Taken Any Illegal Photos Lately?

The Above Photos Are Just A Few Of Thousands I Have Shot Here In Montana Over The Past 3 Or 4 Years - ON FEDERALLY OWNED PUBLIC LANDS. Are you aware that if I use these photos to illustrate the outdoor articles I write, I am technically in violation of the law...since I did not have the required Forest Service "Photography Permit" - which runs $150 per day! Just having these photos "published" here is likely a violation of that USFS regulation. And if any of you shoot a photo on federal lands, which is good enough to be publish, and is...you too could be in violation of the law.

Following is an e-mailed letter sent to the USFS "Filming and Photography" offices this morning.


"Dear U.S. Forest Service;

I have heard of stupid federal regulations, but having to have a "filming" or "photography" permit on federal lands really takes the cake.

My guess is that this requirement has just made law breakers out of some 3,000 or 4,000 outdoor writers, photographers and editors - who have spent many days of hunting, fishing, camping and hiking in National Forests, or Heaven Forbid...in designated "Wilderness Areas". Since I was a young boy, 12 or 13, I have spent a great deal of my time reading the outdoor magazines, i.e. OUTDOOR LIFE, FIELD & STREAM, SPORTS AFIELD, etc. - and now I have to wonder if I have wrongly admired "law breakers" by envying the photos of them with a big bull elk they took up in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area...or with a huge brown trout caught along the "Miracle Mile" in Wyoming...or a dandy pronghorn taken on federally owned public lands anywhere here in the West. I have taken many such photos over the years - many of which have been published in major outdoor magazines - such as AMERICAN HUNTER, Petersen's HUNTING, and FUR-FISH-GAME.

Let me ask, what constitutes "commercial"?

Let's say, one of the millions of federal land users takes a photograph that turns out to be "outstanding"... enters it into a photo competition, gains recognition for the photo, and eventually a publisher buys the rights to that photo to illustrate an article...or for the cover of a magazine or book...or just does a limited edition print for home/office decoration...is the photographer suddenly in violation of federal requirements?

Technically, if a photograph is published, in any way or form...it is being used "commercially" - whether the photographer was paid for it or not.

Well, that would make a few million others in this country law breakers as well. Facebook is a commercial venture, and rest assured there are many, many illegal images published on the millions of pages making up that social network - taken on federal lands...without a photography permit.

Attached are several photos which would likely be considered commercial as well - since they have been widely used. I have them published right now on my LOBO WATCH website, and on one or more of the several blogs I also host. Sure, they are either U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service... National Park Service...or U.S. Forest Service photos. Were "Photography" permits issued for shooting these...or do these federal agencies feel they are above the law...and don't need no stinking permit???

I'm also attaching a photo I took on National Forest (Wilderness) land...without a permit...which has also been published. Did I break the law?

I would certainly love to hear back from you in regards to this extremely vague and widely unkown issue. There is a large and quickly growing contingent of photographers and videographers who are ready to take this on."

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

www.lobowatch.com


I shared this letter with a number of old friends in the outdoor media business, and heard back from one which was leaving this week to film a show for his Sportsman Channel program...and he assured me he would be hunting on state lands - claiming that the $1,000 a day permit to shoot the show on federal lands was just too cost prohibitive. He also stated that the extremely high USFS permit costs for large scale movie production is definitely the primary reason why so much of today's movie filming is done in Canada...and not in the U.S. More jobs pushed out of this country...due to stupid federal regulations!

Contemplating The Day...And The Art Of Realizing The Truth...

An Hour Alone In The Morning, With A Fresh Pot Of Campfire Coffee And A Warming Wood Fire Is A Great Way To Start The Day...And To Sort Out The Truth From All The Falsehoods That Fill Our Lives And To Contemplate The Lies Which Are Now Destroying The Outdoorsman's Way Of Life

I seriously doubt if the great outdoor journalists of the past could even begin to fathom the attack that has been launched against the sporting life. Magazine and book authors such as Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, Jack O'Connor, Corey Ford and Ed Zern would very likely find it extremely hard to swallow how the shooting and hunting industry, without much of a fight at all, has allowed the anti-hunting movement to move in and take over wildlife management in this country...and to destroy hunting opportunities.

