WEBVTT - Ep. 470: Alcatraz Coyotes, Meat Allergies, and Testicle Brokers

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<v Speaker 1>From Meat Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This

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<v Speaker 1>is Cow's Week in Review with Ryan cow Klahan. Here's cal.

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<v Speaker 2>A new development with a now famous Montana man just

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<v Speaker 2>popped up. This is a little roundabout, so stick with me.

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<v Speaker 2>John Edward Luten is a licensed big game outfitter here

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<v Speaker 2>in the home state. According to our friends over at

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<v Speaker 2>the Missoulian, his case dates back to an October twenty

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen public land hunt for a Rocky Mountain big horn

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<v Speaker 2>sheep in the famed Missouri Breaks. The hunter client in

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<v Speaker 2>this case has not been disclosed, but he did kill

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<v Speaker 2>a Ram and Luton the guy had pocketed the rams

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<v Speaker 2>testicles or testes. Luton then went on to sell the

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<v Speaker 2>Rocky Mountain sheep oysters to a fellow by the name

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<v Speaker 2>of Arthur Jack Schubart for four hundred. That's a classic

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<v Speaker 2>four hundred for the set price. No news as to

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<v Speaker 2>what a single big horn test he would run. Shoe

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<v Speaker 2>Barth is the famous one. If that name rings a bell,

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<v Speaker 2>This guy has already been sentenced to twenty five thousand

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<v Speaker 2>dollars and fines in six months in jail. His case

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<v Speaker 2>garnered national attention, not just because of his crimes involving

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<v Speaker 2>native wildlife, but because he illegally imported parts of Marco

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<v Speaker 2>polo our golly sheep from Central Asia and then was

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<v Speaker 2>cloning them to create a purebread our gully sheep. He

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<v Speaker 2>called quote the Montana Mountain King. He went on to

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<v Speaker 2>cross breed the sheep to create Frankin sheep. That's a

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<v Speaker 2>terrible name to create a breed a sheep that would

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<v Speaker 2>live behind tall fences. Of course, you may have heard

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<v Speaker 2>this before right here on episode two sixty recorded that

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<v Speaker 2>one back in March at twenty four Shoe Barth extracted

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<v Speaker 2>the semen from the testicles of the big Horn sheep

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<v Speaker 2>and sold it to exotic game farm owners in Texas.

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<v Speaker 2>As you know from listening to the show, the trade

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<v Speaker 2>of wild game across state lines is banned under the

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<v Speaker 2>Lacy Act. In this case is a pretty cut and

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<v Speaker 2>dry violation of it. Looting pled guilty in US District Court,

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<v Speaker 2>and the maximum punishment for his crimes include a year

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<v Speaker 2>of prison and up to one hundred thousand dollars in fines.

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<v Speaker 2>I expect he'll get a much lighter sentence, and I'll

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<v Speaker 2>probably start eating those sheep testicles instead of trying to

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<v Speaker 2>sell them sliney satisflid. This week we've got coyotes, wolves, ticks,

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<v Speaker 2>and smoky mountain bears. But first, I'm going to tell

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<v Speaker 2>you about my week, and my week has been a cranking.

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<v Speaker 2>You got a bill out of Wyoming that would not

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<v Speaker 2>only end the roadless rule but make road building mandatory.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody's saying who's going to pay for that? We got

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<v Speaker 2>folks pushing like hell to start ripping up tundra to

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<v Speaker 2>build a two hundred and eleven mile road across caribou

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<v Speaker 2>migration corridors and spawning streams. And for those of us

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<v Speaker 2>who were dancing a jig over the reauthorization and fun

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<v Speaker 2>a VPA hip, which is the voluntary public access and

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<v Speaker 2>habitat improvement program commonly found associated with the farm bill, well,

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<v Speaker 2>as it turns out some of the provisions in this

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<v Speaker 2>new version are so restrictive states will not be able

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<v Speaker 2>to apply for those funds. In other words, we got

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of work to do if you like your

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<v Speaker 2>hunting and fishing and access to it just one small

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<v Speaker 2>example of what VPA hip funds do. And since we've

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<v Speaker 2>been bringing up Texas a bunch already, we'll just stick

