NEWS ROUNDUP

CBS visits for grizzly delisting show Staff members from the CBS-TV news program "60 Minutes" were in Cody this weekend taping interviews for an upcoming program about delisting grizzly bears. "It won't air until September," said Leslie Stahl, a 60 Minutes reporter who conducted interviews with two wildlife biologists, a county commissioner, cattle producer and environmentalists concerning the effects of delisting.... Dog Poisonings Blamed on Anger at Wolves Two rangers at a campground store knew immediately what was wrong: The couple's pet Sammy was the latest victim of a poisoning spree -- likely aimed at wolves -- that has killed eight dogs and sickened 13 others. Authorities believe someone has been putting poison in hot dogs and balls of meat and scattering them along roads in western Wyoming and eastern Idaho.... Yellowstone wolf found dead near Denver A young wolf from Yellowstone National Park was found dead near Denver last weekend, nearly 500 miles from her home, and officials were trying to determine how she got there and how she died. The 2-year-old wolf had broken legs and was believed to have been struck and killed by a vehicle on Interstate 70 about 30 miles west of Denver, said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Helena, Mont. She may have migrated on her own but could have been killed elsewhere and dumped in Colorado.... Sage grouse numbers rebound, but status still uncertain The number of sage grouse, proposed for possible listing under the Endangered Species List, is increasing in Idaho's deserts, but biologists remain concerned about the effect of wildfires on critical sagebrush habitat. Spring counts of the birds are up at breeding grounds from northeastern Idaho to the Owyhees, state wildlife program coordinator Tom Hemker said Monday. In the Twin Falls region, grouse have increased 113 percent since 1994.... Nevada relic surfaces as Lake Mead water drops Another southern Nevada relic is emerging as drought lowers the water level at Lake Mead. Months after foundations of buildings in the old Mormon town of St. Thomas became visible near Overton, the subsiding water has revealed a concrete water tank from the construction of Hoover Dam in Boulder Basin. The circular structure, 15 feet deep and 115 feet across, was built in 1931 to clean Colorado River water used to wash gravel. Seven years later, it disappeared beneath the rising waters when Lake Mead was filled.... County votes against BLM police powers There was a unanimous thumbs down by the Elko County Board of Commissioners to a proposal by the federal Bureau of Land Management to increase its law enforcement authority on public lands. Commissioners voted on Thursday to go on record with strong opposition to the BLM's plan to allow law enforcement rangers to make arrests for drug and alcohol-related offenses. Commissioners voted after Elko County Sheriff Neil Harris said it was the responsibility of himself and his deputies to enforce drug and alcohol laws on public lands in Elko County.... An element of distinction Some towns have casinos. This one has helium. Make light if you will, but the lighter-than-air gas is an important resource, with uses including medical imaging and rocket propulsion. Thanks to the Ladder Creek Helium Plant in this Eastern Plains town, Colorado is helium country.... Federal appeals court says cross in Mojave federal park is unconstitutional A federal appeals court ruled Monday that an 8-foot cross in the Mojave National Preserve is an unconstitutional governmental endorsement of religion. Ruling 3-0, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court that had ruled against the cross, which has become both a war memorial and a place of worship at a Southern California desert site known as Sunrise Rock. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a retired National Park Service employee who objected to the religious symbolism of the steel-pipe structure, which sits about 10 miles south of Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Barstow..... Las Vegas plans to pipe water, upsetting its unwilling donors Water agency officials here are scrambling to meet the seemingly unquenchable demand for water, as the region suffers through one of the worst droughts on record. They are also opening old wounds that pit rural areas against one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the nation. Among the plans under consideration by the Southern Nevada Water Authority: drawing groundwater from remote areas, piping it into the Las Vegas area, and compensating farmers for taking land out of production so the water once slated for irrigation can be used by thirsty subdivisions. The plans are triggering protests, just as they did when they were first filed in 1989. In February, the SNWA released details of the plan in a report, and the state held hearings on the issue in late March.... Federal law hurts industries, panel told The federal Endangered Species Act is entering its 30th year, but it is not working, local residents and officials told the U.S. House Committee on Resources Monday. Representatives from the agriculture community, the city of Carlsbad, the Carlsbad Irrigation District, state Rep. Joe Stell, D-Carlsbad, and the state Department of Energy and Minerals testified at the hearing. While they came from a variety of backgrounds, the majority of those who testified agreed that immediate action must be taken to revise the act.... It's All Trew: Agriculture changed rapidly after Dust Bowl The greatest changes in agriculture came in the 1930s and 1940s when farmers converted from horse and team power to tractor farming. After the Dust Bowl and an extended drought ended, Mother Nature relented and the rains came. The result was no one, especially the farmer and the grain storage industry, was prepared for the abundance of grain harvested. All farm storage filled quickly and grain elevators overflowed. Railroad grain cars were scarce, scattered all across the Great Plains in the northern grain belt....