1 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: From Meat Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This 2 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: is Cow's Week in Review with Ryan cow Calaan. Here's 3 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: cal California. Officials are telling people to stop foraging wild 4 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: mushrooms after twenty one people were poisoned in the last 5 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: three weeks. Many of the cases occurred in the Monterey 6 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: and San Francisco Bay areas, and unfortunate foragers have experienced 7 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: acute liver injury and failure. Several patients have required admission 8 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: to an intensive care unit, and two may require liver transplants, 9 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: including a young child. As of December five, there has 10 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: been one confirmed adult death. The cause of the recent 11 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: uptick is unclear. I assume at least some of the 12 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: cases are from several members of the same household eating 13 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: bad mushroom rooms, but officials are describing the quote outbreak 14 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: using the same kind of language as when a virus 15 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: or bacteria spreads. But mushroom poisoning doesn't spread from person 16 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: to person. It's more than likely caused by the recent 17 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: rains and cooler weather, which have provided ideal mushroom growing conditions. 18 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: That's great for foragers, but it also means there's more 19 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: opportunity for error. In this case, most of the poisonings 20 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,119 Speaker 1: are linked to the death cap mushroom. As its name implies, 21 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: the death cap can be fatal to humans, but it 22 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: looks like other delicious and non poisonous varieties, such as 23 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: paddy straw mushrooms. Inexperienced foragers can easily mistake the two, 24 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: which is likely what happened in many of these cases. 25 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: Symptoms of mushroom poisoning can be similar to viral gastro 26 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: enteritis or what most people call stomach bug. Those symptoms 27 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: often improve within twenty four hours, but that improvement hides 28 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: the fact that the patient's liver might be damaged or failing. Obviously, 29 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: if you ever have reason to believe you've eaten a 30 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: poisonous mushroom, seek medical help immediately and tell the doctors 31 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: what happened. But if you're an experienced California forager, there 32 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: isn't any greater risk now than there was before. Public 33 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: health officials are trying to protect people from being poisoned, 34 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 1: but calling for an end to all foraging is, in 35 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: my opinion, an overreaction. Get people good information, but don't 36 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: try to keep them out of the woods. This week, 37 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: We've got are they Wolves, Jersey listener mail, atmospheric weather, 38 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: and so much more. But first I'm going to tell 39 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,119 Speaker 1: you about my week and old Snort and I got 40 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: back to reality. On the public land end of season, 41 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 1: Upland bird Hunting Front did seven and a half miles 42 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: of trudging through rotten snow and standing water in order 43 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,679 Speaker 1: to bring home one hungarian partridge. The little girl. 44 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: Worked her tail off and she flushed several hen pheasants, 45 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: but the roosters were elusive. The one hunt was fantastic. 46 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: Snort looked like a linebacker doing a scoop and score routine. 47 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 2: She flushed and retrieved our bird, all on the same 48 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 2: dead sprint. If you weren't really paying attention, the bird 49 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 2: would have appeared in her mouth by magic. Love does 50 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 2: not capture how a bird dog man feels when watching 51 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 2: his little yellow beast chest heaving mouthful of bird, but 52 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,959 Speaker 2: frozen in time, unable to move or complete the retrieve 53 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: because she needs to watch where the rest of the 54 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 2: covey lands be? Still my heart. Other than that, well, 55 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 2: Mike Lee is still attempting to sell off our public 56 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: lands its appropriations time of year, and he just threw 57 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 2: in some revisions that would enable the sell off or 58 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: transfer of National Park Service land, while also pushing for 59 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 2: the giving away for free without public review of twenty 60 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 2: or so acres of public land to the town of 61 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 2: brian Head to Utah, just given away nothing in return 62 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 2: for the American people. The chunk of public land has value, 63 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 2: or else the town would not want it, and we 64 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 2: the people, could facilitate its use by the town through 65 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 2: a lease, through a sale, or we could even structure 66 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 2: a deal in which the town gets control of the 67 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 2: land but would have to pay us if they ever 68 