizing those protections, 251 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: but this decision by the e p A is the 252 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: best alternative. A big congratulations goes out to everyone who 253 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: spoke up and decided to involved in this fight. Whether 254 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 1: you wrote a letter to your congressman or senator, donated 255 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 1: money to a conservation group, or just shared an article 256 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 1: about Bristol Bay on social media, you had a hand 257 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 1: in conserving this amazing chunk of southwest Alaska. But the 258 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 1: fight isn't over yet. Gail encourages hunters, anglers, and public 259 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: land lovers to pay attention, do their homework, and be 260 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: on the lookout for that bill to permanently protect Bristol Bay. 261 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: Make sure that they talked to their members of Congress 262 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: and say this is a special place to us, and 263 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 1: if if a bill ever does come to bear the 264 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: protects and as extra durability to Bristol Bay in perpetute, 265 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: then we would hope they would want to help us 266 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: push that through the congressional process. Just because you don't 267 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: live in Alaska doesn't mean you can't make a difference. 268 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 1: Moving on to the snake desk, many of you know 269 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: that Dole Snorticus nearly died last year after being bitten 270 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: by rattlesnake. At the time, I learned that most anti 271 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: venom works on a vaccine model of prompting the body 272 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: to create antibodies using harmless versions of venom molecules. Some 273 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 1: dog trainers will even use anti venom in advance to 274 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 1: vaccinate their dogs against snake bites. If you want to 275 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: deep dive into venom and anti venom, check out episode Anyway. 276 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: That experience piqued my interest in anti venom, which is 277 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,160 Speaker 1: why I was curious when listener Carl Kaufman sent me 278 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: a new paper from researchers at the University of Maryland. 279 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 1: They claim to have discovered a single protein called f 280 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: E t U A DASH three that inhibits a broad 281 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: spectrum of rattlesnake venom toxins. Researchers discovered this protein by 282 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: studying the western diamondback rattlesnake a k A. Crotalus atrox. 283 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: This species has more venom toxins encoded in its genome 284 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: than any other known rattlesnake. A good snake bite treatment 285 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: needs to be able to counteract the venoms of more 286 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: than just one species of snake. You don't always know 287 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: the species that bit you. When Snort got bit, I 288 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:04,120 Speaker 1: wasn't eager to go hunting for an aggressive, venomous snake. 289 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 1: I got a good look at it, definitely identified it 290 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,959 Speaker 1: as a rattlesnake, but that was about it. There are 291 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: too many species for hospitals to have a specific anti 292 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: venom for each one. This protein inhibited over twenty toxins, 293 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,720 Speaker 1: which was nearly all the toxins in the western rattlesnake's venom. 294 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 1: It also bound to and inhibited the toxins of venoms 295 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: from several other rattlesnakes, which makes it a great candidate 296 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 1: for future research. One of the researchers said, quote, Many 297 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 1: current treatments using antiquated technologies and anti venoms have drawbacks, 298 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: including variation in or lack of potency, impurities that trigger 299 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 1: side effects, and manufacturing inconsistency. They're hoping that a new 300 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:48,080 Speaker 1: treatment based on these proteins, as opposed to the vaccine 301 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: style anti venom, will be even more effective and won't 302 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: come with those drawbacks. On behalf of snort and every 303 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: other animal that enjoys rambling through the back country. I 304 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:03,919 Speaker 1: hope they're successful. Moving on to the bare desk. The 305 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: US Fish and Wildlife Service has accepted requests from Montana 306 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 1: and Wyoming to consider removing the grizzly bear prim protection 307 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: under the Endangered Species Act. The petitions asked to delist 308 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Northern Continental 309 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:22,160 Speaker 1: Divide Ecosystem. The g y E is centered on Yellowstone 310 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,400 Speaker 1: National Park, while the n c d E extends from 311 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: Glacier National Park through the Bob Marshal Wilderness Complex. If 312 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 1: you feel like grizzlies have been listed and delisted multiple 313 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,399 Speaker 1: times over the last decade or so, you're right. This 314 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 1: is a bit like that football scene and a Charlie 315 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:44,440 Speaker 1: Brown Thanksgiving. Grizzlies have been delisted in the Greater Yellowstone 316 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: Ecosystem twice in two thousand seven and two thousand seventeen. 317 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 1: States have prepared bear management plans and bear hunts, only 318 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,479 Speaker 1: to have the courts step in and reverse course, just 319 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 1: like Lucy set up football yet again. And then you know, 320 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: Charlie's gotta make a choice to go after it. Supporters 321 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: of delisting argue that the populations have risen sufficiently to 322 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: remove them from the endangered species list. In two thousand 323 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: twenty one, there were an estimated one thousand bears in 324 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: the Northern Continental Divide ecosystem and seven hundred in the 325 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: Yellowstone ecosystem. This is a far cry from the estimated 326 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: fifty thousand bears that once roamed the Lower forty eight, 327 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: but the populations are stable and healthy. I'm also not 328 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,479 Speaker 1: sure anyone, including the animal rights activists, would want fifty 329 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: thousand grizzlies between California and Kansas. Just to ask the 330 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 1: Coloradans who voted to reintroduce gray wolves anyway. Opponents of 331 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: the d listing argue that the grizzly population is still threatened, 332 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: and they accused the U S Fish and Wildlife Service 333 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 1: of caving to quote trophy hunters and the livestock industry. 