NEWS ROUNDUP

Cause of blazes still eludes investigators Four months after the historic firestorms struck the region, investigators have yet to pinpoint a cause for either the Cedar, Paradise or Otay fires that burned more than 376,000 acres. As they have done almost from the first days of the disasters, investigators for the U.S. Forest Service classify the fires as "human-caused," but stop short of saying whether the blazes were accidental, resulted from negligence or were set.... Public access rights to trails creating outcry from private owners It's happening in Alpine, Mapleton and other places in Utah County. One by one, developments and private land owners block once-public trails, choking off access to public lands beyond. Around Utah Lake, a legal dispute over the border between private and public lands has put public access to the shoreline in question. The issue pits the rights of private property owners against the rights of the community at large.... All Logged out? But today, the industry that sustained him and his business, Scott Logging, has changed as much as the mill he once relied on to process his logs. The mill — formerly located along the Deschutes River in the Old Mill District — is now a mall. The forest, which was once almost entirely open to loggers, is now mostly off limits. And as the timber industry has spiraled from its high point to its current, drastically different enterprise, parts of Oregon have reeled from the change. Jobs were lost, mills shut down and communities were vacated.... Judges bars damages for Alaska Pulp Alaska Pulp Corp., which operated a mill in Sitka for nearly 40 years, had sought up to $8.7 billion in damages from the federal treasury. The Japanese-owned company won a court ruling in 2001 that the government breached its 50-year contract to supply the mill with timber from the Tongass National Forest, the country's largest national forest. A judge then agreed that when Congress enacted the Tongass Timber Reform Act in 1990, which reduced the amount of trees available for logging, it constituted a violation of Alaska Pulp's contract. The company was entitled to press for damages. But Judge Lawrence M. Baskir said in a ruling Jan. 28 said that Alaska Pulp should not get a dime from the government.... Dog owners put Valley wolf at risk A lone wolf frequenting the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is at risk from a small group of irresponsible dog owners. "We've had people out here trying to breed their dogs with the wolf, playing ball with it, trying to feed it - it's gotten really bad in recent weeks," said Michelle Warrenchuk, a U.S. Forest Service naturalist and interpreter at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. "It's becoming habituated.".... Sagebrush finally gets respect Long derided, degraded, dug up and burned, sagebrush in the American West is finally commanding respect. Twenty-one environmental groups filed a petition in December to list sage grouse as an endangered species. That action has accelerated efforts to preserve sagebrush ecosystems on which the birds depend across 11 Western states and Canada. If sage grouse are listed, new restrictions could be placed on grazing, oil and gas development, hunting, motorized recreation, power lines, roads and farming across 110 million acres. Impacts on the economy of the West would surpass those of the listing of the northern spotted owl.... Lynx seen in Medicine Bow Four radio-collared lynxes were spotted in Medicine Bow National Forest just north of the state line, the first confirmation of the cats in the forest since one was trapped in 1856. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, Canada lynxes have been transplanted in much of Colorado. Some have denned successfully and produced kittens, but many of the kittens have starved. The four lynxes in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest spent several days moving across the state line last fall.... A legendary firefighter who was both inventor and hero is to be honored with a memorial called The Pulaski Project Long before he invented the handy tool that kept forest firefighters from having to carry both an ax and a hoe, Pulaski was a Forest Service ranger in Wallace in August 1910 when the woods exploded into a firestorm, trapping 1,800 firefighters between Wallace and Avery. Drawing on his knowledge of the area, Pulaski led his 45-man crew to safety in an abandoned mine, now known as the Pulaski Tunnel. There, they lay face down through a suffocating night of smoke and heat. Their leader kept some from panicking and heading outside to certain death with the end of his pistol. He beat out flaming timbers at the mine´s entrance with horse blankets and mine water he gathered in his hat.... Napolitano says feds doing too little to ease fire threat Western states are approaching another wildfire season without enough federal action to reduce the threat faced by forest communities, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said Saturday. "Western forests are facing the triple threat of unprecedented bark beetle infestations caused by historic drought and worsened by the administration's refusal to restore forests on federal land," Napolitano said.... Editorial: Park fee plan is a bust The U.S. Forest Service spent $1.6 million building an outhouse near the Maroon Bells, then whined it didn't have money for toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Now it charges citizens a fee just to look at the famous peaks. The paradox is just one example of why the federal recreation fee demonstration program is a bust.... Idaho, Montana chafe at Wyo wolf delay The Legislature's refusal last week to change Wyoming's wolf management plan put Idaho and Montana wildlife officials in a tough spot, they said last week. "The longer wolves remain listed, the more wolves there will be," said Steve Nedeau, the state coordinator for large carnivores in Idaho's Department of Fish and Game. "Wyoming is causing the wolf populations to increase in the