NEWS ROUNDUP

Editorial: Deck stacked against wildlife When federal agencies are weighing whether to permit oil and gas drilling in sensitive areas, they depend on the Colorado Division of Wildlife to help them understand how the development will affect wild animals. It's crucial that the feds get accurate and objective data, even if the information shows that drilling in some places would be unwise. So it's distressing that Gov. Bill Owens' administration repeatedly has diluted and squelched comments from wildlife experts. As a result, Colorado has sent federal agencies one-sided, pro-development messages...Forest Service moving ahead with Ketchikan sale The U.S. Forest Service is moving ahead with a timber sale near Ketchikan that could lead to the first 10-year timber contract in the Tongass National Forest, the agency said Tuesday. The Forest Service denied an appeal from two environmental groups and will allow the Licking Creek sale to proceed...No quick, easy or inexpensive fixes for forest The San Bernardino National Forest is clinging to life. Besieged by drought and billions of tree-killing bark beetles, ravaged by historic wildfires and recently beset by flash floods and mudslides, half a million acres in the forest have seen an unprecedented environmental crisis in the past 12 months. But with the advent of 2004 comes hope among forest managers, scholars and lawmakers that the forest's woes - the culmination of a century of neglect and mismanagement - will finally be addressed... Eco-communes The mountain hut concept, developed in the 19th century, centers on communal rather than scattershot living. In the Alps, hundreds of structures dot the backcountry, providing access in areas otherwise off-limits to thousands of people. In North America such structures are relatively scarce, in part because backpackers here tend to seek out isolation. But the collective wear and tear of backcountry camping, along with the strain on wilderness from the rise in adventure travel, is driving a push for more huts. Serving as wilderness base camps, the huts also become a reservoir for important safety, weather and educational information...Sand dunes emerging as major environmental battleground A small, broom-like plant found only in the dunes of California's Imperial Valley has turned this vast and desolate landscape into one of the nation's unlikeliest environmental battlegrounds. The fight pits those trying to protect the fragile habitat of the Pierson's milkvetch against the huge crowds of off-roaders headed to the Algodones Dunes to ring in the New Year by driving and partying in the desert. The plant, which is protected by the powerful Endangered Species Act, is keeping dune riders out of an area 31/2 times the size of Manhattan. Off-roaders say the milkvetch is emblematic of what's wrong with the Endangered Species Act, which celebrated its 30th birthday Sunday. They contend it locks up huge areas of public land with what they call bad science about endangered species...Lots of time, money spent on wolves, grizzlies Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioners spent a lot of time, effort and money in 2003 managing two federally-listed endangered species -- the grizzly bear and the gray wolf. Both species are well on their way towards delisting, according to agency officials. Much of the commission's efforts in 2003 dealt with trying to speed up the process of removing the animals' listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), while at the same time searching for new funding sources to manage the animals... Endangered Species Act turns 30, faces challenges The imposing bald eagle and the tiny Southwestern willow flycatcher illustrate the debate swirling around the Endangered Species Act as it turns 30. The eagle has been pulled back from the brink of extinction thanks to protections provided by the federal law. Because of its revered status as a symbol of U.S. freedom, few grumble about the changes forced on human activities that have allowed the eagle to rebuild its numbers. But the flycatcher, benefiting from similar protections, mined a deep vein of dissatisfaction when its appearance at Roosevelt Lake threatened to force water releases during Arizona's drought. The prospect of saving a bird by draining water that serves thousands of Valley residents was cited as a classic case of how the federal law appears to value animal and plant life over humans. The water releases did not happen, but it cost the Salt River Project $17 million to create an alternate plan for the flycatcher...Plan to save Northwest salmon falls short, report says The plan to save the wild salmon of the Snake and Columbia rivers without disabling dams is not working as well as planned, the Bush administration has admitted. In a report issued Christmas Eve, the National Marine Fisheries Service acknowledged that "delays represent a significant concern" but nevertheless judged federal efforts to carry out the plan "adequate." Federal agencies are behind on "key actions" to save Columbia and Snake river salmon stocks from an extinction spiral, the agency said. That's worrisome, although it could be remedied, the report said...Wilderness Act anniversary celebration delayed until after election A federally