NEWS ROUNDUP

Money matters When wildfires threaten homes or forests - and especially when they can be seen from populated areas - a sense of urgency dominates the atmosphere as thickly as the blazes' smoke. The call goes out to "save" structures and habitat, and at that point, nobody asks how much a bulldozer, helicopter or hand crew will charge. But this year, as fire suppression costs nationwide top $1 billion, including at least $112 million in Montana alone, many people are wondering exactly what we're buying with that money...Heavy equipment costs $3.2 million When the heavy metal thundered into the Lincoln area to help combat the Moose/Wasson and Snow/Talon blazes, their operators were greeted with open arms. With hand crews and aircraft a limited commodity in the early days of the Lincoln Complex blazes, firefighters eagerly turned to bulldozers, skidgines, caterpillars and tractors to help cut lines around the fires in an effort to contain them. Within four days of the Snow/Talon's start, 20 water trucks, plus 14 bulldozers and skidgines - a hybrid piece of equipment that carries water for firefighting but also has a dozer-type blade on it - were at the scene, ready to work on dousing the flames...Gov report shows some cost cutting To many people, it seems as though when a wildfire begins, the United States Forest Service just opens its checkbook and starts writing, with little regard for the bottom line. However, a report by the Forest Service that looked at how the Lincoln Complex Fires were managed does show some cost-cutting attempts while also noting a couple of issues that had a "direct and negative impact" on cost containment efforts...Editorial: Big spending on wildfires To someone whose home was spared from wildfire by the quick, determined and costly efforts of firefighters, it might seem churlish to worry very much about the costly part. But, as today's stories by reporter Eve Byron reveal, some of those costs are mind-boggling. It takes nothing away from the fire bosses' courage and willingness to do whatever it takes to battle a forest fire to ask whether the job can be done for a cheaper price. That's a question, however, that can't even be discussed until people know in detail how current policies are working. That's why Rep. Hal Jacobson, D-Helena, and other legislators are seeking a performance audit to get a better handle on the spending. Jacobson, a member of the legislative audit committee, and Rep. Dave Lewis, R-Helena, a former state budget director, note that when the state gets a bill for $27 million for its share of this year's firefighting costs, maybe it's time for the state to have a say on how that firefighting is managed...Rapidly multiplying invasive species pose host of dangers to U.S. Even in this age of heightened security, dangerous invaders continue to infiltrate the United States. While they may appear harmless, they've got a rap sheet a mile long. Their infiltration threatens human health; it lays waste to fields, forests and waterways; and it costs the nation billions of dollars each year. These foreign critters are what scientists call "invasive species," and they're the No. 2 cause of death to endangered species -- beating out pollution, overharvesting, disease and global warming. They cause grave medical problems, damage crops, and can restrict trade...Colo. report on proposed drilling diluted wildlife recommendations Some recommendations for protecting wildlife amid proposed gas drilling on the Roan Plateau of northwest Colorado were omitted from a state report, prompting criticism from an environmental group. The Colorado Division of Wildlife's suggestions that four areas be protected from development were left out of the state's final report to the federal Bureau of Land Management, internal records show...Reviving species - with a puppet and planes It has to be one of man's strangest odysseys since Orville and Wilbur Wright - human beings dressed as birds flying machines with birds following who think that those humans - in their planes - are birds. But humans go to great lengths to snub Darwin: Like the reintroduction of red wolves and elk in the Smoky Mountains, this was part of a wider effort to drag animals back from the brink of extinction and repopulate regions with species that have disappeared. Florida was the cranes' winter home before they died off in the East; this journey was designed to show them back to their old habitat...Young Bald Eagles Are 'Recruited' for Relocation Jim Spickler scales a 100-foot Sitka spruce and perches at the edge of an eagle's nest, but his job is only half done. Next, he speaks to the 8-week-old raptors in the nest, just long enough to coax them into a padded nylon bag. Then he makes the descent. For the past two summers, Spickler has been on a recruiting drive that could return bald eagles to Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Southern California. The native population on the islands was wiped out by DDT...Riverbed changes owners The Black River courses through the rolling hills of Interior Alaska, past an isolated Gwich'in village and some summer fish camps. This remote waterway became something of a national issue this fall when the state of Alaska took title to its gravelly bottom, courtesy of the federal Bureau of Land Management. A paperwork transfer involving a little-known river in a far-flung corner of Alaska normally wouldn't stir ripples of interest among politicians, tribal leaders and environmentalists alike. But in this case, it marked the first time a state laid claim to a riverbed under a new fast-track approach by the Bush administration aimed at turning more federal land over to states. The BLM action opens the door for Alaska to gain control over thousands of rivers across the state. Alaska gained control of the Black River because of a policy shift at the Department of Interior ushered in by the Bush administration. Last February, the BLM revised its "recordable disclaimer of interest" regulations to make it easier for states to gain title over riverbeds and historic rights of way on public land, such as wagon and sled dog trails, cattle paths, and mining and trapper routes, for example. In Alaska, common examples include the Stampede Trail in Denali National Park, the Girdwood to Eagle River Trail, and the Chilkoot Trail outside Skagway...Road project endangers bats Snoozing in an abandoned church by day and crossing a two-lane highway by night to feed on insects, a colony of endangered and highly sensitive bats has somehow settled in a stretch of forest in rural, west-central Pennsylvania. But a proposal to build a new bridge across U.S. 22 in Blair County could disrupt their flight pattern. Wildlife experts are worried that the Indiana bats could be killed by moving vehicles at a far higher rate than they already get hit, potentially wiping out a particularly unusual colony...Trip to Yellowstone puts pupils in virtual valley