Second wolf hunting season opens in Montana this September

It's been a summer of contention for the Endangered Species Act, and gray wolves are about to find out how their status changed.

This Saturday, Sept. 3, the second wolf hunt of the 21st century opens in Montana. Wolves were previously delisted in 2009, before being reinstated in 2010.

This April, Congress lifted federal protections of wolves in Montana and Idaho as well as parts of Oregon, Utah and Washington. The removal of wolves in these states from the endangered species list takes away their federal protections and hands management of the animals over to state wildlife agencies. Wolves in Wyoming will remain listed as an endangered species.

This year's congressional involvement came after Judge Molloy ruled in August 2010 that endangered species in different states could not be managed separately.

"Including hunters in wolf management is still a pretty new practice and a learning experience," said Vivaca Crowser, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson. "It's exciting, because hunters are so much a part of wildlife management. Now wolves are part of this management as well."

Numerous groups, including the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Clearwater and WildEarth Guardians, sought to overturn this congressional action, arguing Congress overstepped its authority in doing so. Yet, last Thursday District Court Judge Donald Molloy rejected arguments to stop this fall's wolf hunt ,while the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decides if the act of Congress was constitutional.

"Licenses sold quickly in 2009 [for the wolf hunt]," Crowser said. "This was due in part to the novelty of it being the first hunt. This year, people haven't been too sure if the hunt was going to continue, but with the ruling earlier this month, people are more confident in spending money for tags."

Other conservation organizations continue to question whether the current wolf populations are sufficiently recovered.

"Looking particularly at Idaho, and somewhat for Montana, wolves are being irresponsibly managed," said Gary MacFarlane, director of Friends of the Clearwater, a conservation organization based in Idaho.

"In Idaho, they have no specific limits on how many wolves can be killed, they can be trapped in some wilderness areas and the season can last up to 10 months," Macfarlane said. "It's an all out assault on wolves."

Though his organization did not succeed in halting this year's hunt, Macfarlane thinks there is a strong legal case to declare the Congressional move unconstitutional.

He said wolf management in states like Minnesota is an example of responsible management, because they won't even consider a wolf hunt for another five years.

There they are looking at wolf behavior and how a pack structure is changed when dominant males are killed.

"You have younger males vying for territory and fragmented packs may turn to livestock for food," he said.

Yet, state wildlife agencies have determined that populations are healthy enough to support a wolf hunt to benefit wildlife and people alike. Hunters in Montana may take 220 wolves in this year's hunt. As of Aug. 28, there were 5,331 resident wolf tags and 34 non-resident tags sold in Montana alone.

Gray Wolf Conservation and Management

Introduction The gray wolf is an endangered species throughout Washington under state law and is endangered under federal law in the western two-thirds of the state. Wolves were once common throughout most of Washington, but declined rapidly from being aggressively killed during the expansion of ranching and farming between 1850 and 1900. Wolves were essentially eliminated as a breeding species from the state by the 1930s, although infrequent reports of animals continued in the following decades, suggesting that small numbers of individuals continued to disperse into Washington from neighboring states and British Columbia. Reliable reports of wolves have been increasing in Washington since 2005 due in part to the recent recovery of wolf populations in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Washington now has a small breeding population of wolves in the initial stages of recovery. The state’s first fully confirmed wolf pack in many years was discovered in Okanogan County in 2008. This was followed by the discovery of single additional packs in Pend Oreille County in 2009 and 2010. In July 2011 packs were confirmed in both Kittitas and Stevens Counties. In 2007, in response to the expected return of wolves and the state management responsibility following federal delisting (as well as state law WAC 232-12-297 requirements), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) began developing a conservation and management plan for the species. The plan addresses two major issues: (1) recovery objectives and strategies for downlisting and delisting wolves at the state level. (2) management strategies to reduce and address wolf-livestock conflicts. Development of the plan in ongoing. The final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Recommended plan has been completed and will be presented to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for consideration in August 2011.

Conservation Groups Lose Last Bid to Stop ID and MT Wolf Hunts

(SAN FRANCISCO)- Conservation groups can't convince the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an injunction against upcoming wolf hunts in the Northern Rockies, with the panel rejecting arguments the rule allowing hunts is unconstitutional.

The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and other groups had argued a Congressional rider which removed the wolves from the Endangered Special List violated the Separation of Powers Doctrine because it barred the courts from overturning the change.

But Thursday the appeals court refused to enjoin the hunts while it hears the official appeal of the case from the courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy here in Missoula. 

Molloy ruled last month the Congressional attachment to an appropriations bill in April may be unconstitutional, but case law kept him from accepting the conservationists' position.

That means the hunts can begin as scheduled, next week in Idaho and the following week in Montana. Both states plan the hunts to control the growing populations of wolves.

Alliance for the Wild Rockies is worried "hundreds of wolves" will be killed.

"We are discouraged we did win a stay of execution for wolves, but we are cautiously optimistic that we will win our lawsuit to protect wolves from future persecution," said John Horning, Executive Director for WildEarth Guardians.

"We lost the injunction, we have not lost the case," said Mike Garrity, Executive Director for Alliance for the Wild Rockies. "We will continue to fight to protect the wolves and enforce the Separation of Powers Doctrine in the U.S. Constitution."

