NEWS ROUNDUP

Fed fire funding burns hole in pockets Federal land managers are burning through firefighting money at a record pace while making untimely decisions that could dramatically hinder crews' ability to control catastrophic blazes this summer, members of a Senate panel said. "Fire spending seems to be out of control," Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., told officials from the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Interior at a hearing Tuesday. The wildfires of 2003 cost taxpayers more per acre to fight than any other season in history, Domenici said, but the 3.9 million acres burned were the fewest since 1922. The agencies are counting some 2003 fire suppression costs against their 2004 operational budgets, continuing a pattern of "fire-borrowing" that Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said has pulled $2.7 billion from other nonfire accounts in the past five years. The practice also is forcing the cancellation of $540 million in public land improvement projects that had been appropriated by Congress. "That money was programmed across the agencies to be put on the ground and it never got there," said Craig.... Governor leads fight to restore air tankers Fire officials throughout the West were scrambling Tuesday to fill a gaping hole in their wildfire arsenal: the loss of 33 air tankers used to drop fire retardant and water on growing wildfires. "The timing of this is unbelievable," lamented Gov. Janet Napolitano. Arizona firefighters had used two of the now-grounded tankers as recently as Saturday to fight back a wildfire in Buckeye. As if to underscore the poor timing of the tanker announcement, the first fire restrictions of the season were issued Tuesday by the Tonto National Forest, northeast of Phoenix.... Regrowth at the mercy of the drought Six months ago, the worst wildfires in California history charred a 40-mile swath from Highland to the Los Angeles County line, leaving behind a moonscape of scorched slopes, blackened soil and skeletal twigs. Today, many of those same slopes are bathed in a sea of green. Wild cucumber vines weave across the still-sooty ground and delicate tendrils of chemise sprout from charred stumps. The manzanita, chemise, mountain mahogany, knob cone pines, deer brush and grasses that cover the hillsides have adapted to live with fire. Some even rely on fire for their germination.... Environmentalists Want Beetle Protected Environmentalists want emergency federal protection for the Casey's June beetle, one of the rarest insects in the world that lives on only 600 acres south of the city and is threatened by the desert building boom. In a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity listed two building projects already under way in beetle habitat and five more in development. They want emergency protection under the Endangered Species Act.... Salamander habitat proposal draws opponents A string of speakers Tuesday pleaded for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect people's habitat for housing, jobs and farming, not only the home of a blunt-nosed amphibian labeled as endangered in northern Santa Barbara County. Citing both religion and research, the hearing drew dozens of people during afternoon and evening sessions to comment on the proposal to designate 14,000 acres locally as critical habitat for the California tiger salamander.... Studying the Lamprey: They're Elusive Little Suckers Swollen with as many as 100,000 tiny eggs, the 2-foot-long lamprey soon would be released to continue its journey toward spawning grounds farther upstream. Conservation groups contend the lamprey has dwindled perilously low in number in the Columbia River and across the West Coast. Fossil records trace the lamprey as far back as any fish, including the prehistoric sturgeon. "They pre-date salmon," Le said. "They're kind of like sturgeon, in a way. They've never changed.".... The World's Largest Democratic Environmental Forum to Assemble in Thailand in November 2004 How can our planet meet the needs of growing populations and expanding markets without sacrificing nature? This question will be at the heart of the debate at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress, which will open on 17 November in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme: "People and Nature - only one world". The Congress is the governing body of IUCN - The World Conservation Union. It is held every four years and represents the world's largest democratic environmental forum where governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) jointly establish conservation priorities, guide the Union's policy and approve its Programme. IUCN's six specialist Commissions draw on the expertise of some 12,000 of the world's leading scientists, practitioners, economists, lawyers, and educators.... U.N. Looks at Endangered Species List Namibia has requested permission to loosen a global ban on ivory sales, Japan wants to ease restrictions on trade in whales, and Australia is seeking protection for the great white shark, a United Nations body said Wednesday. The proposals are among more than 50 submitted to the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, ahead of a conference later this year. Every two years, CITES reviews the global list of endangered species, which offers varying degrees of protection to some 30,000 plant and animal species.... Dry, dying orange grove is home to endangered kangaroo rat A dispute with wildlife officials over clearing land for a proposed sports park has left 100 acres