NEWS ROUNDUP

Fish and Wildlife Service faulted in Southern California wildfires Officials say efforts to battle California wildfires were hampered because the US Fish and Wildlife Service delayed their request for controlled burns. The city of San Bernardino received funding from the federal government in 1995 to burn areas of heavy brush near the San Bernardino National Forest. But it took the Fish and Wildlife Service seven years to conclude the burns would not jeopardize rare animals and plants. That decision came just a few months before the Old Fire destroyed hundreds of homes. The city was preparing public hearings on the burn when the fire started...Forest Service approves food storage order After two years of revisions, the U.S. Forest Service approved an order to keep food away from bears in more parts of the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone national forests, officials said Tuesday. The order spells out how food, pet food, dead game animals, livestock grains and feeds, garbage and hygiene items should be stored by forest users so they don't attract bears. Forest Service officials say the order, which has drawn criticism and threats of litigation from several Wyoming counties, is necessary to address increasing bear and human encounters and ensure visitor safety...Supervisors approve revised Frank Church Wilderness plan Supervisors of four national forests have signed off on a revised management plan for central Idaho's 4.2 million-acre Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The wilderness plan, a decade in the making, includes increases in Salmon River jet boat use by allowing the boats to stay longer, changes in float boating on the Salmon's main and middle forks and changes at wilderness airstrips. It also provides broad direction to forest managers...Klamath Tribes release forest restoration plan Pressing a campaign to regain control over 690,000 acres of national forest taken from them in the 1960s and 1970s, the Klamath Tribes have formed a plan to restore elements of the forest the way it was before a century of logging. The plan, produced by two of the Northwest's leading foresters, would represent one of the biggest forest restoration projects in the West...BuzzFlash interview: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. For his entire adult life, Robert F. Kennedy has fought to protect our environment. In a recent lengthy commentary in Rolling Stone Magazine, Kennedy issued a brilliant, impassioned, well-documented indictment of the Bush administration for its assault on the air, water, and land owned by all Americans for our common good. BuzzFlash recently interviewed Kennedy about his case against the Bush administration's ruinous policies toward the environment...Pot guards endanger land users Mexican cartels have taken over much of California's marijuana farming, boosting both the potency of the drug and the propensity for violence from armed guards protecting the crop, the nation's drug czar said Monday. They're planting huge marijuana plots on public lands, creating a growing danger to hikers and hunters stumbling into the line of fire, said John Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy, in advance of appearances today in Reno and South Lake Tahoe, Nev...Federal lawsuit filed over climbing ban at Tahoe landmark A rock climbing group filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court challenging a U.S. Forest Service management plan that bans climbing on Cave Rock, a landmark on Lake Tahoe's east shore. The Forest Service has agreed to postpone until May implementation of its Cave Rock management plan, which means it's OK to climb there for the time being...Riders, nature-lovers agree: Give land a rest Tire ruts appearing on San Diego County's newly burned hillsides have prompted an unusual alliance of off-road enthusiasts and environmentalists to carry a single message: Stay off the burned lands while they heal. Don't go off trails, even if the now-cleared countryside looks tempting...Bush Administration to Cut Key Salmon-Protection Measures The Bush administration's attempt to eliminate protections for imperiled salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake River Basin drew concern today from a coalition of businesses, fishermen and conservationists. The coalition sent a letter to the President arguing that a decision to eliminate summer spill would be a "serious blow" to salmon-dependent communities and would jeopardize the long-term survival of salmon throughout the Basin. Similar letters from the State of Alaska and the Alaska Trollers' Association have also been sent...Tiny owl may lose U.S. protection The U.S. agency that put the pygmy owl on the endangered species list now wants it taken off, which would make it easier to develop thousands of acres of prime Northwest Side land. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service filed papers last week asking a federal judge to drop the listing of the tiny cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, whose protection transformed the politics of growth in Pima County. Echoing arguments made by home build-ers' groups, the Wildlife Service said a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in August leaves a lower District Court judge no choice but to take the owl off the list...U.S. to Delist Ariz. Agave As Endangered Federal wildlife officials plan to take the Arizona agave off the nation's list of endangered species because scientific studies concluded that the plant is a hybrid. "It hasn't progressed far enough on the evolutionary path to call it a species. Not to say it couldn't, but it hasn't gotten there yet," said Mima Falk, a plant ecologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...Man charged in aerial coyote hunt A man who survived a small plane crash that killed the pilot pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court to a misdemeanor charge of aerial hunting of coyotes on the Crow Indian Reservation without a permit. The criminal complaint charges Paul A. Garrison, who was injured when the Piper PA-22 he was riding in went down Feb. 20 about six miles east of Garryowen. Pilot Jeff Puente was killed...Park snowmobiling dealt blow It was supposed to have been a merry Christmas party for the 200 or so employees of West Yellowstone's Holiday Inn, and for an extra hour it was. Then Clyde Seely, owner of the lodge, stood up and broke the news: "I didn't want to spoil this night, but an hour ago we learned the judge struck down the Bush plan to allow snowmobiling in Yellowstone (National Park). At this point we don't know the full ramifications of the decision," he said. "I'm sorry." U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled late Tuesday in Washington, D.C., that the Bush administration should not have set aside a Clinton administration plan to ban snowmobiles from the national park. Sullivan's ruling effectively reinstated a Clinton phase-out plan. Now, under that plan, 490 snowmobiles per day will be allowed through the four gates to the park this season, and unless the decision is overturned, the park will be closed to the machines next winter. Under the Bush plan, 950 of the cleaner, quieter machines were to have been allowed into the park each day for years to come...Looter gets 37 months in prison in stolen artifact case in Vegas An Oklahoma man who admitted his role in a theft ring that netted thousands of pilfered relics from throughout the West has received one of the longest prison sentences ever in a case involving stolen artifacts, authorities said Tuesday. Bobbie Wilkie, 45, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas to 37 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay $102,000 in restitution, Nevada's U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said...Pilgrim family member found guilty of doing park business without permit A man living inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park was found guilty of taking an undercover ranger on a paid horseback excursion without a permit. Federal magistrate Harry Branson said Joshua Hale _ who is part of the 17-member Pilgrim family embroiled in a dispute with the government over park access _ knew that Bonanza Mine was part of the national park and that he needed a permit to guide there. But his family accepted $200 from the ranger and Hale took him on a horseback trip to the mine above Kennecott, the magistrate said. In the nonjury trial, Branson found Hale, 23, guilty of the misdemeanor crime of doing business on federal land without a permit...Wild Land or Disneyland? As though do-it-yourself river access weren't already limited at Grand Canyon National Park, Park Service officials in the Bush Administration have announced a "freeze" on accepting applications for river permits for those who don't want a large-sized, commercialized experience on one of the world's most sought-after wilderness rivers. The Administration's Park Service freeze applies only to those seeking a permit to run the river on self-guided and mostly oar-powered trips, while commercial outfitters, who already hold a tight 70% of access to the river, are allowed to continue selling seats for their large motor trips. The current system of permitting has resulted in 20+ year waits for people seeking an authentic wilderness river experience...Scientists say Desert Act limits them Roland Brady used to study geological faults in the Mojave Desert, work that he hoped would lead to a better understanding of earthquakes and help to build structures more resistant to the shaking of the ground. No more. With passage of the Desert Protection Act in 1993 and its implementation the following year, the Cal State Fresno professor says he found himself hamstrung by new regulations and restrictions. The act set aside large areas of Bureau of Land Management territory and regions of Death Valley as wilderness. It also created the Mojave National Preserve, much of it designated as wilderness. Mechanized equipment is banned in wilderness areas. The prohibition applies not only to off-road vehicles - making it impractical for scientists to trek for miles with heavy research supplies or simply access remote areas on foot - but even things such as a tape recorder that might be placed in a study zone to gather data...EPA battles Canadian company over river pollution It's not often the United States serves as a dumping ground for a foreign factory, but that is happening in the remote northeast corner of Washington. The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to force a Canadian company to clean up decades of toxic smelter wastes that have flowed down the Columbia River into Lake Roosevelt in the United States...Western Shoshone payments challenged The Western Shoshone have found an ally in U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva to join their near half-century long land battle with the federal government. The Arizona congressman is taking the Department of Interior to task asking some hard-line questions and requesting bundles of documents related to land and treaty rights directly connected with the current distribution bill which considers one-time payments to the tribe. In a four-page letter, dated Nov. 17 and addressed to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Grijalva, D-Ariz. asked the department to cite the law the government used to take title to Western Shoshone land, called for the release of reports justifying the agency's recent treatment of the tribe and demanded information regarding any meetings or communications the agency has had with special interests eyeing the land for potential energy development. Although Grijalva said the letter isn't meant to be accusatory or demanding