The Congressional action came after Judge Molloy ruled last August that wolves in the two states couldn't be treated as a separate species and taken off the Endangered Species List.

Sweden Trying to 'Trick' EU on Wolf Hunt

A recent government decision to temporarily halt Sweden's licensed wolf hunt is nothing more than an attempt to fool the EU commission, environmental organisations claimed on Tuesday.
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen), World Wildlife Fund and the Predatory Animal Association (Svenska rovdjursföreningen) have decided to send the EU commission a joint statement on the matter.

“We feel that it’s highly important that we inform the EU commission that the government is trying to trick the commission. They’re pretending to halt the hunt but then continuing it again, despite the fact that the wolf population isn’t viable,” said Mikael Karlsson, chairman of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation , to Sveriges Radio (SR).

Several experts have argued that the wolf population in the Nordic countries needs to grow to at least three times its current size to remain viable.

Following pressure from the EU commission, the Swedish government agreed to stop the licensed wolf hunt this winter. However, they hope to resume this hunt as soon as the winter 2012-2013.

At the same time, the government opted to scrap the ceiling of 210 wolves culled annually for wildlife management purposes. Minister for the environment Andreas Carlgren claims that this does not mean that an unlimited number of wolves will be culled.

“Of course not. We will reach a favourable conservation status with as few wolves culled as possible,” he said to news agency TT.

Carlgren feels the EU commission have been unnecessarily rigid in their handling of the matter, meddling in something which ought to have remained a Swedish concern.

“Sweden’s policy on predators must be carried out with great consideration and respect for those that take the consequences of living near predators, that is the local population,” Carlgren told TT.

Sweden’s leading environmental agencies argue that the government’s actions show that they are trying to trick the commission, in an attempt to avoid a conviction in the European Court of Justice, and are now sending the EU commission a joint statement on the matter.

“The government seems to hope that through this maneuver the commission will be convinced to drop the case,” said Mikael Karlsson.

“But since they’ve committed to recommence licensed wolf hunts in 2013, both politically and in various documents, we feel the matter must be tried. We want a court precedent that hinders future licensed hunting,” he explained.

Wyoming Wolf Hunt Could Start by Next Fall

Wyoming could hold a wolf-hunting season as soon as next fall if state and federal officials move quickly enough to ratify an agreement to delist the animals in the state, according to Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission may also loosen reporting requirements for wolf kills when the commission meets next month to consider approving the landmark agreement, the officials said.

Under a deal announced Aug. 3 by Gov. Matt Mead and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wolves in the northwest part of the state would be protected as trophy game, meaning they could only be hunted with a license.

The plan also establishes a flex zone covering northern Sublette and Lincoln counties, as well as southern Teton County, in which wolves would be protected only from Oct. 15 until the end of the following February so they can connect with wolves in Idaho.

In the rest of the state, wolves would be considered predators and could be killed on sight, as long as the death is reported to the state afterward.

Under the plan, Wyoming would be required to maintain 100 wolves, including 10 breeding pairs. The numbers do not include wolves in Yellowstone National Park and on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Game and Fish is currently holding a series of meetings around the state to present the plan and collect feedback from the public. The feedback will be presented to the Game and Fish Commission in advance of its special meeting Sept. 14 in Casper to vote on the changes to the state’s wolf management plan.

The Wyoming Legislature and the Fish and Wildlife Service would also have to approve the deal.

During the first of those public meetings, held Tuesday night at the Game and Fish’s Casper office, few in the audience of 20 voiced their opinion on the wolf deal. That’s because Mark Bruscino, supervisor of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department bear management program, said only written comments would be passed along to the Game and Fish Commission.

In his presentation, Bruscino said that a wolf-hunting season could be established next fall if final approval comes by mid-2012.

That possibility was confirmed by Game and Fish spokesman Eric Keszler.

Bruscino also said the Game and Fish Commission would likely amend the state’s wolf management plan to relax reporting rules for people who shoot wolves.

Under the plan, anyone who kills a wolf in the state’s predator zone must report it to Game and Fish within 72 hours and bring in the animal so biologists can perform genetic testing on the animal, Bruscino said.

But Bruscino said state officials and Fish and Wildlife have agreed to scrap the requirement and make it voluntary.

Keszler said there has been talk of changing the reporting requirements, but nothing specific had been agreed upon. So far, he said, the Game and Fish Commission isn’t considering any other changes to the wolf management plan as agreed to in the deal.

Don Pavack, a Natrona County rancher and president of the Natrona County Farm and Ranch Bureau, said at the meeting that requiring ranchers lug in a wolf they shoot in the backcountry was completely unrealistic.

“If you’ve ever been on a trail moving cows on a seven-day or 10-day trail, you don’t have the luxury to stop for that,” he said.

In response to a question from a reporter, Bruscino also said that if the deal passes and wolves are officially labeled predators in much of the state, a landowner could go on his neighbor’s land to shoot a wolf menacing his or her livestock — even if the neighbor refuses to let him on his or her property.

In such cases, under existing Wyoming law, the livestock owner could petition his or her county commissioners to force the neighbor to allow access in order to kill the wolf.

