Turner's bid for park bison stokes wildlife debate

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

By MATTHEW BROWN
The Associated Press
Sunday, January 17, 2010; 2:03 PM

BILLINGS, Mont. -- With 88 bison from Yellowstone National Park facing possible slaughter, billionaire Ted Turner has swept in and offered to hold the animals for five years on his sprawling Montana ranch while a new home for them is found. But Turner, ever the shrewd businessman, won't do it for nothing. The media mogul says he will care for the bison only if he can keep up to 90 percent of their offspring.

And in the Rocky Mountain West - where wildlife is cherished both for its aesthetic value and as meat on the table - the plan is stoking a sharp debate over the role of deep-pocketed private entities in conservation.

Hunters, environmentalists and property law experts have all weighed in and most say Turner's plan sets a dangerous precedent for the commercialization of public wildlife. Others describe Turner as a responsible steward of the land with the resources needed to take care of animals that desperately need a home.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/17/AR2010011701219.html

[Lorien]

1. "where wildlife is cherished both for its aesthetic value and as meat on the table "

What about it's INTRINSIC value???

Disgusting.

[MisterP]

3. these are the states where non-conservationists dub wolves "terrorists"

and gun down every single one of them: everything's a "resource," and humanity may do what it likes in its global playground/smorgasbord

(BTW, now I always laugh when someone mentions Elinor Ostrom)

[sharesunited]

2. This looks like a viable public-private partnership to me.

[zeemike]

4. Why should/nt he keep the offspring.

If he feeds and takes care of them.
Besides Turner has long been an advocate for the Buffalo, and it is people like him that keeps them going.

[trudyjh]

5. Ted Turner is a model environmentalist

And if he winds up owning a bunch of bison, the species will probably have a surer future. No one will be able to take them and slaughter them. (I hope he has a will set up to protect his land, etc.)

[conscious evolution]

6. Not slaughter them?

google Teds Montana Grill and look at what they have on the menu.

[blogslut]

8. The American Bison isn't going anywhere anytime soon

Their use as a food source is one of the main reasons why their future as a species is insured. There are over half a million buffalo in America.

[trotsky]

9. It is an animal uniquely suited to life on the American Great Plains.

They will be a key component of sustainable agriculture - far easier on the land than cows or pigs.

Plus they're absolutely delicious and their meat is quite healthy.

[blogslut]

10. It's been a long while

But I remember the ground meat being far tastier than the cuts - which were quite tough.

I didn't know about them being less hard on the land. Can you explain?

[trotsky]

11. They just roam the prairie, eating grass and leaving fertilizer behind.

They don't have the massive crop and water requirements that other livestock do, and the grasslands they graze on generally don't make good farmland.

Ground bison is far superior to beef in both flavor and nutrition, but you're right, the cuts are tougher. However most of the prime cuts are not bad at all. I grilled a buffalo strip steak this summer and it was tender and delicious.

[blogslut]

12. Ahh

Good to know. That explains why they were so plentiful here when the TX High Plains were wild. We didn't have decent farmland until we learned to irrigate and discovered that big-ass Aquifer. :)

[cory777]

7. Not News?