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 2: tried to sell it. But Olmike Lee just wants to 69 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 2: get rid of what's ours for nothing. On top of that, 70 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 2: we have the nomination of Steve Pierce as lead steward 71 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 2: of two hundred and forty million acres of public land 72 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 2: BLM director is what his title would be. Seems crazy 73 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 2: to me that we can't get a person in this 74 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: role who loves to hunt and fish and has a 75 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 2: background and extractive use that's not hard to find. So 76 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 2: why is our only option a guy who says selling 77 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 2: off our public lands is a good idea. Mister Pierce's 78 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 2: confirmation hearing should be coming up in the new year. 79 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 2: That's almost like a job interview. So I am curious 80 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 2: to know and I would love everybody to write in 81 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 2: and let me know what question you want your senator 82 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 2: to ask this guy during his job interview. Please right 83 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 2: in askcl Let me know it's your land, you're qualified 84 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 2: to ask. What should your senator ask mister Pierce during 85 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 2: this confirmation hearing? Now? Timing wise, you may be listening 86 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 2: to this on a Christmas drive someplace. If so or not, 87 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 2: Merry Christmas, Happy holidays. Please to know you, Thank you, 88 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to this here podcast. It means 89 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 2: a lot, and thank you to engineers Phil and Reva 90 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 2: and fantastic writers such as Jordan Sillers and Alex Tilney. 91 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 2: You guys are making the world go round. States are 92 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,559 Speaker 2: starting to get into session, got all sorts of action 93 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,040 Speaker 2: at the FED. So our real busy time of year 94 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 2: on this podcast is just coming up. Keeping you informed 95 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 2: on on legislation and policy that affects you. Get out 96 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 2: there enjoy our rights as public landowners and public wildlife appreciators. 97 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 2: You're going to need to refill the bucket so you 98 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 2: can go out and advocate on behalf of these incredibly 99 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,119 Speaker 2: special resources that we have access to. If you don't, 100 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 2: we may not have access to them for long. Moving 101 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 2: on to the wolf Desk, Colorado has received more bad 102 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 2: news about its wolf relocation program this week after the 103 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,679 Speaker 2: FEDS blocked the state from sourcing wolves from Canada. Almost 104 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 2: all of the surrounding states also declined to help, and 105 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 2: now the Confederated Tribes of the Callville Reservation in Washington 106 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 2: have rescinded their recent offer to supply wolves as well, 107 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 2: citing issues with Colorado's recovery program. The Centennial State seems 108 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:58,919 Speaker 2: to be out of options. This is the kind of 109 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 2: conflict we're almost always covering over here at the Wolf Desk. 110 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 2: Fights over reintroductions, depredation, the Endangered Species Act. Fights generally 111 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 2: about wolves being where people don't want them or not 112 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 2: being where other people do want them. But we learned 113 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 2: last week that once upon a time, on a small 114 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 2: island in Sweden, everyone did seem to want wolves arout. 115 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 2: European researchers recently discovered the bones of two wolves from 116 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 2: between thirty one hundred and forty two hundred years ago 117 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 2: in a cave on the very tiny Swedish island of 118 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 2: Stora Karsla. Stora Karsla is only one square mile in area, 119 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 2: and there are no mammals native to the island, meaning 120 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 2: that all the cow, sheep, goats, pigs, and mice whose 121 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 2: bones have been found there were brought to the island 122 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 2: by humans, or at least stowed away along with them. 123 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 2: That means that these wolves came along with humans as well. 124 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 2: Why would humans have wanted wolves on this little limestone 125 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 2: dot in the sea? Well, there are two theories for 126 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 2: how domestic dogs evolve to be the incredibly useful animals 127 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 2: I described earlier. Either wolves tamed themselves by adapting to 128 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 2: the human settlements they hung around, or humans took young 129 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 2: wolf pups while they were still trainable and kept breeding 130 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 2: those wolves until they became dogs. No one knows exactly 131 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 2: which story is the right one, but the Store of 132 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 2: Karsla find gives support to the wolf cub kidnapping theory 133 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 2: for a few reasons. First, the DNA of these canids 134 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:33,440 Speaker 2: is pure Eurasian wolf. That's some high street value. Okay, kids, 135 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 