northeast of the city ripe for a major fire. The dry, dying orange grove is the result of the latest clash between federal efforts to protect the endangered kangaroo rat and local concerns about reducing the threat of wildfires. The city wants to use bulldozers to remove the dried vegetation.... National Park Service Gagging On Its Own Talking Points Doing damage control on recent embarrassing disclosures, the National Park Service has directed its superintendents to obtain prior approval before they depart from "talking points" provided to them on controversial issues, according to internal emails released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Following revelations that park superintendents were supposed to mask budget cutbacks by calling them "service level adjustments," the National Park Service Headquarters (Washington Office or WASO) and regional offices have been issuing scripts or "talking points" that park superintendents must follow in communicating with the media.... Animal Overpasses, Tunnels Offering Roadkill Remedy Scientists and highway planners are now working to help get wildlife and motorists to their destinations. From salamander tunnels in Massachusetts to cougar corridors in southern California, the ecopassages that run under and above roads are allowing animals to cross roads and highways safely. "These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid human conflicts," said Jodi Hilty of the U.S.-based Wildlife Conservation Society. Animals that migrate can also use make use of these passages when busy roads interrupt the animals' routes, she said. Hilty has studied ecopassages in California's oak woodlands.... Healing the fire-scarred Henry Mountains One of last year's biggest range fires could turn into one of this summer's biggest reclamation efforts. The Nature Conservancy has joined forces with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as part of an all-volunteer effort to stabilize fragile hillsides and begin reviving the fire-scarred, rugged slopes of the Henry Mountains near Hanksville. Last week, rehabilitation teams began spreading native seed, clearing out dead trees, planting ponderosa pine and building a series of dams to stabilize banks in the fire-ravaged areas of the Henry Mountains.... Logging helicopter crashes, killing one A helicopter pilot died Wednesday when the aircraft's rotor blades struck a tree, the authorities said. The pilot was James Ladd, 41, of Erowal Bay, New South Wales, Australia. He had worked at Superior Helicopter of Grants Pass for a year and had over 9,700 flight hours in helicopters. Ladd was removing timber from the Bear Pen timber sale on Bureau of Land Management property 14 miles northwest of Glendale. He was flying a Kaman Kmax K-1200 lift helicopter.... Conservation groups to tie up BLM leases with protests The government will auction leases covering more than 73,000 acres in energy-rich western Colorado this week, but environmental protests could tie up half the land for months. The Bureau of Land Management will offer the leases Thursday on land some say should be left alone. Conservationists plan to protest leasing 32 of the 73 parcels, land either in a wilderness bill proposed by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., or in roadless forest. Protests trigger an automatic review by BLM and can ultimately be appealed to the Interior Board of Lands Appeal in Washington, D.C. No lease is issued until the matter is resolved.... BLM agrees with church's proposals The faithful who hope to trace the footprints of their families in large numbers along the historic Mormon Trail in central Wyoming appear to have the blessing of the federal government. A preferred plan drafted by Bureau of Land Management officials for managing the popular handcart trekking program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would allow for a higher number of trekkers than any other plan considered.... Gore Warns of 'Climate Emergency' While Promoting Disaster Film Former Vice President Al Gore warned of a "climate emergency" on Tuesday as he joined forces with political activists from MoveOn.org to promote a Hollywood disaster film that shows global warming creating an ice age and causing massive destruction. The Day After Tomorrow , a 20th Century Fox production set for release on Memorial Day, stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid. The $125-million movie will offer "a rare opportunity to have a national conversation about what truly should be seen as a global climate emergency," Gore told reporters.... Bob Cox: Cowboy, lawman, fighting Seabee As a young cowboy, Bob Cox became familiar with the territory between Willcox and Mexico. Through the years, he went on to use his knowledge as a lawman in the area, and later served his country in three wars. His father, Andrew Cox, was a blacksmith from San Antonio, Texas, who led the family out of Texas looking for work during the Great Depression. "Dad used mule teams to grade the roads (for the railroad). He shod the mules. When work would play out in one place he'd find another" Cox said.... Blazing the trail On a cold, wet morning just outside Vernon, representatives from Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas met at the old Doan's Crossing on the North Texas prairie near the Red River. A marker was placed in the rain-softened ground to show the route of the old Western Trail, one of the country's major cattle trails. Seven million head of horses and cattle went up the trail from Texas, roughly between 1876 and 1893....

