NEWS ROUNDUP

Editorial: Preventing Forest Fires Since the bill was signed into law last fall, some of those fears have come to pass. True, more money is being spent: This year, about $230 million is earmarked for hazardous fuel reduction, and the budget proposal for next year -- at $266 million -- contains slightly more still. But of the 1.6 million acres of land designated to be "treated" by the U.S. Forest Service this year, only 1 million, or just over 60 percent, will be close to homes and communities, where fire prevention is most important and effective. Next year, the percentage is projected to be slightly lower -- while money targeted at projects on state and private lands is scheduled to drop. Although the Forest Service denies it, environmentalists say that other logging projects are being justified in part for their "hazardous fuel reduction" value, when in fact they are simply intended for cutting large trees. At least two projects in California, for example, have been held up by lawsuits alleging that logging of large trees is increasing the risks of fire, and controversy has swirled around projects in Oregon as well.... Activists Targeting Jewelers, Miners Those gleaming necklaces, rings and watches in the jewelry case may cost a lot more than you think, environmentalists say. In a new public relations campaign, environmentalists groups are scolding jewelers for the damage caused by mining for gold, silver and other precious metals, and are putting pressure on jewelry retailers to reject minerals from big polluters.... Firefighting Credentials Suspended The U-S Forest Service has suspended firefighting credentials for employees involved in last summer's deadly Cramer fire. Citing privacy issues, officials refuse to release the number of credentials that will be suspended. Suspensions will be held until the Forest Service completes an investigation into potential misconduct in the July 22nd fire that killed 24-year-old Jeff Allen and 22-year-old Shane Heath. Earlier reports by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Forest Service, conclude the Forest Service violated safety standards. A spokeswoman says the names or penalties of firefighters who will be disciplined after the investigations will not be public information.... Governors Call for Endangered Species Act Reform On the 30-year anniversary of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), the nation's governors came together in a bipartisan effort to urge more state participation in federal endangered species programs. Gathering at the National Governors Association's (NGA) Winter Meeting on February 22, the nation's governors issued a joint statement expressing concern over several facets and implementation strategies of the ESA, and encouraging more grassroots participation to make the act more effective and citizen-friendly. Colorado Governor Bill Owens, chairperson of the NGA's endangered species committee, spearheaded the discussion and personally proposed many of the statement's provisions.... Animal rights boycott of Alaska not working Facing a new Alaska program to hunt wolves from airplanes, the animal-rights group Friends of Animals is trying to revive its successful pressure tactic of a decade ago and persuade vacationers to boycott the state this summer. But tourism officials say this time the plea seems to be falling mostly on deaf ears. "It seems for once Outsiders don't care how we do it in Alaska," said Eric Downey, vice president of marketing for Denali Lodges.... Wolves galore State agents in Montana and Idaho could kill wolves that are significantly impacting big game, under rules proposed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Other rules would let owners shoot wolves attacking their pets and let ranchers shoot wolves harassing their livestock. They would apply to private property. Current regulations do not include pets and require livestock be under attack by wolves. Altering those rules represents a loosening of the restrictions..... Friends of Oceano Dunes Demands Bush Investigate USFW Abuse Friends of Oceano Dunes, a non-profit organization striving to protect camping and recreation at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA), is demanding that the Bush administration review recent United States Fish and Wildlife (USFW) actions -- actions which have severely reduced the public's access to camp at the waters edge at one of California's most popular state parks. Oceano Dunes is the last 5 miles of legislatively permitted recreation vehicle beach access and camping. 1.4 million visitors each year share in the exhilarating experience of driving on the beach. Recently, after three years of incrementally eliminating RV camping for bird habitat, USFW again demanded more in 2004, culminating in a total camping area reduction of over 50%.... USDA Releases $7.3 Mil. For Klamath Basin Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman released an additional $7.3 million to assist producers in the Klamath Basin in Oregon and California. This funding is in addition to the $11.7 million released in January. The assistance is part of a $50 million fund for the Klamath Basin made available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill.... Editorial: Sierra Club Back to Basics Sierra Club members were quite clear in their vote to conserve the original mission of their organization: They would not mix their message of environmentalism with an anti-immigrant agenda. The results of the weeks-long mail-in election for board of directors can only be good for the venerable club's ongoing work. The worry that the anti-immigrant slate would gain a majority on the board shook awake its complacent membership. About 22% of members voted, almost three times the level of the last election and a greater percentage than at any time in the last three decades.... Conservationists Sue Over Utah Gas Survey Conservation groups filed suit Monday to stop a natural gas survey alongside an eastern Utah canyon that contains a wealth of ancient Indian art and dwellings. The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, in a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., claim heavy trucks and blast holes used to look for gas reserves could damage one of the nation's greatest concentrations of ancient sites.... BLM hopes to turn desert ranch into learning center The federal Bureau of Land Management and allies are rolling out plans for an environmental educational center in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The center could serve thousands of students from Las Vegas and Southern California. The plan for the 320-acre Oliver Ranch in the conservation area has the backing of local educators, the BLM and the Outside Las Vegas Foundation.... BLM is asked to restrict motor vehicles on trails A citizens group is asking the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to restrict motorized use of public lands in southeastern Utah. And, says the Red Rock Heritage Coalition, the BLM should limit resource exploration to areas already approved for development. BLM offices across the state are currently revising their resource-management plans, and as part of the public comment process, the Red Rock Heritage Coalition has