Game and Fish will hold public meetings on the wolf deal today in Cody and Rock Springs, Monday in Cheyenne and Wednesday in Lander. The public can also submit comments to Game and Fish by mail or fax.

Pressure from EU Halts Legal Wolf Hunting in Sweden

According to Swedish Environmental Minister Andreas Carlgren, the government has decided to put a stop to its licensed wolf hunts, which it allowed last year for the first time in 45 years. The Swedish government, however, indicated that it will look into controlled hunting of “problem wolves.”

Wolf hunting, which was allowed last year in Sweden, will be temporarily halted following a threat of legal action from the European Union.

According to Swedish Environmental Minister Andreas Carlgren, the government has decided to put a stop to its licensed wolf hunts, which it allowed last year for the first time in 45 years.

Carlgren, in a news conference, indicated that the “temporary halt” was to "ensure that Sweden does not lose the right to decide on its own wolf population," the International Business Times reported.

Despite the issue of illegal poaching, two licensed wolf hunts, one in 2010 and one in 2011, were conducted in Sweden.

That moved by the Sweden government caught the attention of the EU.

According to EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potecnik, it was a violation of an EU directive.

Wolf hunting, in general, has been in practice in many countries for thousands of year. These animals are mainly hunted for sport, for their skin, to protect livestock, and, in some rare cases, to protect humans.

The wolf population in Sweden went extinct in the 1970s.

About ten years after it went extinct, the Swedish wolves recolonized from Finland, with an estimated 250 having descended from that batch.

Meanwhile, this year’s licensed wolf hunt in Sweden ended with 19 wolves shot out of the quota of 20.

Despite succumbing to the EU’s pressure, the Swedish government indicated that it will still look into controlled hunting of “problem wolves, according to Carlgren.

UK Leads Clampdown on Rhino Horn Trade

Rhino horn can fetch £50,000 a kilo.

Britain has secured international agreement to clamp down on the illegal trade of rhino horn, which has become so sought after it is worth more than diamonds, gold, heroin and cocaine.

The UK will lead a global steering group to dispel the myths that rhino horn can cure cancer or help stroke patients, which are fuelling demand for it in Asia and driving up its price to £50,000 a kilo.

Countries and conservation groups will share intelligence and policing tactics and work on public awareness campaigns against the illegal trade. The agreement was reached at the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species in Geneva.

The environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, said: "Criminals trading in rhino horn have lined their pockets while bringing this magnificent animal to the brink of extinction, but their days are now numbered.

"We will be leading global action to clamp down on this cruel and archaic trade, and to dispel the myths peddled to vulnerable people that drive demand for rhino products."

There has been a significant increase in the number of rhinos killed in countries such as South Africa since 2010, in what conservationists warn is a "poaching crisis".

The UK will support a workshop in South Africa in September to develop better co-operation between countries where rhinos are poached and those where their horns are sold.

Last September, after the UK's animal health agency detected a rise in the number of rhino horn products being sold through auction houses, it issued a warning that it would refuse almost all applications to export such items from the UK.

It was feared that the legal export of "worked items", such as ornaments, created and acquired before June 1947, was being used to send rhino horn to Asia, where it is powdered and used for medicinal purposes. The trade could stimulate the market for products from the endangered animal, fuelling poaching, officials said.

Under rules brought in for the UK and then backed by the EU, export licences are granted only if the item's artistic value exceeds its potential value on the black market, if it is part of a genuine exchange of goods between institutions such as museums, if it is being taken as an heirloom by a family moving country, or if it is part of a bona fide research project.

Vets, Safari Operators, Hunter Behind Rhino Killings

Johannesburg - Two veterinarians, two safari operators, and a professional hunter are among nine people who were arrested Monday during a police raids in South Africa. Over 200 rhinos have been killed in the country this year.

Dawie Groenewald, the wealthy driving force behind Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris in Polokwane, his wife, Sariette, and Tielman Erasmus, a professional hunter, are behind bars. They were arrested on Monday along with Dr Karel Toet and Dr Manie du Plessis, two veterinarians from Modimolle, and Toet's wife, Marisa, the news24.com news portal has reported.

Groenewald, a former police official, was suspended from the South African Professional Hunters Association four years ago. Zimbabwe too had put an end to his activities. He was arrested in the US in April this year in connection with a leopard trophy which was illegally hunted in South Africa and exported to the US. He pleaded guilty and was fined US$30 000.

Groenewald is linked to a closed corporation which owns a Robinson R44 helicopter with the registration ZS-HBH. His wife, Sariette, is listed as a director of Valinor Trading 142 - the owner of the helicopter. Helicopters are known to be used during rhino poaching operations.

The Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa (PHASA) said it was hugely disappointing that professional people who held trusted positions in society, could be involved in such a crime, the Mail and Guardian newspaper reported. "PHASA will support any motion to oppose bail given to these people. The mere R2 000 bail that was recently awarded in another case, is a crime by itself," said Adri Kitshoff, PHASA's chief executive officer.

The South African Veterinary Council said that any veterinarian found guilty of disgracing the profession through improper conduct may be barred from practising. "The council may impose, if a person is found guilty of disgraceful, improper or unprofessional conduct... [punishment ranging] from a reprimand to the withdrawal of registration to practise as a veterinarian," it said in a statement.

