NEWS ROUNDUP

Ranchers tell officials of wolf frustrations That frustration was echoed by others in the crowd of about 75 who came to the Stillwater County Fairgrounds on Tuesday to voice concerns about the presence of wolves in the area. The meeting was called on the heels of a wolf attack that killed some sheep near Nye on Oct. 14. "I'm damned disturbed and frustrated," said Cliff Bare, a Stillwater County commissioner. "This is a classic example of government gone astray." Calls have been increasing to Bare's county commission office from people worried about wolves moving onto farms and ranches. "Every year it's getting worse," Bare said. Todd O'Hair, natural resource policy adviser to Gov. Judy Martz, has received the calls, too. Sometimes, the person on the other end is in tears, distraught over the loss of sheep, cows or family pets, he said....
The Man Behind the Land He has given more money to conservation causes in California than anyone else. His gifts have helped protect 1,179 square miles of mountain and desert landscapes, an area the size of Yosemite National Park. His donations to wilderness education programs have made it possible for 437,000 inner-city schoolchildren to visit the mountains, the desert or the beach — often for the first time. Over a decade of steadily growing contributions — including more than $100 million to the Sierra Club — this mathematician turned financial angel has taken great pains to remain anonymous. In manner and appearance, David Gelbaum has maintained a low profile for someone who can afford to give away hundreds of millions of dollars....
Environmentalists sue over changes in wildlife protections Environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to block the Bush administra-tion's decision to set aside Reagan-era rules aimed at protecting wildlife in national forests. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, seeks to reinstate a 1982 rule that required the Forest Service to ensure "viable populations" of wildlife species that are not endangered, such as elk, Appala-chian brook trout and river otters. The administration set aside the rule last month, saying officials now can rely on the "best available sci-ence" — a less specific standard — to guide their decisions....
Group wants grand jury to probe Cedar fire A group of county residents has asked federal officials for a grand jury investigation into the cause of last year's Cedar fire, based on the group's allegations that the blaze was reported earlier than officials said it was. The four-page request was delivered Monday to the U.S. Attorney's Office, on the first anniversary of the start of the deadly blaze. The letter, from a group calling itself the Committee for Full Accountability on the Cedar Fire, is signed by four county residents, including two who lost their homes to the flames. Fourteen people died and about 2,200 homes were destroyed by the Cedar fire, which at more than 270,000 acres was deemed the largest wildfire on record in California in terms of acreage burned....
Proposed road closing project sparks objections The Forest Service is planning a project that would put another 40 to 80 miles of roads out of commission -- as much as half of those within the 104,600-acre Steamboat Creek watershed in the northeastern portion of the North Umpqua Ranger District. The project has sparked debate among the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, which takes issue with the agency for not actively involving the public, and for planning a project that will block access for firefighters and future logging or restoration projects....
Groups to sue for protection of trout Conservation groups have given notice that they intend to sue in two months to get the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reconsider its decision not to list the westslope cutthroat trout as a threatened species. The groups contend the agency's decision to include crossbred fish in determining the trout did not need protection goes against science and forfeits an opportunity to preserve genetically pure populations. Federal officials said Tuesday that they agree there are far fewer genetically pure westslope cutthroat trout than there are hybrids....
Where to allow grizzlies? Wyoming's grizzly bear management plan says bears will be allowed to expand outside of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and into areas that are biologically suitable and socially acceptable. It's up to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to pinpoint where those areas will be....
Editorial: Once Gone, Gone Forever Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton insists the Bush administration is committed to protecting the nation's wild lands, but the words of a Bureau of Land Management worker in Price, Utah, tell the real story. "We can protect any landscape that no one wants to use for anything else," Tom Gnojek told The Times' Henry Weinstein. "If it's not wanted by the oil and gas industry or the ORV (off-road vehicle) industry, we can protect it." The administration is giving industry virtual carte blanche to look for oil and gas wherever it wants outside of existing parks and wilderness areas....
U.S. Beef Sales to Japan May Take Months to Resume U.S. beef exporters may take at least six months to begin winning back sales worth $1.7 billion to Japan because of restrictions imposed by the country in agreeing to ease a 10-month import ban, a Tyson Foods Inc. official said. Japan on Oct. 23 agreed to a framework to end the ban, introduced after the discovery of mad cow disease in the U.S. Japan's approval process and the need for U.S. exporters to verify the age of their cattle mean little U.S. beef will appear in Japan before spring, said Takamichi Tawara, head of the Tokyo office of Tyson Foods, the world's biggest meat processor....