in nature its tone is quite clear. He wants everything laid out on the table so Congress can make an informed decision on H.R. 884, better known as the "Western Shoshone Distribution Bill." Grijalva said he hopes at least to get some "factual answers" to all the questions he raises in his letter...Theft Hampers Archaeology Site Protection Ranger Jason Caffey was on routine patrol, miles from anywhere, when he saw it: A rockshelter that archaeologists had been excavating for a decade was looted, scooped out in the middle with thousands of stone artifacts and bone fragments cast aside. But since Caffey's discovery in June in rugged, remote north-central Wyoming, no arrests have been made and leads have been limited. The vandalism points out the difficulty that a limited number of federal officials in the field face in protecting remote archaeological sites containing valuable artifacts...Ranching proposal faces criticism Proposed new federal rules would improve grazing management and help continue public lands ranching in the rural West, some say. "This proposed rule will help public lands ranchers stay on the land," Interior Secretary Gale Norton recently told the Joint Stockmen's Convention in Albuquerque. Others say the rules will perpetuate a subsidized industry and make it harder for the public to get involved in decisions that affect public lands...Top Fish and Wildlife Priorities Discussed President George W. Bush along with Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman met with Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Chairman Jim Range and representatives from several of the country's leading hunting and angling organizations Friday at the White House. The meeting was called in part to thank those in the group who had supported the President's Healthy Forest Initiative which he signed into law as the Healthy Forest Restoration Act on November 21. The meeting also provided an opportunity for the President to address issues that the sporting community has recently identified as top priority conservation concerns...Bill would protect landowners from drilling Landowners would have more protections if their property is targeted for oil and gas development under a bill introduced by U.S. Reps. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Tom Udall, D-N.M. The Western Waters and Surface Owners Protection Act was introduced just before Congress recessed for the year, after several efforts to add its provisions to the now-stalled energy bill failed. The bill would require oil and gas operators to replace water supplies lost or damaged due to development, outline steps to protect water resources and negotiate surface-use agreements with private landowners whose property sits over federal minerals. If an agreement cannot be reached, the bill provides for an alternative dispute mechanism to ensure good-faith negotiations...To see the bill, click here and enter H.R. 3698 ...Water plan under fire from rights holders New Mexico's first comprehensive state water plan is scheduled to come before Interstate Stream Commissioners today, but already the Assessment Payers Association of the Middle Rio Grande is complaining that historic water rights holders --­ including Indian tribes --­ "have every reason to be nervous." In the Assessment Payers November newsletter, "Watermark," put out by association member Lisa Roberts with direction from the board, a cover story states that, "Among the salient criticisms of the draft plan is the short shrift given to the protection of vested rights." Promises made under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo are not addressed in the plan and there is no mention of pre-1907 water rights, the newsletter said...Banks may have to choose between pumpers, trout farms Southern Idaho bankers said they have not had to side with groundwater users or trout producers when it comes to handing out operating loans. But a growing conflict over available water could change that. The dispute revolves around the effect of wells punched into the Snake River Plain Aquifer in eastern Idaho. That ultimately lowers the freshwater springs which supply the trout hatcheries downstream at Hagerman. Those trout farms often have earlier water rights than the groundwater pumpers. The state's dairy industry depends on that pumping...Agreement may put wolf at further risk, some say The recovery of the highly endangered Mexican wolf may be further at risk under a new agreement among federal, state and tribal leaders, conservationists say. They said the so-called memorandum of understanding places too much authority over the wolves with local officials and the livestock industry. The agreement, signed by only a handful of agencies so far, acknowledges the responsibilities of state, county and tribal governments for the welfare and protection of their citizens, and makes them an intricate part of the management process for the wolves...Non-lethal methods can resolve conflicts between bears and humans How do you keep a black bear from taking out the backyard bird feeder or going through your garbage? Play the sound of a helicopter, or flash a strobe light, say scientists from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other organizations, who tested several non-lethal techniques to minimize conflicts between humans and large carnivores. The scientists, who published their results in the December edition of Conservation Biology, compared the effectiveness of non-lethal methods for keeping large carnivores away from human structures, livestock, and other potential conflict areas. They found that motion-activated lights and sounds can keep both large- and medium-sized predators away from food sources, thus preventing a clash that can result in large carnivores being destroyed...Editorial: Labeling law shouldn't be delayed The reasons country-of-origin labeling on food