NEWS ROUNDUP

Forest Service to cut IT jobs Workers in the Forest Service's information technology services group won a competitive sourcing contract and as many as 180 of them may be out of a job as a result. Forest Service employees were informed this week that they had won the five-year contract, valued at $295 million. In competitive sourcing projects, federal workers compete against outside vendors to do work....
Bears Shut Down Michigan Vacation Sites The U.S. Forest Service has ordered the closure of some campgrounds on Grand Island as part of an effort to reduce problems involving black bears. Biologists recently began setting barrel traps for black bears near campgrounds at Trout and Murray bays and along the western edge of the Upper Peninsula island. Those areas are closed to campers through Friday and, if necessary, through the weekend while the trapping effort takes place....
Column: Keep roadless lands free of industry inroads There is a bright side to the Bush administration's serving up national- forest land as if it were a double shot at the Last Chance Saloon, in that environmentalists, hunters, anglers, outdoor recreationists, local officials, businesses, Republicans and Democrats are finding common ground in their opposition to the gutting of the Roadless Rule. This show of solidarity is because whether one values wilderness, recreation, public health or a sustainable economy, the 58.5 million acres of wild forest affected by the rule contain more than 350 watersheds, preserve habitat for over 220 endangered plant and animal species, and provide innumerable recreational opportunities and jobs, all of which benefit the greatest amount of people and their interests....
State role in roadless rule decisions touted Bosworth was recently in Denver and spoke with Rocky Mountain News editors and reporters. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. News: Let's get straight to the issue of the new proposed roadless rule. Would it give localities greater input into federal lands policy? Bosworth: I think it can give the states, and their residents, a greater say in policy - that is if the governors do it right. It can, I believe, promote inclusion and involve more local people in a better way, and result in not a whole lot more roads being built on federal lands....
Unusual Alliance to Clean Old Utah Mine But now Snowbird is joining an unusual partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the conservation group Trout Unlimited and jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. to finish cleaning up the acidic pollution leaching heavy metals into American Fork River. The $2 million public-private project, taking place on a patchwork of federal and private lands, couldn't be done on federal dollars alone, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth said. Bosworth said the Utah partnership could serve as a template for cleanup projects around the West, where mining waste has polluted the headwaters of 40 percent of all watersheds....
Some fires in Boise National Forest will be allowed to burn Fire managers on the Boise National Forest may let some wildfires burn next summer rather than fighting them. About 530,000 of the BNF's 2.6 million acres — near popular outdoor recreation destinations such as Deadwood Reservoir and Bear Valley — have been designated for "wildland fire use," which means that beginning in 2005, naturally occurring wildfires won't automatically be suppressed, forest officials announced Wednesday....
Environmentalists, Tree Farmers Unite Mark Woodall is an unlikely environmentalist. After all, he makes his living growing trees so he can cut them down. But Woodall and other small tree farmers are aligning themselves with the Sierra Club and other "green" groups as the White House proceeds with its plan to open roadless forests to commercial logging. While they care about the earth, Woodall and his counterparts care about their livelihoods, too. They're expecting to get aced out of the massive government contracts by the timber, oil and gas goliaths. And if that happens, the ensuing lumber glut means lower prices for the little guys....
Mines are deep trouble Chronic water pollution leaching from about 7,000 abandoned mines poses a significant threat to Colorado's environment, yet almost no money is available to solve the problem, a conservation group said Wednesday. Toxic metals and acidified water are seeping from old mines into more than 1,600 miles of rivers and streams in Colorado, but meager state and federal resources are preventing cleanups, according to a representative of Trout Unlimited....
A river on edge: Watching the Klamath for signs of another disaster A handful of dead fish are floating in the Klamath River, and others are nuzzling up to cold creeks for relief from the hot water. As fishermen, American Indians and biologists watch for signs of diseases like those that killed tens of thousands of salmon in 2002, there is only one thing definite: Everyone is jumpy. "We netted the most beautiful 12-pound steelhead -- floating dead down the river," said fishing guide Tim King on Tuesday....
Column: Finding a way to coexist America needs oil and gas, but agriculture is vital, too, and in Colorado and throughout the West, everything depends on water. Most energy producers are responsible and careful, but sometimes there are problems. So, as drilling accelerates, it's no surprise that farmers, ranchers and other landowners are concerned about the impact of oil and gas drilling on farmland and water supplies. Their concerns reflect some real experiences: Drilling sometimes has spoiled water supplies and damaged agricultural lands. That is why I am sponsoring HR 4017, the Western Waters and Farm Lands Protection Act....
Jurisdiction issue stalls Pavillion clean-up An oil and gas company embroiled in controversy surrounding potential hazardous materials in its reclamation sites said this week it is working to identify and rectify the problem. Last week, a soil scientist announced findings of hydrocarbons in alfalfa fields on a ranch in Pavillion owned by Bill and son Steve Garland. The levels were so high the contamination is considered hazardous waste....
Community confab on pepper-spraying Public outcry over two rangers’ pepper-spraying of an Inverness Park boy, 18, and his sister, 17, has resulted in the Point Reyes National Seashore scheduling a community meeting in Point Reyes Station. While the Park Service’s internal investigation into the rangers’ conduct continues, disturbing revelations have emerged over the investigator’s puzzling decision not to interview the victims or their family during his two-and-a-half-day visit to Point Reyes last week. Contrary to community expectations and inaccurate information given to The Light, special agent Paul Crawford, the Nevada-based investigator heading the inquiry, did not contact the victims or their families while here....
