NEWS ROUNDUP

Federal forest project would burn wood for heat in schools The North Dakota Forest Service would like to see wood from the Turtle Mountains turned into a heat source for schools in the area. The agency says the plan could reduce heating costs, improve the health of wooded areas and boost jobs. The U.S. Forest Service is offering grants and technical help for converting heating systems to burn wood through its "Fuels for Schools" program. North Dakota is part of a pilot project that includes Nevada, Montana, Idaho and Utah.... Rural school districts turn charter in bid to save themselves from extinction Mark Jeffery went to Salem that day looking for a last-ditch miracle – and now, two years later, with his school richer by $350,000 in federal funding, he believes he's found one. Paisley saved its school by turning it into a charter school, bringing in federal money earmarked to get these new institutions off the ground. It's an increasingly common option among the small, rural schools in the West as they struggle to survive budget cuts, declining enrollment and forced consolidation with other schools.... Daring scientists find trees' upper limit -- 425 feet It's the kind of stumper a chronically curious kid might pester a parent with: Daddy, how tall can a tree grow? Now, in a daredevil field study one researcher describes as "breathtaking," a team of U.S. scientists gingerly hauled themselves and more than $30,000 worth of sensitive instruments to the tops of the planet's tallest living organisms -- 2,000-year-old California redwoods -- and came back with a tentative answer to the height riddle. Redwoods, and perhaps all trees, can grow no higher than 425 feet into the sky.... West Braces for Intense Fire Season All over the mountain West, foresters, farmers, and water engineers have pronounced themselves downright scared this spring as the Rocky Mountain region faces another year of drought. With many reservoirs at record lows and the mountain snowpack -- nature's water tank -- at half-normal levels in most places, the experts are looking ahead to a summer that could mean major forest fires and reduced farm production. For farmers, the outlook is dusty. The Department of Agriculture reports a state of "extreme drought" for much of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, and even worse conditions -- "exceptional drought" -- for southern Idaho and Montana. The Pacific Coast states are in somewhat better shape. The fire forecast, meanwhile, is frightening. In its estimate for 2004, issued last week, the federal government's Interagency Fire Center in Boise predicted "above normal fire danger" this summer for Southern California, the Four Corners states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, and the Intermountain region east of the Cascade Mountains across Idaho and western Montana.... Bush, Udall give opposing takes on environmental policy In a radio address geared to Earth Day, President Bush Saturday touted his environmental record and trumpeted a wetlands initiative to restore "at least 3 million acres over the next five years." In the Democratic response, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado stated that "under President Bush, we have basically sold out our environment for the profit of the special interests.".... Protest over road restrictions draws large crowd Hundreds rallied Saturday at a U.S. Forest Service office against proposed road restrictions in south-central Montana's Beartooth and Pryor mountains. "We're tired of being shut out of our public lands," Bryan Cook told the cheering crowd in the parking lot of the Custer National Forest's headquarters. Cook said environmental groups' efforts to close off land will keep the elderly, young children and the disabled from enjoying wilderness areas. He said such concerns have helped bring 4,000 members into the ranks of the rally's organizing group, Families for Outdoor Recreation, in its first two months of existence.... Agency faults tanker planes' safety Poor maintenance and inadequate oversight have led to severe safety lapses for the large tanker planes that fight wildfires, the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded. The NTSB said these problems caused three crashes in 1994 and 2002 that killed eight people. The agency called for the government to create tougher rules for inspection of planes that dump water and chemicals on fires. It said "no effective mechanism currently exists" to oversee the flights.... Protecting the Parks Along the Border The government's most ambitious plan yet to seal the Arizona-Mexico border is drawing criticism from environmentalists who say granting the U.S. Border Patrol greater access to federally protected lands will only trample the landscape and do nothing to solve immigrant and drug smuggling in the region. The portion of the plan at the center of the controversy is the Border Patrol's request to use off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles on known smuggling routes and footpaths within designated wilderness corridors.... Shoot-Out at the West Nile Corral are shaking off the winter cold in the West, promising another season of the West Nile virus, the mosquito-borne killer that has infected thousands of people -- killing 564 of them -- since the first domestic case turned up in New York in 1999. For two-thirds of the country, the crisis has largely passed. But in the West, health officials are drawing up battle plans from the apple orchards of western Colorado to the California coast. Carried by birds bitten by infected mosquitoes, the incurable virus hasn't yet hit the West hard, except in Colorado. But few states are waiting.... Interior chief brings news of conservation pact U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced Saturday a voluntary conservation agreement the federal government has signed to help preserve part of a sprawling Eastern Oregon farm. The conservation agreement she announced Saturday involves Threemile Canyon Farms and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It puts 23,000 grassland acres under the management of the Nature Conservancy to help save four species native to northeastern Oregon: the Washington ground squirrel, the loggerhead shrike, the ferruginous hawk and the sage sparrow. The animals are imperiled but not yet listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. Portland General Electric, which owns acreage adjoining the farm, also signed on, along with the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife.... Canadian