Rhino poaching has spiked dramatically since 2008 with 210 slaughtered so far this year and 122 in 2009, according to the Endangered Wildlife Trust. South Africa was home to about 90 per cent of the white rhinos in Africa.

Rhino horn has been used for centuries in Chinese traditional medicine, where it is ground into a powder and mixed with hot water to treat rheumatism, gout, high fever and even possession by the devil. Of late, it has started being used as an aphrodisiac. In some southeast Asian countries it is also seen as a cancer remedy.

After EU Threat, Sweden Halts Hunting of Endangered Wolves

After a threat of legal action from the European Union, Swedish Environmental Minister Andreas Carlgren says the government has decided to put a halt to its licensed wolf hunts.

The "temporary halt" was to "ensure that Sweden does not lose the right to decide on its own wolf population," Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren told a news conference.

Swedish wolves actually went extinct in the 1970s, though they recolonized from Finland 10 years later. Today, all of the roughly 250 Swedish wolves have descended from those few founding individuals.

Thus, the population is highly inbred, suffering from skeletal abnormalities and reproduction problems. A new study, reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests that illegal poaching accounts for over half of all deaths of Swedish wolves. Of that, researchers suggest that over two-thirds of poaching goes undetected.

The study predicts that without the last decade of poaching, wolves would have numbered around a thousand by 2009, four times the number reported that year. While illegal poaching is a great concern, last year, Sweden allowed wolf hunting for the first time in 45 years.

Sweden has held two licensed wolf hunts, one in 2010 and one 2011. This year's ended with 19 out of the quota of 20 wolves shot. This caught the attention of EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potecnik, who claimed that it was a violation of an EU directive.

Though Carlgren argues that the commission's interpretation is "rigid" and does not allow flexibility for local conditions, the nation has agreed to stop the hunting. However, the Swedish Government has stated that it will look into controlled hunting of "problem wolves."

Sweden has long defended the practice in order to secure public support for a viable wolf population in the Nordic nation among groups like hunters, farmers, and reindeer herders.

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation welcomed the government's announcement, but added that it needed to study the proposals in greater detail.

No Wolf Hunting This Winter

No licenses to hunt wolves will be issued in Sweden this winter, the government has promised the EU. The current license, whereby a maximum of 210 wolves may be killed, will be halted for the time being, reports Swedish Radio News.

The announcement is seen as a move by the Swedish government to meet the EU Commission half way. The Commission has been critical of Sweden’s wolf policy, saying its licensing of wolf hunting is in breach of EU environmental regulations.

The Swedish government has made the policy change to avoid the possibility of being hauled before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Wolves will still be allowed to be hunted in cases where it is deemed they pose a danger to other animals.

New Species of Dinosaur-era EEL Wriggles Into History Books as a 'Living Fossil'

First eel: The new species discovered in an undersea cave is a 'living fossil', astonishingly similar to the first eels that swam some 200 million years ago

A new species of eel has been discovered which is so old that it retains its dinosaur-era characteristics and has been branded a 'living fossil'. The eel was found in a cave beneath the Pacific Ocean in the Republic of Palau, which is around 500 miles east of the Philippines. 
The reddish brown eel is just 1.7 inches long and has many of the hallmarks of the primitive eels of the Mezozoic era - some 200million years ago.
Such is its anatomical age, the species has required an entirely new breed of classification from scientists, because none of the other 819 species, which are grouped into 19 families, would suffice.

It has been called Protoanguilla Palau, which is a mix of Greek and Latin meaning 'first eel', and is the only example of the newly-created taxonomic family, Protoanguillidae.

The discovery was made by a team from the Natural History Museum and Institute in Chiba, Japan, led by Masaki Miya, which reported it s findings in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Among the ages-old features of the eel are a disproportionately large head compared to its short body, distinctive gills and iridescent fins with white piping. 'The eel looks so bizarre - large head with relatively short body and various unique, internal characters - that no ichthyologist, including us, correctly identified it as a member of true eel at first sight,' Miya told Discovery News.Eight specimens of the P. Palau were collected by hand using nets and lamps, varying between 3-4 inches long, and were DNA tested to ensure they were part of the eels genetic family.

Its cave home is at the western end of a fringing reef - one of three types of reef, alongside barrier reefs and atolls - of Ngemelis Island, Palau.

The cave in an undersea ridge is estimated to be between 60 and 70 million years old, and while it may have once been more widely populous - and could still be - it is currently only known to exist in this one location.

That has led to discussions about making it an endangered species to protect it from curious divers and avaricious aquariums looking for unique exhibits.  

It has also raised as many questions as it has answered for evolutionary biologists, with 'living fossils' being rare discoveries.

The term was first used by Charles Darwin in his book On The Origin of Species to describe species that have survived for millions of years with barely any evolution due to 'having inhabited a confined area, and from having thus been exposed to less severe competition.'

UK's first Arctic wolves come to Beenham

UK Wolf Conservation’s Trust to show three Arctic wolf cubs, the first ever seen in the UK

THE first ever Arctic wolf cubs seen in the UK will be on show in Beenham at the UK Wolf Conservation’s Trust (UKWCT) open day.

