NEWS ROUNDUP

Groups: Gas leases violate roadless rule Environmentalists on Wednesday erected a paper roadblock they hope will keep drilling rigs out of a roadless area southwest of Carbondale. A coalition of environmental groups filed an administrative appeal of a U.S. Bureau of Land Management decision to auction off gas leases in the Thompson Creek area in May. The groups contend the leases violate the White River National Forest Plan, which says the U.S. Forest Service will uphold the national Roadless Area Conservation Rule and not allow leasing in roadless areas....
Idaho will oversee wolves before packs are delisted Most of the management of Idaho's thriving wolf population will be transferred from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the state within months, and even before the animal is pulled from the Endangered Species List, a federal wolf expert said Wednesday. "The state will do everything we do now. Essentially, Fish and Wildlife disappears," said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery team leader. "It's good news for wolves and for wolf recovery." Oversight could be shifted by next spring....
Bigger isn't always better for species survival Being the biggest dog may pay off at feeding time, but species that grow too large may be more vulnerable to extinction, new research suggests. Over 50 million years a succession of large carnivores evolved in North America, diversified, and then died out....
State releasing pair of wolves The state is releasing a pair of endangered Mexican gray wolves in the Gila Wilderness. The male was born in the wild to a pack released in Arizona and had been radio-collared as a pup in 2002. The female was also born in the wild and had never been captured before. She has also been fitted with a radio collar. The wolves were captured last month in the San Mateo Mountains of southwestern New Mexico outside the official area for the species recovery. Wolves released in New Mexico usually are taken into the Gila Wilderness on mules and set free inside mesh enclosures. They chew their way free of the enclosure, then the enclosure is removed....
Editorial: Common ground for wolves regon is almost ready for the next wolf at its door. A panel of Oregon ranchers, hunters, wildlife activists and others has prepared a 100-page plan for making a home for wolves in Oregon. It's a good, carefully written plan that should be approved next month by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. Oregon wasn't ready when B45, a female gray wolf, roamed into Northeast Oregon in February 1999. Ranchers howled about the dangers of this lone wolf, and environmentalists turned her into a celebrity, holding a statewide name-that-wolf contest (the winner: "Freedom"). Federal biologists trapped B45 and shipped her back to Idaho....
In a national park, the call of the wild: Is it cellular? At least 30 national parks now sport cell phone towers or other antennas, according to a newly released partial inventory by the National Park Service. This list, the first of its kind, is evidence that phone companies are targeting America's national parks for business. The result, critics say, is a much-degraded visual experience when a tower sprouts on an otherwise pristine landscape — or a jarring aural annoyance when a cell phone rings deep in nature....
Update on North Fruita Desert The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently released the final management plan for the North Fruita Desert. The North Fruita Desert is home to some of the best riding on the planet, including famous trails like the Edge Loop, Zippety, Prime Cut, Chutes and Ladders and Joe's Ridge. IMBA sent out an action alert regarding this plan last winter, asking our members to comment. IMBA would like to thank our members for commenting, and would also like to commend the BLM for creating a plan that accommodates a number of our concerns and balances the interests of everyone....
Sand dunes threatened with closure Environmental and conservation groups on Wednesday vowed to file an injunction that would eliminate all off-road vehicle use at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area if the federal government reopens a 49,000-acre portion temporarily closed as a result of a lawsuit filed by those groups to protect a threatened plant species. "The only legal option we may have is to move for a full injunction which would close all of the dunes to all off-roading. We don't want to be in a position to do that," said Daniel Patterson, conservationist with the Tucson-based Center for Biodiversity....
Camouflaged wells calm few concerns over oil, gas drilling In the battle over whether and where to drill for oil and natural gas on public lands in the West, the Bush administration has a new approach: Drill more wells and camouflage them. The Bureau of Land Management this summer ordered its field managers who approve drilling permits to require companies to do a better job of making new wells blend in with the environment. Among the actions drilling companies could have to take: bury power lines, install mufflers and air pollution control devices on compressor stations, immediately reseed well pads and access roads, and paint equipment to blend in with the scenery....
Calif. bill will give tribes more protection over sacred sites Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday signed a bill that will give American Indian tribes more protection over their sacred sites on public land, allowing them to buy property and shield it from development. Tribes praised the decision and said it was a victory in a battle to preserve cultural resources. The bill, which becomes effective March 1 and extends to both federally recognized and unrecognized tribes, also requires local governments to notify tribes about possible future development....
Kyoto accord gets crucial Russian assent Russia's cabinet approved the Kyoto Protocol yesterday in a crucial step toward putting the long-delayed climate change treaty into effect, albeit without participation from the United States. Final approval by the Russian parliament, which would push the treaty past its required ratification threshold, was not guaranteed, however. While the State Duma generally approves legislation backed by President Vladimir Putin, many Russian officials remain opposed to the pact, fearing its restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions could hinder economic growth....
Column: The pledge For a few weeks in the spring and the fall of the year, I participate as a rodeo announcer for a kid’s rodeo that is held once a week. It includes mutton busting, calf riding, steer riding, junior bull riding and senior bull riding. Of course, we always present the colors (old glory and the Colorado flag) before we begin each rodeo. We encourage the youngsters to come up and volunteer to hold the flags while our national anthem is played. As a general rule, it’s the little girls that rush up to see if they can carry the flags out into the arena and hold them. My policy is a first come, first served, on the flags. It always warms my heart to see the young folks come forward each week to honor our country. What really warms my heart is to see the 3- and 4-year-olds, with cowboy hats held across their hearts, standing at attention and not taking their eyes off of the flags....