NEWS ROUNDUP

Biscuit salvage protest shows split among environmentalists Protesters in Southern Oregon tried to block the harvest of the first trees burned in the 2002 Biscuit fire, opposing other environmentalists, who have said the battle over salvage logging is better fought in court. Curry County sheriff's deputies cleared a roadblock of about five vehicles and a teepee-shaped pile of sticks from a logging road near Agness on Monday....
Clock is Ticking, But Wilderness Momentum Continues at End of 108th Congress As the 108th Congress winds to a close, there is an opportunity for Members to continue in the bipartisan legacy of the Wilderness Act and pass legislation to truly honor 40 years of conservation history. Currently, there are five public lands bills pending before Congress that, combined, would designate more than one million acres of wilderness. Legislation poised to pass U.S. Congress this session includes:....
Bush's gatekeeper weighs costs, benefits of new regulations Chances are you've never heard of John D. Graham, but his decisions affect the cars you buy, food you eat and air you breathe. Graham heads an obscure agency in the White House called the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which reviews hundreds of federal rules covering everything from the care of monkeys in medical research to smokestack emissions. Tallying the costs and benefits of proposed regulations, Graham also makes certain that new rules about clean air, habitat protection and watershed restoration reflect the values of President George W. Bush, who nominated him in 2001....
9th Circuit upholds dam operations on Snake River A federal appeals court today upheld the federal government's operation of four hydroelectric dams on the Snake River, saying the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers keeps water temperatures as low as it can to protect endangered salmon. The split decision of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Army Corps against environmental groups, and concluded the agency is complying with state water quality standards as required by the Clean Water Act. It was a victory for forces that want to keep the dams over those calling for removal of the structures....
Group hopes to maintain national prairie preserve A group of high-profile Kansans is working to raise $4 million in private donations to keep the state from losing its premier national park. In a deal unique in the nation, a private charity bought 11,000 acres of tallgrass prairie in 1994, to be operated as part of the National Park System. That group -- the National Park Trust -- essentially mortgaged its future on a bet that Kansans would help raise $6 million to help pay for the land. That never happened....
DEPUTY PARK POLICE CHIEF FORCED TO RESIGN A Deputy Chief of the U.S. Park Police was forced to resign this past Friday, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The abrupt departure of Deputy Chief Barry Beam caps a tumultuous year of leadership turnover at the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement organization. Beam was given a proposed termination this past Wednesday following an investigation concerning an incident involving a Park Police marine escort in New York Harbor for a cruise ship carrying Beam and his wife on a vacation trip. Beam was charged with misuse of government resources in the incident and lack of candor in the investigation. He was placed on administrative leave, stripped of his badge and gun and driven home. Rather than contest the charges, Beam resigned this Friday....
Editorial: Front dispute not about to end The decision by the federal Bureau of Land Management against drilling for natural gas on the Rocky Mountain Front will be welcomed by many, but certainly not all, Montanans. It won't, however, be the last word on the subject. Just as the 100-mile stretch of mountains meeting the plains will remain a powerful symbol of differing ideologies, so will the question of the Front's future remain open over the long haul. The move would seem to boost other options for the Front, such as having the government buy out the leases, or issue some form of credit to the company for use in other, less sensitive areas....
Landowner says Congress ignores property lines in its expansion of Black Canyon park boundaries The rancher who owns land adjoining the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park says he began advertising the property for sale again after Congress passed a bill last year expanding the park boundaries and ignoring his property lines. In an almost full-page paid letter published in Wednesday’s Montrose Daily Press, landowner Louis Allison complained that Congress and the National Park Service have muddied his property lines and title by expanding the national park boundaries to include 2,500 acres of his land — before any land sale, exchange or granting of an easement....
Man Fined Over Illegal Removal Of Rocks Randy Cole was fined and ordered to perform $15,000 in reclamation work for illegally removing rocks from the White River National Forest near Camp Hale. Cole, owner of Vail Rock and Stone, was fined $100 and also ordered to pay $1,000 in costs to the U.S Forest Service for blasting and removing rocks in 1998. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a plea bargain....
Geologists bury carbon dioxide in test Geologists are burying compressed carbon dioxide beneath an old oil field to try to determine if the sandstone layer beneath the coasts of Texas and Louisiana would make a good reservoir for the greenhouse gas. If the plan works, then carbon dioxide produced from burning fossil fuels could be captured from smokestacks and stored underground....
Editorial: 17 years of noise Seventeen years is a long time. But that's how long the public has been waiting, and hoping, for natural quiet to return to Grand Canyon National Park. During that time, the chasm between the two federal agencies charged with muting aircraft noise at the Canyon has seemed as wide as the Big Ditch itself. Now, after 17 years of impasse and confrontation, the Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service have pledged to work together to put a noise management plan in place at the Grand Canyon....
National Cowgirl Hall of Fame Honors Five New Inductees The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame will add five new honorees to its Hall of Fame during the 29th annual Induction Luncheon on Thursday, October 28, 2004. Inductees this year include: Gail Davis (deceased), an actress best know as television's "Annie Oakley;" Wantha Davis, one of the most successful female jockeys of the 1930s through 1950s; Connie Griffith (deceased), one of the world's greatest trick riders; Shelli Mell, an expert calf roper dedicated to making horseback riding accessible to persons with disabilities; and Mary Jo Milner, a cutting horse breeder with an unprecedented six National Cutting Horse Association Non-Pro World Championships....
Legend of pioneer Pete Kitchen a classic of 1850s "Pete" Kitchen was a southern Arizona legend in his own time for a number of reasons - perhaps not the least of which was his penchant for buying a round of drinks for whoever happened to be in his vicinity. By all accounts, the pioneer rancher, farmer and American Indian fighter was generous to a fault, and, ultimately, to his own detriment. He was also a crack rifle shot and a fearless and a hard-headed individual who was not easily deterred from his course....
It's All Trew: Home remedies would cure or kill you I'll bet money that every family has a few home remedies handed down from the past. The most logical reason for home remedy use is, in the old days few doctors and hospitals existed. Even if they were near and available, few could afford the services except in life-threatening illnesses. To treat a wasp sting, my grandparents placed the ever-present chaw of tobacco over the bite and immediately the pain stopped. My mother used a paste made from baking soda. A friend says dig out some ear wax and rub it on the bite. All seem to work equally well. To cure ringworm, make a paste of water and snuff then tape a cloth patch containing the paste over the ringworm spot. They say it never fails....