NEWS ROUNDUP

Old-growth Logging Sparks Controversy on Earth Day These sales are being cut just days after new Bush Administration rule changes go into effect that make it easier to log mature and old-growth forests. Under new rules, federal agencies are no longer required to conduct wildlife and plant survey for rare species in old-growth forests. It is now up to volunteer citizen surveyors to locate and document rare and threatened wildlife and plants in these forests. Citizens surveying the Blue River Face Timber Sale found what is possibly the largest known population of the rare old-growth specklebelly lichen in the Pacific Northwest. Under previous rules, the Forest Service would have been required to protect this rare habitat. Under the new rules, logging can now proceed in areas where rare species are found. Forest activists are not taking the rule changes and subsequent logging lightly.... Forest Service seeks input on need for drought policy for grazing Environmentalists say allowing cattle to graze in drought-stricken forests causes enormous damage. The U.S. Forest Service is trying to find out if other groups agree. The Southwestern Region of the Forest Service is asking a cross-section of groups whether it should come up with a regional drought policy. The groups that are being asked to comment range from cattlemen to environmentalists like Forest Guardians.... Wide-ranging deal cut on Feather River Resource agencies and recreation and conservation groups have reached an agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. that promises to enhance fish and wildlife habitat and increase recreational opportunities in the upper Feather River area of Plumas County. The landmark accord, scheduled to be signed today, defies the adage that water is for fighting over.... Protections for Wildlife Criticized One was a blue butterfly found in only one meadow in the Angeles National Forest near Wrightwood. Another was a rare fish in a spring at the California-Nevada border. Both are among 114 species that have become extinct since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, in most cases because of lengthy delays in gaining protection, according to a study released Wednesday by an environmental group. The Center for Biological Diversity reviewed 20 years' worth of government and academic records tracking the disappearance of species, including delicate plants and fruits, little-known turtles, birds and other animals.... Go here(pdf) to see the CBD report.... Wyo. Sues U.S. Over Wolf-Plan Rejection Wyoming sued the government Thursday over its rejection of the state's wolf management plan. In a complaint filed in federal court, the state accused the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of exceeding its authority, ignoring science and violating the Federal Procedures Act in rejecting the Wyoming plan. "The (agency) disregarded the best scientific and commercial data available ... and rejected the Wyoming plan based on political considerations, fear of litigation by environmental groups, and speculation regarding Montana and Idaho adopting plans similar to the Wyoming plan," the state argued.... Newspaper ads decry Alaska wolf-kill program Defenders of Wildlife is running advertisements in the nation's biggest newspapers decrying a program where wolves in Alaska are being shot from airplanes. In large letters, the full-page ads in The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times say: "Stop the Aerial Killing of Wolves in Alaska!".... Sounding the Alarm Even some Republicans are starting to sound the alarm on Bush's environmental record. One of them is Russell Train, one of the major players in the creation of both federal environmental policies and agencies under Nixon, and the second ever EPA chief, and is still active in environmental causes. Train has written a memoir, Politics, Pollution and Pandas, a fascinating memoir of his experiences as an environmentalist, which, on top of his government service, included a stint as head the World Wildlife Fund.... Editorial: Indefensible pollution LAST YEAR the Defense Department succeeded in using Congress's wartime deference to the military to win waivers for its training operations from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammals Protection Act. This year the Pentagon wants to go even further by having its training ranges exempted from laws governing air pollution, munitions disposal, and toxic wastes. Members of Congress, which held a hearing on the Pentagon's request yesterday, should say no.... Bush Administration Commits to Increasing Wetlands Nationwide President Bush celebrated Earth Day 2004 by announcing an aggressive new national goal to achieve an overall increase America's wetlands each year. The President's goal is to restore, improve and protect at least three million additional acres of wetlands over the next five years. "The Bush Administration is committed to enhancing America's valuable wetlands and will continue to provide regulatory protection," said EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt. "We will partner with federal, state, local, and private entities to meet the President's goal of increasing the quantity and quality of wetlands nationwide.".... Norton's visit to Yosemite overshadowed by court ruling Interior Secretary Gale Norton's Earth Day visit to Yosemite National Park was overshadowed Thursday by a court ruling earlier this week that halted plans to protect the Merced River that were opposed by some environmental groups. Norton said the Bush Administration was considering its options after Tuesday's ruling by a federal appeals court halted seven major