NEWS ROUNDUP

Wolves kill calves, are sought in the Big Hole A pack of wolves recently picked the wrong place to settle down for a few days. About two weeks ago, wolves in the newly named Fox Creek Pack moved in on the Dooling Ranch near Jackson and killed four calves outright over three nights. Another calf died later from injuries. Now federal officials have decided the wolf pack will be killed. All they have to do is find the pack...Recreation top income producer in Bighorn forest Tourism dollars generated by the Bighorn National Forest far outweigh earnings from livestock grazing and timber harvesting, according to a University of Wyoming study. However, timbering is the only industry among the three that could produce more income under proposed changes to the forest's management plan, said David "Tex" Taylor, a UW professor of agricultural and applied economics...Editorial: Smart swap Rancher Fred Ruskin doesn't want to open up his high-elevation lands to development. But he says he will unless Congress authorizes a complex and controversial trade in which 35,000 acres of his land would go to the U.S. Forest Service. In return, Ruskin would receive about 27,000 acres of federal holdings on the northern boundary of his ranch and in Williams, Flagstaff, Camp Verde and Clarkdale. We believe the land exchange fosters smart development through water restrictions and enhances the environment by consolidating Forest Service lands. Congress should support it...Wolf advocates voice displeasure with MOU Wolf advocates are claiming the Memorandum of Understanding for the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project includes language that helps the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "pass the buck." Center for Biological Diversity Wildlife Biologist Michael Robinson said the MOU does not require a Mexican Wolf Recovery Specialist, which is the position that is accountable for all wolf control decisions (such as re-releasing, trapping or killing wolves). He noted that the position under the old agreement has been left unfilled since its last occupant, Brian Kelly, resigned six months ago...Environment of controversy: Endangered Species Act set to turn 30 They're slimy, with beady eyes and pinching claws. They're reclusive, hiding beneath submerged algae-covered rocks. They might scuttle no more than a dozen feet from home in their decadelong lives. So who cares about the obscure Shasta crayfish? Jeff Cook does. And so does the law...Scientists warn that extinction can work its way up food chain It's been called Earth's sixth great extinction. But this time, climate change or a titanic asteroid can't be blamed. It's all on the shoulders of mankind -- considered by some of its own scientists as an "exterminator species." The Endangered Species Act is said to be among the most comprehensive wildlife conservation laws in the world, and it has brought some success. But on a planet-wide perspective, the statistics remain chilling...Column: Protecting Wildlife It's time to abandon the misguided idea that we are helping wildlife by surrounding Durango with wildlife preserves and by restricting recreation activities in the front country that one- or two-mile interface between urban and more isolated backcountry. Deer enjoy a treat at the expense of a Durango homeowner's landscaping. By planting and maintaining lush lawns, fruit trees and gardens, we provide an attractive feast for the wildlife living in the surrounding forests and public lands. Too often, however, those animals' search for food ends in death on our streets and highways. While our intentions are noble, the results are devastating for wildlife. For the past two weeks the pages of this paper have chronicled unacceptable increases in automobile-wildlife accidents. We have seen a disgusting example of an unsuspecting buck being lured into a yard, only to become tragically entangled in Christmas lights...Sedonans seek scenic designation Members of a Sedona group are pushing for a federal scenic designation that they believe will help preserve the red-rock region. Keep Sedona Beautiful is asking the Coconino County Board of Supervisors to support its effort to get the national forest lands of the Red Rock-Sedona area named a National Scenic Area by Congress...Anglers fishing --with restrictions -- for threatened coho Encouraged by relatively bountiful returns of Oregon's coastal coho salmon -- protected under the Endangered Species Act -- wildlife authorities are letting anglers have a go at the threatened fish for the first time in a decade...Fort Irwin expansion delayed again An environmental document needed for the expansion of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin won't be ready until 2004 -- years after military officials originally hoped to expand the post. The latest delay in the release of the lengthy draft environmental impact statement follows a series of delays in 2003 that have been pushing back the 110,000-acre expansion of the post north of Barstow. Key challenges in the environmental document are how to deal with two sensitive species -- one, a small reptile; the other, a small flowering plant. The desert tortoise and the Lane Mountain milkvetch are listed as "threatened" and "endangered," respectively, under the Endangered Species Act...Bush's environmental policies touch off national debate Standing before a group of schoolchildren, President Bush repeated an oft-stated promise that his environmental policies would stand on hard scientific research. "We'll base decisions on sound science," he said in 2001. "We'll call upon the best minds of America to help us achieve an objective, which is: cleaner air, cleaner water and a better use of our land." But the role of science in forging environmental policy has grown into a central controversy of Bush's presidency. Critics say that although Bush vowed to "rely on the best of evidence before deciding," many of his policies dismiss the scientific recommendations of federal agencies...New Snowmobile Rules Roil Yellowstone J. C. Sumner, a retired sheriff's deputy from Jacksonville, Fla., was one of the visitors trying to salvage his trip. Mr. Sumner came here for a snowmobiling vacation with eight family members. They planned months ago to rent snowmobiles and drive on their own to watch Old Faithful erupt. But when they arrived in Bozeman, Mont., on Thursday they found out about the judge's order and had to scurry to hire a guide, who offered more expensive snowmobiles, at an additional cost of $60 per person per day, for two days. "I think it stinks," Mr. Sumner said. "It's bad for business, it's bad for tourists, and it borders on being unethical."