A group of New Lenox middle school pupils recently visited Yellowstone National Park's Hayden Valley--without having to sell a single candy bar or roll of wrapping paper to raise money for the trip. That's because the 23 pupils at Liberty Junior High School visited the park's valley on a "virtual tour" via laptop computers as part of their earth science lesson. Yellowstone's Education Program unleashed the 50-minute virtual field trip, dubbed "Zooming in on Hayden Valley," in November, the third of its electronic field trips. Dianne Zinkel, a 7th-grade science teacher at Liberty, jumped at the chance to give her pupils a real-life look at the valley, in the center of Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, and relate it to the curriculum on weathering and erosion last week...Bush Plans Drilling in Untapped Alaska Oil Reserve Across the western Arctic sprawls an Indiana-sized land mass dotted with lakes, populated by migratory birds and other wildlife, and packed with potential oil riches. The National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPR-A), wedged between the foothills of the rugged Brooks Range and the icy Arctic coastline, is about 120 miles from the better-known Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The NPR-A was set aside 80 years ago as an energy storehouse for the U.S. military, but the reserve has yet to send a barrel of oil to market...Spotted owl kin complicates status The northern spotted owl, icon of the Pacific Northwest timber wars a decade ago, now faces a threat at least as imposing as loggers: its bigger, badder cousin, the barred owl. The threat posed by the nonnative barred owl, reviewed by a panel of scientists Friday at Washington State University Vancouver, could influence a re-assessment of the northern spotted owl's status as a threatened species. The owl's 1990 listing sparked an uproar after a federal judge halted all federal timber sales to protect the owl's dwindling habitat in old growth forests...Court tosses timber ruling A federal appellate court on Thursday struck down a Sacramento judge's refusal to block a major logging project in Eldorado National Forest, telling the judge he applied the wrong legal standard for an injunction. One of the appellate judges even questioned whether the U.S. Forest Service can be trusted to administer such projects, since it derives all the proceeds...EPA rules may mean curbs on barbecuing, lawn mowing as focus switches from industry Southeast Michigan officials who are studying ways to comply with tough new federal air pollution rules warn that no source of smog is sacred. Not even the family barbecue. Cars and factories still emit most of Metro Detroit's air pollution, but residents also will be asked to sacrifice to meet tough new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ozone regulations that begin taking effect in 2007 and could cost the region tens of millions of dollars...Bush routes revised clean air policy to EPA Convinced that its effort to revamp the Clean Air Act is stalemated in Congress, the Bush administration is pushing the policies, which govern pollution from power plants, through regulation rather than legislation. This week the Environmental Protection Agency plans to release a pair of proposals that closely track President Bush's proposed amendments to the Clean Air Act, known as the Clear Skies Initiative. The regulations share the same timelines, limits and trading mechanisms for three of the main pollutants released from burning fossil fuels: mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Both proposals would expand the current pollution trading systems for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides and introduce a new one for mercury...Brazil: Anti-Logging Activist Missing in Amazon Delta Greenpeace has admitted it is "deeply, deeply worried" about a British activist who has gone missing from one of its ships in the Amazon delta. Yesterday the Brazilian authorities launched an investigation into whether her disappearance is linked to the group's campaign against illegal logging...Beef exports to United States surging Beef exports to the United States have surged with November recording the largest amount ever shipped in a single month. Attractive prices on offer in the US are encouraging exporters to send more product to the market, which now accounts for almost half of Australia's total exports. Peter Weeks, Chief Market analyst with Meat and Livestock Australia, says the surge in shipments to North America will mean Australia may now fill the export quota when earlier in the year that looked impossible...New Jersey's bear hunt ends with 328 confirmed kills New Jersey's first bear hunt in 33 years, prompted by rising numbers of run-ins with humans, ended with hunters taking about 10 percent of the state's estimated bear population. The six-day hunt ended Saturday evening with 328 confirmed kills -- 209 females and 119 males, state Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Martin McHugh said...To Protect Ecosystem, Grand Canyon Hopes to Evict Buffalo The bison trample vegetation, defecate in ponds, pollute springs and create wallows, said Elaine Leslie, a wildlife biologist at the Grand Canyon. Some of the soil they tread on has also begun to erode, putting trees and plants at risk. Consequently, park officials have met with the state to discuss how to remove the bison, which the state owns and maintains on land outside the park. "We need to figure out how to get these animals out of the park eventually," Leslie said...Wyoming ranchers sweat as brucellosis found in cattle herd Three dozen cattle in a Wyoming herd tested positive for a highly contagious bacterial infection that, if widespread, would sharply limit the state's export of cattle, prompt the slaughter of tainted livestock and cause millions of dollars in losses. Even before Donald "Doc" Jensen's entire herd of 391 Hereford cattle was tested for brucellosis, Colorado blocked import of cattle from a sweeping region of Wyoming. Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Utah are poised to follow suit if the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirms state lab test results, according to the Wyoming governor's office...First cutting horse champion has legendary status The story of Hub is one that seems almost made up. It has a noble beginning and a sweet ending. It reads like a children's book designed to teach values and character. It is a true story -- certainly one that has been gently massaged over the years -- but it remains faithful to the events, nevertheless. It began in the early 1880s near Jacksboro, northwest of Fort Worth. Bill Wood, a horse trainer who lived on Keechi Creek just outside Jacksboro, had a little bay that Graves dearly coveted. As it turned out, Graves had no money, and Wood needed fence rails. A bargain was struck. Graves split 2,000 rails in payment for Hub. The legend began...