products is good for the United States are so overwhelming that it's appalling that it has been delayed. What is even more despicable is that the labeling law (COOL) has already passed; the debate has already taken place. COOL was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush as part of the 2002 Farm Bill...Court reinstates madcow suit against USDA A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived an animal protection group's lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture aimed at stopping the sale of "downed" animals for human food because of a fear of mad cow disease. In its ruling, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a trial court's finding that the Farm Sanctuary, based in upstate New York, and Fordham University professor Michael Baur had no standing to file the suit...Keeping Cows Safe From Terrorism That's the concern of the Department of Homeland Security, which announced Friday a $33 million plan for a pair of academic centers to combat possible terrorist attacks on America's livestock and food supply. The department contends that so-called "agroterrorism" is a "top priority for university research." But outside homeland security and biological defense circles, experts are deeply divided over how realistic the threat actually is...Group aims to market lamb to US Australia has joined forces with the United States and New Zealand to boost consumption of lamb in the United States and to avoid the difficulties faced in the market in the past. Four years ago the US Government increased the tariff on lamb imports from Australia and New Zealand in an attempt to protect local farmers from competition. The World Trade Organisation eventually ruled the tariff increase illegal and the US was forced to back down...East Texans dig in for land battle "Boogie" Feagin thought his little corner of Upshur County was his retirement castle, a scrub-pine slice of East Texas where a working man could run some cows and watch his grandkids play. But trouble arrived in his mailbox three months ago. Now the 69-year-old and his neighbors are worried that an arcane Texas legal maneuver known as a "vacancy claim" could cost them their homes and land...All 31 Brucellosis-infected cattle had been vaccinated for the disease All 31 cattle which tested positive for brucellosis on a ranch in the Boulder area had been vaccinated against the disease, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian. After answering Sublette County residents' questions during a 41/2-hour meeting in Pinedale Monday night, officials were deciding what to do next to contain the outbreak. They were weighing a number of options, including providing booster shots to Sublette County cattle. Bret Combs, a veterinarian with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said Tuesday that seven of the infected cattle had been inoculated with the Strain 19 vaccine and the rest with the newer RB51 vaccine, which began being administered around 1996...Railcar shortage hits U.S. A record 2003 corn crop, high grain prices and rising demand in Europe and Asia for wheat and soybeans are factors contributing to railcar shortages, the Agriculture Marketing Service indicated in its weekly grain and transportation report. As a result, grain is being stored on the ground in many locations...Borders may be open to beef by 2004 As 2003 draws to a close, area beef producers are optimistic that the American border will reopen to Canadian beef early in the new year. A comment period to the American government on a proposal to reopen the border, which was closed on May 20 after one breeder cow in Alberta tested positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), will end on Jan. 5, 2004. Lyle Vanclief, federal minister of agriculture, reportedly told media recently that he expects the border to reopen to live animals younger than 30 months within a week following the Jan. 5 deadline for comments, but one area farmer thinks that's optimistic...Members of the Senate will work to restore COOL -- Grassley Although supporters of Country of Origin Labeling have expressed hope that the Senate will stop a two-year delay in mandatory country of origin labeling when it votes on a spending bill next January, that's not likely to happen, the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee said Tuesday. "It will not be stopped in the Senate on January 20, but I would not preclude activity in the next appropriations process," said Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)...Time, progress change cowboys' job description Few things in western history have changed as drastically as the job descriptions of the American cowboy. Our long-time vision of a tall, bowlegged, sunburned, weathered, chapped and spurred rugged individual seems to have all but disappeared from the western scene. Perhaps it is because of the ever-changing job descriptions he endures. At one time, the cowboy arose before daylight, topped off his bronc for the day, then rode the wide-open ranges until late evening, tending livestock and enjoying complete freedom. In the 1880s, barbed wire was invented and the chore of fence building and repair was added to his duties...Fans want former rider in hall of fame It's been decades since "Brownie" Smith last settled down on top a saddle bronc, nodded to the men holding the gate latch and exploded into rodeo arenas all around southwest Montana. But her horsemanship skills and ability to make a good ride haven't been forgotten. And now people around Montana are working to see Smith's achievements as a cowgirl be remembered forever as a member of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. "The first I can remember seeing Brownie ride was at a rodeo in Dillon," remembers Jim Eighorn of Melrose in his nomination letter. "She made an exhibition saddle bronc ride that made your hair stand on end...