...New Grand Canyon train urged Grand Canyon Railway has proposed creating a $186 million high-speed light rail line aimed at easing traffic congestion along the South Rim. The railway currently runs daily tours from Williams to Grand Canyon Village in Arizona. Railway leaders said that under the proposal, high-speed rail service could begin in 2005 from Williams to the canyon and reduce the South Rim's vehicle traffic by 50 percent...Editorial: A snowmobile compromise? We favor a compromise. Limit machines to the cleaner new models. Set some reasonable cap on the number allowed each day. Limit riding to groomed roads, and require guides so nobody goes chasing after the animals or tries to shoot across a boiling pool. But don't completely ban the experience. The legal story is not over. Lawyers will dream up as many arguments as they can, and throw them at judges by the handful in the hope that at least one of them will stick. Opponents will fight it out to the bitter end. That's the way it works. A sensible compromise, returning a measure of peace to Yellowstone in winter, would be too easy...BLM proposes new grazing rule Center for Biological Diversity Ecologist and former BLM employee Daniel Patterson said, "It's a rip off in every single way." He predicted that if the rule is set into law, it will be challenged by many groups. What concerns Patterson the most is the detail that allows a permittee to share a title with the BLM for contributing to rangeland improvements, such as a fencing, water troughs, wells and pipelines. "It's a complete ripoff to the taxpayer," he said. "Not only is the taxpayer being fleeced to pay for wells, then a public lands permittee ends up owning it." Patterson said ranchers are heavily subsidized already, which is why he thinks they do not need the ability to share titles. "It's essentially a welfare system," he said. "It's at great cost to the environment and the taxpayer."...State attorney hopeful for water settlement The litigation is between the Gila Valley Irrigation District and the San Carlos Apache Irrigation and Drainage District, he said, but includes hundreds of parties who fall under both titles. The parties stretch from Kearny to Virden, N.M., he said. Both sides of the litigation have come to more agreeable numbers dictating how much water each party would be allocated, he said. The amounts of water are also compliant with the amounts dictated by Sen. John Kyl's (R-Ariz.) guidelines...Column: Public lands grazing, Poison or protection? We would welcome the opportunity to substantiate our contention that Bill Hedden, of the Grand Canyon Trust, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument managers improperly collaborated in a scheme to permanently eliminate public lands grazing in violation of federal laws and regulations. Hedden did not seek to acquire grazing permits for the legal purpose of grazing livestock. According to records of the transaction, Hedden paid ranchers, under pressure and restrictions from the monument, to "unconditionally relinquish" their grazing permits to the BLM. Prearranged BLM commitments guaranteed that monument managers would "permanently eliminate" grazing from the allotments -- regardless of actual allotment conditions...Editorial: Bush should press for elevating status of EPA As a practical matter, every president since Gerald Ford has invited his administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency into his Cabinet. But the denial of permanent Cabinet rank puts the administrator at a symbolic and psychological disadvantage against the Cabinet secretaries and foreign governments with whom he or she must negotiate. It also signals the Cabinet secretaries and foreign governments that the United States isn't fully committed to solving the world's most serious and pressing environmental problems, such as climate change and mercury pollution... Drought Has West in Chokehold After five years of distressingly low rain and snowfall, a drought is hammering the West harder than ever, causing multibillion-dollar economic losses and prompting unprecedented measures in many states to cope with less water. With the start of winter, little optimism exists that the coming months will fix the problems. Weather forecasts are equivocal. Explosive population growth, environmental lawsuits to divert water for wildlife and below-average precipitation have put a strain on the big federal reservoirs that supply the West but were designed decades ago when the outlook was far different...Railroad to increase shipping rates Domestic rates for wheat and corn will increase $100 per train car and soybeans will increase between $200 and $260 per car next month, he said. Corn will rise by another $100 per car in February, according to Melonas. Bob Way, a Mitchell grain merchant, said he hasn't seen a shipping increase that big in a long time. "We see it fluctuate up and down a little bit, but this is a big one."...Voracious cactus moth crosses Florida on way to Southwest, Mexico Native to South America, the gray-brown moth is a minor pest in the Southeast, dining on ornamentals and a few native species. But it could cause economic and environmental havoc in the American Southwest and in Mexico, which is where it is headed. And infestations discovered across the Florida Panhandle show that it is gaining speed...Sugar Farmers Seeking Allies Against CAFTA Finding Little Help Red River Valley sugar beet growers who are seeking allies in their battle against the Central American Free Trade Agreement aren't getting much help from other farmers. Producers of other commodities have largely pledged their support for CAFTA. "We're in favor of greater market access and these agreements offer that," said Wade Moser, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association. "We have to do what is right for our producers."