Organizations like the Defenders of Wildlife...the Sierra Club...the Center for Biological Diversity...the Alliance for the Wild Rockies...and more than a dozen others have done it pretty much without investing a single dollar in wildlife conservation programs or projects. Instead, they've invested their financial efforts in keeping wildlife issues tied up in federal court - not for the sake of saving wildlife, but to put an end to hunting, and to cash in on the hundreds of millions dished out annually by our extremely abused federal justice system's "Equal Access to Justice Act", which reimburses these organizations for extremely padded legal expenses.

When challenged to become more involved in the fight against all of this, shooting and hunting industry corporation c.e.o.'s and upper management presidents and vice presidents, and division managers, all too often respond that they are strong financial supporters of the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International, Ducks Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Mule Deer Foundation, or some other or another national pro-hunting conservation organization. And they are quick to point out that "their money" is also going to fight the anti-hunting movement.

Personally, I find that a bit of a cop-out.

Why aren't iconic retailers like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's...or major arms producers like Ruger and Browning...or ammunition suppliers such as Federal and Winchester...or camouflage clothiers Mossy Oak or Realtree...or optic makers Leupold and Bushnell...or game call producers like Primos or Knight & Hale...compound bow manufacturers like Mathews and PSE...or any company that derives its sales, or a large part of its sales, from shooting and hunting products doing more, much more, to openly fight issues that are now destroying hunting?

Why are they not collectively throwing up a barrier that the anti-hunting forces cannot scale, cannot breach? Just who is it they are afraid they will piss off if they take a company stand that says..."Bass Pro Shops (or whoever) Stands Behind Wolf Control 100-Percent!" Or, "Put An End To The Wildlands Project Before It Puts An End To The Outdoor Way Of Life!" Or maybe, "Here Are Those Who Want To Take Hunting Away From You...The Sierra Club, Humane Society Of The United States, The Center For Biological Diversity, Defenders Of Wildlife, Earth Guardians...."

Perhaps the lackluster efforts of the shooting and hunting industry to go nose-to-nose with the anti-hunting forces in this country stems from the fact that those who head major outdoor product corporations, or who are in upper management, are too far removed from areas that are already severely impacted. And that these same people simply have not seen the damage, and have not spent enough time alone to truly contemplate who our enemies are...and how to wage war against them. In short, they have not sat alone in front of an early morning campfire, staring into the bright red bed of coals as the fire keeps the coffee warm, while they sip on hot and strong campfire brew.

LOBO WATCH CHALLENGE...The Campfire Coffee Summit

Dear Shooting & Hunting Industry;

Over the years, I have gotten to know personally many of you who do head up "our" industry. I've become dismayed at how most of the companies in this industry will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote new products, new ideas - in a very visual way, but tend to make great effort to avoid being aligned with anything that may be considered controversial. What has disappointed me, and the vast majority of the sportsmen I am now associated with, is how most every company in this industry has failed to openly take on the forces that want to put an end to our way of life. Or, if your company has provided financial support to national and state organizations to fight anti-hunting efforts, how it has been kept a secret, as if you are ashamed to be associated with taking care of the wolf problem, stopping the big land grab known as Agenda 21, or challenging the claims constantly being made by anti-hunting groups.

What you need, is to see the damage first hand. To ride or hike into some the most beautiful elk country that can be found anywhere in the Northern Rockies...and to see how void it is of life. Maybe to fish a high mountain lake where one could once see 3...4...5 moose on just about any evening...and see nothing...not even a moose track. To ease through country where it was once common to see a hundred or more deer a day...and catch a glimpse of maybe 5 or 6 whitetails flashing through the timber, if you are lucky. To spend time with ranchers who have already thrown in the towel...or are about to...thanks to livestock losses to wolves...and grazing permit losses to the efforts of Wildlands Network radicals. To meet outfitters and lodge owners who are seeing their livelihood and their life's work going down the drain. To see firsthand how many sporting goods stores have been so negatively impacted by the loss of hunting opportunities here in the Northern Rockies...and how many other businesses have been similarly impacted.

