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Posts tagged: bighorn sheep
The University of Idaho has cleared professor and Caine Veterinary Center official Marie Bulgin of “scientific misconduct” after an inquiry into her writings and testimony denying that wild bighorn sheep contract disease from domestic sheep, despite earlier research by the center showing such a link. Bulgin is a former president of the Idaho Wool Growers Association. Click below to read the full story from AP reporter John Miller.
The University of Idaho announced today that as it continues its investigation into testimony by the head of its Caine Center for Veterinary Medicine that there’s no evidence of disease transmission from domestic sheep to bighorn sheep - despite research at the center showing such a link back to 1994 - it is relieving the director of all administrative duties at the center and from all work related to sheep and sheep-related diseases. Marie Bulgin, a professor of veterinary medicine, made the statements in testimony both to the 2009 Idaho Legislature and in federal court documents; she is a past president of the Idaho Wool Growers Association. Lawmakers this year passed legislation protecting domestic sheep ranchers; that short-circuited a collaborative effort to balance interests between wild bighorns and domestic sheep. Click below to read the university’s full statement today.
The Nez Perce Tribe today notified Gov. Butch Otter that, in light of new bighorn sheep legislation sponsored this year by sheep producer Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, and signed into law by Otter, the tribe can no longer participate in the governor’s Idaho Bighorn/Domestic Sheep Collaborative. Samuel N. Penney, chairman of the tribal executive committee, said, “The Nez Perce Tribe is disappointed the state has suspended the collaborative process in favor of a legislated solution. We appreciated Governor Otter’s efforts to convene the Idaho Collaborative, but we are frustrated that Senator Siddoway’s legislation has undermined the Governor’s effort by legislating a political fix instead of allowing the collaborative process an opportunity to work.” He added, “Legislating wildlife management has never resulted in lasting solutions.”
Brooklyn Baptiste, vice chairman for the tribe, said, “I assume that Senator Siddoway did not see the value of collaborating with the Nez Perce Tribe or with Governor Otter to aid him in developing his legislation. As I understand it, Mr. Siddoway pushed this legislation through because he was concerned about the effects of introduced bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon on domestic sheep producers. However, his legislation doesn’t just target Hells Canyon. It protects all domestic sheep grazing at the expense of bighorn sheep in close proximity to their operations, including the Salmon River population, the last remnant native population in Idaho.”
Otter vetoed an earlier version of Siddoway’s legislation, but then accepted a modified version. He signed SB 1232a into law on May 7.
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