NEWS ROUNDUP

Case study for the fire bill White House political adviser Karl Rove himself couldn't craft a better script for the president's Healthy Forests Initiative than the one seven environmental groups have now written in Central Oregon. It's all there, in one neat story line to deliver to the U.S. Senate when it debates a fire bill this fall: a dangerously sick forest; a community plea for help; a long, inclusive planning effort; a broad agreement to thin the woods; a huge fire; and, even as trees go up in flames, environmental groups filing an appeal to bring everything to a screeching halt... Owner of Reno ranch targeted for preservation won't sell A plan to preserve the historic 1,000-acre Ballardini ranch in the foothills south of Reno is in jeopardy now that the owner no longer wants to sell...Machine may develop markets for forest slash Timber industry representatives, environmentalists and forest researchers from across the country will be in Central Oregon next week scrutinizing the performance of a machine that might develop new markets for material from projects intended to reduce wildland fire threats...Rural homeowners to pay CDF fire fee State legislators have quietly passed a $77 million bill that would charge thousands of rural property owners a first-ever state fee for fire protection...Imperial water deal churns again The soap-opera saga of a crucial water deal for California took a step backward Thursday, when a top Interior Department official accused Imperial Valley leaders of backpedaling on key parts of the long-negotiated pact. The renewed jousting between Imperial and the Bush administration came as the state Senate sent Gov. Gray Davis three bills that would implement the historic Colorado River deal, which would stabilize the water supplies of 20 million Californians and possibly head off decades of litigation...STRIVING TO BALANCE SALMON & AGRICULTURE Last month, Idaho Rivers United, and groups like it, claimed dams and reservoirs along the Snake River were harming endangered salmon. They had initially given the Bureau of Reclamation 60 days to fix the problem or face a lawsuit. But now, both sides have agreed to discuss the issue, which has become a battle over water rights... Fire burns spotted owl habitat More than half of the known activity areas for spotted owls in the Deschutes National Forest have burned in the B & B Complex fire, which is nearing 91,000 acres... Salamander's entry on species list contested Led by Rep. Dennis Cardoza, a panel of Central Valley planners and government officials looked into the proverbial crystal ball Friday when they met to discuss the Valley’s future if the California tiger salamander is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...Desert land chief walks fine line Now, as the first woman to head the California Desert District for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, she's in the middle of a contentious battle over those dunes... USPP's resolution called a 'bold step;' Group pledges to help balance water deficit Bill Branan, who is the National Audubon Society's representative on the Upper San Pedro Partnership, believes the organization "took a bold step into the future" last week by pledging to save the San Pedro River...BLM plans seven prescribed burns The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is planning seven prescribed burns in southern Wyoming this fall. The burns could begin as soon as Monday, according to the BLM...Anthrax kills 10 cows in Tripp County Anthrax has killed 10 cows on a Tripp County ranch, in the second appearance of anthrax in South Dakota livestock this year...Animal welfare lobbyists concerned about live sheep exports The Federal Agriculture Minister, Warren Truss, is being urged from all sides to end the live sheep impasse and accept responsibility for a shipment of 57,000 Australian sheep rejected by Saudi Arabian authorities two weeks ago, after claiming that they an unacceptably high level of 'scabby mouth' disease...The Monkey Wrench Guerrillas "Stay away from your old friends . . . don't use computers or telephones for anything . . . strike your enemies suddenly," the radical leader told his minions. "I love you all, and I'm praying for you to make it count." Such advice may sound as if it came straight from Osama bin Laden. Yet it was recently uttered by Rod Coronado, the 37-year-old de facto leader of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a secretive cabal of environmental radicals who are prime suspects in last week's torching of scores of Hummers and other SUVs in the San Gabriel Valley...Santa Fe To Help Out Silvery Minnow The Santa Fe City Council agreed Wednesday to sell up to 2,500 acre-feet of San Juan-Chama water to protect the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow... WTO Issues Measure to Cut Farm Subsidies The World Trade Organization issued a draft resolution Saturday to force member countries to cut farm subsidies, but it didn't go as far as many developing nations have demanded and some called it unacceptable...