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<v Speaker 2>with that as an example. One hundred percent of the

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<v Speaker 2>public river access programs which are through private ground are

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<v Speaker 2>funded through VPA hip. That's roughly half of the usage

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<v Speaker 2>in the whole state goes to providing public access to

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<v Speaker 2>rivers across private ground. So Texicans, if you're feeling like

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<v Speaker 2>your public access is scarce, might be good to ask

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<v Speaker 2>your senator to contact the Egg Committee and nrcs to

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<v Speaker 2>tell them that this new language around the VPA hip

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<v Speaker 2>program requires state agencies to submit to such intense eligibility

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<v Speaker 2>requirements that many states aren't actually allowed to disclose that

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<v Speaker 2>level of financial information, such as adjusted gross income from

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<v Speaker 2>individual landowners. Not only that, but there's a twenty five

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<v Speaker 2>percent admin fee attached to applications, which kicks back to

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<v Speaker 2>the Fed. The whole program was only funded at fifty

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<v Speaker 2>two million dollars. We're still digging into this one. It

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<v Speaker 2>may be a clerical error, it should be. It's typically

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<v Speaker 2>a pretty non partisan type of deal. But nonetheless, hunting

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<v Speaker 2>season is right around the corner. Plus I hear it

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<v Speaker 2>just gets hot in Old Texas in the summer. Would

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<v Speaker 2>be a real bummer to only stare at that river

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<v Speaker 2>just for fun. I also looked real quick at Iowa,

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<v Speaker 2>another great hunting state with very little public land. Iowa

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<v Speaker 2>typically draws one point five million dollars out of VPA

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<v Speaker 2>hip for that state's private land public access program. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>you'd typically have groups like Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever,

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<v Speaker 2>National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited that would have people

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<v Speaker 2>on the ground doing technical assistance to help individual operators

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<v Speaker 2>work through the bureaucracy and apply for these funds. But

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<v Speaker 2>that technical assistance funding has also gone out the window,

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<v Speaker 2>so in many cases those staffs just don't exist anymore. Still,

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<v Speaker 2>great folks over there, it's worth giving a call if

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<v Speaker 2>you want to try to work through this stuff between

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<v Speaker 2>tariffs and the price of diesel. Our friends on the

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<v Speaker 2>egg side of the fence could use an easy button,

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<v Speaker 2>not a fifty two million dollar pot minus the juice,

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<v Speaker 2>of course that they can't access, or perhaps instead of

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<v Speaker 2>juice here you're familiar with the vig anyway, Arkansas Senator

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<v Speaker 2>Boozeman or Bozeman is the chair of the Senate agg Committee,

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<v Speaker 2>may be worth giving his office a shout and asking

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<v Speaker 2>politely for them to check into this. You razorbacks pulled

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<v Speaker 2>two point one million dollars out last cycle for private

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<v Speaker 2>land public access in Arkansas. Moving on or backwards rather

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<v Speaker 2>in time, Remember Wayne's world when they did like the deli. Anyway,

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<v Speaker 2>all the way back to January, the beginning of the

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<v Speaker 2>year bright Eyed Bushy tailed first down the job as

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<v Speaker 2>the new President CEO of b H A whole world

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<v Speaker 2>ahead of them. Anyway. Back in January, surveillance video out

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<v Speaker 2>of none other than the Rock Alcatraz captured a coyote

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<v Speaker 2>climbing out of the water onto the former prison island.

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<v Speaker 2>Alcatraz is, of course, famously the most secure and miserable

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<v Speaker 2>penitentiary in history. It's a mile away from the closest mainland,

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<v Speaker 2>and that coyote had to navigate notoriously cold and fast

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<v Speaker 2>running currents to get out there. Biologists, of course, were fascinated,

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<v Speaker 2>speculating that the coyote had made the swim to try

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<v Speaker 2>to find a mate after getting boxed out of a

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<v Speaker 2>home pack in San Francisco. They collected scat samples and

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<v Speaker 2>sent them out for analysis at UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory.

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<v Speaker 2>When those results came back, they revealed something even more incredible.