334 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: That's according to Andrea Zaccardi, legal director of the Center 335 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:55,240 Speaker 1: for Biological Diversity's Carnivore Conservation Program. Just because the US 336 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,160 Speaker 1: Fish and Wildlife Service has accepted these requests doesn't mean 337 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,120 Speaker 1: grizzlies are about to be delisted, but the Service did 338 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 1: say that the petitions present quote substantial information indicating the 339 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: grizzly bear populations in these two regions may warrant removal 340 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: from the list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Only time 341 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: will tell whether this latest dlisting campaign survives in court, 342 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: but I'll keep you updated. As Charlie Brown charges towards 343 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,199 Speaker 1: the football once again, I'd like to throw in a 344 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: little sidebar here and remind all of our listeners that 345 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:30,120 Speaker 1: there are many species that are managed by the states 346 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:33,879 Speaker 1: that you cannot hunt. There are many species managed by 347 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,160 Speaker 1: the state that you can only hunt in certain regions. 348 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 1: This is a par for the course thing for states. 349 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: It's nothing crazy. We'll get management back at some point. 350 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:47,959 Speaker 1: It doesn't mean we're going to immediately start hunting grizzly 351 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: bears when we do, but I certainly want a future 352 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 1: where we can hunt grizz in my own home state 353 00:20:54,280 --> 00:21:00,480 Speaker 1: of Montana. Moving on to the mail bag desk, Matt 354 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,120 Speaker 1: sim Chick, a professor in the School of Public Health 355 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: at the University of Minnesota, wrote in with some fantastic 356 00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: information about forever chemicals. You may remember a few episodes 357 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:12,640 Speaker 1: back when we covered a recent study that found concerning 358 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 1: levels of these chemicals and freshwater fish. Professor Simchick has 359 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:19,439 Speaker 1: been studying forever chemicals for over twenty years, and he 360 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:23,120 Speaker 1: wrote in with a few points of clarification. Until recently, 361 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:26,159 Speaker 1: scientists have considered drinking water as the major source of 362 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: exposure to forever chemicals, but this recent study brings to 363 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 1: light another important route of exposure, and Professor Simchick believes 364 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: those who eat a lot of fish from the Great 365 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:39,440 Speaker 1: Lakes should be careful. He specifically mentioned the mong American 366 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,719 Speaker 1: community in Minnesota who eat a ton of fish and 367 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:47,000 Speaker 1: farm on land contaminated by these chemicals. Professor Simchick also 368 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:49,399 Speaker 1: pointed out that although his lab has seen effects in 369 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,160 Speaker 1: wildlife and even bacteria from these chemicals, research to date 370 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 1: has shown little definitive human health effects of forever chemicals 371 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 1: on adults. That's good news. However, we do know that 372 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,640 Speaker 1: forever chemicals affect the fat in our blood, and that 373 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 1: fat is really important to fetal development. This, he says, 374 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: is the largest gap in our knowledge of human health effects. Quote. 375 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:13,960 Speaker 1: My fear is that if and when we do see 376 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 1: concrete evidence in humans, it will be in children who 377 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: were exposed in utero or in early childhood to these chemicals. Therefore, 378 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: it's my opinion that women of child bearing age, pregnant 379 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,399 Speaker 1: women and children are the ones who should take the 380 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: greatest care in eliminating as much exposure as possible. And 381 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 1: I know what you're thinking. First it's cigarettes and alcohol, 382 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: Now it's fish. Pregnant ladies can't get a break. So 383 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: there you go. You don't have to stop eating freshwater fish, 384 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:45,919 Speaker 1: but if you live in the Great Lakes region, it 385 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: might be a good idea to limit the amount of 386 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:51,639 Speaker 1: fish you consume, especially if you're pregnant or planning to be. 387 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 1: That's all I've got for you this week. Thank you 388 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: so much for listening as per usual, right in to 389 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: a s k C A L. That's ask Cal at 390 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: the Meat Eater dot com and let me know what's 391 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: going on in your neck of the woods. Also, if 392 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,280 Speaker 1: that wood pile is getting low from these Arctic blasts 393 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,199 Speaker 1: we've been getting, check out www dot steel Dealers dot 394 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 1: com to find a local, knowledgeable steel dealer near you. 395 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: They're gonna get you set up with a ripping chainsaw, 396 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: either gas powered or electric. It's gonna buck up that 397 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:24,320 Speaker 1: wood faster than you. She's not gonna clog up or 398 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 1: bogged down, and I'll be ready for you the next 399 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: time you want to use. They're gonna get you set 400 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: up with what you need, and they won't try to 401 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: send you home with what you don't. Thanks again, I'll 402 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:42,480 Speaker 1: talk to you next week.