LAST EDITED ON Apr-02-11 AT 09:27PM (MST)[p]Mightyhunter - Another great post. I appreciate your comments, but please don't mistake my big mouth for anything related to wisdom
I can assure you that if we get Simpson-Tester passed, those of us in MT are going to keep our foot on the throttle. There will still be much work to do as it relates to gaining state management of wolves in other places.
There are pieces that S.249 is trying to accomplish that can eventually be passed, and will help the problems we face. But, that bill as an amendment to the ESA, and how it currently is being promoted, along with a hostile Congress and White House, is not going to get out of the Senate crapper, let alone Barbara Boxer's Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The Simpson-Tester bill has the plaintiffs scared as hell, and the fact that it will represent the first time Congress has done anything to mess with a species covered by the ESA really has them scared.
The precedent set by Simpson-Tester is what will make the possible solutions of S.249 easier to eventually get passed. The argument used by the wolf nuts to uninformed Congress Members goes something like this - "There have been 38 Congressional Sessions since the ESA, comprised of members much more knowledgeable than you with regards to endangered species, and the Congress has never touched anything under the purview of the ESA."
Well, guess what? They have now, if this passes.
The beat on the street in the wolf lover world is not that they have lost the wolf issue with Simpson-Tester language. They know they have lost that one. They are more scared of what this spells for their powerful money machine called the ESA. That is what really scares them.
They have used that, along with the Equal Access To Justice Act to get filthy rich with wolves, Grizzly Bears, you name it. They do not want to see that snowball start down the hill.
I can promise you that once it starts off the ledge with Simpson-Tester, the guys I know in Montana will be pushing that snowball as hard as we can.
Your point of Grizzlies in our future battles is dead on. In a different post, I told you of my involvement with the Grizzly Bear plans. This wolf stuff is just a pre-game warm up for what the Grizz fight will be.
These plaintiff groups are shoring up their defenses for that Grizz battle. That is why they do not want wolves, which they know are fully recovered, to result in any precedent setting events that weaken the ESA and how they plan to use it for Grizz.
Anything we can do in this wolf discussion that helps shake what these wolf nuts think is a bomb-proof foundation, is positive for the future discussion of Grizzlies, and for the wolf issue in other states.
Simpson-Tester, and other progress we might make, are a big step. Not by just kicking these groups in the teeth on wolves, but for Grizz and other species where they use ESA as their profit center.
As far as Tester, we do disagree on him. He has proven to be a pretty steady hand. None in DC are perfect, but he has been better for hunters than most of our delegation. His first couple years, it seemed he looked to Baucus for some sign of how it is done in DC.
He is very concerned about CRP and what it means for hunting, habitat, and farmers. He is concerned about LWCF Funding and what that does for increasing hunter access in the Rockies. He sends staff to meet with rod and gun clubs, which is something I have NEVER seen, from any MT politician.
So far, it looks like hunters and gun owners can count on Tester. The NRA likes him and rates him high on gun issues. He would be considered a conservative in any other states outside MT, ID, or WY.
Anyone who lets us down on wolves, is destined for new employment, Tester, Baucus, Rehberg, or whoever. I think all MT politicians know how important the wolf issue is at this time. Even our Governor, who is termed out, is on that bandwagon, knowing it benefits whatever his next political endeavor may be.
Thanks for the interesting observations.
"Hunt when you can - You're gonna' run out of health before you run out of money!"
