NEWS ROUNDUP

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No choice but to cut wildfire risk Surrounded by the densely wooded hills of the Lincoln National Forest, residents of the village of Ruidoso have long been aware of the dangers of forest fires. It was just north of here in 1950 that a black bear cub rescued after a fire was named Smokey Bear and became an enduring symbol of fire prevention. But the risks of living in the woods have come into sharper focus in the past few years. Three large fires have struck here since 2001, including one that destroyed more than two dozen homes...Column: Government secrecy about road claims has to stop Six months ago a bombshell exploded in Utah. It was revealed that Gov. Mike Leavitt and Interior Secretary Gale Norton had secretly agreed on a process whereby the federal government would acquiesce to the state's pursuit of so-called RS 2477 claims to a vast number of "highway rights of way" throughout Utah. The Utah Attorney General's Office sent maps of many thousands of potential claims to the Department of the Interior in June 2000, but only a handful of claims have been made public since the Leavitt-Interior deal in April...Author: Fighting some fires a waste The federal government wastes billions of dollars a year fighting some forest fires, Douglas Gantenbein writes in "A Season of Fire: Four Months on the Firelines of America's Forests." Gantenbein, a journalist who teaches nonfiction writing at the University of Washington, left Seattle for the summer of 2001 to chase wildfires across the West. And there were plenty, including the Thirtymile fire in Washington that killed four firefighters...Column: Do We Need A $15 Million "Illegal Logging Initiative"?...So my interest was aroused when I learned that, in July, the Bush administration had launched an "Initiative Against Illegal Logging" and the cost of that Initiative would be $15 million in taxpayers' money. It's no secret the US is deep into the red ink these days and one would think it would be looking for ways to cut spending, but this Initiative was deemed important enough for Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell, to announce it on July 28. He noted that the World Bank estimates illegal logging costs developing nations an estimated $10-15 billion every year in lost resources and revenues. It is money he said, "stolen from legitimate forest products businesses." As I read through Secretary Powell's address, I noticed that he expressed his appreciation to Conservation International, a major Green organization, and the American Forest and Paper Association for their work "in demonstrating the critical importance of preserving protected forest areas." Reading further, I learned that the US had "already entered into agreements with six countries to generate over $60 million for forest preservation." So the total is now up to $75 million for this policy designed to "save" forests from proper management and use...Feds may review salmon spending Bush administration officials extolled recent surges in Columbia River basin salmon runs during a regional conference here, saying the time is ripe to re-examine the $600 million the government dedicates to salmon recovery every year. Bonneville Power Administration administrator Steve Wright and White House environmental adviser David Anderson added that favorable ocean conditions played a key role in boosting salmon returns -- a welcome development, but one in which the government has zero control...Reservations, habitats often at odds Rapid growth in California and slow development of tribal land mean that many reservations are the last refuge for some threatened and endangered species. That makes it difficult for some tribes to build homes and businesses on their land. "Tribes in this state are bearing a disproportionate burden for endangered species," said Richard Fielitz, regional forester for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Sacramento. "They were poorer tribes and did not develop their lands. They became refuges for endangered species."...Editorial: Innovation in conservation There is a growing consensus among scientists that conventional approaches to species conservation may not be sufficient to save much. Fortunately, several innovative approaches are beginning to bubble among scientists and policy-makers...Statewide plan in the works to manage the gray wolf Residents will have the opportunity next spring to weigh in with what they think should be included in a statewide plan to manage the gray wolf. Wildlife biologists have been working on a management plan for some time now. Their efforts received added priority when a gray wolf was captured last fall near Morgan, the first official confirmation of a wolf in Utah in more than 50 years...Attacks reflect increase in cougars When cougars attack livestock or threaten humans in Central Oregon, federal government wildlife specialists, or trappers, may be called upon to track and kill them. Two weeks ago, a federal trapper, Jon Belozer, killed two adult male cougars in Crook County. One was believed to have attacked a horse near McKay Creek in the north area of the county. The other was prowling among people in Post, a community in southeast Crook County, and had killed an elk, said Brian Ferry, a wildlife biologist for the Ochoco district of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife...Border crossings harming wildlife, experts say The thousands of undocumented immigrants who cross the border from Mexico into the United States daily could eventually take a toll on wildlife habitats and animals in southern Arizona, experts say. While studies haven't been done to show the effects of border crossings on wildlife, biologists say that trails used by illegal immigrants would be most detrimental to animals...Column: SUWA, A Part of the Entangled International Enviro Web The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), an environmental group based out of Salt Lake City that's been involved in southern Utah issues for years, is a prime example of a tiny segment in the overall management scheme for the world's resources. They're part of the environmental web. A web is "an intricate structure suggestive of something woven," so says Webster's dictionary. It's a deceptively attractive trap, luring the victims in, until finally, they're entangled in the web's unbreakable noose...Alaska changes NPR-A road design, moves route to the east State planners say the new proposed route for a year-round gravel road linking the untapped National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska with the existing North Slope road system is a little longer than the original plan but much better for several reasons. "The trade-off was easy for us," says Mike McKinnon of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The administration sees all-season road access as key to promoting more oil and gas exploration and production on the slope...Abandoned mine provision stripped from energy bill A provision that would reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Reclamation program and direct more than $400 million to Wyoming is not included in an energy bill that could be sent to President Bush to be signed into law before the end of the week. Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., and Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., could force a vote on the issue Monday. Either could offer an amendment adding the provision to the bill...Resource development freeze not included in energy bill A provision that would freeze oil and gas development along much of Montana's Rocky Mountain Front is not included in an energy bill that could be sent to President Bush to be signed into law before the end of the week. The bill includes a provision that would require the Interior Secretary to study a plan to give companies that own leases along the front leases in other parts of the state and in the Gulf of Mexico. Baucus would also like to include a provision that would continue a freeze on development of leases in the Badger-Two Medicine Area for three more years. The area contains between 75 and 80 percent of the leases along the front...Environmental rules spark concern over Sierra fire danger With fresh snow on the ground and fresh memories of deadly blazes in Southern California, fire crews renewed work to reduce danger at home. But even as piles of wood were burned to lessen wildfire risk to upscale homes on Lake Tahoe’s north shore, devastation from epic California fires heightened concern that environmental rules are hampering efforts to prevent fire...Cycling mecca at center of conflict Since the mid-1990s, riders like these from across Colorado and around the world have turned this one-time dumping ground for old couches and burned-out cars into a mecca for mountain bikers. Now, these 72,656 acres are a battleground as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management attempts to divvy up the desert between the mountain bikers and those who have used this stark expanse as a sort of anything-goes backyard for decades...DA mulling charges against BLM accuser The Imperial County District Attorney's Office announced Friday further investigation is needed before a decision on whether to file a criminal complaint against an Encinitas man who has made allegations of abuse of power against two U.S. Bureau of Land Management rangers can be made. Brian Boyd, 19, alleges BLM Rangers Ray Leloup and R.C. Magill abused their power and used excessive force on him resulting in bruising of his spinal cord in the neck area as well as having vertebrae in his neck and lower back wrenched out of place. Boyd was allegedly injured in an encounter with Leloup and Magill on Nov. 2 in Glamis near Highway 78 that reportedly began over a misunderstanding over a recreational use permit. The BLM office in El Centro filed a report Monday with the District Attorney's Office alleging Boyd assaulted one of the rangers...Green thumbs-up for Schwarzenegger The prospect of a gun-toting action hero running loose over the California terrain brought chills to environmentalists when Arnold Schwarzenegger was running for governor of California. His gas-gulping, smog-belching Humvee certainly didn't help. But as Schwarzenegger, the movie star and former bodybuilder, prepares to take over as governor today, his early critics concede surprise at the depth and reach of his environmental action plan, which promises to protect forests and watersheds, cut pollution of the air and water, and reduce reliance on oil and gas...State to ponder flows of recreational water With as many as seven Colorado communities planning to claim water rights for kayak parks or boat chutes, state officials say they want to establish a formula for determining how much water is enough for a "reasonable" recreation experience. While the workshop won't draw as much attention as the recent Colorado Supreme Court decision that legitimized recreational in- stream flows, it will help determine the shape of future applications for those rights. Most important, it could set limits on how much water is enough for a whitewater park...Rancher Gives Water Back to Rio Grande While everybody else wants to use water from the Rio Grande, rancher Kit Bramblett is giving some back. Bramblett is the first person to donate water to the Texas Water Trust, established in 1997 to protect water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in rivers around the state. The Hudspeth County attorney gave up his right to use 1,236 acre feet of water on his ranch, contributing it instead to the trust managed by the Texas Water Development Board. An acre-foot equals about 326,000 gallons, enough to serve one or two families for a year...Well-water testing recommended at citizens gas forum Mike Smith, a landowner south of Silt, seemed to sum up the concerns of much of the crowd attending a citizens forum on water issues in Garfield County's gas fields. "How can we protect our wells from gas-industry activities?" he asked Jaime Adkins, the northwest area engineer of the State of Colorado's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission...Dam's start a watershed for legendary water lawyer Sam Maynes has made history here the way most people make their beds - not always neatly but almost all the time. Routinely. The infamous Animas-La Plata water project, Maynes' project, is underway on the edge of town after 35 years of false starts and stops, and political warfare waged with the fervor of jihad...Mass deaths persist in Australia's livestock trade The death of 5,000 sheep on the MV Cormo Express, rejected by Middle East ports for three months, was just the latest chapter in a black history of mass burnings and drownings in Australia's 160-year-old live animal trade. It is a business which animal rights groups say inevitably leads to widespread suffering. Spokesmen for the A$1 billion (US$720 million) a year trade say it is today rigorously controlled to ensure the safety and well-being of the cargo...Rulings on laws against corporate farming raise questions for other states Supporters of laws that restrict corporate farming are anxiously awaiting a decision from an appellate court that could overturn such a law in Iowa. The same appellate court last month let stand a ruling that South Dakota's law, one of the nation's toughest, was unconstitutional. Legal experts say the precedents ultimately set in the two cases could threaten corporate farming laws in seven other Midwestern states...Thousands of wild hogs rampage through Texas wildlife, crops They roam the Texas countryside by the hundreds of thousands. They can grow to be 400 pounds and have been known to flip a vehicle in a collision on a dark country road. And one bullet usually isn't enough to drop the biggest ones. Wild hogs, which once were a problem only in east and south Texas, are now moving into areas of the state where many thought they couldn't survive. They damage crops and play havoc with wildlife, and experts worry that they carry diseases that could create an epidemic for farmers and ranchers...More cash in on land, tax deal As much as $15 million in state tax credits may be brokered this year under a program that preserves open spaces by swapping development rights for lesser tax liabilities. The 4-year-old Colorado Conservation Tax Exchange Program gives state income tax credits to property owners for donating development rights to a land trust. In cases where the landowner can't use the entire credit, it may be transferred to a brokerage or sold directly to individuals or corporations with heavy tax liabilities...