NEWS ROUNDUP

Biologists concerned about skimpy salmon run at Lake Tahoe An unusually low kokanee salmon spawning run on a Lake Tahoe tributary has wildlife biologists concerned about the effect on bald eagles and other species that feed on the fish. Only an estimated 2,000 kokanee have made the run up Taylor Creek on the lake's south shore this fall, down from the usual 40,000 to 80,000 salmon. It's the lowest number since the mid-1980s. "One season is not going to make a huge difference," U.S. Forest Service biologist Raul Sanchez told the Tahoe Daily Tribune. "The eagles know the fish are here, but it may catch on over time that if there are less fish, (the eagles) may or may not come back."...More lynx added to radio-collar study Biologists in northeastern Minnesota have captured and radio-collared three additional lynx as part of a three-year study of the rare northern cats. Chris Burdett, a researcher with the Natural Resources Research Institute, gave the update on the research project during a national interagency lynx biology team meeting, held this past week in Ely. The two-day meeting brought together nearly 50 lynx researchers from around the country to learn more about the studies currently underway from Maine, to Washington...Spotted Owls Endangered by Logging or Nature? The spotted owl is one of the most studied, protected animals in U.S. history but despite efforts to halt the logging of their natural habitat, scientists say its recovery is endangered and it may become extinct for completely natural reasons. Protective efforts for the owls led to timber industry wars in the 1980s and the walling off of millions of acres of forest to loggers - but the spotted owl is being replaced by a heartier feathered foe - the barred owl. "Natural systems are pretty unpredictable," Eric Forsman, a U.S. forest service biologist, said. "When you set about trying to manage a particular species there are lots of things that can happen that are unplanned." Author Ron Arnold said this discovery vindicates the loggers who claimed all along the owls' precarious position wasn't their problem. "What's happening is a natural process," he said. "You can't turn nature into a museum even though environmentalists try. But I think they should be very apologetic and do some reparations" put the loggers back. "Studies show more than 22,000 logging jobs vanished because of the battle to save the spotted owl, devastating small mill towns throughout the Northwest. They're jobs that despite this new research are likely gone forever as environmental groups refuse to give an inch."...Island fox subspecies likely to win endangered species status Four subspecies of island fox likely will be listed as endangered under a legal agreement hammered out with a wildlife group that sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to win added protection for the rare predators, officials said Friday. The agreement, signed this week, also calls for the agency to map out and protect critical habitat for the tiny foxes on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina islands, located off the Southern California coast...Clean Air, Public Lands at Risk From Energy Bill Provisions The final draft energy bill, expected to be released tomorrow, will more than likely seek to: Exclude drilling fluids, many containing diesel fuels and other potentially toxic chemicals, from being considered drinking water pollutants under the Safe Drinking Water Act; Exempt oil and gas drilling sites from water pollution controls under the Clean Water Act; Require federal land managers to determine whether programs to protect wildlife, watersheds, wildlands, and recreational activities would have "significant adverse effect" on energy development before "taking action" to implement such plans; Allow the Department of Interior to permit new energy projects without addressing environmental reviews as required by existing laws; Create a "pilot project" in seven Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field offices throughout the Rocky Mountain states to expedite the approval of drilling permits. Protections of wildlife and other public values could be abandoned in the name of streamlining paperwork; Require the U.S. Geological Survey to identify as "restrictions" and "impediments" to oil and gas development on public lands such federal management practices as scientifically-based protections of fish, wildlife, and cultural and historic sites; A section that gives BLM just 10 days to review lengthy permit applications that applicants may have taken up to two years to complete. The measure also biases the BLM toward approving completed permit applications, by allowing just 30 days for the agency to either approve an application or offer specific suggestions for "any steps that the applicant could take for the permit to be issued";The provision seeks to require approval of an application that is deemed "complete," even if the project is fundamentally flawed because its environmental impacts cannot be mitigated, such as projects sited near sensitive areas including streams or steep slopes; A section that seeks to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease 100% of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) for oil and gas development, without regard for wildlife habitat, native hunting and fishing, water quality, or other non-commercial values. This section makes other changes to enhance leasing as well, including authorizing the Interior Secretary to give away public resources to private companies, waiving all fees and royalties at the Secretary's discretion; Additional language has been proposed, but not yet inserted in the last draft that seeks to weaken a fundamental requirement of the Endangered Species Act by creating a special rule for endangered species consultation in the