NEWS ROUNDUP

Boy Scouts sued for $14M over fire The federal government and the state of Utah sued the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday for nearly $14 million to recover the costs of a 2002 fire at a Scout camp. The lawsuit alleges that about 20 Boy Scouts ages 11 to 14 were left without adult supervision for a night outside an approved campground. Some of the boys built fires that were left to smolder and spread across more than 14,000 acres, the lawsuit says. U.S. Attorney for Utah Paul Warner said the complaint seeks $13.3 million for the federal costs of fighting the fire and reclamation of the charred land in the Uinta Mountains. The state is asking for more than $600,000 to cover its firefighting expenses....
Prairie Dogs Still Plague Ranchers They might look cute, but prairie dogs can take perfectly healthy grazing fields, and reduce them to dirt. Rancher, Monte Whitcher says, “Well, they keep stripping it and taking the grass off. When they first infest an area they chop all the grass down and keep it low and they eat the short grass and the grass roots.” To rancher's like Whitcher, the fight against prairie dogs is a daily struggle, but what is perhaps even more frustrating is the feeling of helplessness. “Since 1996 there hasn't been any control work done in our area, on the forest service, and the prairie dog towns are getting pretty sick.”....
Column: Remember, and celebrate, wilderness laws Celebrate! In this time of political polarization, Oregonians should take a pleasant moment to celebrate something quintessentially American: our successes in preserving Oregon's wilderness heritage. It was 20 years ago this month that President Ronald Reagan signed the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984. That law was the product of bipartisan effort by our congressional delegation, backed by widespread citizen support and solid professional work by the U.S. Forest Service. And there is more to celebrate. On Sept. 3, the nation will mark the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the historic conservation law that made possible the permanent protection of wilderness by law....
Forest thinning appeals denied The Coconino National Forest rejected two appeals Monday filed by five environmental groups on a forest restoration project southwest of Flagstaff -- and one group does not anticipate a lawsuit because of another legal resolution. Coconino County Deputy Forest Supervisor Joe Stringer said he is upholding the Woody Ridge Forest Restoration Project, the third of 10 projects planned for the Flagstaff region in order to prevent the outbreak of catastrophic wildfire in the overgrown forest....
Large tankers missing as crews tackle flames Nearly two months after the nation's 33 largest firefighting air tankers were grounded because of safety concerns, wildfires like the one burning in rugged terrain seven miles southwest of Payson are being fought differently in Arizona and across the country. Firefighters say they have had to shift strategies since the air tankers were pulled from service on May 10, possibly for the entire wildfire season. Smaller aircraft, like Fletcher's single-engine, fixed-wing plane, are taking center stage in the battle to control wildfires....
Plan could lead to purchase of park About $35 million generated by a recent auction of federal land near Las Vegas would be used to purchase prime Lake Tahoe real estate under a proposal recommended by federal officials. Plans call for the U.S. Forest Service to use the money to purchase about 490 acres of the 548-acre Ponderosa Ranch amusement park in Incline Village. The Ponderosa Ranch, which opened in 1968, was based on the NBC show “Bonanza” that aired from 1950 to 1973. It concerned the exploits of the Cartwright family who lived on the fictional Ponderosa Ranch....
Battle lines on Yampa What has raised the 56-year-old Basalt resident's concern - along with that of many other northwest Colorado anglers - is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife-initiated program, accelerated this year, to remove as many sportfish as possible from a long stretch of the Yampa River inhabited by several species of endangered native fish. Officials fear these exotics eat young native fish and, in some cases, compete for habitat and food. Thus far, an electrofishing-transplant program joined this year by the Colorado Division of Wildlife has moved about 3,000 pike and bass from the river to various stillwater locations in the region. The ancestors of these sportfish escaped into the river years ago from Elkhead Reservoir, one of the places the recently captured fish are being returned....
School Might Move Because Of Endangered Bat An endangered bat found at a construction site for a new high school might force city officials to find another location for the school. The $44 million, 123-acre Lakeside High School construction project in Saybrook Township has been on hold since a survey by a private company hired by the school earlier this month found 16 bats near the property. Among the animals was a pregnant Indiana bat that is an endangered species. On Monday, officials from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers met with Superintendent William Licate and three school board members to discuss plans to try to work around the obstacle. At best, the $44 million construction project will be on hold for at least three months for a second survey....
Commissioner fined in wolf shooting A Valley County commissioner will pay a fine of $750 for his role in the shooting death of a wolf. Wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act. A Valley County Commissioner has been fined for his role in the shooting death of a wolf near Cascade. The animal was found dead at Phil Davis’ ranch north of Cascade. Davis' hired hand Jerry Ussery was also fined $750. Ussery says he shot the wolf May 24 when he saw the predator running near cows and their calves....
Column: A Tale of Two Rivers The Russian River begins as a trickle in the pine-studded hills at the far end of Redwood Valley, a dozen or so miles north of Ukiah. It's not much to speak of, this narrow, meandering rivulet; in some places, it's possible to easily step across from one bank to the other. Fed by the creeks and culverts etched into the hillsides, the stream gradually gains breadth, if not depth, as it courses south, where just past the lumberyards of Ukiah, the main stem joins forces with its east fork, and the Russian River, at least as we commonly perceive it, begins. Picking up speed and volume, the thick band of olive-drab water winds through southern Mendocino County, farms and vineyards suckling its banks, and enters Sonoma County just north of Cloverdale....
Column: The Green Fever Subsides We all know that polls are just snapshots of a moment in time, taking the pulse of public opinion on some subject. A recent one by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, however, produced some encouraging news. Of 1,000 people polled, just over half said that while protecting the environment is important, it is more important to keep the economy growing. Despite their rhetoric, the environmentalists who keep the movement going with countless organizations, by lobbying the government, and with a constant propaganda program, care little about a healthy, growing, successful economy. They say they do, but so much of what passes for environmentalism is actually a constant attack on the most basic elements of the nation's economy....
Ruling upholds temporary protection for pygmy owl A federal judge has ruled that the pygmy owl will stay protected until at least late January while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines if the owl's listing as an endangered species is scientifically valid. Monday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton is a victory for environmentalists, who have sought to protect the owl as a way of saving some of Pima County's forests from developers....
IBWC seeks land to further flood-control project The International Boundary and Water Commission will meet with landowners today to discuss purchasing their property as part of a plan to protect wildlife and control flooding along the Rio Grande. According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report issued April 2002, the U.S. sector of the IBWC must implement vegetation management practices before a flood-control project begins in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties. A biological opinion given in May 2003 by FWS also requires IBWC to acquire 108-foot wide conservation easements adjacent to the Rio Grande. The easements include a 75-foot wide cleared maintenance strip for flood control and a 33-foot wide conservation corridor for local wildlife, said Ernesto Reyes, a FWS biologist for ecological services....
Babbitt blasts feds for NPR-A proposals Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt on Tuesday ripped federal officials over plans to possibly open protected land inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to oil drillers. Babbitt, who served during the Clinton presidency and now works as a private attorney, said in a Washington, D.C., news conference hosted by environmental groups that he closed acreage centering on giant Teshekpuk Lake for good, scientific reasons in 1998, and now the Bush administration is trying to undo some of those protections....

The Casper Star Tribune, the Billings Gazette and several other websites were down for maintenance. Will try to get those stories up tomorrow.