projects already under way. The plan was drawn up by the Clinton administration.... Experts Study Ancient Boat Found in Idaho Archeologists and divers are studying what may be an ancient dugout canoe found submerged under 40 feet of water in Lake Pend Oreille. Matthew Russell, an underwater archaeologist with the National Park Service headquartered in Santa Fe, N.M., said it may take several weeks to determine the canoe's age and origin.... Man admits selling bad seed to BLM A Utah man has admitted selling bad seed to the federal Bureau of Land Management, which planned to use the seed to help rehabilitate areas scorched by wildfire. Boyd Goble, a 65-year-old retired teacher from Gunnison, pleaded guilty Tuesday to 25 federal felony counts for providing 155,000 pounds of falsely labeled fourwing saltbush seed to the BLM. Charges against his son, Jeffrey Goble, will be dismissed, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mackey.... Feds support giving Ariz. land to tribe The Bush administration on Wednesday said it supports Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva's controversial bill to return 16,000 acres in Arizona that straddle Interstate 10 to the Colorado River Indian Tribes' reservation. The 25-square-mile parcel about 175 miles west of Phoenix near Quartzsite and the California-Arizona line was removed from the reservation by President Wilson 86 years ago amid tribal disputes with miners and cattlemen.... The Green Difference As President Bush and John Kerry circle each other warily in the early days of the presidential campaign, focusing mainly on war and economic recovery, there's another issue that could make the key difference in a close race. It's the environment. There are dramatic differences in tone and approach between the presumptive candidates here. As a result, the issue is more politically significant than it has been since former Interior Secretary James Watt's pyrotechnic presence early in the Reagan administration 20 years ago.... Biologist watches pronghorn trek; Migration estimated to be 6,000 years old With spring in bloom, hundreds of pronghorn in western Wyoming are now wandering north toward Grand Teton National Park, completing a seasonal migration that's at least 6,000 years old and the longest for any land-roaming mammal between Argentina and Canada. The journey isn't easy. The 300-mile round trip includes mountain passes and three bottlenecks where the trail squeezes into narrow passageways among cliffs, roads and rivers. The ancient ritual - which begins with a trip south in September and a return trek in April - helps ensure that the pronghorn escape starvation and the deep snows of winter.... Environmentalists want four species added to endangered list A lawsuit has been filed by environmental groups seeking to have four small invertebrate animals that live in the Pecos River basin of New Mexico and Texas designated endangered species. The lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity and Forest Guardians was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Interior Secretary Gale Norton.... Earth Day Is Cause for Celebration The ninth annual Index of Leading Environmental Indicators, released today by the Pacific Research Institute and the American Enterprise Institute, shows that the environment continues to be America's single greatest policy success. Environmental quality has improved so much, in fact, that it is nearly impossible to paint a grim, gloom-and-doom picture anymore.... Go here for the report....Column: On Earth Day, Don’t Forget the Victims of Environmentalism “Repent!” That’s the message of Earth Day, according to many in the environmental movement. They see it as a quasi-religious occasion when we should all confess and convert because of our sins against Mother Nature. But the real need for repentance is from the environmentalists themselves: or at least from the zealots who push alarmism and regulatory overkill. Too many environmentalist campaigns have ended up harming humans without appreciably helping the environment.... Column: Celebrate Earth Day! Once again Earth Day has come around, traditionally a day of baleful prophecies. A better Earth Day activity would be review of the actual environmental record, which will lead to more upbeat activities. Consider first the state of the air. As reported by the Environmental Protection Agency, aggregate emissions of air pollutants have declined 25 percent since 1970, notwithstanding increases of 40 percent in population, 43 percent in energy use, and 165 percent in real GDP.... Column: Who lost Earth Day? Groups debate legacy of environmental policies Earth Day is dying, some conservative environmentalists say, as a result of liberal politics run amok. But the Sierra Club blames President Bush for the holiday's mixed legacy. "Earth Day committed suicide because of its policies," said Norris McDonald, president of the African-American Environmentalist Association. "It just lost its mind." McDonald and other speakers at a gathering of conservative environmentalists on the annual Earth Day celebration blamed the Kyoto protocol, bans on DDT and "radical" environmentalists for keeping the Third World poor in "cycle of death.".... Now Greens Want to Ban Diapers As environmentalists celebrate the 34th annual Earth Day, some in the green movement are now advocating "diaper-free" babies to help save the planet. Citing concerns about plastic disposable diapers clogging landfills and the amount of washing and detergents that cloth diapers require, many environmentalists are taking a page from tribal cultures and seeking to eliminate the use of the baby diapers altogether....