May finds us on the precipice of an unimaginable ecological catastrophe. Mining, ranching, hunting and trapping interests have aligned with the new administration in an all out blitz to strip away all reasonable environmental and species protections. The judiciary in it’s zeal to oppose every trivial move Trump makes, is setting itself up to forfeit it’s power on issues that actually matter.
The War on Wildlife
If you are wondering what is about to happen, consider the Trump administration’s final act of treachery against the wolves in the waning hours of it’s presidency in 2021. The administration removed the wolf from the endangered species act, and the result was an unprecedented slaughter that eventually deprived Yellowstone and the public of one third of it’s wolves. Had a single federal judge not stepped in and restored the protections, wolves would be well on their way to extinction again by now.
In a misguided attempt to bring back an MS-13 thug from El Salvador, the judiciary will almost certainly lose it’s ability to file nationwide injunctions. Congress is about to step in and pass legislation that will restrict a federal judge’s jurisdiction to only his or her home district. Had that been the case in 2021, wolves could not have been returned to the endangered species list by a single California judge.
Of course the incoming Democrats did nothing to rectify the problem. In fact the Biden administration immediately sided with the Trump rules, and filed suit to block the judge’s ruling. Fortunately wolves across the country eventually dodged a bullet, except for those in the northern Rockies that were exempted from the new ruling, The Biden administration ultimately failed in it’s attempt to resume the slaughter, and wolves have been mostly safe until now.
With a new anti environment and wildlife Secretary of Interior in place, efforts to eliminate all reasonable restraint have resumed with a vengeance.
In this article by Rachel Hanby, The most insidious items in Doug Burgum’s day one secretarial orders, she describes extraordinary new powers being considered for the Department of the Interior which threaten to destroy the environment along with many endangered species.
In accordance with recent proposals, “Secretary Burgum would be in a position to prioritize destructive mining on public lands over all other uses, even if it leads to the extinction of endangered species, with economic and national security interests.” Ranching and mining interests are chomping at the bit to expand their operations at the expense of the environment and our wildlife.
Unless you enjoy wading through the stench of livestock dung and taking pictures of sheep and cattle, or look forward to visiting toxic mining operations instead of wildlife preserves and beautiful endangered animals, there may soon be no reason to visit our great western parks.
If You Want to Learn
Of course there are many sources of information which can easily be referenced online for free, but if you would like to learn about the plight of our wildlife and our public spaces, I have spent the last decade doing my best to alert the public about the danger.
I have written countless articles in this blog along with several books, including Spirit of the Wolf, and Thundering Hooves, which lay out in detail the peril that our wolves and wild horses face at the hands of the government and so called sportsmen.
If You Want to Help
Unfortunately, few people of reason seem to have taken a serious interest in preserving the privilege of enjoying such beauty and diversity of life for future generations. Without a concerted effort to overcome such apathy, I fear important policy decisions will be left to the most extreme elements of our society on both the left and the right, both of which have proven a complete lack of interest in ecological conservation.
According to recent studies, reading is not a big priority with much of our society and as a result, ignorance is flourishing while knowledge is ridiculed and suppressed. It has long been my belief that unless these issues can be brought to the big screen in a compelling and interesting manner, the truth will never get out. People may not want to take the time to read a book, but most will make time for a thrilling movie.
It was for this reason that I wrote my series of novels with the idea of a big screen presence. Spirit of the Wolf and Thundering Hooves are both romantic historical fiction tales that provide an exciting and heart-rending story line to present the real truth on the ground as our government seeks to wipe out wildlife and cut park resources to appease the ranching and hunting cults that have infiltrated western state legislatures and wrested control of environmental policies.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to build a large social media presence through the years, but I have often said, “I don’t need a large following, I only need one.” That of course would be the right follower, the one with resources and means to bring this story to the masses. So if you happen to be that person, you know who you are and I implore you to use your capabilities to inform the public of the impending catastrophe.
Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 