The tribe expressed outrage and disbelief at recent vandalism to rock cairns at The Smoking Place, a sacred site to the tribe. One rock cairn was dismantled and the rocks scattered. Two other cairns where altered and rebuilt. ‘These cairns are extremely sacred to the Nez Perce people, they are spiritual to use,’ said Samuel N. Penney, chairman of the tribal executive committee. ‘This vandalism is a disgraceful attempt to destroy a part of our history. Such outrageous conduct violated federal law and will not be tolerated.’ The cairns, conical piles of rocks, are located on the NiMiiPuu Trail near the Lolo Motorway in the Clearwater National Forest, the route the Nez Perce followed in 1877 while trying to escape from the U.S. Army. The Lewis and Clark Expedition stopped at The Smoking Place in 1876 during their eastward journey through Nez Perce country. ‘This incident is like going to a temple, church, mosque or synagogue to destroy the sacred items held there,’ Penney said. ‘Yet that is exactly what someone has done to us. It is shocking to me that anyone could even consider such morally and ethically reprehensible actions.’ Forest Service law enforcement officers are investigating the vandalism.
? Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has directed his Office of Species Conservation to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service move gray wolves of the endangered species list. The tribe has a federal contract to monitor the wolves. Biologists counted 63 wolves in northwestern Montana, 177 in the Yellowstone area and 192 in central Idaho at the end of last year. As many as 200 pups were born this year and about 80 percent of the pups usually survive. ‘The rapid spread of wolves in Idaho and the region shows that it’s no longer a question of whether the wolf will recover, but how the states can best manage them over the long term while protecting and sustaining big game,’ Kempthorne said. He urged the state to work with Fish and Wildlife, the tribe, the states of Montana and Wyoming, Idaho’s congressional delegation and others to expedite the delisting. But Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for Fish and Wildlife in Helena, Mont., cautioned that his agency has changed the definition of breeding pairs and said the wolf will not be delisted unless Montana, Wyoming and Idaho each have a management plan that meets federal standards. Wildlife officials in Wyoming have refused to even discuss a management plan.