You, as an industry leader, need to come to western Montana - and spend a few days in wolf country.

What I would like to see is 25 to 30 shooting & hunting industry leaders to fly into Missoula, MT for a three-night stay. Arrive mid day, have a late afternoon reception so those who do not know one another can meet. Have dinner together...then spend the evening with 300 or so sportsmen, ranchers, outfitters, guides, loggers, veterinarians, local politicians, business owners, conservation group members, rural residents, and others who have been negatively impacted by the anti-hunting efforts.

A microphone will allow these people to share their feelings, their experiences, their concerns, and their losses with you...the shooting and hunting industry they rely on to provide the products they use...an industry they would like to see more active in fighting the problems we now face. While wolves will surely dominate the comments made, there are other issues, such as the Wildlands Network/Agenda 21 project, public land closures, high grizzly densities, and others that are sure to be addressed -and which in one way or another affects the shooting and hunting industry.

The next morning, two of you will be paired, and teamed up with a Montana or Idaho hunter, outfitter, guide, rancher, cowboy or land owner to spend the day in various different areas in the Bitterroot Mountains, the Sapphire Mountains, the Garnet Mountains, the Cabinet Mountains, in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Scapegoat Wilderness, or maybe even the Rattlesnake Wilderness that borders the city limits of Missoula - where each of you will spend the night tent camping alone.

Your camp will already be there, in wolf and bear country, with everything you need - a camp gun (or bring your own), tent, cot, sleeping bag, firewood, grub for dinner and breakfast the next morning...and most importantly, a granite coffee pot and coffee, so you can sit and stare into that fire and contemplate everything you heard the evening before from those impacted by wolves, grizzly bears, unreasonable state and federal restrictions, and the loss of hunting opportunities.

The following evening would be a parting dinner, to share what you would be taking home with you from the experience to see what's happening here now, and which will spread across the rest of the country if we cannot contain the damage here. Are you ready for a douse of the truth...to see and hear what you have been insulated from...to witness the damage our enemies have already inflicted on the past 75 to 100 years of wildlife and habitat conservation?

I wish I had been able to pull such an endeavor together a year or so ago. The fall hunting seasons are now upon us, and I know that shooting and hunting industry people will soon scatter like a covey of quail in pursuit of their favorite game. So, I will start planning all of this for mid June 2012, a beautiful time in the Northern Rockies, with cool nights that make for great sleeping in a tent - and the warmth of a campfire and a hot cup of coffee is ever so welcomed as day breaks in the morning.

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

JULY 26TH - PROTEST JUDGE MOLLOY...USFWS...MT & ID STATE WILDLFIE AGENCIES!

It is kind of funny how the staunch environmental groups continually point a finger at sportsmen, ranchers and concerned rural residents who want Congress to do something to allow each and every state to have the right to control wolf numbers, and cry their lungs out... "Wolf Management Should Be Based On Science...Not Congressional Legislation!!!"

Then, without any reservation whatsoever, these same groups, these same radical pro-wolf organizations turn around and get their way through the courts.

What's worse...controlling wolf numbers and wolf destruction of wildlife and livestock legislatively...or relying on one biased judge in Missoula, MT to rule in favor of those who support expanded wolf numbers and greater destruction of the past 75 years of wildlife conservation?

Let's take a look at some of the so-called "science" the pro-wolf folks believe in so feverishly...

In a nutshell: The indigenous Gray or Timber Wolf (Canis lupus irremotus) was listed as endangered in 1973. Then, in 1978, the entire species of Grey Wolf (including Canis lupus irremotus) were all lumped into a single classification as Canis lupus and listed as endangered in 1978. This meant that even though certain subspecies of gray wolves never existed in the lower 48...they were listed as endangered there.

In 1982, the ESA of 1973 was amended to allow the introduction of experimental populations under the protection of the Endangered Species Act and because all subspecies of gray wolf were listed as endangered, it meant that any subspecies could be translocated and protected under the ESA, even if that subspecies never existed in the relocation area.

