NEWS ROUNDUP

New lynx lawsuit threatened It's probably a good thing that lynx don't have to pay the legal fees for the lawsuits filed on their behalf in recent years because it would take an awful lot of snowshoe hare pelts to cover those bills. In the latest maneuver, a slew of conservation groups recently filed a formal Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue the Forest Service for the agency's delay in adopting a set of regional forest plan revisions intended to protect and recover the threatened species. That would only be the latest in a series of ongoing legal skirmishes that may outlast the cats themselves, given the glacial pace at which these issues seem to move through the courts...Timber harvest plan under attack U.S. Forest Service officials reporting on a controversial forest management plan Thursday were bombarded with criticism from local officials, loggers and the Quincy Library Group, which designed the plan. Even Rep. Wally Herger, R-Marysville, called the timber harvest levels projected for the next six years "incredibly discouraging." Turning to Forest Service Regional Forester Jack Blackwell, he said, "You're our new general ... but I'm not encouraged by these numbers."...Column: Oil ire on public lands In quiet corners of public land across the West, an angry fight roils over energy development. A few weeks ago, the Senate killed an energy bill that would have erased important protections for wildlife and pristine lands. But next month, voters can expect another push for environmental rollbacks when Congress reconvenes. Of course, the nation should develop its energy resources - but most federal land already is open to mineral development, according to the Bush administration's own studies. The few federal holdings that are off-limits include national parks and wilderness areas...Environmentalists seeking data on state road claims Environmentalists want to force state and federal officials to reveal to the public which roads Utah hopes to acquire under a settlement agreement. "We're fighting on two fronts," said Heidi McIntosh, conservation director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. On one hand, SUWA and The Wilderness Society lodged a formal appeal with the Interior Department against the Bureau of Land Management's Utah office for refusing to disclose which roads crisscrossing federal land the state is claiming ownership of under a Civil War law known as R.S. 2477. On the other hand, the conservation group Save Our Canyons has filed a records request under the state's Government Records Access and Management Act, which compels local agencies to release certain public records. In this case, environmentalists want to know which roads the state and Salt Lake County are claiming ownership of because they are part of the state's highway system...Caribou herd in U.S. remains endangered Despite 20 years of recovery efforts, the last wild herd of woodland caribou in the contiguous 48 states continues to struggle for survival. Only 41 of the caribou, a close relative of the reindeer, were counted in the 2003 census within the greater Selkirk Mountains north of Spokane...Vegas to extend water intake deeper in drought-struck Lake Mead With drought drying Lake Mead, water officials are hurrying plans to build a longer straw to draw water from deeper in the reservoir that supplies almost all of southern Nevada's drinking water. The Southern Nevada Water Authority has approved spending up to $2.5 million to buy materials to attach a downward pipe to the water intake at the Hoover Dam complex on the Colorado River...Davis: Trouble with Chambers Before There's word that embattled U.S. Park Police Chief Teresa Chambers may have been on thin ice for some time. Chambers was suspended December fifth after telling reporters her department is short-handed. But Northern Virginia Congressman Tom Davis tells WTOP Radio there have been issues with the chief before that. Davis says those issues involve insubordination and unspecified improper actions. The congressman also says there have been moves to replace Chambers even before this latest incident...A life ends; questions don't After all the surgeries and sickness, the infections and the tears, one of the things Justin Frasure had hoped to receive from the federal government was an apology. But he never got the acknowledgment he sought in a lawsuit against officials he said failed to warn him and others about the toxins that littered the hillside where he played as a boy. The federal government has tried unsuccessfully to dismiss his suit and its lawyers have declined to talk about the case while it remains unresolved...Checkerboard Shuffle: Nevada's largest landowner plans sale to BLM A proposed format for selling hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Pershing County could prove to be the model for