other states." Montana shares the same frustration, said Carolyn Sime, Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks wolf planning coordinator.... Stalking the Elusive Cougar...if There Is One to Stalk Officially, the eastern cougar has not prowled the great piney woods of the Adirondacks for more than a hundred years. Though still listed as a federally endangered species, it is, in the minds of state environmental officials, a phantom - extinct, kaput. Trouble is, people keep seeing them. And one man, Peter V. O'Shea Jr., a former New York City police sergeant turned self-taught naturalist, is on a campaign to make their presence known. He himself has never seen a cougar, also called a puma, mountain lion, panther or painter. But he has talked to scores of people who say they have, and he says he has seen cougar tracks four times in the past 20 years.... Park County ranchers list wolf woes Angry, frustrated and fed up, Park County ranchers listed their wolf woes to the Park County Commission Friday evening. Most of their anger was directed toward the federal government, which brought wolves back to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996. "They're pathological liars," said Bob Fanning, founder of the Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd. He, along with Park County Stockgrowers President Justin O'Hair, helped write a resolution now before the commission. That document asserts that Park County has the authority to kill wolves, whether they have federal protections or not.... Coalition opposes dam spills The Coalition for Smart Salmon Recovery lends the collective voice of industry groups to a debate that's emerged as a major point of contention in the long-running, and expensive, effort to protect salmon in a river system radically altered by hydroelectric dams. Federal dam managers contend that summer spilling costs tens of millions of dollars in lost electricity sales but only provides negligible benefits to endangered fish. The coalition appealed to the governors of four Northwest states on Thursday.... Editorial: Protect salmon if you want dams The Bonneville Power Administration is exploring possible changes in some Columbia and Snake River dams' summer spills. A spill is where water is allowed to flow over the top of a dam, instead of through turbines. This protects young salmon. Reducing or eliminating the spills would be an extremely bad idea. Salmon protection efforts have been marginal, barely good enough to allow modest recovery of some runs. A federal judge has ordered better plans for fish protection, finding that the requirements of the Endangered Species Act haven't been met. Whatever legal complications a change in summer spills might create, it would be a retreat from the promises of aggressive salmon protection that, supposedly, can prevent the need to remove any dams. It would also turn the Columbia a bit more into a massive holding pond rather than a river.... Group pays ranchers to keep lands intact Gareth Plank's ranch is one of the oldest in Siskiyou County, dating back to 1850. He wants to make sure its future is as rich as its past. Plank is taking part in a new land conservation program to ensure cattle can freely roam his expansive Scott Valley ranch for decades to come. The Pacific Forest Trust, based in Santa Rosa, has protected lands all over California, Oregon and Washington for more than a decade. Now the group has started the Klamath-Cascade Project, which would receive $900,000 if approved as part of the 2005 federal budget.... Editorial: For the birds Public access to all of Oregon's coastal beaches isn't just enshrined in state law. It's also critical to the economies of Oregon's coastal towns, and part of the state's identity as a wide-open, egalitarian and outdoor-centered place. That's why the state Department of Parks and Recreation should expect to get an earful of squawks, screeches and caws from Oregon residents over plans to restrict beach access to protect the western snowy plover.... Lifeline thrown to species at risk To the surprise of many environmental groups, 12 days of often fractious negotiations at the convention on biological diversity in Kuala Lumpur resulted in a concrete programme to ensure the "significant reduction of biodiversity loss by 2010". By 2010 each country is required to designate 10% of its territory as protected. Local indigenous communities will be involved in all decisions on the management of the zones, which will also be assessed by a global monitoring network. Marine zones, to be included in the plan by 2012, will be expanded to encompass deep sea mountains and other areas in international waters rich in biodiversity but at risk from trawlers.... Smarter than your average bear Scientists have long appreciated a number of the polar bear's adaptations, which allow it to survive 20 years or more on the glacial ice of the Arctic Circle, all the while defying standard bear omnivorousness to subsist almost exclusively on seals. Classified as a marine animal, Ursus maritimus comes specially equipped with a double layer of fur, undergirded by 10 centimetres of blubber, that almost completely prevents heat loss; broad, fluffy paws that act as snowshoes, and short, solid claws that grip the ice; an elongated snout for poking into ice holes and pulling out seals; and the ability of that snout to smell prey from a distance of more than 30 kilometres.... Save room for mice, developers are told Developers on this barrier island have received notices that they may have to make room for Perdido Key beach mice because the endangered rodents have outgrown their home at a neighboring state park. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to schedule a meeting next month to discuss the issue with owners of four major projects on the Florida side of Perdido Key. The island's western tip is in Alabama.... State eyes ban on hunting female lions The Arizona Game and Fish Department is considering making it illegal to hunt female mountain lions with spotted kittens, a first for the state. There are currently no restrictions on hunting mountain lions in Arizona, and the proposal is meant to help protect females and their kittens, Game and Fish said.... Environmental cases hinge on limits of authority As early as Tuesday, the Supreme Court could begin to issue decisions on four environmental cases with implications for improving water quality, cutting air pollution and protecting unscathed federal land in the West. By the time the court term ends in June, justices will have ruled on eight cases bearing on the environment — the most heard in one term in a decade. The court will not be ruling on the constitutionality of any environmental laws. Instead, it will decide who has the authority to make decisions or how far law extends in cases that affect water, air and land quality. How the justices decide a case involving the Clean Water Act, for example, could require officials in the West to obtain permits to move water from hundreds of reservoirs and canals.... Past environmental chiefs back SUWA Top environmental officials from every presidential administration since Richard Nixon urged the Supreme Court to side with environmentalists to force the Bush administration to consider limiting off-road vehicle use on delicate Utah lands. The case, filed by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, argues that the Bureau of Land Management is required by law to consider closing certain areas to prevent permanent damage by off-road vehicles. The areas at issue in the suit are potential wilderness areas. In a brief filed with the Supreme Court this week, the eight former directors of the White House Council on Environmental Quality argued that the Interior Department must take steps to protect sensitive lands in its care when factors change.... Industry, environmentalists oppose user fee plan Energy industry representatives and environmentalists are thumbing their noses at a White House proposal to reduce the Bureau of Land Management's oil and gas management budget and impose $3 million in new user fees on energy companies. Industry representatives say that there is not enough money and question the value of the user fees. Environmentalists say the money is being squandered and are concerned that energy companies will receive control over the well-permitting process in exchange for the users fees.... Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund Statement on Ralph Nader: 'Monumentally Irresponsible' Following is a statement of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund President Rodger Schlickeisen on Ralph Nader: "In the last three years, the Bush administration has mounted arguably the greatest assault on our conservation laws ever seen. Mr. Nader's entry into the presidential race only increases the likelihood that assault will continue for a second term. It is monumentally irresponsible for Ralph Nader, who professes a reverence for our natural environment, to take any step that aids the President's re-election bid.... Now the Pentagon Tells Bush: Climate Change Will Destroy Us Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters. A secret report, suppressed by US defense chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world. The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.... State tests birth control for geese Honk if you're sterile. That is, if you're a goose. Canada geese in parts of Oregon, including those in Bend, are participating in an experiment aimed at keeping the honking birds from proliferating. In short, many Canada goose populations in Oregon are about to get dosed with birth control.... Bioterrorism rules delay elk testing Federal rules classifying the bacteria Brucella abortus as a potential bioterrorism weapon have delayed attempts to determine the cause of a disease outbreak in Wyoming cattle. Wyoming researchers call the red tape overkill. Brucella abortus, one of several Brucella species, was classified a “select agent” following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and an anthrax scare a month later that killed five people. “The feds kind of went bonkers, and they decided they wanted complete control and inventory,” said Donal O’Toole, who directs the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in Laramie.... Wheat Is at Forefront of Biotech Battle More than 10,000 years after nomadic hunters first harvested stands of wild wheat, researchers are working on genetically engineering mankind's oldest crop in what may become the last stand in the battle over biotech foods. With a genome five times the size of the human genome, wheat is so complex that it is one of the last major crops to undergo genetic manipulation. The food staple has become the center of the fight over genetically modified organisms....Deputies shut down hog dog match While country music played, Johnny Hayes was allowed to preside over a pig chase for kids, as well as a hog-catch for pit bulls. After, he was allowed to announce the winners. Then he was led away in handcuffs and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.... 1872 fight near Billings captivates local historians Only a few miles northeast of Billings, 365 soldiers and 20 surveyors and engineers scouting a corridor for the Northern Pacific Railway, fought a combined force of Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho early on the morning of Aug. 14, 1872. Near the Yellowstone River, where Maj. E.M. Baker is camped in an oxbow, troopers scramble in the dark to form skirmish lines. Warriors who have stolen into camp and infiltrated the livestock herds, retreat to the bluffs as a shot rings out. It probably was fired by a startled wolfer awakened in time to prevent the theft of his gun.... Rodeo cowboys tough enough A little more than a year ago, after the crippled middle finger on his left hand was broken for the umpteenth time, former bareback riding world champion Mark Gomes had had enough. So, he had it cut off at the middle knuckle. "It was hindering me," Gomes said with a shrug....