In 1994/95,the Canadian MacKenzie Valley Gray Wolf (Canis lupus occidentallis),the largest and most aggressive subspecies of the Grey Wolf, was brought in and released in Yellowstone and Idaho. What was left of the indigenous and truly endangered Canis lupus irremotus has most likely been replaced by the transplanted Canis lupus occidentallis.

This larger, more aggressive, subspecies has multiplied exponentially under protection of the ESA and is currently decimating ungulate populations as well as domestic livestock herds in the Northwest.

Now, that's really some SOUND SCIENCE...isn't it? I guess that would mean that all caribou are ALSO the same...that all pronghorn are the same...that all whitetail deer are the same. So, if suddenly all the Quebec-Labrador caribou of eastern Canada died off, the problem could be fixed by simply transplanting a few thousand Barren Ground caribou from Alaska...Or, the endangered Sonoran pronghorn could be rescued by simply trucking a few thousand Wyoming pronghorn down to Mexico...and dwindling Florida Keys whitetail populations could be easily supplemented by the release of a few thousand of their bigger relatives from Iowa and Illinois. Right? If a wolf is a wolf...then why wouldn't a caribou be a caribou...or a pronghorn be a pronghorn...or a white-tailed deer be a white-tailed deer?

Science is Science...Right?

Who are the wildlife "scientists" behind such idiotic thinking?

It's easy to find the answers to that one. First, just find yourself a copy of the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan. One of the off-base "wolf experts" that helped author that assemblage of theories and lies was none other than Dr. Bob Ream, who heads wildlife studies at the University of Montana. Next, run yourself down a copy of the 1994 Environmental Impact Statement filed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...and read some of the phony projections and predictions made by the experts who spun that yarn...including none other than Mr. Ed Bangs, who has headed the Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery Project since it was kicked off. Plus we have a number of "wildlife biologists" and "wildlife managers" working within Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game who are proving to be just as dim witted when it comes to "scientifically" recognizing what wolves truly are...the damage they deal...the diseases they carry and spread...and which these "professionals" try to count using their fingers and toes. Then, to make matters worse, when it comes to managing or controlling wolf numbers, one extremely science deficient U.S. District judge in Missoula, MT tends to make all the calls...all the decisions of what's allowed...what's not.

And his rulings are based on nothing more than legal technicalities, all of which have resulted in the tremendous loss of big game resources, hunting opportunities, and a very damaged livestock industry.

SO PLEASE...SHOW UP AT THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT BULDING, AT 201 EAST BROADWAY IN MISSOULA, TOMORROW MORNING BY 9 A.M. - AND BE CARRYING A PROTEST SIGN THAT LEAVES NO DOUBT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE DISASTER ALL OF THESE "SCIENTISTS"...AND ONE JUDGE...HAVE FORCED UPON US!

Toby Bridges
LOBO WATCH

www.lobowatch.com

Grant County, Oregon: The Solution To Tyranny

Has The U.S. Forest Service Locked You Out Of Favored Sections Of Public Land...Has That Agency Enacted Overly Stringent Rules & Regulations That Make It Impossible To Enjoy Publicly Owned Forests...Have USFS "Law Enforcement" Taken On A Gestapo Attitude & Disposition? The Following Is About One County In Oregon That's Said "Enough Is Enough!"




By Former Sheriff Richard Mack

On June 14, 2011, “We The People” of Grant County, Oregon, gathered together in the Union High School Gymnasium to support their Sheriff. The reason they did so, was to listen to me give my presentation on the power of sheriffs and the duty they have to uphold and defend the Constitution. But more important than coming to hear me, these good people came to express their appreciation for their sheriff. You see, their Sheriff, Glenn Palmer, actually believes it's his job to keep his Oath of Office! He actually believes that protecting the people from the enforcement of stupid laws and out of control government officials is his responsibility. So much so that he has put himself on the line, subjected himself to the scrutiny and ridicule of the mainstream establishment, as he courageously stands against the U S Forest Service! Yes, Grant County, OR, a small county of not even 7,000 people and 5,000 square miles, has set the example for the entire country as to how we restore freedom in America! A Sheriff doing his job, keeping his oath, and with the support of the people, standing together for liberty.