coal mine proposal causes stir A plan to mine Canadian coal near the northern edge of Glacier National Park might be in violation of international law, and has sparked a flurry of activity from Montana all the way to Washington, D.C. "I really don't know what all the fuss is about," said Kenneth Bates, president and CEO of Cline Mining Co. "We do a very good job at what we do, and we run a very environmentally sensitive operation." That might not matter, however, if a previous international study of coal mining in the region is found to be binding. "Clearly, the Boundary Waters Treaty between the United States and Canada is binding," said Rich Moy, who served on the international team of scientists that rejected a similar mining proposal 15 years ago. "Treaties are, in effect, international law, and that's as binding as it gets.".... Extinct List for Species Says Hawaii Had the Most Nearly half of the 114 species that have become extinct in the first 20 years of the federal Endangered Species Act were in Hawaii, according to a new report by an advocacy group. "The number is shocking and indicates a grave failure in federal management of the nation's most powerful environmental law," said the report, by the Center for Biological Diversity. Kieran Suckling, the center's executive director, said that with so many unique species, Hawaii faced the worst problem in the country.... Many interests thirst for Klamath Basin water It's a problem endemic to the elaborately engineered river systems of the arid West. In the Klamath River Basin, too many interests are chasing after too little water, with politicians posturing, farmers protesting, Native Americans suing, environmentalists pouting and judges laying down arcane operating rules that bureaucrats struggle to enforce and the public struggles to understand. Lack of water in the wetland has helped shrink the annual migration here from more than 7 million birds to fewer than 2 million, according to Dave Mauser, a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Not even counting waterfowl in need of water, the oversubscribed plumbing system that is the Klamath Basin has a knack for generating national outrage.... Community seeks aid in park battle The city's plans to build a sports park have clashed with federal efforts to protect an endangered species and now, in a last-ditch effort, Redlands is seeking help from a powerful congressman. City officials say they plan to secure Rep. Jerry Lewis' influence, because they say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is uncooperative. Redlands officials say the agency has continually rejected or changed its mind about city proposals to accommodate the San Bernardino kangaroo rat and allow construction of an approximately 100-acre soccer and softball complex.... Gray Wolves Headed For Silver City The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to release two packs of Mexican gray wolves in the Gila Wilderness this summer, as part of a wolf reintroduction program. The group includes pups born in captivity. It will be the first direct release of wolves that have never been free into the wild in New Mexico. One of the rules governing the program forbids the direct release of wolves into New Mexico unless they've first been released and recaptured in Arizona. That rule dates back to the beginning of the program.... New Museum Revives Painful Memories for Internees Beneath the snowcapped Inyo Mountains, hundreds of voices proudly recited the Pledge of Allegiance to a country that rounded up thousands of people of Japanese descent and confined them behind barbed-wire fences in the months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. With that, the National Park Service officially lay bare an embarrassing piece of U.S. history for all to see as it opened a $5.1 million interpretative center at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in an attempt to explain what happened here and why.... Yucca Mtn. Rail Line: Residents oppose route Across an expanse of rocky peaks and sage-filled valleys, ranchers and others who thrive on this remote landscape fear the day when the much-ballyhooed, radioactive "glow train," as they call it, comes rumbling over the ridge. It's a day that state officials who are battling the federal decision to build a 319-mile-long railroad to haul nuclear waste from the outskirts of Caliente to a yet-to-be-built repository at Yucca Mountain say might never happen. They say the Department of Energy has underestimated the construction task, failed to do necessary field work on the environmental impact and miscalculated the cost by $1 billion, more than double DOE's estimate.... Nevada Indian cave looter loses appeal over $2.5 million fine An Oregon man has lost a bid to overturn a $2.5 million fine for what federal officials say is the worst case of American Indian cave looting in Nevada history. A civil penalty handed down to Jack Lee Harelson, 63, of Grants Pass in December 2002 by an Interior Department administrative law judge was upheld on appeal. Justice Department lawyers plan to seek Harelson's assets, including a house, to settle the penalty -- the fourth largest ever assessed for archaeological theft. Federal officials acknowledge the former securities agent probably will be unable to pay most of the fine because he awaits trial in Oregon on charges of conspiring to kill a judge, a state police investigator and others involved in the looting case.... Bush to Push High-Speed Internet Access Agenda President Bush on Monday will call for making high-speed Internet access more affordable and stepping up hydrogen fuel cell research. On Monday, Bush will sign an order directing federal agencies to make it easier for broadband companies to use federal lands to broaden the nation's broadband infrastructure, the White House said.... Column: In defense of the cowboy and his cows I have lost patience with ranchers who abuse the land they make a living from, but I'm careful not to paint all ranchers with the same broad stroke. If someone tried to tell me that rancher Heidi Redd didn't understand the heart of the American West, I'd punch them in the nose. She has lived most of a life at Dugout Ranch in San Juan County, Utah, and I'm glad she's there. I've been reminded that the Cowboy Myth is just that, but then I wonder, isn't that what we need more of these days? What is it with this cynical 21st century culture of ours that makes us want to tear our myths and heroes apart?.... Towns