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<v Speaker 2>This Michael Phelps of cannids did not come from San

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<v Speaker 2>fran but was instead part of the pack from Angel

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<v Speaker 2>Island further north in the Bay, which means that this

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<v Speaker 2>coyote swam almost two full miles through some of the

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<v Speaker 2>most treacherous water in North America to get to Alcatraz,

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<v Speaker 2>which is not a destination pretty good for a dog paddler. Two.

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<v Speaker 2>Angel Island itself is three quarters of a mile away

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<v Speaker 2>from the nearest land mass, which scientists at one time

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<v Speaker 2>thought was way too far for coyotes to make that huck.

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<v Speaker 2>This mail apparently found out pretty quick that there were

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<v Speaker 2>no dating prospects out on the island, because soon after

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<v Speaker 2>the scientists set up their trail cams and other monitoring equipment,

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<v Speaker 2>the coyote had vanished. So in addition to making it

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<v Speaker 2>out to Alcatraz, he also seems to have escaped. How

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<v Speaker 2>in the name of Zeus's ball did you get out

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<v Speaker 2>of yourself? If biologists are right that this male was

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<v Speaker 2>trying to find a mate, I have to imagine the

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<v Speaker 2>ladies back on Angel Island were very, very impressed with

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<v Speaker 2>this feat of daring. Maybe in a couple of months

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<v Speaker 2>we'll see a litter of coyote puppies born who will

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<v Speaker 2>one day swim the English Channel speaking of disappeared canids.

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<v Speaker 2>The state of Wyoming has proposed cutting its wolf hunting

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<v Speaker 2>objectives in half in response to an outbreak of canine

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<v Speaker 2>distemper affecting the wolves in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem or

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<v Speaker 2>the guye. The distemper virus affects the respiratory, digestive, and

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<v Speaker 2>nervous systems of animals and is almost always fatal for

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<v Speaker 2>juvenile wolves. Sixty four percent of the wolves that be

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<v Speaker 2>Wyoming biologists caught and released last year tested positive. The

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<v Speaker 2>outbreak has led to a significant drop in wolf numbers.

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<v Speaker 2>This year, two hundred and fifty three wolves and fourteen

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<v Speaker 2>breeding pairs retality in the Cowboy State as a whole,

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<v Speaker 2>down from three hundred and thirty wolves and twenty four

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<v Speaker 2>breeding pairs at the end of twenty twenty five. However,

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<v Speaker 2>in the region of Wyoming around a Yellowstone, the so

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<v Speaker 2>called trophy Game area, population counts found just ten breeding pairs.

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<v Speaker 2>The terms of removing this population of gray wolves from

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<v Speaker 2>the federal Endangered Species list included a requirement to maintain

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<v Speaker 2>at least ten breeding pairs in the trophy game area,

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<v Speaker 2>so Wyoming is right up against that threshold. The smaller hunt.

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<v Speaker 2>Wyoming this year aims to increase the number of wolves

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<v Speaker 2>in this zone from one thirty two to one sixty,

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<v Speaker 2>which is the state objective to stay in line with

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<v Speaker 2>the delisting agreement. Wyoming Game and Fish Department wolf biologist

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<v Speaker 2>Ken Mills told wyofile quote, we want to grow the

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<v Speaker 2>population by twenty eight wolves. To accomplish that, Wyoming is

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<v Speaker 2>limiting hunters to twenty two wolves this season in the

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<v Speaker 2>Trophy area, down from forty four last year. Of course,

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<v Speaker 2>some of you listeners out there will say maybe it's

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<v Speaker 2>a better idea to take a hiatus from the hunt

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<v Speaker 2>altogether until the distemper outbreak is over to avoid these

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<v Speaker 2>animals potentially going back on the e SA. Some others

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<v Speaker 2>might say we should keep hunt objectives right where they

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<v Speaker 2>are since hunters haven't hit those limits in the past

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<v Speaker 2>and wolves are extremely difficult to hunt well. No matter

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<v Speaker 2>what you believe, you're in luck, Wyoming Fishing Game is

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<v Speaker 2>taking public comments on these changes through June ten. Head

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<v Speaker 2>over to WGFD dot Yo dot gov to find the

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<v Speaker 2>details about submitting comments online and in person, and if

