The Lesser Prairie Chicken...Really?

Truth be told, The Lesser Prairie Chicken is dying off due to terminal self-esteem issues, because someone labelled it as "lesser".

Tomorrow night in Monticello - Federal Fish and Wildlife will get an ear full. Here is a preview.


Sagebrush Coalition Meeting
The Gunnison Sage Grouse has now been placed on the endangered species list, which means that private property owners who have the bird or who have potential habitat will be regulated in what they can do on their own private property. A property owner will be charged with a federal felony if they do anything on their own property that infringes on the rights of the bird. The government refers to any detriment of habitat as a “taking” which seem ironic, since it is the federal government that is prohibited from “taking” property by regulating it into non use. We thought it was intolerable when they did this on public property, but now it is the private land owner that will be criminalized for acts done on his own land.
Citizens have 60 days in which to respond. I recently said to the soil conservation group that resistance is in order. When I said that a revolt is coming but that this may not be the time and Sage Grouse may not be the issue, several in the group responded that this is the time and Sage Grouse is the issue.
County’s were formed for a purpose. As sub-units of the state, we have delegated jurisdiction of the land and water, plants and animals, that lie within our borders. The injustice of this type of action has become so commonplace that most citizens actually believe that the federal government has authority to frustrate and dictate – they don’t – unless we grant them such by our inaction. I am not an enemy of the Sage Chickens. They have done nothing to warrant our disdain. But the federal government needs know that their invasion in violation of the constitutional contract will not be tolerated in San Juan County or in Utah.
Whether we are successful in defending our rights or not is no longer the question. The real question is if we are willing to stand up for our rights in the face of a tyrannical government. If we do not act now, we will be unable to act later. San Juan County, and the rest of the nation, is under siege. From the Greater Canyonlands proposal, to the infringement of our 2nd Amendment rights, to the inaction of congress to dispose of pubic land, to the endangered species act, or FLPMA, or NEPA, or the printing of baseless currency, or borrowing our nation into bankruptcy, or any of the other innovative ways Washington has devised to separate us from our property, we have only ourselves to blame if we remain in the tranquility of voluntary servitude.
That is what this meeting is about. You are invited!
Yours,
Phil
PS – Invite others at your discretion
Our next meeting is in Monticello, Utah, February 6, 6:30 PM in the San Juan County Commission Chambers.
117 South Main Street.

You lost me at "the inaction of congress to dispose of pubic land." Thank god (and government) we have public land, otherwise there'd be NO place to ride. Ever try to ride in west Texas?

No thanks.

C'mon, Duke...it ain't that bad. West Texas alone has about 1.5 million acres of fairly remote land that allows a heck of a lot of riding.

But having tons of public lands out west to ride on is a great blessing indeed...at least while we have it.

How much of that west Texas land to ride is public?

Glad you stayed up to that point - the disposal of public lands that is referred to in this piece is the effort of Utah to take lands back from government management and place them under the juristiction of Utah - here is the link if you are interested - http://utah.gov/ltgovernor/docs/CDC-AGLandsTransferHB148SummaryInteractive.pdf

I moved here in June from Oklahoma. I am a Falconer, and have hunted Lesser and Greater Chickens with my birds for years and have watched the population fluctuate over the years. A Biologist friend of mine always said the worst thing that could happen to the Lesser, would be to put it on the Endangered Species List instead of the Threatened. When you're a fourth generation landowner and the Government tells you what you can and can't do with your land, the Chickens will be eliminated one way or the other. Problem solved.

Hope this doesn't happen to the Gunnison's. They are a awesome bird and an indicator of the health of the environment. There is no reason why people can't work together on their preservation without a bunch of Government Bureaucracy.

I'll read it.

I'm not sure it would be better here in CO; I'd guess 80% of the land that has been closed down in my area, places I rode just 4 or 5 years ago, is State managed land.

Agreed - the Front Range agenda isn't much different than the Feds

Really, much of the ranch land I have traveled on by 4x4 have owners with big ole rifles ready to blast away. Maybe you are talking about areas like Big Bend.

It's mostly state and federal...about 1.1 million in the area around BBNP and BBRSP. There's another 675,000 acres of NF land that has trail riding on it in the east. No...it isn't Utah, Colorado, or some of the other great locations out west, but it's not a Walmart parking lot either.