NPRA...Montana the epicenter of modern-day dinosaur craze Widely regarded as one of the best places on Earth for dinosaur hunting, Montana ranks with other hot spots such as Mongolia, China, Argentina and Canada, particularly Alberta. A cottage industry has sprung up around dinosaur hunting, which brings in people paying hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars to participate in digs. The number of people wanting to dig for dinosaurs on federal land is growing so rapidly that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is drafting a national policy restricting digs on its lands...Man who submits winning bid for Mustang Ranch brothel a mystery The identity of a man who submitted the winning bid for the trademark and pink stucco main building of Nevada's best known bordello remains a mystery. Bureau of Land Management officials said the man who offered to pay $145,100 in an eBay auction for the Mustang Ranch in northern Nevada appears to be a legitimate bidder. They said they won't identify him until after payment is made. The man, who requested anonymity, faces a noon Oct. 27 payment deadline. A total of 85 offers from 29 bidders were submitted in the 10-day auction that concluded Thursday... Federal auditors call BLM southern Nevada land sales a success Earl Devaney, the Interior Department inspector who oversaw the audit, said the 1998 Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act fixed a problem of public land sales shortchanging taxpayers by millions of dollars. The audit was released Thursday. Devaney called the measure a model for selling Bureau of Land Management property elsewhere - a proposal that Nevada's senators, Republican John Ensign and Democrat Harry Reid, have endorsed for other counties in the state. The BLM heads a list of federal military, energy, park and forest agencies controlling about 87 percent of the land in Nevada and 80 percent of the land in Clark County. As of Aug. 31, the BLM had reaped $567.3 million selling 4,901 acres through live and Internet auctions of southern Nevada land. It plans to auction another 2,723 acres Nov. 6 in Las Vegas. A recent appraisal put the value of those lands at $361.2 million, or $132,639 per acre...Some angry about congressional salmon letter Idaho water users are reacting angrily to a letter to President Bush from 118 members of Congress who want the administration to consider every credible way to save wild salmon -- including breaching four lower Snake River dams. The bipartisan group of lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives asked Bush to ensure that his new federal salmon plan sets a goal of restoring self-sustaining, harvestable populations of wild salmon in the Snake and Columbia rivers. It comes at a time that conservationists and water users are clashing over the amount of upper Snake River water available for the fish migrations through those lower dams. "This is obviously part of an orchestrated attempt by the environmental groups to target Idaho water in a vain attempt to put pressure on us to support dam removal," said Norman Semanko, president of the Coalition for Idaho Water and executive director of the Idaho Water Users Association...History of N.M. cattleraising The origin and development of New Mexico cattle-raising is a subject that I have been following for years. It's a story not easily learned, since the details are buried in old Spanish documents preserved in our state archives. We know that Coronado introduced a small herd of cattle when he explored the Southwest in 1540. But those animals were intended as a food supply for his expedition and none survived the butchers' knives. Another herd arrived with the first permanent settlers at the close of the 16th century. These "seed cattle" became the foundation for New Mexico's livestock industry. Soon large ranches, or estancias were flourishing on lands bracketing the Rio Grande... BSE In Japan Won't Affect Reopening Of U.S. Border To Canadian Cattle Japan's alleged discovery of a unique form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a 23-month-old bull will likely have no effect on U.S. efforts to reopen its border to some Canadian live cattle, according to USDA Undersecretary Bill Hawks. The USDA is preparing to publish a proposed rule that will eventually allow some Canadian live cattle to enter the U.S., so long as they are younger than 30 months. The 30-month standard for cattle is the cornerstone of the USDA's actions to slowly reopen its border to Canadian beef and live cattle after a case of BSE, also known as mad-cow disease, was found in Alberta in May. The USDA eased the ban on some Canadian boneless beef products on Aug. 8, but stipulated that they be derived only from cattle slaughtered before they were 30 months old...USDA Loses Check-Off Court Appeal A request by USDA for a full panel of judges to review a previous three-judge panel decision ruling the beef checkoff unconstitutional was denied by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Mo. Thursday's 5-2 vote will mean no immediate change in the collection of the beef checkoff. Essentially, USDA didn't like the July decision by the panel of three judges in the case of Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) vs. USDA. So, in August, the USDA, Nebraska Cattlemen's Association and the Cattlemen's Beef Board sought a "en banc" or full panel review of the decision. As a result of the denail for a full court review, USDA filed a request Friday for a stay (delay) of the 8th Circuit's decision to uphold the termination the beef checkoff and to declare it unconstitutional. David Moeller, attorney with Farmers Legal Action Group (FLAG) which has been involved in previous checkoff cases, told DTN the 8th Circuit judges will most likely issue their decision on the USDA's request in about two weeks...