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<v Speaker 2>you have a take on this one. You'd like me

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<v Speaker 2>to consider right in to ask c Al. That's Ascal

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<v Speaker 2>at the meeteater dot com. And I've been neglecting to

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<v Speaker 2>tell people about the darn phone number, so you you

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<v Speaker 2>don't have to bruise those dainty typing fingers and just

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<v Speaker 2>give me a hauler at four oh six two two

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<v Speaker 2>oh six four four one four oh six two two

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<v Speaker 2>zero six four four one and just leave me a

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<v Speaker 2>message jumping over to the TIIC desk. Last week, the

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<v Speaker 2>state of Pennsylvania began tracking cases of alpha gal syndrome

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<v Speaker 2>after disc covering hundreds of positive tests. The Keystone State

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<v Speaker 2>is absolutely crawling with ticks, so public health officials are

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<v Speaker 2>hoping to educate their populace about alpha gal or AGS

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<v Speaker 2>so it can be treated before people have severe reactions.

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<v Speaker 2>According to several recent surveys, most doctors aren't familiar with

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<v Speaker 2>AGS and are therefore unlikely to diagnose it despite warning signs.

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<v Speaker 2>Although Pennsylvania is now collecting this information, the state's blood

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<v Speaker 2>testing labs aren't legally required to test for AGS or

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<v Speaker 2>report positive cases. Arkansas, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are the

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<v Speaker 2>only states that currently mandate reporting of AGS, but we

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<v Speaker 2>will definitely start seeing more states adopt those rules as

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<v Speaker 2>the condition spreads. Interestingly, the problem of AGS today is

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<v Speaker 2>started with the solution to a much bigger problem about

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<v Speaker 2>twenty eight million years ago. According to geneticis our primate

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<v Speaker 2>ancestors evolved this strong immune response to the alpha gal

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<v Speaker 2>compound because deadly viruses and bacterial infections were attacked to

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<v Speaker 2>those sugars to make it past the host's immune defenses.

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<v Speaker 2>Although scientists can't tell what those diseases were, they seem

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<v Speaker 2>to have wiped out the majority of our lineage of

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<v Speaker 2>primates all those years ago. The individuals who adapted by

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<v Speaker 2>rejecting alpha gal particles entirely were able to avoid these diseases. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 2>that inheritance now ruins eating a cheeseburger once the alpha

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<v Speaker 2>gal sugar enters your system and prompts that same immune

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<v Speaker 2>response to red meat, which is all interesting context but

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't change the game plan for all of you in

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<v Speaker 2>tick heavy states, wear long pants tucked into socks, spray

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<v Speaker 2>all your outdoor clothes with permethron, check yourself and your

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<v Speaker 2>pets once you get home, mention AGS to your friends

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<v Speaker 2>and your doctor, and maybe most importantly, don't let this

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<v Speaker 2>keep you inside. You can still get out there. You

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<v Speaker 2>just need to stay vigilant, on top of your game. Frosty,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe when it comes to those little hangers on who

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<v Speaker 2>think your blood tastes delicious. Jumping over to the DC,

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<v Speaker 2>Trump's number three official at the Department of the Interior,

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<v Speaker 2>Karen bud Fallon, is facing a series of corruption charges

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<v Speaker 2>over her handling of several land use issues in the West.

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<v Speaker 2>First up, while serving at the DOI in twenty nineteen,

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<v Speaker 2>bud Fallon met with the leadership of a lithium mining

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<v Speaker 2>company that was trying to get a permit for a

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<v Speaker 2>new mine, which it did later receive. However, bud Fallon's

0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:26.680
<v Speaker 2>husband had sold water rights to this same mind for

0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.600
<v Speaker 2>three point five million dollars, a sum that would only

0:13:29.640 --> 0:13:33.360
<v Speaker 2>be paid if the approval were granted. Although there's no

0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:37.040
<v Speaker 2>documentation of bud Fallon putting her thumb on the scale

0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:40.199
<v Speaker 2>to push the permit through, it was a clear conflict

0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:43.600
<v Speaker 2>of interest and she never listed that direct financial benefit

0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:47.839
<v Speaker 2>on any of her financial disclosure forms. Additionally, there is

