Space for wolverines

[Larry Caldwell]

In article <3615E26B.B58D3CF7 at forestmeister.com>, 
redoak at forestmeister.com says...
> dwheeler at teleport.com wrote:

> >    Worldwide, only six research project have been conducted on the wolverine,
> > including one by Jeff Copeland, Idaho Fish and Game Department biologist.
> > “In the U.S., they don’t eat your cows, they don’t tip over your garbage
> > cans, we don’t trap ‘em or shoot ‘em, so we just don’t care,” Copeland said.

Except Daniel didn't write that, the AP did.  With typical media abandon, 
the AP managed to get it all wrong.  An Idaho biologist probably wouldn't 
know it, but Oregon has had a non-game wildlife fund for 20 years now.

Southern Oregon is pretty far south to find Wolverines, which are 
northern species.  It would be more reasonable to look for them another 
10 degrees farther north.
 
> Good example of the different perspective taken by "natural resource
> professionals" like wildlife managers and foresters- and their
> opposites, the naturalists and enviros.

The article was a bit confused, but it sounds like Pellican Butte is 
going to be a ski resort.  It's not clear who owns it, but I doubt the 
resort developer wants any wolverines hanging around.  There will 
doubtless be enough snow cats, snow machines, slope groomers and 
avalanche cannons to make any wildlife move to another ridge.

Near as I can tell, the sale in the Winema National Forest is unrelated.  
The WNF used to the the Klamath Indian Reservation, until the BIA 
terminated the tribe and bought the reservation out from under them for 
$70 million.  The tribe sued and got their tribal status back, but didn't 
manage to recover the reservation.  There's no doubt the USFS and BIA 
pulled a fast one and cheated the tribe out of their holdings, though.  
It was out and out extortion.

In any case, the timber sale is unlikely to affect any wolverines, since 
wolverines are not a forest species.  
 
I'm sort of surprised that any editor let such a poorly written piece see 
print, but modern journalism has devolved to mostly trash and 
sensationalism.  

-- Larry