Witness feels bamboozled by investigator During his two-and-a-half days at the Point Reyes National Seashore, Park Service investigator Paul Crawford interviewed a variety rangers, bystanders, and witnesses who had been present when rangers Roger Mayo and Angelina Gregorio pepper-sprayed a brother and sister in Point Reyes Station. For reasons that remain unclear, victims Chris and Jessica Miller, as well as their family, were not contacted....
Tribes to get advance notice? Indian tribes would get early notice if local governments were planning to develop areas that could be considered sacred sites, under a bill sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature Thursday. After more than two years, countless hearings and vast compromises with developers, local officials and Indian tribes, the bill was sent to the governor on a 30-4 vote in the Senate....
Yet another deer contraceptive rolled out U.S. agriculture officials have begun capturing deer on federal land in Virginia to try the latest in contraceptives to save a lot of shooting. If successful, the program will stem the ever-growing deer population by taking away the sex drive, creating what researchers call a "no sex deer."....
Nonresidentsare masters of the hunt If hunting were a competition between two teams, out-of-state hunters would have soundly defeated Northwest Colorado hunters last year. According to a phone survey conducted by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, resident elk hunters had a 20.3 percent success rate during all seasons of archery, rifle and muzzleloader. But nonresidents left Colorado with a 32.5 percent success rate. The disparity during mule deer season is even greater. Resident hunters had a 38.7 percent success rate, which gets dwarfed by a nonresident success rate of 59.6 percent....
Suit filed to protect mountain frog Environmentalists, in an effort to protect the creeks that harbor one of the Inland region's most endangered species, filed a lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking a critical habitat designation for the mountain yellow-legged frog. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Riverside by the Center for Biological Diversity in Idyllwild....
First U.S. Refinery Since '76 May Be Built in Arizona Glenn McGinnis hikes up a dusty ridge off Interstate 8 near Wellton, Arizona, to show off a barren patch of scrubland that may become home to a rarity: the first U.S. oil refinery to be built in almost three decades. There will be more hills to climb. McGinnis, 55, chief executive officer of Phoenix-based Arizona Clean Fuels LLC, must secure two dozen government permits for the $2.5 billion project, close a deal for crude from Mexico and pull together investors that may include Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company. U.S. gasoline prices above $2 a gallon and demand at a record level are boosting refinery profit margins and giving the project a fighting chance, says McGinnis, who has run five refineries in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean....
Group resists release of minutes A water conservancy district wants more time to decide if it will release minutes from a closed-door meeting that discussed $162 million in cost overruns for the Animas-La Plata Project. The August 2003 meeting attended by A-LP stakeholders, including the Animas La Plata Water Conservancy District, violated Colorado's Open Meetings Act, and minutes from the meeting should be made public, a district court judge has ruled. Barry Spear, a lawyer representing the Animas La Plata Water Conservancy District, said Wednesday he may request a stay of execution of the court order....
Authority rethinks drought plan Citing the success of local conservation measures, the Southern Nevada Water Authority is considering a fundamental change in its drought-stage criteria that would delay an emergency declaration until 2006 at the earliest, even as the record drought deepens. Emergency is the most severe of three drought stages established by the water authority in February 2003. The designation could mean water-rate hikes, tighter restrictions on water use, larger fines for water scofflaws and an all-out ban on watering "nonfunctional turf" in parking lots and along streets and medians....
Editorial: Reservoir plan smart for future At issue was the Northern Integrated Supply Project, a network of new reservoirs and pipelines that would serve the needs of northern Colorado's fastest-growing rural communities and water districts. Representatives of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the water-supply agency that backs the project, got more than an earful from northern Weld County farmers: "The farmers get screwed and the cities get everything," one from Gill said. We have supported the project in the past and, after hearing from farmers and small-town residents, we continue to do so....
Idaho debates idling farms to save water As farmers relying on the Snake River are clashing over the available water, federal officials are considering one way to help solve the situation. The government currently pays growers to idle their land through the Conservation Reserve Program to protect the soil. Officials are also considering paying farmers not to grow crops on other land to free up more water....
Mad cow causes record herd sizes in Canada With the international beef trade stifled by the mad cow crisis, Canada's cattle population has grown to record levels. In a report released Thursday, Statistics Canada said ranchers have one million more animals on their farms this year than they did in 2003....
Column: Saddle Up Those riders were taking part in a tradition as Western as rodeo, though normally a bit more sedate; the ability to saddle up your horse and ride across the grasslands and through the mountains of the Rocky Mountain West. While in some places, as in El Paso County, programs like “Rails to Trails” seek to expand accessibility to public lands for recreation, there are special interest groups that would like to restrict the use of public lands by pack and saddle stock. A response to the movement to restrict horse access on public lands is the Right to Ride Bill (H.R. 2966) introduced in Congress by George Radanovich, a Republican from California. The purpose of the Bill is to recognize that horses and pack animals have a unique role in Western recreation; that their use on public lands should be encouraged and preserved....
Column: Cowboys What is a “cowboy”? A cowboy is someone who looks after another man’s cattle. From my purist point of view, he doesn’t do it from the back of an ATV or from the coffee shop. He does it from the back of a horse and he’s good at what he does. However, personally, if I were ole Dubya, I would feel complimented if someone called me a “cowboy”! I know that the greatest compliment I ever received is to be introduced as a “cowboy’s cowboy!” Most folks who toss the label of “cowboy” around these days don’t have any more clue of what a “cowboy” is than a coon dog knows about the rings around Saturn. If ole George is a “cowboy,” then his competitor in my humble opinion, is a sheep herder. Nothing against sheep herders or sheep. They are necessary but they just don’t measure up to being labeled “cowboy.” Plus all that, when is the last time you heard someone in politics called a sheep herder? Bet ya never did....