2: not pure Eurasian right there. These animals were not intermingling 136 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 2: with the dogs of the era and drifting away from 137 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 2: their wolf genetics. However, their DNA is fairly homogeneous, which 138 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 2: happens with all domesticated animals. The more that humans control 139 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 2: who animals mate with, the more similar their genetics get. 140 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 2: Testing of the bone tissue also revealed that these wolves 141 00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:00,839 Speaker 2: depended almost entirely on fish for their diet. If you've 142 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 2: ever seen a dog trying to bite a trout out 143 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 2: of the water, you know that the people almost certainly 144 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,080 Speaker 2: caught those fish and fed them to these wolves, which 145 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 2: makes sense as this island was used as a base 146 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 2: for fishing and seal hunting in the late Neolithic and 147 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 2: Bronze ages. One of the wolf leg bones also showed 148 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 2: signs of a chronic lesion that would have limited the 149 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 2: animal's ability to move, so human beings were likely taking 150 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:27,319 Speaker 2: care of this creaky dude. Ultimately, we still don't know 151 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 2: how the Big Bad Wolf turned into Old Snorticus, and 152 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 2: it likely happened a few different times in a few 153 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 2: different ways. But way back when, it seems that there 154 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 2: were actually purebred wolves who someone treated like snort from 155 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,439 Speaker 2: day one and it stuck. I started this story by 156 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 2: saying it showed a time when people weren't fighting about wolves, 157 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,640 Speaker 2: But you know, I bet there was someone out there 158 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 2: on Stora Karsla who four thousand years ago was hungry 159 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 2: and cold and annoyed with their weird cousin who had 160 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 2: brought those frickin' wolves out and was given them so 161 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 2: many fish to eat. Maybe wolf fights have actually been 162 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 2: with us from the very beginning. Two. Jumping over to 163 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 2: New Jersey call to action in the Garden State, an 164 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 2: anti hunting legislator who we've covered before, Ray Lesniak, is 165 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 2: attempting yet another strategy to end the bear hunt in 166 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 2: New Jersey. Big thanks to Andrew for sending this one in. 167 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 2: Back in October, a state appeals court throughout a lawsuit 168 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,199 Speaker 2: filed by Lesniak to stop the state's bear hunt by 169 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 2: challenging the authority of the New Jersey Fishing Game Council, 170 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:34,559 Speaker 2: the entity that oversees hunting and fishing regulation in the state. 171 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 2: Lesniak argued that because six of the eleven Fishing Game 172 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 2: Council members were nominated by the New Jersey State Federation 173 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 2: of Sportsmen's Clubs, a hunting in conservation advocacy group, the 174 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 2: council was in effect controlled by that private organization. In 175 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 2: denying the suit, the court countered that all members of 176 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 2: the council had been lawfully appointed by the governor and 177 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 2: confirmed by the state Senate. Well, this time, Lesniak is 178 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:01,920 Speaker 2: trying to pass a law changing the makeup of the 179 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 2: council itself. And by the way, he's a former state senator. 180 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 2: He retired in twenty eighteen and has just dedicated himself 181 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 2: to ending the bear hunt since then. Anyway, the bills 182 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,559 Speaker 2: he's sponsoring aims to replace three of the six sportsmen 183 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 2: on the council with members recommended to the governor by 184 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 2: the animal welfare organizations. Those members wouldn't be here to 185 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 2: weigh the pros and cons of shortening the state's woodcock 186 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 2: season or whatever. They would be there to end the 187 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:34,600 Speaker 2: bear hunt and probably all hunting at all costs. The 188 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 2: timing here is important. The New Jersey bear hunt is 189 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 2: currently authorized through twenty twenty seven, but the Fishing Game 190 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 2: Council has to reauthorize the hunt before the twenty twenty 191 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,560 Speaker 2: eight season can go ahead by changing the makeup of 192 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 2: the council. Now, anti hunters are hoping to just gum 193 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 2: up the works until the current authorization expires, thereby ending 194 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 2: the hunt. So New Jersey listeners, call your reps to 195 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 2: shoot these bills down. In the state Assembly, it's Bill 196 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 2: six zero, five to five. In the Senate it's Bill 197 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 2: four eight nine to three. We'll post these on the 198 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 2: cal To Action website, but it's really important to call 199 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 2: in opposition to these bills, even if they might fail 200 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 2: without your calls. This is a