NEWS ROUNDUP

Gallatin to explain plan for grizzly bear habitat The Gallatin National Forest will host an open house meeting in Bozeman next week to discuss how officials plan to manage grizzly bear habitat in and around Yellowstone National Park. The Gallatin and five other forests recently released plans that outline where grizzly habitat -- generally places where roads and other developments are kept to a minimum -- gets top priority. Those places -- known collectively as the "primary conservation area" -- cover 5.9 million acres in parts of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho; 3.4 million acres are in national forests and the rest are in national parks....
More Grizzlies With Cubs in Yellowstone The number of grizzly bears with cubs in the Yellowstone area appears to be rebounding, which could bolster efforts to remove the animals from the endangered species list, biologists said Friday. A preliminary tally by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team showed 48 females with cubs, up from last year's count of 38. The increase likely reflects the natural reproductive cycle, said Mark Haroldson, a biologist with the study team. Female grizzlies typically reproduce only once every three years....
Two bears killed in park Two grizzly bears have been killed in Yellowstone National Park this week. One was run over by a truck, a vehicle that smashed into the bear hard enough to bend the drive shaft of the Chevrolet Suburban. The second death came from a lethal injection administered to a young female bear that had been raiding campsites....
Raft trip rider feared dead A 48-year-old man disappeared from a Colorado River raft trip Wednesday night, prompting an extensive search-and-rescue effort, days after another man died in a fall during a rafting excursion. According to Grand Canyon National Park reports, a Washington man, whose name was not released, was counted as missing by Tour West, Inc., a commercial river company based in Orem, Utah. Someone from the trip called the Park Service via satellite phone at 12:15 a.m. Thursday morning. Other raft trip members had heard him calling for help. They searched for about two hours but without success, park service officials said....
Do eagles still need protection? By most accounts, the bald eagle has been saved from extinction. Good news, right? That's what fans of America's most noble symbol have been wondering since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month made noises about removing it from the Endangered Species List....
Scientists ready to have a blast near Cedarville Researchers from Stanford University will use a carefully timed set of explosions next week to study what scientists call the "extension paradox" that has been found in northern Nevada. Scientists and graduate students from the university will set off six simultaneous explosions along a line stretching from north-central Nevada to the Modoc National Forest near Cedarville....
Biscuit salvage sale fails to draw bids The Siskiyou National Forest failed to get any bids on the latest timber sale from the 2002 Biscuit Fire, where a federal appeals court has blocked logging in old growth forest reserves. The lack of bids at the Wednesday oral auction reflects the wariness of the timber industry over the prospects of more legal delays and the plummeting value of the trees, after they have been left to rot on the stump for nearly two years, said Dave Schott, executive vice president of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association....
Frances Destroys Sea Turtle Nests Hurricane Frances destroyed thousands of sea turtle nests as the storm tore through their most important beaches in the middle of the nesting season, biologists said. The hurricane may have destroyed 40 percent to 60 percent of the loggerhead and green sea turtle nests made in 2004, a year that had already seen a sharp decline in turtle nesting, said Robbin Trindell, biological administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission....
Ruling shows complexity of land claim cases The Senecas' claim to the Niagara River islands was based on the tribe's belief that their ancestors improperly ceded the land to the state in 1815 for $1,000 and an annual payment of $500. The Senecas contended that the tribe gained title to the islands under the Treaty of Canandaigua of 1794 and that since the 1815 purchase of the land was never approved by Congress, the sale was in violation of the federal Non-Intercourse Act and is void. That, believe it or not, is the simple explanation of the legal argument in the case. As with virtually all land claim litigation, the three-judge federal panel in the Seneca case had to conduct a long and complicated analysis of dealings between the Senecas and the state of New York and the United States of America, and between the Senecas and colonial Americans before that....
The AC of Tomorrow? Tapping Deep Water for Cooling To anyone who's taken a dip in Lake Ontario, it seems like a no-brainer: Use the lake's icy waters to keep nearby cities cool. Last month Toronto did just that, announcing that its 170-million-dollar (U.S.) deep-lake water cooling system, the largest of its kind, was up and running. Also known as "lake-source cooling" or "deep-source cooling," the process uses water pumped from the frigid depths of adjacent lakes or oceans to cool municipal buildings....
