NEWS ROUNDUP

Ranchers don’t want wilderness designation Austin Massey can remember when his great-grandfather’s ranching brand mingled with the ancient rock art in the Dominguez-Escalante area. Now, he says, the brand and art are covered with graffiti, a saddening sign of the area’s increasing popularity as a favorite destination. The canyon area southwest of Grand Junction known for its high-desert gorges and unique landscapes has received attention lately from the Bureau of Land Management, which is seeking assistance from local community leaders, public-lands users and other concerned parties to determine how to manage the land in the future....
Forest Service catches breath on competitive sourcing Now that the Forest Service has completed a public-private competition involving more than 800 technology jobs, it plans to slow down on opening work to contractors, at least for the next fiscal year. The Forest Service, which got off to a rough start on President Bush's competitive sourcing initiative by running several flawed contests, will not initiate any competitions before the close of this fiscal year, and will only begin one next year, said David Heerwagen, the agency's associate deputy chief for business operations. Next year's contest likely will encompass roughly 100 communications jobs, he said....
Feds release water to prevent Klamath salmon kill The federal government has bought irrigation water to release down Northern California's Trinity River in hopes of preventing a repeat of conditions that killed more than 34,000 Klamath River salmon two years ago. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation arranged for the release of 36,000 acre feet from the Trinity Reservoir starting after midnight Sunday after federal fisheries biologists advised that water in the lower Klamath River was getting dangerously low and warm for fish....
Fort Myers rock mine permit near panther area ordered revoked A federal judge ruled on Friday to revoke a permit that would have allowed a limestone mine to be developed amid 6,000 acres of habitat that could be used by the endangered Florida panther. John Kostyack, an attorney for the National Wildlife Federation, which sued to stop the development, said the ruling proves that government agencies need to stop "rubber stamping" development plans and, instead, protect the Florida panther and other imperiled wildlife. The conservation group alleged that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act by issuing permits for the mine....
Coyote kills becoming controversial "My guess is we probably don't have any more today than 30 years ago," said Bill Andelt, a Colorado State University ecology professor. "In the 1940s and '50s the use of toxicants reduced their numbers." Andelt said aerial gunning is a particularly effective tool because it can target specific breeding pairs. It is used mostly in mid to late winter when coyotes are easy to spot against the snow....
Editorial: Nature vs. Ranger Someone ought to give a citation for meaness to the U.S. Park Service ranger who issued a ticket to a woman who had to act quickly when her little boy had waited as long as he could to answer nature's call. A woman and her 3-year-old son had just come out of the new Liberty Bell pavilion two weeks ago when the boy made clear he had to relieve himself. She tried to take him back inside, not knowing there weren't bathrooms in there. She stopped anyhow when she saw the sign barring her from entering. You can imagine what probably happened next: Boy cried and crossed legs; mom figured that directing him to a discreet spot outside the pavilion was better than him wetting himself; ranger gives mom $75 ticket for "disposing of human waste in a developed area." Of course, we aren't advocating public urination - approaching the mom was in order. But a $75 ticket for a 3-year-old who couldn't control his bladder? What color level of national threat does this type of incident warrant: Yellow?
Woman pleads not guilty in trespassing case Connie Connelly, who faces eviction from her home of 30 years in the Mojave National Preserve, appeared in a Barstow courtroom Friday where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of trespassing on federal land. "Even though I've lived there all my life, I'm a trespasser," said Connelly, whose family moved to the rustic six-room home in 1966. The house, a converted general store, sits on five brushy acres near the northeastern edge of the preserve, about 23 miles from Primm, Nev....
Appeasement through easement The Nature Conservancy and Fort Carson are working with a southern Colorado ranching family to forever protect the southern and southeastern borders of Fort Carson from encroaching development. The group wants conservation easements along 17 miles of fence line on Fort Carson's south and southeast sides. The easements would prevent the owners - cattle ranchers Gary Walker and his father, Bob Walker - from subdividing the property. Both Walkers favor the idea....
Drought may alter accord The seven states that share the Colorado River are considering a plan to protect Lake Powell by reducing the amount of water that is allowed to flow downstream to Lake Mead, the top Nevada water official said Thursday. The proposal, which Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy said has never before been seriously discussed, could cause Lake Mead to shrink even faster than it is....
Reaching to the Converted: Environmental Groups Canvass Environmentalist Voters Shea is the face of what Sierra Club officials like to call the "infrequent environmental voter," someone who cares about wildlife habitat and air quality but may not make it to the polls regularly. He is on the front lines of their efforts to reach nearly 500,000 Americans before Election Day, spreading the message that Democrat John F. Kerry will protect the environment better than the incumbent. While environmental organizations have not delivered as much as they promised in past elections, they say this year will be different....
Kerry wants faster permitting for "clean coal" power plants Expedited environmental permitting for utilities that want to build new coal-fired power plants that use so-called "clean coal" technologies are a key part of a plan released by the Kerry-Edwards campaign. Building a new power plant takes about eight years to come to fruition from the drawing board, through permitting and construction, but a more streamlined permitting process could encourage the use of new technologies, the Democratic presidential candidate said....
EFFICIENT 'EQUINE EXHAUST' Before there was smog, there was horse manure. Both are environmental products brought on by transportation systems, and while nobody's found a good use for smog yet, "equine exhaust" can be reused as plant fertilizer. That is the philosophy behind Return to Earth, a Pebble Beach business started a year ago to deal with the horse droppings that build up around horse stables throughout Monterey County and the state....
Artist chosen to create Elfego Baca sculpture In 1884, Baca, 19, self-appointed deputy sheriff, had arrested a cowboy, who was shooting up the town of Frisco (later renamed Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service). The cowboy's friends wanted him released and Baca refused. He took shelter in a tiny house. More than 4,000 rounds were fired into the house. Baca killed four of the assailants and wounded eight others. Thirty-six hours later, he walked out unharmed, according to historians. James N. Muir, a nationally known sculptor, has been chosen to create a bronze of Baca at larger-than-life size. The statue will be finished by October 2005, barring unforeseen circumstances, Martinez said Muir told him....
Western wear takes turn toward the lighter side Call it cowboy chic, but these boots are made for stylin'. While the old staples - browns, grays and blacks - remain as plentiful as Texas mesquite, more cowboys and cowgirls are turning to trends from days gone by. Short boots, known as "peewees" in the 1940s, are slowly kicking back into fashion. And boots with pastels are getting a toehold in the industry....