Visitors at the open day on Monday, August 29, will have the opportunity to see and take photographs of all the Trust’s wolves from specially adapted viewing points.

The three special cubs were born at Parc Safari in Canada during a fierce snowstorm which left them fighting for their lives after suffering hypothermia.

They were rescued by staff from the park and hand-reared before being brought to the UK where they will now become ambassadors for their wild cousins.

The UKWCT is offering the unique trio a home where they will join the Trust’s own set of Beenham wolf cubs born in April this year.

The addition of this year’s cubs bring the total number of wolves at the park to 12.

They live in smaller packs in three large enclosures, and act as ambassadors for their species to help Trust staff and volunteers raise awareness about the conservation of their wild cousins.

Money raised goes towards supporting scientific research and education programmes throughout Europe, North America and Africa.

Grizzly Bears

Grizzly bears are a subspecies of brown bear, set apart by their size, their silver-tipped fur and their trademark hump of upper-back muscles. Scientists think North American grizzlies (Ursus arctos horribilis) evolved from Asia's Ussuri brown bears, which migrated into Alaska from Siberia some 100,000 years ago.

They eventually spread as far as Mexico and the Great Lakes, but European settlers and U.S. pioneers later wiped them out across most of the Lower 48 states, leaving only a few pockets in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington. All U.S. grizzlies were added to the endangered species list in 1975 except those in Alaska, where they're still abundant.

60 Parks in 60 Days

These 60 stories are essentially a user's guide for America's incredible park system.

Mother Nature Network is exploring a wide variety of national, state and local gems, from the country's most famous national park to the special city park that only the locals know about. We've crisscrossed the nation to give you a taste of the country's best parks.

 We'll be bringing you a new park every day from now through Aug. 31. Join us for the ride.

Park primer Glacier National Park

Here's a place where all the superlatives apply — from the mountain views to the colors in the landscape ... oh, and don't forget the grizzly bears.

Glacier National Park in northwest Montana is a place befitting Big Sky Country. The park’s million-plus acres contain more than 1,500 miles of stream, six mountain peaks taller than 10,000 feet, 25 named glaciers and more than 745 miles of hiking trails from which to explore it all.

It’s a place big enough and wild enough for grizzly bears. It’s a place so unpredictable you can have 90-degree days and a foot of snow all within the month of August. It’s a place where a person can feel small — and sometimes that’s a good thing. 

History

Glacier National Park — established as the country’s 10th national park on May 11, 1910, when President William Howard Taft signed the enabling legislation — borders Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park. The adjoining parks were named Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park when designated as the world's first International Peace Park in 1932. The United Nations designated the parks as Biosphere Reserves in 1976 and as World Heritage sites in 1995.

Things to do

Every visitor has to take a drive along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, 50 miles of white-knuckle driving through the heart of the park. The road — which this year wasn’t completely clear of snow until July 13 — passes through forests and alpine tundra. There are spectacular views of mountain peaks and alpine lakes — and you can get a sense of the views via the park's numerous webcams. There are scenic overlooks and trailheads. The speed limit is just 40 mph, but you won’t want to go that fast.

In 1983, Going-To-The-Sun Road was included in the National Register of Historic Places and in 1985 was made a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The park’s 700+ miles of hiking trails offer dozens of day hike options. Easy hikes for families with small children include Trail of the Cedars, the Rocky Point Trail, the Oxbow Trail, Avalanche Lake and Hidden Lake Nature Trail.

Leave the road, and the trail, by seeing Glacier National Park by boat. Glacier Park Boat Company offers boat tours at Many Glacier, Lake McDonald, Rising Sun on St. Mary Lake and Two Medicine. The boat tour starting from the dock at Many Glacier Hotel, for example, includes a trip across Swiftcurrent Lake, a short walk to Lake Josephine and a cruise across the second lake.

And if you want to travel behind a boat, water skiing is permitted on Lake McDonald and St. Mary Lake.

Why you’ll want to come back

Bring a passport so next time you can drive the Chief Mountain Highway to Waterton Lakes National Park across the border in Canada.

Flora and fauna

If you want to see a grizzly bear in the wild, this is a pretty good place to look. Glacier National Park is home to 62 species of mammals, including black bears, moose, elk, mountain goat and bighorn sheep. Predators found in the park include the gray wolf, lynx, wolverine and cougar.

By the numbers:

• Website: Glacier National Park
• Park size: 1,013,594 acres or 1,583 square miles
• 2010 visitation: 2,200,048
• Funky fact: Water, water everywhere: Glacier National Park contains 762 lakes, only 131 of which are named.

This is an element of MNN's 60 parks in 60 days project, a user's guide for America's incredible park system. Come with us as we explore a wide variety of national, state and local gems, from the country's most famous national park to that special city park that only the locals know about. We'll be adding a new park every day from now until the end of August — one more reason to visit MNN more frequently.

International Wolf Center

Students from Wilkin and Otter Tail counties spent the night with wolves this week.

Milan Drewlow, 4-H program coordinator for Wilkin County with the University of Minnesota Extension and four other adults chaperoned 23 students to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minn. Monday.  They participated in a two-day wolf sampler program, which entailed two on-site programs at the center and two field trips.