war of attrition, the 201 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 2: antizer calling their reps two and the press isn't very 202 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 2: sympathetic to bear hunting, So if elected officials don't hear 203 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 2: from us in a few years, they might go along 204 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 2: with this kind of nonsense. Get on those phones, send 205 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 2: those emails. Quick hit from our friends north of the border, 206 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 2: the Alberta government has declared feral pigs a quote unquote 207 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 2: pest in all circumstances, taking a series of bold steps 208 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 2: to reduce or eradicate them. Rooting pigs have devastated ecosystems 209 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:50,080 Speaker 2: in the province, and officials are also concerned that they 210 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 2: are spreading diseases like African swine fever and foot in 211 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,720 Speaker 2: mouth that could devastate the livestock industry in Canada. Therefore, 212 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 2: in an effort to remove pigs from the landscape, Alberta 213 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 2: is declaring it a crime to keep, transport, buy, or 214 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,959 Speaker 2: sell wild boars without a permit. No new wild boar 215 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 2: farms will be permitted, and the government is also planning 216 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 2: to wind down existing farms while making their owners whole. 217 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 2: Most relevant to our listeners, hunting and trapping pigs will 218 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,439 Speaker 2: now also be illegal in Alberta unless you're a landowner 219 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 2: on your own property. Although it's counterintuitive, local biologists have 220 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 2: observed that hunting pressure pushes and divides populations of feral pigs, 221 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 2: leading them to multiply more quickly and spread more widely 222 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 2: than they would otherwise. Professional population control agents will now 223 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,680 Speaker 2: be deployed using poison and other control measures. As we've 224 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 2: covered before, hunting is often an excellent tool for managing 225 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 2: numbers of a particular animal, but it also creates an 226 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 2: incentive for hunters to keep that animal on the landscape, 227 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 2: and in the case of feral pigs, that can be 228 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 2: disastrous for ecosystems, as we've seen in Texas and California 229 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 2: and elsewhere with hunters undermining hogs population control efforts. We'll 230 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 2: keep you up to date with other pig news as 231 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 2: it comes in. Moving on to the public lands desk, 232 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 2: Russ Fulture of Idaho made news this week when he 233 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 2: issued a letter claiming that the transfer of public land 234 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 2: from the federal government to the state and local entities 235 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 2: is quote imminent. Fulture penned the missive to Idaho's constitutional officers, 236 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 2: state legislators, and county commissioners. He claims to be fighting 237 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 2: to preserve and protect Idaho's precious natural resources and believes 238 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 2: the best way to do that is to give Idaho's 239 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 2: federal land to the state. The Feds control about sixty 240 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 2: two percent of Idaho's land mass, which totals about thirty 241 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 2: four point five million acres. Fulcher says Washington is doing 242 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 2: a poor job managing this land, which he blames for 243 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 2: last year's wildfires that burned one million acres. He also 244 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 2: says the state is losing out on tax revenue by 245 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 2: not controlling this property, and the rest of the country 246 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 2: is forced to pay subsidies to make up the difference. 247 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 2: He concludes, quote eventually, a transition of land management responsibility 248 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 2: to state and local entities is imminent due to the 249 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 2: aforementioned growing frustration. Now, Fulture claims he doesn't want these 250 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 2: lands to be sold and developed. He says he wants 251 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 2: them to remain public but be controlled by state and 252 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 2: local governments. If you've been following this debate, this is 253 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 2: an argument that should sound familiar. The Feds are causing 254 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 2: wildfires by mismanaging BLM and Forest Service land, so the 255 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 2: states should take control. The problem is the states don't 256 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 2: have the money to manage these lands. State wildlife agencies 257 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,160 Speaker 2: are all strapped for cash. They can't afford to do 258 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 2: the work necessary to mitigate wildfires. Of course, that's not 259 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 2: what this is really about. If you read Culture's letter carefully, 260 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 2: you'll notice that it's mostly about the lost tax revenue. 