revisit growth curbs A decade ago, Colorado politicians alarmed by what was shaping up to be a 31 percent increase in the state's population began throwing up roadblocks to unchecked growth. But since the state's economic slowdown, communities small and large have chipped away at those restrictions, a retreat largely prompted by concerns about a stagnant or shrinking tax base. This month, voters in Erie tossed out a mayor who had championed growth controls. Voters there also endorsed a plan to make it easier for officials to approve certain types of growth. And farther north in Windsor, a recent effort to place a moratorium on the development of large retail stores such as Kmart and Wal-Mart failed. This marks the third year in which some Colorado communities have either beaten back growth plans or reworked the ones they have on the books that discouraged growth.... BP, Shell: Are they green or greedy? Some of the world's biggest energy companies -- BP and Shell, as well as the late, unlamented Enron -- have been pushing an environmental agenda that could cost the United States economy tens of billions of dollars over the coming decades. The centerpiece of that agenda is the Kyoto "global warming" Treaty, signed by then-Vice President Al Gore in 1997. That treaty, if enacted, might or might not help ameliorate "climate change," but it would surely cripple American industry. Enron was the most flagrant example of a company's playing Green while pursuing greenbacks. Before it went bankrupt in December 2001, the Houston-based firm had moved into energy trading; its executives figured that the Kyoto Treaty would open up a whole new market for trading in carbon dioxide "emissions permits." That is, American companies that actually made things would have to buy the right to emit CO2, and Enron would make money middle-manning these transactions.... Air tour operators fear effect of new sightseeing rules Air tour operators are expressing fear that new federal restrictions on sightseeing flights over Lake Mead will affect flights to the Grand Canyon. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service are planning a meeting Tuesday in Henderson to discuss whether to restrict helicopter and airplane tours over the lake and Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. Brian Armstrong, an FAA manager, called it "an opportunity to explain what we're doing and provide the public with an opportunity to have input." Congress enacted a law in 2000 directing the FAA and Park Service to develop air tour management plans for 113 parks across the country, not including the Grand Canyon, which has its own rules.... High-tech on the range The old cowboys never had it so good. Stick a computer-chipped, radio frequency identification tag into a cow's ear, give a ranchhand a wireless, handheld personal digital assistant and with the wave of a bright-blue wand, Wyoming's 21st Century cowboy can tell you everything you want to know about that particular animal. These days, Wyoming cowboys can keep track of their cattle in a whole new way under a new program being offered by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.... On Coyote Ridge, cows come to rescue of butterflies We now raise the curtain on a drama where cows protect rare and endangered butterflies from certain death by automobile, with a dramatis personae of native wildflowers and exotic grasses playing supporting roles. Enter the cows, stage right: Coyote Ridge is privately owned by Castle & Cook, a national real estate development concern. Prevented from building here by San Jose's Greenline ordinance limiting urban sprawl, C&C instead leases the land to a cattle rancher, who uses it for pasture. Cows wander among the butterflies and eat Italian ryegrass -- when given the choice between it and any native bunchgrass, the cows go Italian every time. What accounts for taste? Something in the tiny bovine brain learns that the Italian ryegrass is high in nitrogen, which of course is healthy for the cow. By eating the exotic weeds, the cow gives a Darwinistic boost to the low- growing (and low-nitrogen) native plants, which in turn sustain the endangered butterflies.... Mexican wolf recovery is going slowly But unlike the northern gray wolf of the Yellowstone region, where recovery goals have exceeded expectations, the Mexican gray wolf recovery effort is under- achieving. The Fish and Wildlife Service had projected that by this year, however, the Mexican wolf population would total 55, including 11 packs and 10 breeding pairs. At last count, there were only a handful of breeding pairs, eight packs and an estimated 40 wolves, most of them in Arizona.... Japan Still Wants U.S. Mad Cow Checks After Accord Japan is sticking to its demand that the United States check all slaughtered cattle for mad cow disease following this weekend's agreement to work to solve the trade dispute, a senior farm ministry official said on Monday. On Saturday the two countries agreed to aim for a solution by the middle of the year to Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports, imposed in December after an outbreak of mad cow disease in the U.S., and to set up a formal working group by mid-may.... Great soya gamble drives out the gaucho FOR generations they have symbolised life on the vast plains of Argentina’s cattle ranches, tough cowboys who have supplied the world with the country’s famous beef. But now, in a move likely to horrify red-blooded Latin American males, many of the country’s famous gauchos are being threatened by a new breed of farmer which is covering the vast pampas lands with the favourite crop of vegetarians, the soya bean. And not only has this shift been a cultural one, but a move which has left the embattled Argentinian economy more reliant than ever before on one product, a move experts believe could spell disaster in the same way coffee beans have done for previous generations.... On The Edge Of Common Sense: Magazines with horse centerfolds? Cowboy magazines flourish! Who would have thought there would be a day when you could purchase Western Horseman, American Cowboy, Cowboy Magazine, Cowboys and Indians, Horse & Rider or even Equus in the Chicago airport gift shop? Amazing. We've come a long way. Now we're through the hard part. If I were to publish a horse or cowboy magazine, each month I would feature a magnificent equine on the cover, full frontal wearing nothing but a breast collar. A palomino one month, a black the next, a buckskin, even a paint with asymmetrical coloration....