10/11/11, Proposal would keep some Wyoming documents secret

Wyoming legislators later this week will consider a proposed change to open records laws to exempt some documents used in policy decisions from public disclosure…

Click here for more at the Laramie Boomerang

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10/11/11, AP IMPACT: Foreign insects, diseases got into US

Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply… The consequences come home to consumers in the form of higher grocery prices, substandard produce and the risk of environmental damage from chemicals needed to combat the pests…

Click here for more from the Laramie Boomerang

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10/11/11, Social media companies 'friend' politics

Social media companies have "friended" the 2012 presidential contest at a level almost unimaginable just four years ago… Social networking giants like Facebook and Google cast their involvement as civic engagement, saying they are eager to help facilitate the national political conversation…

Click here for more at the Laramie Boomerang

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9/21/11, State reviews education standards, salaries

Many changes are being made in Wyoming during the first year of Gov. Matt Mead’s term in office, among which are considerations regarding the state of K-12 education…

Click here for more at the UW Branding Iron…

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9/20/11, Federals supply fewer funds to fix Wyoming

Despite Wyoming’s significant budget surplus, uncertainty over future funding for highway projects has led the Wyoming Highway Commission to vote to stop focusing on the sort of large highway improvement projects that dot the state every summer and instead turn its focus on a bare-bones maintenance program called “pavement preservation.”…

Click here for more at the UW Branding Iron

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9/12/11, Lummis votes against EPA

Lummis said the proposal, “prevented the loss of millions of American jobs,” according to a press release from her office.

This resistance to increased EPA authority comes just two months after Lummis co-sponsored a bill that would reallocate the authority to enforce the provisions of the Clean Water Act from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to individual states, which would be responsible for the implementation of cleanup plans for waterways within state borders…

Click here for more at the UW Branding Iron

9/22, New York Times Laments Wolf Decision in Wyoming... and supports unsustainable decline of Elk Populations...   Click here for related article

• A 60% decline in the Northern Yellowstone elk herd is directly related to the 300 - 500 % increase in wolf population that was introduced in 1995.  (RMEF 4/8/10 Document)
  
  
• "Idaho’s elk numbers in units where wolves exist are far worse, with two units showing over 80% decline since wolves were introduced." (RMEF 4/8/10 Document)
  

• 'The 1995 re-introduction was classified as an experimental, non-essential re-introduction in the first place.  Canadian gray wolves introduced in Yellowstone in 1995, simply are not endangered, it is quite the opposite. There are thousands of these wolves in North America.'  (RMEF 4/8/10 Document).
  

• "...the gray wolf is regarded as being of least concern for extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, when the entire gray wolf population is considered as a whole" (Gray Wolf - Wikipedia [as of 9/26.11], http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf)

• The calf survival rate [for certain herds], where wolves (and bears) are
  present, is extremely low amounting to as little as 10% or less recruitment or survival rate. Nearly any wildlife professional will tell you this is an unacceptable recruitment or survival rate. Acceptable wildlife science tells us that a 25-40% survival rate is necessary for herd sustainability.  (RMEF 4/8/10 Document)

Perhaps New York should exercise their Tenth Amendment Rights and push for the 200 - 400% excess of experimental, non essential Canadian gray wolves to be relocated to their state? 

Afterall... "The gray wolf was once the world's most widely distributed mammal, living north of 15°N latitude in North America..." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf) and New York State runs from 40° 29' 40" N to 45° 0' 42" N latitude!

(http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ny_geography.htm).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9/20, Yellowstone grizzly attack/fatality provoked by humans screaming.  Bear set free...

"Park authorities later decided to let the bear remain free because it had no prior run-ins with humans and was reacting as might be expected to a surprise encounter."...

Click here for article (Couple fleeing possibly triggered grizzly mauling by Matthew Brown)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9/19/11, Governor Mead Seeks Increased Executive Control of Commission and Board Appointments... and some Wyoming Legislators think that's a dandy idea...

"A bill that would give the governor more power within the Environmental Quality Council, and likely several other boards and commissions down the road, was given initial approval by a legislative committee in Casper last week..."