261 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 2: Western states see federal land as a potential source of 262 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 2: income for the state. They claim they don't want to 263 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 2: develop it, but developed land is far more lucrative from 264 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 2: a taxing perspective than undeveloped land. In most states, it's 265 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 2: much easier to sell state and local properties. So I 266 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 2: have a hard time believing legislators will keep their public 267 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 2: land promises when the budget gets tight. If you're being 268 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 2: criticized by your constituents because the public schools aren't funded 269 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 2: or your town needs a new hospital, that state controlled 270 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 2: wildlife management area starts looking more like dollar signs than 271 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 2: wildlife refuge and hunting opportunity. Moving on to a special 272 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 2: edition of the mail Bag, several people got in touch 273 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 2: with me this week following what turned out to be 274 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 2: a contentious meeting of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission. 275 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 2: The commissioners were there to discuss restricting the use of 276 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:41,040 Speaker 2: technology to hunt big game. These new proposed rules include 277 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 2: prohibitions on cellular trail cameras, night vision technology for scouting 278 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 2: and retrieval, and smart scopes for hunting. In making their decisions, 279 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 2: the Commission solicited comments from hunters using several kinds of 280 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 2: surveys and public input meetings. The problem was they appeared 281 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 2: to ignore the results of some of these surveys. One 282 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 2: survey indicated that seventy five percent of hunter's oppose banning 283 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 2: transmitting trail cams, while only twenty five percent would support 284 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,719 Speaker 2: such a ban. Despite this data, the Commission decided to 285 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 2: move forward with the prohibition. Listener Marcus Lother wrote me 286 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 2: an email echoing other comments I've seen. He said, quote 287 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 2: watching the recent IDFG meeting, discussion and vote was honestly painful. 288 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 2: I was born and raised in Idaho, and I've always 289 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 2: supported IDFG and viewed the department in a generally positive light, 290 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 2: even though I know many residents feel differently, but the 291 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 2: actions in that meeting made me genuinely uncomfortable. The way 292 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,679 Speaker 2: some members openly stated that public comments don't matter and 293 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:45,200 Speaker 2: that voted against the public survey results without any supporting 294 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 2: data was really troubling. Regardless of how someone feels about 295 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 2: the issue itself, it's hard to ignore how quickly excuses 296 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,520 Speaker 2: were made to dismiss the survey and how the final 297 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:59,440 Speaker 2: vote went completely against the majority of public input. Here's 298 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 2: Commissioner Ron Davies with what I assume is one of 299 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 2: the statements Marcus was referencing. 300 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 3: Commissioner Schurett and I have debated this quite extensively, and 301 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 3: I appreciate his passion for this. I agree with some 302 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,120 Speaker 3: of the statements he's made, and this twenty three hundred 303 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 3: people that showed an overwhelming opposition to making the changes. 304 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 3: I don't think that's indicative of the general hunting public. 305 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 3: Of the one hundred and thirty thousand hunting license as sould. 306 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 3: I don't know if that's the correct number or not, 307 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 3: but I think if you went out and were able 308 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:43,080 Speaker 3: to specifically ask the each of those license holders their 309 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,919 Speaker 3: feelings on that that they would I don't think you 310 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 3: would see those kind of numbers. And to Amber's point, 311 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 3: I think she made a great point with the fact 312 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 3: that the people that are going to be affected are 313 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 3: the ones that are going to actually respond to this. 314 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,400 Speaker 3: Those those that are going to see that they are 315 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 3: feel that they're losing something are going to be the 316 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 3: people that are going to respond to that. So, in 317 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 3: my personal opinion, I believe that the overwhelmingly that the 318 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 3: general public would be in support of this rule change. 319 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 3: Thank you. 320 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,159 Speaker 2: You can hear how Commissioner Davies cast some doubt on 321 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 2: the survey results that opposed a trail cam ban. I 322 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:31,320 Speaker 2: can see how that would upset some Idaho hunters, So 323 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,640 Speaker 2: I reached out to Ian Malpi, the director of marketing 324 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 2: for Idaho Fish and Game. Ian explained two big ideas. First, 325 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:41,879 Speaker 2: the Commission has a duty to consider more than just 326 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 2: public input when making a decision. They have to determine 327 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 2: whether policy will enhance or degrade the conservation of wild 328 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:52,240 Speaker 2: places and species. They have to consider how a policy 329 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:55,680 