sponsored conference to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Wilderness Act has collapsed after the U.S. Forest Service told conservationists it had to be postponed until after the 2004 election. Informed that the National Wilderness Summit and Expo scheduled for Oct. 1-7 in Denver could not be held before the Nov. 2 election, conservation groups jointly planning the event dropped out, feeling they were no longer full partners in the event. "What is frustrating to me is we have leadership at the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture talking about partnerships on public lands," said Don Hunger, director of national program development for the Student Conservation Association, who served as co-chairman of the conference planning committee. "It pretty much turns that relationship on its head, and says we're not a partnership."...BLM may reopen road in Gravelly Mountains wilderness study area The Bureau of Land Management is considering reopening a road through a wilderness study area in the Gravelly Mountains that has been closed for more than a decade. Madison County commissioners asked the BLM to reopen a route in that area after people in Virginia City asked for a way to reach the Gravellies. The choice of the road known as the "stock driveway" was a compromise, said Rick Waldrup, outdoor recreation planner for BLM's Dillon office. BLM is beginning an environmental assessment of the proposal and will accept public comments until Jan. 30...TPL's 2003 Conservation Achievements Today, the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit conservation organization, has announced its conservation achievements for the year 2003. Across the country, TPL protected more than 292,000 acres in 31 states during 2003, with a fair-market value of $236 million. In addition, TPL and its affiliate, the Conservation Campaign helped 19 communities nationwide pass measures that will generate more than $1.2 billion in new funding for parks and open space. Since it was founded in 1972, TPL has protected more than 1.6 million acres of land, from the inner city to the wilderness, in 46 states...NSA hit for secrecy by environmentalists The National Security Agency (NSA) has been reluctant to share information about environmental conditions on its property, much to the frustration of environmental groups and government regulators, activists complain. "No one's asking them for state secrets," said Zoe Draughon, chairman of the Restoration Advisory Board, a group of activists and regulators overseeing the environmental cleanup of Fort Meade, where the NSA has its headquarters. Miss Draughon said her group will not let the spy agency "wrap themselves up in paranoia and patriotism and say they have classified dirt."...Wyoming to consider brucellosis test plan All Wyoming cattle sold for breeding would have to be tested for brucellosis under a proposal that will be discussed by state officials next week. The idea comes in the wake of Monday's report confirming that a Sublette County herd is infected with brucellosis. Thirty-one of 391 cattle in the herd tested positive for the disease. So far, other tested herds that may have come in contact with the infected cattle have not shown signs of the disease. The Wyoming State Livestock Board will meet Tuesday to consider mandatory testing for brucellosis of cattle sold for breeding herds...New West Nile Virus Equine Recombinant DNA Vaccine Anticipated A new West Nile virus (WNV) equine recombinant canarypox vaccine awaits USDA approval; once available, it could pave the way for a new generation of equine vaccines in the United States. Merial has been developing this Recombitek equine WNV technology for three years. The company assembled a group of researchers, clinicians, and private practitioners in New Orleans, La., on Nov. 19, 2003, to review WNV and the research behind the technology. Recombitek would be the first recombinant canarypox DNA vaccine to be approved for use in horses in the United States, and it would provide another WNV vaccination option...Seabiscuit Movie Makes $80 Million in First Week Riding the crest of the holiday shopping season, Seabiscuit burst out of the gate with more than $80 million in DVD and VHS sales in its first week, making it the year's best-selling drama released on DVD and VHS. Released Dec. 16, the title sold five million units in its first six days...Perhaps it's just my age This year instead of assigning myself a whole bunch of do-better tasks, I'm making Griping Declarations. I'm going to hang on to my personal preferences and prejudices. I'm sticking resolutely with what I don't like, can't stand, don't want, and refuse to deal with. In other words, I'm keeping my gripes. I'm used to them. They're old friends. I can use them as conversation starters when I'm stuck for something to say at boring meetings. At my age, I can do that...The sharpest men carried pocketknives To help realize the change from the old days to modern times, we need only to recall memories of the pocketknife. Since the beginnings of man, a sharp edge on a rock, flint or metal often meant the difference between survival and death. Whether using a blade for protection or to help provide subsistence, the knife was indispensable...