NEWS ROUNDUP

Steady stream of joggers, hikers return to reopened Sabino Canyon Sabino Canyon reopened at 6 this morning and soon had a steady stream of walkers and joggers enjoying the spring bloom. There was a short line of cars waiting at the entrance when the canyon opened. The popular destination in the Santa Catalinas had been closed since March 9 because Forest Service and state game officials said up to four mountain lions threatened to maul visitors.... Editorial: Lion debate still needs resolution The most disturbing footnote to this contentious story is that a mountain lion was spotted on nearby school grounds the same day Game & Fish called off the hunt. The Tucson Citizen was among those calling upon Game & Fish to seek an alternative to killing the lions. Relegating them to captive lives in a sanctuary would not have been our choice - but neither is ignoring what appears to be a real threat. Dangerous wild animals who lose their fear of humans often are a few steps away from mauling or killing one. We hope that doesn't happen near Sabino Canyon. Despite environmentalists' claims that the mountain lions are exhibiting natural behavior, last year's Aspen Fire altered their environment in a way that is far from natural. They have less territory to roam and less food. While we don't advocate killing or caging the mountain lions, it would be irresponsible of the U.S. Forest Service and Arizona Game & Fish to simply throw up their hands and do nothing beyond educating the public to be careful. That's a crucial element of what must be done.... Grad students, postdocs oppose Bush’s use of scientific research In an effort to expose what it describes as the U.S. presidential administration’s misrepresentation of scientific research, a group of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have created an online petition to bring the issue to the public’s attention. The group is urging environmental scientists nationwide to sign the petition. The petition — located at http://scienceinpolicy.org — is similar to the statements released by the Union of Concerned Scientists last month. Fourteen Stanford students initiated the petition last spring and launched the Web site in December. Since then, they have collected 1491 signatures, including 290 professors, 133 postdoctoral fellows, 708 graduate students, as well as 41 government scientists from agencies ranging from the National Forest Service to the U.S. Geological Survey.... Some Homes Had Shields to Ward Off Wildfires Amid the ashes of the most costly wildfires in California's history lies evidence of a crucial lesson: Fire-resistant construction and vigilant removal of flammable vegetation significantly improved the odds of a home's survival, according to a Times analysis of fire records from more than 2,300 destroyed structures.... Military, Environmentalists Strike Deal An environmental group and the military reached a settlement Wednesday on plans for live-fire training in a valley many Native Hawaiians consider sacred. Under the agreement filed in federal court, the Marines would be limited in their use of mortars, rockets and other weapons that could start a wildfire in Makua Valley on the island of Oahu. The agreement restricts the use of the weapons to times when there is low fire risk, and says all training will stop if there is a fire or if a mortar or rocket lands outside the firebreak road, the environmental group Earthjustice said.... Federal government asks tribes to ID wildlife at risk The federal government wants Indian tribes to identify wildlife on their land that might be at risk. The government also wants tribes to propose conservation and recovery methods. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a request for proposals under two tribal grant programs. One of them has nearly $3 million in grants to protect, restore and manage the habitat of threatened and endangered species.... Summit Bids to Save Endangered Species Experts from around the globe came together today to try to save some of the world’s most endangered animals. Scientists said they had made “significant” moves in devising ways to help species facing extinction. At the meeting of the Scientific Council of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) experts from almost 50 countries heard that numbers of more than 30 species of animals are in rapid decline. Various species of turtle, the snow leopard and the slender billed curlew – which is found in Britain – are all facing extinction. Now the 70 experts will discuss ways of combating the factors contributing to population decline.... Column: Judges Flip-Flop on Western Issues Liberals have had their runs at dominating the federal court system, now it's the Republicans' turn. It’s not a sport, but it has some spectacular gyrations: Call it judicial flip-flopping. Judges decide countless issues related to all the federal land -- rulings that affect not only the environment but also local economies, recreation, the trademark scenery and wildlife, the whole feel of the region. Even as they try to rule based on the intricacies of law and facts, judges are bound to show personal leanings, based on their own experiences and beliefs.... Government To Study Sex Lives of Snowy Plover Following several petitions and a lawsuit, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service said last week it would re-examine the status of the western snowy plover population - paying special attention the birds' sex lives. Over the next 12 months, the USFWS will conduct a review of scientific evidence suggesting that the coastal snowy plover, a large population of which resides near the West Campus of UCSB at Coal Oil Point, is genetically identical to the population of inland snowy plovers. However, UCSB experts maintain that the majority of research shows the two plover populations are separate and distinct species.... Protection is sought for Utah prairie dog The Utah prairie dog, a rodent found only in the Beehive State, is in decline and needs more federal protection, according to a coalition of environmental groups. On Monday, the groups told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service they intend to file a lawsuit to force the agency to change the critter's legal status from "threatened" to "endangered.".... Lewis and Clark journey begins Two hundred years of American history