This did not happen overnight. The people have long endured abusive regulations by the Forest Service. The sheriff has been been working to have the USFS curtail their whimsical enforcement for years. Lately, it has fallen on deaf ears. So he was forced to take stronger action. Finally, he wrote the Forest Service a letter. Here is the letter in its entirety:




Teresa Raaf, Supervisor
Malheur National Forest
Patterson Bridge Road
John Day, Oregon 97845


Ms. Raaf, March 31, 2011

Regarding the pending cooperative policing agreement between the US Forest Service and the Grant County Sheriff, I am advising you in writing that I will not be signing the agreement. I do not believe that it is in the best interest of the people I serve or the Grant County Sheriff’s Office to continue with the agreement.

There are several issues that I will bring to your attention that at this point I will not go into detail about.

The issues include, but are not limited to, how US Forest Service LEO’s treated citizens of this county in October and November of 2010, Travel Management Plan, illegal road closures, grazing, logging, wood permits, prescribed burns, unemployment and other socio-economic issues this community faces today. There is a general mistrust of the federal government by the people of this County, State and Nation.

You are aware that I had sent at least two requests to the US Forest Service asking for information that pertains to where the US Forest Service gets its Constitutional authority to have law enforcement officers within Grant County.

One response that I have received in writing is that their authority is given through the Cooperative Policing Agreement that this agency has signed in the past. Upon asking for clarification and a second request, the response was that I needed to check with my District Attorney. Neither response in my opinion is adequate.

Under Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution, the federal government is limited in its powers and authority. Your jurisdiction as I see it is limited in nature to the Federal Building in John Day.

Within the confines of Grant County, Oregon, the duties and responsibility of law enforcement will rest with the County Sheriff and his designees.

Sincerely,

Glenn E. Palmer
Sheriff for Grant County


So, here we have a small-town sheriff standing against the Federal Government on behalf of his citizens. You know, the people the sheriff actually promised in solemn oath to protect and defend? Well, this Sheriff meant it. He takes his oath seriously and intends to keep his word. He has been ridiculed and sharply assailed for his stance. The local newspaper has been part of this criticism and some other local officials who would never have the courage to do such a thing, certainly have the courage to complain about Palmer. One such coward actually criticized the sheriff, not because he was wrong, but because his stance could cost the county federal funds! In other words, don't stand for what's right, do not try to keep your oath, become a political prostitute and grab the federal money! Is this not the political correctness of the day? Don't do whatever it takes to keep your oath of office, do whatever it takes to bring in the money! Thank goodness there are those with the honor and integrity to stay out of the corrupt mainstream.

There is one other fantastic part of this entire situation. The people have taken it upon themselves to stand with their sheriff. The newspaper, The Blue Mountain Eagle, has on its June 1, 2011 issue, a full-page ad with approximately 600 names on it from citizens of Grant County. The ad has as its headline: SUPPORT OUR SHERIFF. Then the subtitle reads: The following citizens stand behind our County Sheriff Glenn Palmer, his oath of office and the constitutions. This is an example to all Americans, to all leaders of this great country, a small county in eastern Oregon just demonstrated how we preserve our Constitutional Republic; we have sheriffs, who keep their oaths, who stand for liberty, and then you have the people, yes, how the entire Constitution starts, We The People, stand with their Sheriff!

I am honored to have seen all this in person, to have shaken the hand of this good Sheriff and his good wife, and to meet the people of this great county. I spoke to this crowd and in the middle of my presentation I announced proudly that it was an amazing experience to be in a place in America where the County Sheriff actually has the courage to just do his job! The crowd of about 500 went wild with applause, standing and cheering for several moments.

This is the answer, this is the solution. Grant County and Sheriff Palmer have shown us the way! As sheriffs and other local leaders stand for freedom, we take America back county by county and state by state! And of course, don't forget the key ingredient, “We The People.”