consolidating "checkerboard lands" throughout northern Nevada, including Elko County. But, it's far from certain whether the checkerboard land consolidation plan being put forward by Nevada Land and Resource Co. - the largest single landowner in the state of Nevada - and Pershing County will succeed... Private vs. public lands With nearly 90 percent of the land in Nevada managed by the federal government, many have argued that taking any more property out of the hands of the private sector is contrary to the long-term interests of the state. But, just having privately owned land available doesn't necessarily lead to economic development. That's especially the case in northern Nevada, where "checkerboard lands" dominate much of the landscape, according to Don Pattalock, chief geologist for Nevada Land and Resource Co...Abbey: BLM lacks funds for roundups U.S. Bureau of Land Management's state director, Bob Abbey, said Wednesday he is upset over lack of funding for gathering wild horses. And Doug Hunt of the Nevada Department of Wildlife said NDOW is considering suing the federal government to force the roundup of wild horses...Officials want BLM probe Four Oregon Congressional representatives have asked the U.S. Interior Department for a review of the Bureau of Land Management's contracting procedures. The request comes after a report in The Oregonian newspaper that the federal lands agency hired a private contractor with ties to the mining industry to help draft a management plan for Steens Mountain and the surrounding federal land...Ranchers, state, federal officials clash over grazing in Nevada Nevada's attorney general is sparking unexpected controversy by asking a judge to clarify the state's role in the federal seizure of cattle from ranchers accused of trespassing on U.S. land. Seeking legal direction in an ongoing dispute over property rights on Western rangeland, Attorney General Brian Sandoval joined the Nevada Agriculture Department in asking a state court to conduct a "judicial confirmation hearing." Sandoval wants a legal opinion on whether the state acted appropriately when it cooperated with federal land managers who during the past two years impounded and auctioned cattle that had been seized from ranchers accused of illegally grazing livestock on public land...Interior appointee to focus on renewables Mindful of the power generated by the sun, electricity derived from underground steam and turbines turned by the wind, the Interior Department has carved a new job to promote renewable energy development on public land. Interior Secretary Gale Norton has appointed Brenda Aird as the department's ombudsman for renewables...Salmon advocates say they'll head to court over dams A coalition of salmon advocates said Friday they will go to court over the effects federal dams on the upper Snake River have on migrating salmon downstream. The filing of a formal notice to sue followed U.S. District Judge James Redden's rejection earlier in the week of a petition to include in the new salmon recovery plan the effect of those dams on migration...2nd state restricts shipments of Wyo. cattle California became the second state to impose restrictions on Wyoming cattle amid the finding of brucellosis in a herd near Pinedale, an aide to Gov. Dave Freudenthal announced Friday. "California has imposed restrictions, which would have been in effect (Thursday)," said Lara Azar, the governor's press secretary. Colorado had earlier restricted imports of cattle from a wide area of western Wyoming...USDA: Commercial Beef Production Down 18 Percent From Last November Beef production, at 1.78 billion pounds, was 18 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.43 million head, down 15 percent from November 2002. The average live weight was down 24 pounds from the previous year, at 1,236 pounds...Mortensen heads from Vegas to Metra for Chase Hawks Dan Mortensen, you've just matched one of professional rodeo's oldest and most prestigious records, what are you going to do this weekend? "I'm going to ride at Chase Hawks," replied Mortensen. Less than a week after winning his sixth PRCA world saddle bronc title, Mortensen will climb aboard another bucking horse tonight at the 9th Annual Chase Hawks Memorial Roughstock Rodeo...Montanan's tale of record-breaking flake a white lie? This story might sound a little flaky. You know, like we're trying to snow you. It is, after all, about a snowflake and a world record one at that. They say the father of all flakes fell near what is now Miles City in eastern Montana Jan. 28, 1887. According to the record books, it measured 15 inches (38 cm) by 8 inches (20 cm). And it apparently wasn't alone. One witness said the same storm dumped giant snowflakes over an area of several miles. Rancher Matt Coleman gets the credit for measuring the flakes, which he said were "as large as milk pans."...