WWPBlog

Frog research to help cattle survive drought.

CSIRO scientists hope studies on a western Queensland burrowing frog will help to improve Australia’s beef industry.

Dr Nick Hudson says the fact the frogs can spend months or years underground in times of drought and emerge with no muscle wastage has great scope for livestock.

He is looking for a link between the frogs and cattle that do better in drought conditions.

"We’re not interested in genetic engineering at all - what we want is to identify the key genes in the frog and use that to see if those same genes exist in natural livestock populations, and if they do then we can think about selecting for those animals specifically and they’ll be animals that are really economical with their feed," Dr Hudson said.

After the current season, graziers will be well pleased not to have their cattle croak.

Today the Idaho Department of Fish and Game released its summary of comments on the Department’s proposed killing of 43 wolves in the Lolo Region of northern Idaho. The summary has not yet been posted to the IDFG web site.

In a heartwarming touch of Idaho irony, the Department chose Joe Hinson of Emmett, Idaho to compile and produce the summary of over 42,000 comments received by Fish and Game. Joe is married to Margaret Soulen Hinson of Soulen Livestock that is among the largest sheep ranching operations and largest landowners in Idaho and which has had more sheep killed by wolves than any other sheep ranch in Idaho.

Notwithstanding this special choice, the comments still are overwhelmingly opposed to the killing of wolves. Thanks to a special effort by Defenders of Wildlife over 41,000 comments were opposed to the killings. Even among identified comments by Idahoans the comments are more than two to one opposed to the killing of wolves.

Harpers this month: A lengthy cover story on the case to impeach Bush. The feature, written by Lewis A. Lapham relies heavily on a much-ignored report by Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan) detailing GW’s abuse of power in the leadup to the war.

"Before reading the report, I wouldn’t have expected to find myself thinking that such a course of action was either likely or possible; after reading the report, I don’t know why we would run the risk of not impeaching the man. We have before us in the White House a thief who steals the country’s good name and reputation for his private interest and personal use; a liar who seeks to instill in the American people a state of fear; a televangelist who engages the United States in a never-ending crusade against all the world’s evil, a wastrel who squanders a vast sum of the nation’s wealth on what turns out to be a recruiting drive certain to multiply the host of our enemies. In a word, a criminal—known to be armed and shown to be dangerous."

Only available online in excerpt form to nonsubscribers.

Available to everyone: Center for Constitutional Rights has articles of impeachment written and ready to go, here

The article in Sunday’s Idaho Statesman that chronicles the beleagured cattle ranch empire of Idaho State Senator Brad Little is a little disingenuous about the presures caused by rapid residential development in Ada County, idaho (the State’s most populous county).

If Brad Little really were interested in stopping the spread of subdivisions on private lands in the county, he could have chosen an alternative to selling much of his land to out-of-state developers. He could have placed a conservation easement on his lands to forever prevent their subdivision.

But like most ranchers the Little ‘Empire" cares little for what becomes of the landscapes his grandfather Andy Little, the "sheep king of Idaho", acquired for a few cents an acre 80 years ago. Instead vast sums will be paid  to line the pockets of the Little "Empire" while Brad continues his ranching activities on hundreds of thousands of acres of private and public lands in Gem, Boise and Valley Counties.

Ranchers often talk a good line about disliking suburban development, but when push comes to shove they are first in line to sell out for top dollar. 

Ron Gillette the sometime stupidly amusing but always ignorant flack for killing wolves in Idaho got his in an excellent article by Boise Weekly’s regular columnist Bill Cope.

For a truly enjoyable read go here !