The WILDLANDS PROJECT - Forcing You Off The Land & Into The City...

IN THIS PHOTO, BILLIONAIRE LOUD-MOUTH TED TURNER AND ONE OF HIS ENVIRONMENTAL PUPPETS, RENE' ASKINS, PLOT TURNER'S WILDLANDS EFFORTS...TO FORCE AMERICANS OFF THE LAND AND INTO THE CITY.

FOR MORE ON THE WILDLANDS PROJECT...GO TO THE FOLLOWING TWO POSTS.

The WILDLANDS PROJECT Continued...

THIS SIGN PRETTY MUCH TELLS HOW MONTANANS FEEL ABOUT THEIR TWO STATE SENATORS...THINGS ARE HEATING UP NOW, AND THE FIRST SEAT (TESTER'S) WILL BE CONTESTED NEXT YEAR (2012) BY NOW CONGRESSMAN DENNY REHBERG. THINGS WILL GET INTERESTING.

READ MORE ABOUT THE VERY CONTROVERSIAL WILDLANDS PROJECT BELOW...AND VOTE WISELY IN 2012!

Here's A Quick Look At The BIG PLAN...The WILDLANDS PROJECT!

WHERE WILL THEY FORCE YOU OR YOUR FAMILY TO GO WHEN THEY SAY IT IS TIME TO LEAVE?

If the United Nations and radical environmental groups, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, have their way, this is what America will look like before the end of the next 50 years. And the plan is not very human friendly. This is a look at what the country has in store once it has been segmented and carved up to achieve the greatest land grab of modern times - the Wildlands Project.

Note all the RED shaded areas on this map. Those will become wilderness or wild areas, and all of those RED veins connecting everything like a huge spider web will be wild corridors doing exactly that...connecting all of those wild areas where major predators will enjoy the opportunity to mingle, party down, have great big ol' sexual orgies...and maintain genetic connectivity. In all, more than 50-percent of this country will be transformed into such wild areas, with all progress of the past several centuries (roads, power lines, bridges, and cities) destroyed and removed. Where will the people all go? Well, the ultimate goal of the radical environmental organizations and a few demented individuals, such as billionaire loud mouth Ted Turner, is for the human population to dwindle...and dwindle quickly...say by about 75- or 80-percent over the course of the next century. The remaining population will be herded into cities known as "safe zones"...well away from the sacred wild lands.

As idiotic as this may all sound, it is the goal of the United Nation's Agenda 21 to actually achieve all of this...and to reduce the human role in life on this ol' Earth.

Educate yourself immediately...and begin to fight back. The "Elect Anyone Except Jon Tester and Max Baucus" sign above can be found along a state highway near Great Falls, MT - and shows that some of the citizens of this state are beginning to identify the root of this problem - elected officials who are in sync with the Wildlands Project agenda. While both Senators Tester and Baucus are constantly on television boasting about bringing good paying jobs to this state, these two officials have done far more to shut down the economy in Montana - mainly through the loss of many forest and mining (natural resources) job opportunities. Tester's wilderness legislation is just another step toward achieving moving people off the land and into the city.

Two great places to gain more knowledge of this fiasco can be found at the following links.

http://www.access-advocates.org/issues.htm

http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/articles2/wildlands_project_and_un_convent.htm

You'll quickly realize that all of the legal wrangling to keep wolves and grizzly bears under the protection of the Endangered Species Act has been just an early Wildlands Project building block to eliminate why people want to live close to the land. Likewise, the manner in which the federal government continues to allow groups like Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and several dozen other so-called "environmental" organizations to scam the Equal Access to Justice Act out of hundreds of millions of dollars annually is using your tax dollars to fund a project which will kick many people off of their lands. There is so much money involved (appx. $5-BILLION over the past decade) that many residents now suspect that many overly environmental friendly politicians and perhaps even a few federal judges are also enjoying some of the ill-gotten spoils.

To keep up on all of this, visit the following two websites regularly...

www.lobowatch.com

www.destroyersofwildlife.com

Toby Bridges
Missoula, MT