The students learned about the hunting and feeding behavior of the center's ambassador wolves and the history of wolves. They spent the night in front of the wolf viewing window.

Visitors to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minn., have the chance to get up close to the facility’s ambassador wolves. The hand-raised grey wolves are used to educate people about wolves and wolf survival. courtesy international wolf center

"We learned how wolves react to humans and about predator-prey relationships," Drewlow said. "We saw videos of wolves tracking deer, and learned how they work together as a pack."

Students went on a hike and identified trees and plants in the area, and that evening went on an expedition and learned how to howl like the wolves. The next morning students learned how radio collars are put on wolves to track them.

The center, which opened in 1993, has five ambassador wolves, which are captive animals and live on more than an acre of land. Three wolves are retired and live in a separate enclosure away from public view. The grey wolves come to the center as pups at about two weeks of age, said Jessica Edberg, information services director at the International Wolf Center. The animals allow visitors to observe wolf behaviors.

Italy: a boa captured near Lucca, a panther near Massa sought

Also in Tuscany, four cages were installed around the town of Gretaia, near Massa Marittima to try to capture a black panther, whose presence was confirmed Sunday.

A boa constrictor was captured Monday near Lucca while rangers have set up bait near Massa Marittima, Tuscany another tourist town to catch a black panther reported in the area, officials said.

The snake captured in the hills of Capannori, not far from Lucca, is a female of 5 or 6 years which measured 2.60 meters and weighing between 25 and 30 kg.

She bit a voluntary association of animal rights and an expert on reptiles came to help her capture but this animal is not poisonous, the two men have just received some care.

According to the association of environmental protection Anpan, the reptile had probably been abandoned several months ago after reaching dimensions that had to frighten the owner.

The reptile was captured by a satellite system developed by the specialist Cristino Pacini by including specific parameters for the animal (weight, length, speed).

Also last year in August, another 2.40 m boa constrictor was caught in woods near Capannori Anpan by volunteers.

Also in Tuscany, four cages were installed around the town of Gretaia, near Massa Marittima to try to capture a black panther, whose presence was confirmed Sunday.

Mayor Massa Linda Bai, has finalized the details of the transaction at a meeting with the Prefect of Grosseto and the rangers, the carabinieri, civil protection and wildlife experts.

The mayor plans to issue a special order advising residents and visitors not to approach within 500 meters of the cages and not to walk on foot, by bicycle or on horseback within 3 km of the area where the panther has been seen. In addition, it will be advisable to stop in or near forested areas of homes in ruins.

Experts said the panther initially reported by a couple of tourists on their property in Florence Prata, near Massa, is probably younger and perhaps accustomed to human presence. The carabinieri and police are trying to go back to its owner.

Rare Philippine Parrot Seized From Boat

Philippine authorities have seized a specimen of one of the world's rarest parrots after boarding a boat suspected of being involved in illegal wildlife trading, the coastguard said Wednesday.

The critically-endangered red-vented cockatoo, a foot-long (31-centimetre) white parrot found only in the Philippines, was seized along with 71 hill mynahs and 42 blue-naped parrots from a boat at the resort of
El Nido.

Coastguard and environmental protection officers boarded the vessel on Saturday before it was set to sail for Manila and found the birds, a coastguard statement said.

The authorities are seeking the owners of the cargo, while the boat captain was fined for carrying prohibited goods, it added.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies the red-vented cockatoo, Cacatua haematuropygia, as critically endangered and estimates there are only 1,000 left in the wild.

It also classifies the blue-naped parrot, Tanygnathus lucionensis, another bird found only in the Philippines, as near-threatened due to trapping and loss of forest habitat.

Indira Dayang Widmann, programme officer for the Katala Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting the red-vented cockatoo, said at least 75 percent of the surviving members of the species were concentrated in the western province of Palawan, which includes El Nido.

"The bird is still being trafficked for the domestic pet trade," Widmann told AFP.

Tribesmen in Palawan trap cockatoos and sell them cheaply to middlemen who pass them on for as little as 2,000 pesos ($47), she said, even though trapping and trafficking in them is punishable by up to a million-peso ($24,000) fine.

Feds Release Study of Trapping Effects on Wolves

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal scientists have released a long-awaited study sparked by concerns about impacts of furbearer trapping on Mexican gray wolves reintroduced in the Southwest.

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey conducted the study for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish after former Gov. Bill Richardson issued an executive order last year banning trapping in the wolf recovery area in southwestern New Mexico.

State game commissioners recently voted to lift the ban.

Environmentalists were critical of the decision since the study had not yet been released to the public. They say two wolf deaths due to trapping since 1998 is enough to warrant a trapping ban.

New Mexico game officials argue that trapping incidents represent only a fraction of wolf injuries and mortalities compared to illegal shootings and vehicle collisions.