...Editorial: Trade agreement worth fight But protectionism is bad policy in the long run. The agreement will reduce trade barriers for U.S. companies seeking to increase exports and do business in the Central American nations. And lower American trade barriers are good for consumers. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, noted that Texas farmers and ranchers expect to gain immediate benefits when the agreement is finally approved...Mad cow scare cuts into rodeo About 10% of the top bucking bulls on the rodeo circuit were absent from this year's national finals in Las Vegas due to the border closure after the mad cow case surfaced. "It's not just the producers and the packers and that run into this problem - it affects us in the rodeo business," said Calgary Exhibition and Stampede rodeo and ranch manager Robin Burwash. "It's not just the one event. We also take a number of bulls down to (Professional Bull Riders) events. Plus, we were also campaigning our top bull Outlaw - he's 63-1, right now - to try and get him to the finals and then maybe get some votes for Bucking Bull of the Year."...The Less - than - Hushed Life of a Horse Whisperer Sshhh. Keep it quiet, but a horse whisperer does not speak in hushed tones to his equine charges. Inform the New Age enthusiasts that there is no mystical connection between a horse whisperer and a horse. There are, however, a lot of common-sense interactions, perhaps the crash of a bull whip on the dirt, and the always reliable bond formed through a few gentle rubs...Mounted Police to Patrol Houston Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport officials, looking to bolster patrols of their 11,000-acre facility, have decided to hoof it. A volunteer mounted police force called the Airport Rangers will patrol the perimeter of the city's largest airport, the Houston Airport System announced Friday. "Horses can go where vehicles can't go and we can also have the ability of people riding through the woods,'' said airport director Rick Vacar, who came up with the idea...Wyoming to fight Texas group over bucking bronc logo Wyoming's famed bucking horse and rider symbol is being rustled by a Texas group, state officials claim. Wyoming officials expect a court battle with Texas Stampede, an organization that stages concerts and professional rodeos to benefit children at two Dallas hospitals. The organization has been using a bucking horse and rider since its inception in 2001. Its logo is similar to Wyoming's, but the horse faces left instead of right. Both symbols show a cowboy holding his hat overhead aboard a bronc with its back arched and rear hooves lifted...Down syndrome ride reaches Alamo Davy Crockett returned to the Alamo on Sunday, this time to fight public misperceptions rather than Santa Anna's army. Crockett descendant Phil Thomas -- dressed in buckskins and a coonskin hat -- dismounted his horse in front of the Shrine of Texas Liberty so he could wrap his arms around grandson Van Warden, a 14-year-old Austin boy who was born with Down syndrome. Thomas re-enacted Crockett's 1,100-mile trek from Tennessee to Texas in order to raise money and public respect for people with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects 350,000 Americans...Records reveal Miles City survived Depression on 'madam money' Allison has found only one register of prostitutes, covering 1915-1917, but it is full of revealing information. The register first served as a listing of impounded horses, cows and mules, and the fees their owners had to pay to get them back. Then, a little way into the volume, it switches to a monthly register of bordello owners and the women working for them. Many of the infamous madams are there - Jennie Bowman, Frankie Dwyer, Ruby Smith, Frankie Blair, Anna Wade and Belle Wade. If a new girl arrived in town, it was duly noted in the margin where she came from. If she left a particular bordello, it was noted where she had gone. One month, for instance, the register shows prostitutes arriving from Billings, Terry, Glendive, Helena, Livingston, St. Paul, Minn., Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash., and departing for Roundup, Wibaux, Billings, Jordan, Glasgow, Butte, St. Paul, Portland and Kansas City. Some of the girls left one bordello to work at another Miles City establishment, and some left to be married. The register also notes which of the people listed at each bordello were not prostitutes but were working as housekeepers or cooks. That was an important distinction, because only the madams and their working girls had to pay a monthly "nonprocess fee."... "Sleigh Bells" Ring for Applegate Mule Team For Jacksonville's "Old-Fashioned Victorian Christmas" weekends, Henderson dressed up her wagon and mules, Gypsy and Duster, giving free wagon rides to children of all ages. Her mule-drawn wagon has over the years become the highlight of Jacksonville's downtown holiday offerings. Real sleigh bells jingled as Henderson drove Gypsy and Duster across California Street and a woman in the back of the wagon led the others in the first round of a Christmas song. That would be "Jingle Bells" of course...Chasing Horses I can't have ridden far through the Christmas hills--maybe three or four miles--when I came over a rise and spotted one of the horses skittering in front of a worn farmhouse. Standing in the yard was a woman, a rope in one hand and her other hand held up empty toward the horse. She was hatless and tiny, hardly bigger than I was, with a man's heavy riding coat hanging down below her knees, and she seemed very old to me. Yellow light streamed out on the cold ground from the one lit window of the house...