May 2012

Thumbnail image for Bill Ayers and Freedom of Speech

Bill Ayers and Freedom of Speech

by The Sage Grouse March 30, 2010

We are known as the Equality State.

Many years ago some law professors at the University of Wyoming were espousing reforms in environmental law which really irritated some folks in the …

Thumbnail image for Sage Grouse’s Lament:  A Song

Sage Grouse’s Lament: A Song

by The Sage Grouse March 29, 2010

Sage Grouse’s Lament: A Song
(Sung to “I Am A Pilgrim”)
I am a sage-grouse
Lonely but determined
Traveling through
This perilous land
I want to nest in
A grassy valley, oh Lord
But I can’t  (doo doo …

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Stock Market Likes Obamacare

by The Sage Grouse March 24, 2010

March 24, 2010
Stock Market Likes Obamacare:

The Dow Jones average shot up 103 points the day President Obama used 22 ceremonial pens to sign the largest piece of social engineering legislation …

Thumbnail image for How to Enjoy Owning a Dog

How to Enjoy Owning a Dog

by The Sage Grouse March 23, 2010

How to Enjoy Owning a Dog
Nobody loves their dogs more than I do.  I surprised our companions on our honeymoon camping trip when I mentioned firearms in an unpleasant manner …

Thumbnail image for Reader Poll: Gov Dave Opts Out. Should The Sage Grouse Run?

Reader Poll: Gov Dave Opts Out. Should The Sage Grouse Run?

by The Sage Grouse March 22, 2010

Gov Dave opts for family life.
Meanwhile, on the GOP side there’s a farmer and a National Guard commander and a prosecutor and of course a Simpson (hey, there’s always a …

Thumbnail image for Caps & Coal The Wyoming-California Connection

Caps & Coal The Wyoming-California Connection

by WyoFile March 22, 2010

In the summer of 2008, Wyoming’s governor, Dave Freudenthal, went to California for meetings with state officials and utility executives. What he brought was, quite literally, a burning question.

California was …

Thumbnail image for Subdividing the West: Wyoming at Planning Crossroads

Subdividing the West: Wyoming at Planning Crossroads

by Gregory Nickerson March 22, 2010

Property owners like the Banburys are at the center of an ongoing debate over land use and planning in Wyoming, a state protective of private property and the rights of …

Thumbnail image for Modern Politics:  The Pity Party

Modern Politics: The Pity Party

by The Sage Grouse March 18, 2010

Modern Politics: The Pity Party
Why would anyone start a blog like that : “The Pity Party?”
I am certain that all of my Democratic Party friends think I fell off the …

Thumbnail image for It’s Raining Cats and Dogs – One

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs – One

by The Sage Grouse March 17, 2010

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs – One
Hot Button Alert: This is when we find out how many people are reading this column.
I love my dogs and they love me.  I …

Thumbnail image for How to run a ranch; Life’s important lessons

How to run a ranch; Life’s important lessons

by The Sage Grouse March 16, 2010

How to run a ranch; Life’s important lessons
I was showing a rancher from Simms. Montana, around a ranch a partner and I owned for a few years, very nice fellow, …

Thumbnail image for Gov Dave’s Long Goodbye Poses Problems for Wyoming Democrats

Gov Dave’s Long Goodbye Poses Problems for Wyoming Democrats

by Jim King March 16, 2010

Laramie–The decision by Governor Dave Freudenthal not to seek a third term has dramatically changed the contest for the state’s chief executive.  The Cheyenne Tribune-Eagle reported the three announced Republican …

Thumbnail image for In Conservative Idaho Democrat Allred A Surprise Candidate

In Conservative Idaho Democrat Allred A Surprise Candidate

by WyoFile March 16, 2010

“A big surprise”: That was the Idaho Statesman’s headline last December, when Keith Allred announced his candidacy for Idaho governor –– running as a Democrat in one of the most …

Thumbnail image for The Sage Grouse Reader Poll: Mini Nuke Plants for Wyoming?

The Sage Grouse Reader Poll: Mini Nuke Plants for Wyoming?

by The Sage Grouse March 16, 2010

Why would we want to discuss nuclear power in this wind-swept, coal-laden, oil & gas-filled energy /hydrocarbon capital of the world?
Well, this is why: To understate the matter, lately …

Thumbnail image for Bear Baiting is Not Sport

Bear Baiting is Not Sport

by The Sage Grouse March 12, 2010

Bear Baiting is Not Sport
Hunting wary ducks, deer and pheasants requires stealth, skill and often a significant commitment of energy which requires physical conditioning.  The chance that many of the …

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Dragonflies

by The Sage Grouse March 10, 2010

Dragonflies
You might see a dragonfly while you are mowing the lawn or fishing, and think for a moment that dragonflies are interesting to see, and maybe think that it’s good …

Thumbnail image for The Sage Grouse Reader Poll: Pronghorns

The Sage Grouse Reader Poll: Pronghorns

by The Sage Grouse March 8, 2010

We all know that pronghorns don’t much like to jump fences; often they will run along the highway right of way, not crossing the fence when they should, and sometimes …

Excerpt from Nowhere To Run by CJ Box, G.P. Putnam’s Sons

by WyoFile March 8, 2010

(Available April 6, 2010)
WITH EVERY mile of his last patrol of the Sierra Madres of Southern Wyoming, Joe Pickett felt as if he were going back into time and to …

Why Cody, Wyoming is the New Literary Capital of America

by WyoFile March 8, 2010

By Jenny Shank, NewWest.Net
Wyoming has the smallest population of any U.S. state, but it maintains a literary output that rivals most other places.  While it’s been a quiet year so …

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FRAC

by The Sage Grouse March 6, 2010

FRAC
After eight years in Buffalo and a couple of years in Idaho, my parents moved back to Wyoming at the end of 1970.  They lived in Big Piney, a tiny …

Grouse Listing: ‘Waranted but Precluded’; BLM Promises ‘Closer Scrutiny’

by Rone Tempest March 6, 2010

Grouse Listing: ‘Waranted but Precluded’
BLM Promises ‘Closer Scrutiny’

By Allison Winter, E&E reporter
Reprinted with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net. 202/628-6500

The Bureau of Land Management will examine oil …

Thumbnail image for D-Day For Sage Grouse Listing: Test of Wyoming Policy

D-Day For Sage Grouse Listing: Test of Wyoming Policy

by Emilene Ostlind March 3, 2010

By Emilene Ostlind
LARAMIE – Wyoming’s greatly-used, little-appreciated sagebrush ecosystem and one of Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s most elaborate initiatives are rapidly approaching a critical milestone.
At the end of the week, …

Thumbnail image for Breaking Sage-grouse News: Hunters Shoot Hens

Breaking Sage-grouse News: Hunters Shoot Hens

by The Sage Grouse March 3, 2010

Breaking Sage-grouse News: Hunters Shoot Hens
The latest Auk (Journal of the American Ornithologists Union) arrived recently, Volume 127.  A monograph at 16-22 regards sex ratios of Greater Sage-grouse.
This is interesting:  …

Thumbnail image for Top Ten Reasons to Love Prairie Dogs

Top Ten Reasons to Love Prairie Dogs

by The Sage Grouse March 2, 2010

Top Ten Reasons to Love Prairie Dogs
This is going to be a challenge.  I can only think of four reasons to love prairie dogs:

Black-footed ferrets like to eat them.
Hawks like …