Jailed Rancher Is Freed After Roping In Renegade Cattle

The wide open life of cattle ranching is something Wally Klump has known for almost 71 years in his life east of Willcox, Arizona. It’s a life far different from this past year he just spent in prison, after he refused to remove his cattle from an area the Bureau of Land Management said he had to leave.
"I was real surprised to be put in jail for just saying no to the judge,” Klump said.
"The court repeatedly reminded Mr. Klump that the keys to the prison door were in his pocket and that he would be released any time that he decided to comply with the court’s orders," said Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Guerin, who handled the prosecution of Wally Klump.
Wally Klump agreed to corral his cattle so that he could get out of jail. He still said he had every right to use that land, but Guerin said Klump wasn’t abiding by the Bureau of Land Management's rules.
"Mr. Klump hasn’t been able to establish any right to graze on federal lands since 1991, and there have been lawsuits about this issue,” Guerin said.
Guerin said Klump threatened anyone who tried to move his cattle.
"He believed that the Second Ammendment permitted him to bear arms against government employees who were tyrants in his opinion because the federal government cannot own land. (And he believes) that gave him the right to bear arms against those employees of the government,” Guerin said.
"I'm not going to answer that (question about threatening government employees with the Second Ammendment) because people will take it the wrong way. (They can take it) anyway they want to take it,” Klump said.
But now the cattle are fenced in, and the prosecution rests.
"I would say the government is cautiously optimistic,” Guerin said.
But Klump said an even larger issue is still on the horizon.
"(This dispute) has nothing to do with cattle or land. It’s a means for a cause, and, here again I go, Liberty and Freedom, private ownership by that individual who does the work,” Klump said.
Klump will graze his cattle on land available to him, and said he has no plans to return the cattle to the area in dispute.

WELDA MCKINLEY GRIDER COMMENTS

Wayne Klump left a message on my machine.

Wally Klump is out of jail. He agreed to move his cattle. The BLM agreed to drop the accumulating trespass charges.

I'm glad Wally is out of jail. The rest saddens me. Guess he didn't win anything. Guess he lost all the way around.

Lost more than his cattle. The sadness just creeps into your bones and stays there. The hopelessness..........

The Laney's....the Forest Service....

Can't even keep the agencies straight...is it the BLM or the Forest Service??? They are all beginning to sound alike..the stories all sound alike...The Klumps..the Laney's...the Hage's..the Dann's...

A quote that I like: "I don't believe in conspiracy's. Doesn't mean the S.O.B.'s ain't out to get me."

No, we can't give up. No, we can't weaken. But taking a moment for the sadness..is like taking a moment for grief at a funeral. Not a person, thank you God, not a person..but a right...we lose a right here and we lose a right there...it amounts to a death in the family. Even though, I am taking pause to grieve another loss...it just makes me grit my teeth....

Dammitt, we may lose one...but we are getting tougher as a breed, instead of getting weaker. As supporters, we stiffen our backbones, we get more determined. The next fight? The next one...we are better educated and we are meaner..we get more determined not to lose another round. This is where we will win and the government will lose. Because we have something to lose and something to win and they have nothing. They have a job. We have a life.

