MONTANA

Study: Yellowstone bison mow, fertilize their own grass

MISSOULA – A study of grazing in Yellowstone National Park found that bison essentially mow and fertilize their own food. This allows them to graze in one area for two to three months during the spring and summer while other hoofed mammals must keep migrating to higher elevations to follow new plant growth.

Hundreds of bison grazing in an area stimulates the growth of nutritious grasses, in part because their waste acts as a fertilizer, according to research published in November in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Yellowstone scientist Chris Geremia compared the bison herd to a “giant fleet of lawnmowers moving back and forth across the landscape.”

When more bison grazed an area more intensely, the area greened up earlier and faster and the grass stayed greener and had a higher nutritional quality for a much longer time, he said.

Many other migratory animals in Yellowstone – pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk – do not form these large groups while they migrate and graze, Geremia said.

From 2012 to 2017, researchers fenced off plots of grass along bison migration corridors and compared them to the grazed areas.

Trampling and nibbling by the bison kept the plants shorter and denser and forced the plants to keep growing, giving the bison a steady supply of fresh, nutritious grass.

ARIZONA

Apache man moving ‘home’ to protest proposed copper mine

FLAGSTAFF – Wendsler Nosie Sr. is drawn to a mountainous area in central Arizona where he and other Apaches have harvested medicinal plants, held coming-of-age ceremonies and gathered acorns for generations.

On Nov. 28, he started a three-day journey to make a permanent home in the area known as Chi’chil Bildagoteel, or Oak Flat, in protest of a proposed copper mine made possible by a federal land exchange.

The Resolution Copper mine near Superior would be one of the largest such mines in North America, leaving a depression 1,000 feet deep and about 1.5 miles wide.

Barring any legal challenges, 3.75 square miles of federal land could be transferred to Resolution Copper – a joint venture of global mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP – in exchange for land the company owns.

Nosie plans to walk the 45 miles from the San Carlos Apache reservation to Oak Flat and stay indefinitely somewhere off the main access road to the campground.

The 60-year-old former tribal chairman and councilman hand-delivered a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington before beginning his journey. In it, he refers to Earth as a living being – reflecting the Apache relationship to the land – and equates mining to murder.

The Forest Service has said it would work with tribes to protect an area adjacent to the proposed copper mine known as Apache Leap – where dozens of warriors leapt to their deaths from a ridge rather than surrender to U.S. forces during westward expansion – and ensure tribes have access. Mining, livestock grazing and overnight camping would be prohibited on the nearly 840 acres.

Resolution Copper said Oak Flat Campground will be open to the public as long as it’s safe to do so. Construction of the mine would take about a decade, and the ore wouldn’t be removed for another several years.

Resolution spokesman Hesston Klenk says the company has been working with the communities, government agencies and tribes to address concerns.

NEW MEXICO

Petition seeks medical marijuana for ailing household pets

SANTA FE – New Mexico will consider whether to extend its medical cannabis program to help dogs with epilepsy and people with attention deficit disorder.

Five new petitions submitted to the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board seek new qualifying medical conditions for patients in the state’s medical marijuana program. The board meets in December.

The Department of Health withheld the names of petition sponsors on Nov. 20 in response to a request for public records.

One petition cites recent studies in veterinary medicine to recommend the authorization of cannabis for animals coping with seizures. The petition uses a YouTube video of an epileptic dog named Tecumseh to illustrate the suffering associated with the condition.

Cannabidiol derived from hemp or marijuana already is widely marketed for pets.

The petitioner in New Mexico says that authorizing cannabis for animals would minimize the danger of animal abuse by regulating the use of medical marijuana with pets and provide new treatment tools to veterinarians.

Another petition would allow marijuana for attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome, anxiety disorder and Tourette’s syndrome.

New Mexico’s medical cannabis program, initiated in 2007, has served nearly 80,000 patients who cope with conditions ranging from cancer to HIV and post-traumatic stress disorder to severe chronic pain.

Top prosecutor warns against coyote killing contests

ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says coyote killing contests are illegal and anyone caught organizing one or participating could face a misdemeanor.

The warning came Nov. 29, after authorities learned through a social media post that a contest was planned the next day in Curry County.

Balderas’ office and the State Land Office sent letters to the sheriff, requesting an investigation. State police and local prosecutors also were notified.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill outlawing the contests earlier this year.

Many ranchers and outfitters say the contests are a tool for managing packs of coyotes that threaten livestock.

Balderas said he supports ranchers’ rights to protect their livestock but said the law doesn’t allow for unlimited killing through contests for cash prizes.

UTAH

Substitute teacher lectures student over his 2 dads

SALT LAKE CITY – A substitute teacher berated a Utah fifth grader after he said during a pre-Thanksgiving lesson that he was thankful he’s finally going to be adopted by his two dads, the parents said.

The boy’s classmates said the teacher told him, “that’s nothing to be thankful for” and lectured the 30 kids in the class about her views on homosexuality. She said that “two men living together is a sin” and “homosexuality is wrong.”

Three girls asked the teacher to stop and eventually walked out of the room to get the principal, and the substitute was escorted from the building, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

One of the dads, Louis van Amstel, a former dancer on “Dancing with the Stars,” said he appreciates the three girls stepping up and the school’s quick response. But he wonders how the substitute got in a classroom in the first place and wants to make sure she never comes back again – at the boy’s school or anywhere in Utah.

The incident happened at Deerfield Elementary School in Cedar Hills, south of Salt Lake City. A spokesman for Alpine School District, David Stephenson, said he couldn’t speak in detail about a personnel issue but “appropriate action has been taken.” He also praised the girls who spoke up for their classmate.

A few days after the incident, the family’s neighbors decorated their house with paper hearts that said, “We love you” and “We support you.”