submitted a proposal the group hopes will influence future management of public lands in Grand and San Juan counties..... Group Names Property Rights Champions The League of Private Property Voters (LPPV) has named 192 U.S. Representatives and 35 U.S. Senators "Champions" for property rights issues. The group especially applauded Democratic Representatives Rodney Alexander (Louisiana), Chris John (Louisiana), Collin Peterson (Minnesota), and Charles Stenholm (Texas) for joining a majority of Republicans in the Champions category. LPPV also identified Representatives Jim Leach (Iowa) and Christopher Shays (Connecticut) as the only two Republicans to earn its "Enemies of Property Rights" label. In total, 165 Enemies were identified in the House and 35 in the Senate.... Company buries dead in manmade reefs off Lauderdale shore The prospect of death is bad enough. But for some people -- scuba divers, fishing enthusiasts, retired Navy sailors -- what's really chilling is the idea of spending eternity on land. One alternative: burial at sea in an artificial reef. An Atlanta company, Eternal Reefs Inc., takes cremated remains, mixes them with concrete and forms them into balls that resemble igloos with holes. Designed to last 500 years, these structures support marine life by providing hiding places for fish and offering hard surfaces for sponges, coral and other marine creatures.... How the Global Warming Treaty Fell Victim to Science and Economics The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty intended to ration the use of energy to address the concerns of those who believe we face a global warming catastrophe. These worriers include not only environmental groups and anti-capitalist radicals, but also a surprising number of mainstream technocrats throughout the West. But the facts have always made it clear Kyoto would be outrageously costly and completely ineffective as designed, and it would not noticeably influence the climate. More importantly, in light of recent developments, the treaty is essentially defunct. Now may be the ideal moment to reexamine the origins and shortcomings of the Kyoto Protocol, and to learn its lessons before future global warming treaties repeat its mistakes.... Congress, courts, regulators grapple with which wetlands deserve protection Ecologically valuable wetland, or plain old puddle? Time and again across the nation, landowners and developers clash with regulators over which wetlands are eligible for protection under state and federal clean-water laws. They often wind up in court. The U.S. Supreme Court sidestepped the debate this month, declining to review three cases that raised questions about the extent of government jurisdiction over wetlands. Among them: the matter of Michigan developer John Rapanos. That leaves Congress and the federal agencies that oversee wetlands -- the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency -- to wrestle with the jurisdictional issues, while activists in the pro-development and pro-conservation camps watch nervously.... Wild pigs damage crops in northeastern New Mexico Northeastern New Mexico has a pig problem. Roving bands of feral pigs are plowing through fences, eating crops and ripping up the rangeland. One Clayton-area rancher who has hunted hogs for more than a decade says they’re showing up in larger numbers and in places they’ve never been before. Union County extension agent David Graham says if nothing is done, ranchers and farmers could be in for even more hassles. Graham predicts that when combined with the continuing drought, pig problems this planting season could hit hard.... Judge temporarily blocks decision to allow more Canada beef products A federal judge in Montana on Monday cut off a plan quietly implemented last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow imports of bone-in beef products such as T-bones and rib roasts from Canada. The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, based in Billings, Mont., accused the USDA of acting without public comment in its April 19 decision and went to federal court in Billings last week for a temporary restraining order, which Judge Richard Cebull granted Monday. Cebull agreed with R-CALF that a mistake could be deadly.... Mexico to keep partial U.S. beef ban Mexico will maintain its partial ban on U.S. beef imports because it is not convinced U.S. meat plants have taken sufficient measures to combat mad cow disease, the agriculture ministry said today. Javier Trujillo, the ministry's animal and plant health chief, said Mexican officials who visited U.S. plants in March were unhappy at methods used for de-boning beef. "This means that some of the meat that used to be sent here continues to be blocked," he told Reuters.... Experts: Texas cattle producers should explore ID program Agriculture experts are encouraging Texas cattle producers not to wait for a federal program to begin labeling and tracking livestock to improve production and assure the quality of beef. Federal officials have been developing a standardized identification system for more than a year, an effort hastened by the detection of mad cow disease in Washington state in December. Jason Cleere, a Texas Cooperative Extension beef cattle specialist, said such a system will help producers keep accurate immunization records and chart which cows produce the best offspring.... Finesse not speed admired trait of precision ropers Swinging giant lasso loops slowly over their heads, three cowboys waited quietly on horseback for the right moment to toss. "This is an art form," said rancher David Joost, 54, of Adin. "It's an old California tradition." About 36 adults competed in this weekend's two-day event, held at the Tehama District Fair grounds. Most of them rope animals every day as part of their ranching jobs. But to earn the most points in the Californios, they've got to show finesse, keep the animals calm and avoid choking them. Judges reward patience and humane treatment over speed, Joost said. "It's slow, and they miss some of these shots, but any one of them could gather these calves up in no time. They don't want to. They're doing it as an art form," he said. Competitors came from as far as Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and central California, and included six children in the age 7-to-14 category, Californios director Gwynn Turnbull Weaver said.... Ernest Borgnine saddles up to film Western for television Ernest Borgnine recalled when he needed a ladder to get on a horse. It was several years ago on this same dusty street in a piece of the Old West that lies about a half-hour north of Los Angeles. "I need a little help at my age," Borgnine, 87, said about "The Last Great Ride," filmed here in the late '90s for the USA network. Wearing a cowboy hat, boots, vest and specs, Borgnine had just filmed scenes for a new Western, "The Trail to Hope Rose.".... Column: Understanding us hicks Sometimes cultures collide. Sometimes there’s a deal of clashing, clanking and readjusting of perspectives as newfangled and oldfangled learn how to live and let live. Twenty years ago, I wrote a book, “The Greenhorn’s Guide to the Woolly West.” In it you can find observations on life Out West including an essay on “How To Understand Us Hicks.”....