Speaker 2: will impact the economy, whether it's enforceable, and how it 330 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,880 Speaker 2: will impact recreational opportunities. A majority of hunters might agree 331 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:02,679 Speaker 2: with a new regulation, but if that regulation has a 332 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 2: negative impact on big game, the commission has an obligation 333 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 2: to oppose it. I'm not saying that's what is happening 334 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 2: in this case, but it's a principle that's important to 335 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 2: keep in mind when you're looking at these proceedings. Second 336 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 2: Ian pointed out that the survey indicating strong opposition to 337 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 2: bans on technology wasn't randomized or scientific. The respondents were 338 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:28,480 Speaker 2: what's called self selected, meaning they chose on their own 339 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,679 Speaker 2: to take the survey. The IDFG didn't reach out to 340 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:35,879 Speaker 2: an unbiased representative sample of hunters. As you heard Commissioner 341 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 2: Davies explain, the people who responded to that survey were 342 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:42,640 Speaker 2: more likely to have skin in the game. They probably 343 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,639 Speaker 2: use that kind of technology already, and so we're motivated 344 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 2: to respond in the negative. But that wasn't the only 345 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 2: feedback IDFG got from the general hunting public. They conducted 346 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 2: another randomized survey that yielded much different results. This survey 347 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 2: was more representative of Idaho hunters and found that forty 348 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 2: six percent of them believe trail cameras are not fair 349 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 2: Chase while fifty four percent of hunters said the opposite. 350 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 2: That still indicates opposition to a ban, but it's not 351 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,640 Speaker 2: nearly as strong as the first survey. What's more, while 352 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 2: the non randomized survey found opposition to bans on other 353 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:22,160 Speaker 2: kinds of technology, the second survey found the opposite. According 354 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,200 Speaker 2: to that survey, sixty three percent opposed the use of 355 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 2: smart optics to hunt big game, seventy seven opposed night 356 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,360 Speaker 2: vision and thermals, and ninety one percent opposed the use 357 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 2: of drones. Now, you might argue that the wording of 358 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 2: these two surveys impacted the results. The first specifically asked 359 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:44,360 Speaker 2: whether respondents would support a ban on these technologies, while 360 00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:47,800 Speaker 2: the second asked a more general question about their use 361 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 2: in hunting big game. Those are related but different questions. 362 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 2: I might personally oppose using certain technologies in the field 363 00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:58,199 Speaker 2: while still not wanting to see them ban, but the 364 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 2: Commission believed that the question were related enough to justify 365 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 2: moving forward with these proposed prohibitions on technology in the field. 366 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 2: Marcus ended his note by wondering whether it's even worth 367 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,960 Speaker 2: it to respond to surveys and submit comments if the 368 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:17,119 Speaker 2: Commission is willing to ignore those results. What's the point 369 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 2: of engaging in the process. I understand where the frustration 370 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,879 Speaker 2: comes from, but I want to encourage Marcus and everyone 371 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,119 Speaker 2: else who might feel the same. Don't stay on the sidelines. 372 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,879 Speaker 2: Wildlife officials might implement policies you don't like, But as 373 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,880 Speaker 2: Michael Scott once quoted Wayne Gretzky is saying, you miss 374 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 2: one hundred percent of the shots you don't take. You 375 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 2: might lose some battles, but always take your shot. Never 376 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 2: give your representative and regulators a free pass. If you 377 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 2: become loud enough, they have to start listening. I have 378 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 2: a lot of empathy for our fishing game agencies across 379 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 2: the board. They're in a tough spot. This is public 380 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,679 Speaker 2: wildlife that we're dealing with, and they are attempting to 381 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 2: balance long term ends with fast moving technology and social trends. 382 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 2: It is a tough, tough spot. This is not a 383 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:13,919 Speaker 2: conversation that's going away again. Technology application ethics right in. 384 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 2: Let me know what you think. That's all I got 385 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,399 Speaker 2: for you this week. Ask c Al. That's Askcal at 386 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 2: the meteater dot com. Merry Christmas, everybody. Whatever you celebrate, 387 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:28,439 Speaker 2: hopefully you work in some appreciation of our public lands, 388 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,880 Speaker 2: waters and wildlife. Like I said, get out there, soak 389 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 2: it all up and get ready to advocate for our 390 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 2: big opens places. Appreciate you. Thanks again, We'll talk to 391 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:40,400 Speaker 2: you next week.