Bad land stewards would forfeit lease preference in DNRC plan Farmers and ranchers renting state land would lose their automatic preference for renewing those leases if they mistreat the land, under a proposal from the Martz administration. The recommended change in state Land Board regulations, which will be submitted to board members at their next meeting Sept. 20, is in response to a court ruling that found an absolute preference for lessees is unconstitutional. The rules developed by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation still would give leaseholders a built-in advantage over competitive bidders when their leases come up for renewal. Only in cases where a lessee has failed to abide by conditions of his rental agreement would that preference be lost....
America's best beef? Niman is the most famous of a new breed of farmer, a purveyor of what might be called boutique food. They're small-scale producers selling high-margin products. To succeed, they turn the logic of industrial farming on its head. Instead of adapting mass production to agriculture, boutique food relies on old-fashioned farming: letting animals graze in grassy pastures, or feeding them all-natural combinations of grain. But if the husbandry techniques are 19th century, the marketing is ultra-modern....
Ranchers breed horses for work Harrell, a cattle rancher, uses his horses for work. That's becoming atypical of horse owners, who increasingly use their horses for trail riding, showing and competitions. Horse breeders and industry observers say the U.S. equine business is moving away from labor and toward recreation. The days of cowboys on the range who made horses an American icon are no longer an accurate portrayal of the role horses play in today's culture....
Japan Says Resolution to U.S. Mad Cow Issue Won't Come `Soon' Japan and the U.S. are unlikely to quickly resolve differences over Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports, Japan's health minister said, amid renewed demands the U.S. apply Japanese testing standards for mad cow disease. ``I don't think any conclusions will be made so soon,'' Health Minister Chikara Sakaguchi said at a Tokyo press conference. The U.S. has rejected Japan's demand that all cattle be tested, arguing that current tests can't reliably detect the disease in animals younger than 30 months, which comprise the majority of cattle slaughtered each year....
Fräuleins, heifers: German TV ropes cowgirl show An eastern Colorado ranch is the setting for a German reality show featuring women learning how to be cowgirls. Shooting at the Colorado Cattle Co. and Guest Ranch began Tuesday as the women, ranging in age from 20 to 61, learn how to rope, feed livestock, mend fences and do other ranch duties. More than 1,000 women were interviewed for the show and the experience at the working ranch near the Pawnee Buttes. The goal is to have all the skills down within 21 days....
Ride 'em, vaquero! Hispanics are America's first vaqueros (cowboys), and a growing number of South Floridians are reclaiming this aspect of their cultural heritage. With its western theme, rodeo grounds and acres of farm land, the town of Davie just seems like the natural choice for the South Florida vaqueros. The recent influx of Argentines, Colombians, Brazilians and Venezuelans, has made the popularity of the rodeo sport surge even more, said Bonnie Stafiej, Davie's special events director. These are countries where cowboy culture is respected, and herding cattle is a way of living....
Hank the cowdog is Brought to life Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, shows readers life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog. The books which have sold almost 3 million copies were a Book-of-the Month club selection, and the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. "I think those 'Hank' books are books I wish I had in the fourth grade," he said. "I know kids are safe when they're reading my stories."....
Fond memories of Mr. Lucky's Strutting into Lucky's, as the regulars called it, on a raucous Saturday night brought an assault on the senses. The bar, which owner and star performer J. David Sloan closed due to financial concerns and dwindling crowds, was the last big, loud, smelly, smoky, honest-to-goodness Western saloon in town. A mecca for dancing, drinking and meeting the opposite sex in its '70s and '80s heyday, Lucky's also was the place to take out-of-town visitors wanting to go to "a real cowboy bar."....
Mighty Missouri Pig Fest begins Thursday The sweet smell of barbecue will once again fill the air in Leadington with the Second Annual Mighty Missouri Pig Fest featuring the "Scism Sizzle." The annual event is scheduled to kick off on Thursday and will run through Saturday on the grounds of Sam Scism Ford. The Scism Sizzle is sanctioned by Memphis In May Inc. The Grand Champion of the event will earn an invitation to compete in the Memphis In May International Festival along with a check worth $2,500. Participants will be judged in the categories of ribs, pork shoulder and whole hog. The competition is an open contest and teams do not have to be sanctioned by Memphis In May Inc. to compete....
Having Sex Until the Cows Come Home What's a big cud-chewing Scottish cow have to do with preserving public decency? According to the mayor of a small Dutch town, allowing Highland heifers to graze in a nearby nature reserve will help deter couples who have scandalized the upright citizens of Spaarnwoude with their open-air sex antics. Mayor Ellen van Hoogdalem-Arkema said the brazen behavior of amorous outdoor enthusiasts has angered and embarrassed people walking their dogs in the reserve or taking their grandchildren for a stroll....