Madagascar's Giant Flightless Elephant Birds

Elephant birds

Madagascar's giant, flightless elephant birds were once a common sight on the island, certainly up until the 17th century. It is generally believed that the elephant bird's extinction resulted from human activity, perhaps not surprising when one of their giant eggs would have fed an entire family. The extinct elephant bird could grow to over ten feet tall and weigh in at around half a ton, with its eggs about 180 times the size of a chicken egg. They lived well in Madagascar until about 2,000 years ago, when humans first settled the island; then, about 1,000 years later, they were extinct. In an upcoming documentary, Sir David Attenborough says it wasn’t the skill of human hunters that caused the big bird’s demise:

“I doubt it was hunted to extinction – anyone who has seen an ostrich in a zoo knows that it has a kick which can open a man’s stomach and an enraged elephant bird, many times the size of an ostrich, must have been a truly formidable opponent.”

Instead, he says, humans probably killed off the elephant bird by eating all their eggs—someone stumbling on a nest and stealing one of it’s calorie-rich eggs could keep their family happy for several meals.Attenborough discovered the egg shells on a visit to Madagascar in the 1960′s. For the documentary he returns to the area which has changed dramatically in the 50 years since then, he told The Telegraph:

“I go back to a place where there was forest 50 years ago when I was there and it has all been knocked down the only thing that is there is an abandoned saw mill. It was sad to go back and see that. It is an example of the way the island has changed over the years. There are now three times as many people living on the island since I was there 50 years ago. The only places they can live and grow food were the only places that were wild. The wild places are being taken over by people building villages on them and rice fields.”

Scientific name: Aepyornithidae
Rank: Family
Common names: Aepyornis, Vorompatra, Vouron patra

Sizing an elephant bird

Living in Madagascar, elephant birds were the heaviest birds to ever live and laid the world's largest eggs.

Audio

Wolf hunting licenses to go on sale in Montana starting Monday

KALISPELL, Mont. — Wolf hunting licenses go on sale Monday in Montana.

The licenses are available from any regional office of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the agency's website, or any license vendor. Licenses cost $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents.

The Daily Inter Lake reports that hunters must also have a 2011 conservation license. That license costs $8 for residents and $10 for nonresidents.

State wildlife commissioners last month approved a plan allowing hunters to shoot as many as 220 gray wolves during the hunt that is scheduled to begin in early September.

The hunt is expected to reduce the predator's Montana population by about 25 percent to 425 wolves.
A wolf hunt is also planned in Idaho, where officials have proposed no statewide harvest targets or quotas.

Montana wolf hunt licenses going on sale

HELENA- Licenses for this year's Montana wolf hunt are going up on sale on Monday, August 8th and they will be valid within 14 specifically defined wolf management units. It should be noted that hunters must obtain permission to hunt on private lands.
Hunters can purchase a wolf license online or from any FWP regional office or license provider. Hunters must have, or also purchase, a 2011 conservation license in order to take part in the upcoming wold hunt.
Wolf hunting licenses cost $19 for residents and $350 for nonresidents. The hunting season will close in a specific WMU when the quota is reached and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks reports that if a WMU's quota isn't met, the wolf-hunting season will be extended in that area through December 31st.
Regulations and Seasons

• Early Season Backcountry Archery: Sept. 3-14.
• Early Season Backcountry Rifle: Sept. 15-Dec. 31.
• General Season Archery: Sept. 3-Oct. 16.
• General Season Rifle: Oct. 22-Dec. 31.

Hunters cannot use any motorized vehicle-including OHVs and snowmobiles-to hunt wolves and the use of dogs, bait, sent, lures, traps, lights, electronic tracking devices or any recorded or electrically amplified bird or animal calls to hunt or attract wolves is prohibited.
The total harvest quota is 220 wolves across 14 WMUs Two management units-WMUs 290 and 390 have subquotas. Montana is divided into 14 WMU and each has its own quota. FWP wildlife management areas are open to hunting during the fall wolf season and legally accessible State School Trust Land is also open to wolf hunting.
FWP advises that hunters by law must obtain permission to hunt private land and only tribal members may be allowed to hunt wolves on Indian Reservations. State Game Preserves, National Parks, and National Wildlife Refuges are closed to wolf hunting.
Hunters are required to call 1.877.FWP.WILD (1.877.397.9453) to report harvests within 12 hours and to maintain possession of the hide and skull, hunters must by law personally present the tagged wolf hide and skull to a designated FWP employee within 10 days of the harvest for inspection. Evidence of the animal's sex must remain naturally attached to the hide.
Hunters can call 1-800-385-7826 beginning September 3rd for the latest wolf-harvest status and closure information. Wolf hunting regulations are available via the FWP website at , and from most FWP license providers.

Chinese delegates to make final panda cage inspection

Two pandas, Tian Tian and Yuang Guang, are due to arrive from China this year   

The final inspection by Chinese delegates of the new facilities being created for two giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo has been set for October. Officials said they did not have a date for the arrival of Tian Tian and Yuang Guang but it would depend on the enclosure passing the inspection. It is expected the pandas will arrive by the end of the year, as announced by Premier Wen on his recent UK visit.

About £250,000 is being spent creating a home for the pair.

It will have pools, caves, climbing structures and even its own nursery. The Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) will be making the inspection in October. The CWCA seal of approval is a vital step in securing the dates for the pandas' arrival, which will be decided by the Chinese government.

A glass walkway will allow people to see into the panda nursery

Both pandas have successfully bred before and it is hoped they could produce further offspring.
It is expected the pandas will generate huge public interest and the new enclosure has been designed to accommodate 600 spectators per hour. Each panda will have its own space because they are solitary animals in the wild and only come together to breed.