I'm pretty concerned about all the great off road places out west. I think you are too. And we should be.

Sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Coloradical...is the Taliban using falcons now? Is that their version of a predator drone?

But seriously, when I first posted the issue of the lesser prairie chicken, I asked about habitat location and possible impact to off roading. Can anyone touch on that? As I stated in my original post from the described range of this bird, it appears that it would be more likely in the eastern areas of the state and perhaps less of an impact on off roading?...perhaps? I'm asking because I don't know...not trying to make a point politically or philosophically. I'm not very familiar with the eastern portions of CO east of I-25.

No worries, I get that all the time

TNC. The Lesser's are primarily in the far southeast corner near the OK border. There's another population in the east central that spills over from Kansas. They are a grassland bird and won't affect any areas west of I-25 but I'm sure given time, they'll find something else.

'Bigfoot DNA' study seeks Yeti rights: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/02/17/bigfoot-dna-study-seeks-yeti-rights/?intcmp=features

Instead, the answer may surprise you: Ketchum sees her research as an important first step in obtaining legal status for Bigfoot, which she believes are an undiscovered Native American population. Ketchum issued a statement demanding that the U.S. “Government at all levels must recognize them as an indigenous people and immediately protect their human and Constitutional rights against those who would see in their physical and cultural differences a ‘license’ to hunt, trap, or kill them.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013...ks-yeti-rights/?intcmp=features#ixzz2LAmUjwM3

First off, here's a map showing Federally controlled lands in the United States - this does not include State owned/controlled lands.


That's to just give an idea as to why States such as Utah are filing motions to take over control of the Federal lands within state boundaries. It has to do with the ability of the individual States to control the development or use of the natural resources within their states, without having to petition to "big brother" for permission to utilize state lands. It's not about taking that land from the Feds and then selling it to private landowners.

It's also to give an idea as to why some of us folks out west really dislike how policies and land-use practices for the lands where we live, are dictated by bureaucrats on the other side of the country who probably have never even seen the areas they want to "protect" (except in photographs from lobbyist environmental groups, or on the Discovery or National Geographic Channels).

As for the Lesser Prairie Chicken, it sounds like another attempt by an enviro-nazi group to lock-up public - and PRIVATE - property from being developed without their permission. Radical Enviro groups do everything they can to forward their own agendas, without letting reality get in their way. Here's a little tidbit from a report about The Nature Conservancy:

Linky to article where above was quoted.

It all comes down to control - who gets to control a certain area.

The enviro-nazis want it their way - with no input from any other sources. Which is where another land-grab proposal is pissing a lot of people off: The Greater Canyonlands National Monument.

Never mind that the land they want to "protect" is already being managed by the Feds - and access is fairly limited anyway. Nope, the enviro-groups want to lock it up to only their approved methods of access and prevent any "future development" of mineral resources, etc. The problem is, that area has already been looked at for mineral / oil & gas development, and it wasn't worth a second look.

The article at this link was written by a person who worked for the BLM for 32 years, as a geologist, supervisor, and land manager in the area proposed for the GCNM.

Give it a read. VERY informative, and he pretty much shreds the proposal by the enviro-nazi groups.

And before folks get the wrong idea: I am all for protecting the environment - but I also am for responsible use of our natural resources, as well as open access to lands.

Have no fear...the unicorn will be close on the heels of sasquatch with the same kind of protections.

You lost me at "enviro-nazis."
Please be an adult, if you want to get your point across.

Anti access Nazis? Is that better?


Fatfingering on tapatalk with my groovy iphone of doom.

Yes, we probably use/abuse the term "nazi" when referring to just about any group or political philosophy that is contrary to our belief system, but I guess it conveys the negative connotation that we're looking for. What's it called?...oh yeah...Godwin's Law. And even with my superior knowledge and vast life experience, I have been unable to clearly identify who or what the "enemy" might be classified with as an official label. I've studied a few...revolutionary socialists...communists...fascists...Blanquists...or maybe just plain ol' hippies. So in light of the possible confusion, I'll stick with the incorrect but clearly understandable "enviro-nazi".

But seriously...I was pretty upset when I first read Meter Pig's post. When I saw his negative comments about "TNC", I was ready to drive up to CO and take care of business.