NEWS ROUNDUP

A powerful new weapon in fight against wildfires Only hours after the devastating Cedar wildfire erupted in San Diego County, Philip Riggan boarded a specially equipped twin-engine airplane and headed toward the inferno. Some 17,000 feet above the flames, the plane sailed over thick plumes of smoke as Riggan sat behind a flat-screen computer monitor observing infrared images of the white-hot flames racing out of control and threatening people and their homes. Using a revolutionary thermal infrared camera, Riggan provided firefighters with a detailed map showing the wide swath of destruction cut by the wildfire...Reservation deal protested About 50 people opposed to creation of a reservation for the Klamath Tribes protested Monday outside a closed-door meeting where the topic was being discussed. The meeting, coordinated by the Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust, was another in a series of private meetings between representatives of the tribes and various other interests, including irrigators. It was held at the Klamath Falls Shilo Inn. Many of the protesters said they wanted to be represented in the discussions that could lead to a new reservation made up of lands now owned by the U.S. Forest Service...Deeper Shade of Green for Washington Forests? The Department of Natural Resources, which manages nearly 5 million acres of state-owned lands that are collectively worth more than $7 billion, is considering certifying 1.4 million acres of forests in Western Washington as 'green.' If the agency decides to manage the lands under the designation of a green forest certification scheme, it could be a big boost to the Pacific Northwest's burgeoning green building market, which has grown by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years. And it would give Washington the distinction of being the only state in the nation that has certified its state trust lands...Twain's frog found in county he made famous A threatened species of frog thought to have inspired Mark Twain's tale of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" has been rediscovered in the county, 34 years after the frogs last were seen in the area. The children of a cattle rancher found the California red-legged frogs while playing around watering holes on their property in the western portion of the county, wildlife officials said Tuesday. They asked that the location not be disclosed as researchers work to protect the frogs and their habitat...Conservation Groups Demand EPA Stop Using Illegal Insider Chemical Group to Forge Policy Conservation and pesticide watchdog groups sent a letter demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency stop giving illegal special access to a group of chemical corporations. Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and other sources reveal that the corporate insider group has met regularly with EPA officials in secret and has urged EPA to weaken regulations that protect endangered species from pesticides. The chemical companies are pushing EPA to weaken pesticide safeguards by cutting expert biologists in the US Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries out of consultations determining the effects of pesticides on wildlife. At the companies' urging, EPA has started a rulemaking to reserve authority over such evaluations to itself...Miners gather as gold prices surge, regulations stabilize It's a good time to be a miner. Gold prices on Tuesday were the highest they've been in nearly eight years, silver and other precious metals were selling well above prices needed to keep mines open and the regulatory climate is mild. "There's a lot of excitement in the mining industry, fueled by the higher price of gold," Laura Skaer, executive director of the Northwest Mining Association, said as the industry group convened its 109th annual convention...World's Religions Increasingly Vocal on Environmental Issues Saving souls, getting to heaven, preparing for life in the next world. That's what a good number of religious traditions are all about - but in recent years, the world's religions are getting increasingly involved in efforts to help save the planet Earth as well. "We are now at a point in human history where all living things and all life processes are at risk, due to the extinction spasm we are causing by destruction of the environment," said Mary Evelyn Tucker, a professor of religion at Bucknell University. "And religious leaders are beginning to discuss, debate, and respond publicly to critical and arresting questions about the shutting down of life systems around the world."...Border Fence Plan Riles Environmentalists Environmentalists in California are trying to block a federal plan to build a new security fence to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States from Mexico. The 14-mile fence would accompany an existing 40-mile fence that has been credited with causing a massive drop in illegal border crossings since its construction in 1993. Supporters of the fence say that the increasing number of terrorists who are at large means the United States must be even more vigilant at its borders...The dog-kicking donkey of steeley hollow Friendly feuds aside, Hammons really did buy the donkey for his dog-kicking abilities. "Raising calves, sometimes you lose them because of coyotes and wandering dogs," said Hammons. "I understand it's a normal behavior for donkeys to protect livestock from dogs and coyotes." Hammons said people have told him they've actually seen the donkey proving himself as a dog-kicker of great ability. "It's also noticeable that there are fewer dogs in the field now," said Hammons. Baxter is about five years old, and until Hammons bought him earlier this year, he'd spent most of his life in a pen, being used as the moving target for calf-roping training...Couple recalls lost era, Ranchers find culture dying out In the kitchen, Leanora Avila, 88, places wood into a black cast-iron stove with a tea kettle on top. Her husband, who celebrated his 98th birthday Sunday, gazes out of a window overlooking the ranch where he was born. He remembers leaving to marry and raise a family -- and the joy of coming back. "When I look back, there are a lot of good memories here," he says. "There were cattle, sheep. We had a good life." Looking through the window, he sees the small house where he was born and the original wood barn where he used to keep horses, but now stores firewood and his old Chevrolet pickup truck. The Avilas, married 68 years, are among the last of the ranchers in an area that used to be mostly ranches...