It's times like these that it is hard to remember, the government is us. We the people...and we the people have let a few dictate the many.

In the big picture, I realize for the ranching community to come together and fight together, we had to lose a few. We had to feel the pain, in order to stand up and be counted. We had to read the story's. We had to look across the country and see baby calves with their tails up in the air, bucking down the trails behind their mama's..to think..oh God, what if it was me? Dear Lord in Heaven, what if I am next? This is what we had to have..the fear...the sadness..the despair.

There is a lot of things that spur citizens into action. Despair. Anger. Righteous Outrage. The joy of taking up a cause. Nothing spawns action like fear.

In l988, I went with a German friend back to Germany. One night her father, after having some wine, went into a tirade in German (he didn't speak English - I certainly don't speak German), he wanted his daughter to translate. She didn't want to translate. I told her, go ahead. I am a guest in this man's house. I want to hear him. He started out saying that he was a member of the SS. A very young man then, a very old man when I was his guest. He spoke of the pride of being in the SS. He wanted me to understand...the United States was wrong in declaring war. Those people were enemies of the government. He spoke long and hard about the reasons...ended up crying and saying...I just took orders...I just took orders..we all took orders. Your country wants us all dead....and because we took the orders of our country. We had to take orders or die. I don't remember his words...translated...but I do remember the look of despair on his face, while he was trying to get me to understand, they either took orders or died.

We don't have this in our country. Not yet. We have to remember those agents...those agents have a job and they are brain washed. Brain washed to the point of not having any common sense. The people of America who have the most gumption...they aren't government employees for the most part. People with gumption are self-employed citizens who pay taxes out the nose. Taxes that support the family's of government employees. Sorry, I can't put it any nicer. The thing to remember, is that those people have jobs. To excel or even keep their jobs, they have to follow orders. Hate the agency. Hate the laws or regulations that we, as ranchers, in our years of compliancy allowed to come into play, but don't hate the people.

It's us, babe, that either put this into action or allowed it to do so. Every time we say, "Somebody should do something about this..." Somebody is us. Either we handle it or we allow the government to handle it. Everytime you turn a government agency loose on a problem...we lose. Plain and simple.

Be very careful who you vote for. Do they want the government to fix it or do they want to change the laws? This is not the same thing. You need to understand the difference and you need to know who knows the difference.

Most of us have never been bucked off. I personally have never rode anything beyond the second jump that bucked, with the exception of a kid horse one time. It hurts to hit the ground. It knocks the air out of you and there is a moment of wondering if you will ever again breathe or ever again move. (I got bucked off this last summer for a reminder). I justified this by saying...."It wasn't his fault, he got in wire." That's true. But the truth is...I rode him into wire, not paying attention.

Not paying attention is what got us into government wire (red tape). My fault or the horses? My fault or the governments?

Two choices. Either sell the horse or train him better.

Two choices. Either move to another country or make this one better. Another country would be where?

Grabbing the horse and kicking him in the belly for doing what came natural does one thing. Makes us feel better. Changes the horse? By being kicked in the belly 10 minutes later? (Took me awhile to get up). Not likely.

There is the thought that if we personally sue the employees, they will become so scared they won't do it again. I am not against that thought totally and even see some merits in that action...but remember you are only kicking the belly. The rest of the horse is still there. The belly is a long ways from their brain. The employee is a long ways from the agency. So they loose an employee..the world is full of possible employees.

People with knowledge tell me a horse's brain is the size of a walnut. What can a horse know? Let me tell you, I've been outsmarted by cows, horses, kids and government employees. The fact they have a brain the size of a walnut doesn't help my pride any.

The point I am trying desperately to make is. We either caused this wreck or allowed it to happen. We...you and I are going to unravel it and get it right. Get it right or loose it all. One person, one case can't do it. It's been too long in the making. We'll have to fight and fight and fight. If we loose one. Then don't sell the horse. Get back on. Get tough or walk home.

Welda McKinley Grider