Click for article (http://www.casperjournal.com/news/article_24a08ed9-1fe8-5cf2-a3f8-51d1c3a46c61.html)

Perhaps Board and Committee appointments should be voted on by the electorate instead - thus holding these individuals accountable to the people and the U.S. Constitution.

9/18/11, WARNING/USER BEWARE:  Required User Agreements for Online News Publications
Energy-hungry China is becoming a big player in the Mountain West
By Jonathan Thompson,
From Town Vox (9/1/11)
(http://www.townvox.com/article3159517/energy_hungry_china_is_becoming_a_big_player_in_the_mountain_west.htm)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9/2/11, BLM: No 'crown jewels' in Wyoming

From The Westerener (http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2011/09/blm-no-crown-jewels-in-wyoming.html) The Wyoming Bureau of Land Management has waved off a request by the Interior Department to list public lands in the state for possible wilderness protection. The state BLM office didn't identify any Wyoming sites as so-called "crown-jewel" BLM-managed areas. The Interior Department will pass along a list of sites identified as "crown jewels" to Congress, which in turn will place them off-limits to most development and human activity. Thursday was the deadline for state BLM directors to send recommendations of "crown-jewel" lands. The reason no Wyoming sites were listed is because neither Gov. Matt Mead nor any of Wyoming's 23 counties recommended any areas, BLM spokeswoman Cindy Wertz said. In letters to the BLM, both Mead and numerous county commissions criticized the "crown jewels" effort, saying removing areas from multiple use would hurt Wyoming's economy...


New Presidential Executive Order - the White House Rural Council

Sustainable Development

Wind Energy & Wind Farms

Sudden Concerns for Wyoming Bridges?!  Really... says who?



Many of the issues that Wyoming Citizens face center on Property Rights.  The following is a very thought provoking video on how Liberty cannot exist without Property Rights and vice verse.

Commentaries from 2011 General Legislative Session....

Wyoming 61^st Legislature and 2011 State Governor Violate U.S. Constitution By Approving Transfer of State Lands to United States Department of Interior

______________________________________________________________________

Regarding the Right to Defend Oneself

Click here for a common sense perspective by Ted Nugent

______________________________________________________________________

COMMENTS ON

RESOLUTION H.J. NO. 0005 - COUNTY/CITY CONSOLIDATION

(And why it's such a bad idea)

Click here for details

______________________________________________________________________

Property Owners and Rights - Natrona County Code Enforcements

A Commentary by a Natrona County Citizen

Click here for details

______________________________________________________________________

The Mystery of the Missing Preamble

(To the Wyoming Constitution)

Click here for details

______________________________________________________________________

Bills Are Getting Killed Now...

Click here for details

______________________________________________________________________

So what's Up with HB0035, the Health Care Choice and Protection Act?!

Click here for details

______________________________________________________________________

Voting Rights of Felons

Wyoming House Fails 15th Amendment of U.S. Constitution for Third Time

If a Beef Council fee increases 150% per head of cattle - do you think that burden will be passed on to you the consumer?  And what would this do to independent ranchers?!

Click here to learn more...

______________________________________________________________________

A resident voter from Goshen County has sent us their synopsis for #SF0062, Large Project Funding.  This bill appropriates over $675,000 for 2011, and over 5 Million in 2012 for Conservation Easements with "permanent use restrictions".  You will be amazed at how many groups are getting a significant amount of this money for sponsoring this project.

Click here to learn more about this bill...

______________________________________________________________________

Red Flag!  #HB0027, School Year - Required Contact Days

A resident voter from Natrona County sent us their commentary on a new Wyoming bill being introduced this session, #HB0027, School Year - Required Contact Days.  We feel this commentary is noteworthy and gives folks an important ‘between-the-lines’ perspective that could otherwise be overlooked.  Please click here to read this voter's commentary.

______________________________________________________________________

We welcome our readers to send us articles they've written on any current issues they have been tracking in their area or elsewhere in the state.  (Please be sure to include the facts backed up by dates, internet links and proper citations.)  If you would like to send us any articles or news tips please contact us here.

______________________________________________________________________