0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.120
<v Speaker 2>a recent video recording of bud Fallon where she discusses

0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:54.160
<v Speaker 2>participating in revisions to grazing policy in the West to

0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:57.920
<v Speaker 2>benefit her own ranching operation and those like it. She

0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:00.160
<v Speaker 2>states in the video quote, if you have place, this

0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:02.760
<v Speaker 2>is like in northern Nevada where my father in law's

0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:06.840
<v Speaker 2>place is. We added categorical exclusions so you can move

0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:10.040
<v Speaker 2>cattle in there. According to reporting by the news outlet

0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:13.600
<v Speaker 2>Public Domain, Bud Fallon's father in law passed away several

0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.319
<v Speaker 2>years ago, so the ranch she mentions is now owned

0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:19.840
<v Speaker 2>by her husband. She goes on. The thing that probably

0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.200
<v Speaker 2>was the closest to my heart was grazing regulations. This

0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:26.120
<v Speaker 2>is an interesting one, right because you kind of want

0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:29.400
<v Speaker 2>people who know what grazing is to be dealing with

0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:34.600
<v Speaker 2>grazing regulations. But the way the system set up is

0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:38.360
<v Speaker 2>you are supposed to put yourself in a position to

0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:42.920
<v Speaker 2>where you aren't directly dealing with things that are going

0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:47.320
<v Speaker 2>to personally benefit you. You just got to abstain, sit back,

0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:50.080
<v Speaker 2>and let somebody else take care of that one. During

0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:53.440
<v Speaker 2>the first Trump administration, when Bud Fallon had a much

0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:57.360
<v Speaker 2>narrower role, she barred herself from working on grazing policy

0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:01.080
<v Speaker 2>or even discussing it due to these severe conflict of interest.

0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:06.080
<v Speaker 2>What has changed, we don't know. Additionally, the BLM has

0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:09.640
<v Speaker 2>just revoked a grazing allotment by an operation here in

0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:13.840
<v Speaker 2>Montana called American Prairie. The owner of one of those

0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:17.600
<v Speaker 2>allotments was a client of Bud fallonce when she was

0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:21.360
<v Speaker 2>a private lawyer, at which time she requested that exact

0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:25.680
<v Speaker 2>permit be revoked back in twenty twenty two. So you know,

0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:30.000
<v Speaker 2>there's just like a lot there that many people would say,

0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:33.520
<v Speaker 2>what's the uh, you know, shame on you, shame on

0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:38.480
<v Speaker 2>me type of thing. It fooled me.

0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:40.880
<v Speaker 1>We can't get fooled again, you.

0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:45.760
<v Speaker 2>Guys, get it. Moving on to the Great Smoky Mountains

0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:49.320
<v Speaker 2>National Park, which has closed down certain trails after several

0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:53.240
<v Speaker 2>visitors had dangerous encounters with black bears there. Access was

0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:56.800
<v Speaker 2>suspended to the Ramsey Cascades trail after two separate incidents

0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:59.800
<v Speaker 2>of bears stealing backpacks and one of a bear chasing

0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:03.160
<v Speaker 2>a group of hikers. The Abrams Falls trail was closed

0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:05.680
<v Speaker 2>after a bear attacked person who had gone into an

0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:08.880
<v Speaker 2>off limits area. Great Smoking Mountains Park is the most

0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:12.080
<v Speaker 2>visited national park in the country and has almost two

0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:15.720
<v Speaker 2>thousand black bears, many of whom know very well that

0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:18.800
<v Speaker 2>where there are people, there are easy calories. Most of

0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:20.600
<v Speaker 2>the time, you don't have to worry about attacks when

0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:23.560
<v Speaker 2>you're in a black bear country because they're much less

0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:27.360
<v Speaker 2>aggressive than grizzlies. But this is an exception. This is

0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:31.480
<v Speaker 2>what you call habituated bears. If you're headed out there,

0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.080
<v Speaker 2>stay alert, stay together with your hiking companions, and make

0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:39.640
<v Speaker 2>sure your food is secure. Keep yourself and the gritters safe.