Hugh Roberts, chief executive of Edinburgh Zoo said: "We had a very successful and productive series of meetings, sharing ideas and allowing the delegation to review our progress in advance of the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) formal approval.

"Over four days, we looked at all aspects of the project including the research and education strategies and veterinary skill sets, as well as our bamboo strategy.

Tian Tian and Yuang Guang will have their own spaces initially

"The team also engaged in very valuable advanced forward planning and we have agreed a few alterations to the enclosures with future cubs in mind, ultimately baby-proofing measures.

"We have also revised the layout of the internal working areas, the enclosures designed for health checks, taking their advice and creating two, as opposed to three, for maximum space."

"We are confident that following the October visit by the CWCA, we will receive the date for Tian Tian and Yang Guang's arrival."

He added: "They [the delegates] were happy with our progress so far and, with their input, our facilities will be delivered to the highest possible specification.

Gray Wolves In Wyoming May Lose Federal Protections

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Wyoming ranchers and hunters fed up with wolves attacking livestock and other wildlife would be able to shoot the predators on sight in most of the state under a tentative agreement state and federal officials announced Wednesday.

Gov. Matt Mead and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said they've come to terms over how to end federal protections for gray wolves in Wyoming – the last state in the Northern Rockies where the animals remain under federal management.

Hours later, a judge rejected a legal challenge to a federal budget bill rider that removed protections for the gray wolf in the other Northern Rockies states.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula, Mont., said precedent by a federal appeals court required him to uphold the provision passed earlier this year that stripped wolves of their endangered status in Montana and Idaho, and in parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah.

It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether conservation groups planned to appeal.

While some neighboring states plan to let licensed hunters kill wolves at certain times of the year, Wyoming would be the only one to allow people to shoot wolves in most of the state year-round without a license.

Environmentalists swiftly blasted the agreement, saying it offers wolves too little protection and would fail judicial review unless Congress approves pending language to insulate it from legal challenges.

Mead said state management of wolves is overdue in Wyoming, where many say the animals have taken a heavy toll since they were reintroduced in the 1990s.

"For years, ranchers and sheep producers have been asked to sacrifice, and they have. We have lost significant numbers of elk and moose, and we have not had a say in the management of an animal inside Wyoming," Mead said. "It's time for that to change. ..."

Salazar has traveled to Wyoming repeatedly in recent months to work on the agreement.

He said the gray wolf's recovery serves as a "great example" of how the Endangered Species Act can work to keep imperiled animals from becoming extinct.

"The agreement we've reached with Wyoming recognizes the success of this iconic species and will ensure the long-term conservation of gray wolves," Salazar said Wednesday.

Environmental groups, however, said the deal doesn't afford wolves adequate protection.

"We do think that it's important that wolf management decisions be based on science, and not on these kind of closed-door political negotiations," said Collette Adkins Giese, a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity in Minnesota.

Under the agreement, Wyoming would commit to maintaining at least 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves outside Yellowstone National Park. There are now about 340 wolves in the state, of which 230 are outside the park.

Wolves immediately outside Yellowstone would be subject to regulated hunting in a zone that would expand slightly in the winter months to give wolves more protection in an area south of Jackson. Those in the rest of the state would be classified as predators that could be shot on sight.

Wyoming's commitment to classifying wolves as predators in most of the state has been a stumbling block to ending federal wolf management for years even as neighboring states have taken over their own wolf management. Idaho and Montana are planning licensed hunts this fall in which hundreds of wolves could be killed.

Wyoming has filed several lawsuits over the issue, trying without success for years to force federal officials to accept its plan.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service went as far as helping Wyoming revise its wolf management plan in 2007 and approving it the next year. But the agency repudiated the plan just months later after Judge Molloy criticized it in response to a lawsuit brought by environmental groups.

Wyoming's shoot-on-sight policy continues to generate controversy. Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey announced Wednesday he had written to Salazar questioning his decision to reach a deal with the state.

"Science, not politics, should ensure the conservation and management of the gray wolves in Wyoming, should they be delisted," wrote Markey, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.

Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., has inserted language into a pending Interior appropriations bill that specifies any delisting of wolves in Wyoming would be exempt from court challenges.

Congress approved similar language earlier this year for delisting wolves in Montana, Idaho and other Western states except Wyoming. Some environmental groups had mounted a legal challenge in Molloy's court, but his ruling Wednesday said Congress had authority to shield the delisting actions from legal review.

Steve Ferrell, Mead's policy adviser on endangered species, said Wyoming hopes Congress will act to stipulate that any final delisting plan for the state will be exempt from legal challenges.

Ferrell said the federal government plans to propose a draft delisting rule by Oct. 1. He said it could take a year for the final rule to be approved to allow Wyoming to take over wolf management. The Wyoming Legislature will consider changes to the state's current wolf management plan when it meets early next year.

Chris Colligan, Wyoming wildlife advocate for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, says the push to exempt the agreement from legal review shows the deal is politically motivated and not supported by sound science.

"It says that Wyoming and certainly our congressional representatives, they know that this plan is not legally or biologically sufficient," he said.