If only moose could vote

 

 Announcing the US government's new program!  Money for Moose! Cash for Cows! Bucks for Bulls!

A crowd of scientists, environmentalists and state agency folks gathered by Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge yesterday morning to hear the good news: Money is rolling into Duluth and the North Shore...for moose habitat! Congressman Oberstar, in the tightest race in his career, was there to share the good news.

After surviving a cantankerous debate at 8:00 AM, in which supporters of Oberstar and his opponent Chip Cravaak got loud and rowdy, drowning out the actual debate, Oberstar was probably delighted to be back among supporters. And what was not to like? The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is funding $200,000 for moose habitat and research in the forests above the North Shore. Plus $600,000 to plant trees and restore streamsides in Duluth's western neightborhoods. Another 200K for the PCA to strategize its work in the St. Louis River. 

 

 The moose project will "(a) restore 200 acres of moose foraging habitat near wetlands; (b) evaluate use of about 800 acres of previously restored moose foraging habitat; and (c) monitor how GPS-
radiocollared moose utilize the restored sites. This project will improve physical, chemical, and biological processes and ecosystem functions, and will help maintain or improve conditions for native fish and wildlife." All for $193,432.00.

If only moose and trees could vote...