0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:46.360
<v Speaker 2>Moving on to the highway desk, two senators recently unveiled

0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:48.720
<v Speaker 2>a bill that would put an interstate smack dab in

0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:50.480
<v Speaker 2>the middle of one of the most scenic and wildlife

0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:54.120
<v Speaker 2>filled valleys in North America. Submitted by John Cornyan of

0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:57.880
<v Speaker 2>Texas with support from Cynthia Loomis or Lummas of Wyoming,

0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:01.120
<v Speaker 2>the I forty seven Future Interstate Act is a proposal

0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:03.920
<v Speaker 2>to create a four lane thoroughfare that would extend eighteen

0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:07.040
<v Speaker 2>hundred miles from Shoto, Montana, down to the Gulf Coast

0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.760
<v Speaker 2>city of Port Arthur. Quote. By upgrading one of our

0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:14.480
<v Speaker 2>nation's longest highways to a future interstate, the legislation will

0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:18.439
<v Speaker 2>increase economic growth and improve safety, all while honoring the

0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:23.600
<v Speaker 2>most consequential president of our lifetime, said Corner. However, the

0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:27.359
<v Speaker 2>impact on wildlife of the upgraded road could be consequential,

0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:30.639
<v Speaker 2>particularly in the Madison Valley of southwest Montana, which is

0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:33.720
<v Speaker 2>considered a critical crossroads for all kinds of critters in

0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:36.879
<v Speaker 2>the Greater Yellstone ecosystem, not to mention the location of

0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:39.960
<v Speaker 2>the world famous trout fishery the Madison River, and in

0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:43.399
<v Speaker 2>that area, some of the wildlife, such as elk, are migratory,

0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:46.720
<v Speaker 2>which could make the potential disruption from the interstate even

0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.400
<v Speaker 2>more severe of an issue. As it stands, the proposed

0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.320
<v Speaker 2>interstate is a long way off, and as things sit

0:17:52.440 --> 0:17:54.480
<v Speaker 2>right now, I just think, boy, I have a hard

0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:58.119
<v Speaker 2>time seeing folks spending money on something like that and

0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:00.760
<v Speaker 2>knowing all this beautiful country as a mind. Ontana kid,

0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:04.399
<v Speaker 2>I think we're fine without it. Moving on to the

0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:09.919
<v Speaker 2>poison control desk, the Golden State is experiencing an unprecedented

0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:13.359
<v Speaker 2>rash of poisonings from wild mushrooms. According to the California

0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.960
<v Speaker 2>Department of Public Health, there have been some forty seven

0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:20.680
<v Speaker 2>poisonings since last November, including four deaths and four liver transplants.

0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.920
<v Speaker 2>The scale of the poisonings is prompting experts to call

0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:27.560
<v Speaker 2>it the largest known outbreak of deadly mushroom poisonings in

0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:31.359
<v Speaker 2>US history. In the past, California typically recorded fewer than

0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:35.360
<v Speaker 2>five wild mushroom poisoning cases each year. There are likely

0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:39.040
<v Speaker 2>a couple factors at play in the recent outbreak. Public

0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:42.440
<v Speaker 2>health officials say that spring rains have created an abnormally

0:18:42.520 --> 0:18:46.080
<v Speaker 2>high amount of aptly named destroying angels and death cap

0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:49.359
<v Speaker 2>mushrooms on the landscape. Those mushrooms can be confused for

0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:55.840
<v Speaker 2>popular eaten mushrooms such as matsutaki, amanita, verna, kokora, small puffballs, buttons,

0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:58.679
<v Speaker 2>and more. Both destroying angels and death caps are known

0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:02.200
<v Speaker 2>to cause organ failure. The increased presence of the mushrooms

0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:04.600
<v Speaker 2>on the landscape likely doesn't fully account for why the

0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:08.680
<v Speaker 2>spate of poisonings is happening at such an unusually large scale.