converged in this river town near St. Louis on Wednesday morning. At a replica of Camp Dubois near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, where the Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1803-04, 22 young recruits from Missouri and Illinois were enlisted into the Army National Guard. Although their formal enlistments already had taken place in their home states, they were ceremonially sworn in Wednesday to commemorate the 21 men enlisted by Capt. Meriwether Lewis six weeks before the expedition began pushing up the Missouri River.... Oil and gas leases on hold whileprotests reviewed Oil and gas leases that could have seen wells drilled next to the Dinosaur National Monument headquarters building and elsewhere around the popular park have been put on hold to review environmental protests. The protests affected almost 82,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land offered in February mineral lease auctions in Colorado and Utah. More than 50 parcels were included in the protests. BLM officials informed all bidders that the agency had received protests and would withhold issuance of the leases.... BLM wins suit over two mines U.S. District Court Judge Howard McKibben has ruled in favor of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in a lawsuit over two Newmont Mining Corp. projects on the Carlin Trend. Great Basin Mine Watch and Mineral Policy Center filed the lawsuit against BLM's records of decision approving the Leeville underground mine project and Gold Quarry expansion.... Editorial: All-terrain hunting Hunting of game animals necessarily involves stealth. It seems obvious, then, that hunters who roar into a wildlife habitat on a noisy all-terrain vehicle would probably ruin the hunt for everybody. Even the animals, who might have a better chance to escape being shot because of the warning din, also feel the negative effects when the places they live are scarred by the heavy-tired vehicles and the solitude they require is shattered by the engine noise. ATV hunters probably aren't quite John Wayne in "True Grit" mode. Still, hunters who go after animals and birds in the traditional ways -- on foot or on horseback -- complain that their ATV-riding brethren are causing problems in the field by scaring prey and damaging the terrain by riding off established trails and roads.... Column, Muddy Waters: Why Both Sides Are Declaring Victory After a Supreme Court Clean Water Act Decision On March 23, 2004, the Supreme Court issued its 8-1 decision in South Florida Water Management District v. Miccosukee Tribe, a closely-watched Everglades dispute. Bosh sides immediately declared victory. Environmentalists applauded the Court's rejection of one insidious anti-environmental argument that had been raised by the SFWMD. On the other hand, the Court also vacated a ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in favor of the Tribe and remanded for further proceedings. In so doing, it left the door open to another contention that could be disastrous for water quality protection.... Favor salmon over farmers, panel says Farmers should not be given permission to withdraw more water from the Columbia River in the hot summer months unless the flow can be cut off during droughts, because salmon already are under assault by water that is too warm. That was the conclusion of a long-awaited National Academy of Sciences study released yesterday to the praise of environmentalists and the scorn of farmers. Instead, conservation and purchases from those who hold long-standing water rights should help lessen the effects of droughts on farmers, the panel of the congressionally chartered academy said.... Environmentalists calls for end to grizzly hunt With the spring grizzly hunt starting Thursday, environmentalists are increasing pressure on the province to end the practice. Activists gathered in downtown Calgary Wednesday to gather signatures and encouarge people to phone Premier Ralph Klein to express their opposition to the hunt.... Court hears arguments on beef fee; Ranchers hope to get checkoff declared unconstitutional Attorneys for a Montana ranching couple and the government squared off in federal appeals court Wednesday, arguing the constitutionality of forcing ranchers to pay a $1-per-head fee on cattle to help support beef marketing. In oral arguments before a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys for the Charters argued that the checkoff violates their clients' right to free speech. Attorneys for the government countered that the program doesn't restrict individual ranchers from saying what they want to about their beef or restrict how they market it.... New West code for city folk: No whining With longtime ranchers, generally resistant to change, increasingly coming into contact with naïve newcomers disgruntled about the unexpected lifestyle changes that awaited them in the rural West, social tensions haven't been as high in the region since its original settlers in the 19th century were trying to decide whether the farmer and the cowboy could be friends. And with a farm-and-ranch economy threatened by everything from the North American Free Trade Agreement to mad cow disease, the last thing your average rancher wants to contend with is the clueless city slicker who bought the mini-ranch down the road. This has led many counties in Montana, Idaho and Colorado to promote something called the "Code of the New West," a pamphlet intended to acquaint newcomers with the realities of ranch-country life.... Cowboy singers, fans head for Cody The songs that calmed a herd of cattle are still packing 'em in, 120 years after cowboys on horseback first sang them. Human listeners may have fewer legs, but the cowboy songs and range ballads still hold them rapt with the words and rhythms of the Old West. "Cowboy music isn't country, but it's about country. It's the western part in country and western. Not the beer-drinking, cheating part, but the heartfelt, home-grown side of life," said Leslie Keltner of Cody. "It's music about who we are, at least, who I am." Keltner, a singer of classic cowboy tunes and composer of songs and cowboy poetry, is tuning up her guitar for the 22nd Annual Cowboy Songs and Range Ballads Festival this weekend, a four day, 75-performer bonanza of music and workshops at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center....