NEWS ROUNDUP

Ranchers, BLM fight over grazing rights The end of open range grazing on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is likely drawing near, rancher Bob Miller says. "There has been so much adverse publicity and so many people who don't understand the situation that we will not be able to survive this battle, physically or economically," he concluded... Instant maps? Not a problem for UNM In the world of environmental science speed rules, and the University of New Mexico is building one of the fastest toys on the block - a $1.8 million satellite dish and computer system that can scan the landscape of New Mexico and the entire western United States in real time, instead of the three weeks it now takes to get data. The system, called the Center for Rapid Environmental Assessment and Terrain Evaluation, or CREATE, is the first of its kind to be placed in an academic institution, said Lou Scuderi, an associate professor in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department...Trail in the works for unique volcanic caldera in Arizona About three years after conservationists successfully preserved a wildlife-rich volcanic crater in northern Arizona, plans are being made to allow people to visit this prized land. The U.S. Forest Service, which manages the 247-acre Dry Lake, is proposing a 1 1/2-mile pedestrian trail along the slopes of the crater, or caldera, once earmarked for a golf course and residential community...Lumber company to cut workers, close up shop Last year he was California's agriculturalist of the year. This year he's out of a job, along with his 120 employees...Trees in trouble Drought conditions, storm damage, disease and bark bugs have combined to take down an estimated 350 large, shady trees in Fort Collins in the past two years, costing residents thousands of dollars...Wildfires burn through cash Fighting wildfires is hot, dirty and dangerous. It’s also expensive. As of Sunday morning, the twin fires burning near Sisters known as the B&B Complex had racked up an estimated $30.6 million in firefighting costs. That is an average of more than $1 million per day since the fires began Aug. 19...Remaining crews try to erase footprints of firefighting effort>"After the fire's out, the real work begins," said Amber Kamps, who heads the Lincoln Ranger District. "We've done a lot of damage fighting this fire," she said. "A dozer line is not light use of the land. Now we need to put it all back together again before it gets worse."... Bugs threaten forests Each smaller than a grain of rice, mountain pine and spruce beetles look less menacing than a raging wall of flames, but these pests and their kin could soon become as big an enemy to Colorado's forests as wildfires... ’You play and pay’: Recreation fees raise revenue, controversy It´s part of the federal government´s 8-year-old Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, a pilot program created to raise funds for improvements for facilities like outhouses and boat ramps in about 300 areas across the country. It was started because of the increased popularity of outdoor activities and shrinking federal funds... Fire investigators find the story beneath the soot A firecracker hidden in 30 acres of ash near Carnation. A discarded cigarette in four charred city blocks of Shoreline. A phony story of heroism buried in 137,000 acres of Colorado. As crews throughout the West battle wildfires and pray for more rain, investigators are searching the scorched landscape, finding precisely where fires sparked, what sparked them and even occasionally the culprit — be it perfectly natural, horribly negligent or just plain criminal... RULING PREVENTS HORSE TRAIL PLANNING A regional U.S. Forest Service office has challenged plans for some Shawnee National Forest horse trails in environmentally sensitive areas. Thursday, Eastern regional forester Randy Moore issued a reversal to a previous Forest Service decision to allow the Shawnee National Forest to designate horse trails in natural areas... Governors talk energy and drilling Western states need to develop new sources of energy to offset the United States’ looming natural gas shortage, Robert Card, undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, told Western governors and Canadian premiers Sunday at the 18th annual Western Governors’ Conference in Big Sky. Ten governors from the Western United States and four premiers from western Canada, along with some 400 other assorted attendees, have descended on Big Sky Resort to discuss energy, forest health, health care, endangered species and other topics... Rising Pronghorn Population Fires Debate Sightings of the pronghorn antelope have become commonplace at the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, reviving a high-stakes debate between environmentalists who want to kick cattle off all federal land and ranchers desperate to stop them...Picken's Mesa Water buys water rights in Texas Panhandle county Mesa Water Inc. said Monday it has bought the water rights to 65,000 acres in Roberts County, Texas, from Amarillo-based Quixx Corp... Parks in peril I write on behalf of a group of senior retired National Park Service employees who are very worried about what is happening to the magnificent places in America they have had the privilege to manage in public trust for many decades...Utahns May Soon be Facing a War over Water Rights In the Old West, they used to fight over water. Sometimes they even killed over it. Now a new water war may be shaping up in Utah that could be politically explosive... Valley rancher cares for the land Maintaining the green view Carson Valley residents enjoy is the result of hardworking ranchers, such as Arnold Settelmeyer, whose family has maintained the land for many generations...