0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.679
<v Speaker 2>Several victims were international visitors who did not have a

0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:15.480
<v Speaker 2>good understanding of English. Additionally, some folks worry that people

0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:19.439
<v Speaker 2>are using AI powered applications to identify wild mushrooms, and

0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:22.720
<v Speaker 2>that those apps are not accurate enough to base life

0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:26.240
<v Speaker 2>threatening decisions on. I'll be darned AI is not here

0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:29.480
<v Speaker 2>to save us. The California Department of Public Health has

0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.840
<v Speaker 2>issued warnings urging people not to forage mushrooms, and there

0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:35.600
<v Speaker 2>are many many public lands in the state where mushroom

0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:39.720
<v Speaker 2>foraging is strictly forbidden, ostensibly to prevent poisonings from happening.

0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:43.720
<v Speaker 2>This abstinence only approach reminds me of sixth grade sex

0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:46.359
<v Speaker 2>ed and this tactic doesn't have the best track record

0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:49.840
<v Speaker 2>of success in my opinion. A better approach might be

0:19:49.880 --> 0:19:55.280
<v Speaker 2>to increase access to reputable resources for safe foraging practices. Regardless, though,

0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:57.919
<v Speaker 2>the ration of poisonings is a mortal reminder of the

0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:00.000
<v Speaker 2>risk that you face if you aren't able to add

0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:04.200
<v Speaker 2>accurately identify wild mushrooms before you consume them. We'll keep

0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:07.840
<v Speaker 2>an eye on this outbreak going forward, though hopefully people

0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:11.080
<v Speaker 2>learn from the mistakes of others and avoid chopping down

0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:14.160
<v Speaker 2>on deadly mushrooms in the weeks, months, and years to come.

0:20:16.240 --> 0:20:18.960
<v Speaker 2>Not all smallmouth bass are the same here at the

0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:22.680
<v Speaker 2>fish Desk. This coming from researcher Joe C. Gunn and

0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:26.919
<v Speaker 2>Andrew T. Taylor, who reviewed decades of genetic and genomic

0:20:27.040 --> 0:20:30.199
<v Speaker 2>science on one of America's favorite sport fish. The result

0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:32.960
<v Speaker 2>gun and tailor. That's a G and T by the way,

0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:36.480
<v Speaker 2>So that smallmouth bass should more appropriately be called the

0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:39.680
<v Speaker 2>quote smallmouth bass species complex.

0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:43.439
<v Speaker 1>Fill the engineer here. Cowl's audio recording had a small

0:20:43.560 --> 0:20:45.040
<v Speaker 1>glitch in it, so I'm just going to fill in

0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:48.159
<v Speaker 1>a few seconds of what was corrupted here. Under the

0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:52.040
<v Speaker 1>small mouth bass species complex nomenclature, there are four distinct

0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:55.800
<v Speaker 1>lineages of smallies, the widespread northern smallmouth bass, as well

0:20:55.800 --> 0:20:58.920
<v Speaker 1>as the Neoshio bass, the Watchitah bass, and the little

0:20:58.960 --> 0:20:59.560
<v Speaker 1>River bass.

0:21:00.160 --> 0:21:03.800
<v Speaker 2>Gun and Taylor say that despite serious similarities, the lineages

0:21:03.840 --> 0:21:07.520
<v Speaker 2>started evolving separately over a million years ago. While the

0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:11.639
<v Speaker 2>research likely won't change what most anglers call good olds smallies,

0:21:12.080 --> 0:21:16.480
<v Speaker 2>it may have important implications for conservation practices. Further work

0:21:16.560 --> 0:21:20.320
<v Speaker 2>is still needed before the new taxonomy is officially implemented.

0:21:21.119 --> 0:21:22.919
<v Speaker 2>That's all I got for you this week. Thank you

0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:27.240
<v Speaker 2>so much for listening. Remember to write into ask c Al.

0:21:27.359 --> 0:21:30.560
<v Speaker 2>That's Asscal at the meat eater dot Com. Let me

0:21:30.600 --> 0:21:32.280
<v Speaker 2>know what's going on in your neck of the woods.

0:21:32.720 --> 0:21:36.560
<v Speaker 2>You know I appreciate it. Once again. The number if

0:21:36.600 --> 0:21:38.600
<v Speaker 2>you want to just give me a holler, it's four

0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:41.800
<v Speaker 2>oh six two two zero six four four one. Leave

0:21:41.800 --> 0:21:47.879
<v Speaker 2>me a message. Thanks again. We'll talk to you next week,