NEWS ROUNDUP

Provision targets wild horses for slaughter Congress has inserted a provision in this year's spending bill that would allow the slaughter of thousands of wild horses rounded up in Western states for sale in foreign meat markets. The proposed new government policy is wise wildlife management, backers say. But the rule change has enraged activists dedicated to preserving the estimated 37,000 wild horses and burros still roaming free in the West. Sen. Conrad Burns, Montana Republican and one of the authors of the proposed rules change, said the measure is "a step in the right direction." "We've got to get the number of animals down to appropriate management levels and keep them there, but do it in a way that doesn't bankrupt us," he said. It will give the Bureau of Land Management "another tool to help get this under control."....
Mule Deer Avoid Areas with Significant Natural Gas Development A study funded by Questar Exploration and Production Company and the BLM was made public this month and shows that natural gas development in the Upper Green River Valley of Wyoming is affecting the distribution patterns of wintering mule deer. The study is being conducted by Hall Sawyer, a wildlife biologist with Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. “This report shows that energy development is forcing mule deer out of their natural winter range habitat,” said hunter and outfitter Tory Taylor of Taylor Outfitters of Dubois, Wyoming....
For years, man's 23 acres are nonexistent For almost 40 years, Fred Gruner paid taxes on 23 acres of hilltop land in Lakeside that – on a clear day – boasts grand views of the Coronado Islands. There's just one problem: The land doesn't exist. Thanks to a federal mapping error more than 100 years ago, the acreage exists on paper, but not in reality....
Recreationists cheer proposed travel limits for Roan plateau Some Rifle-area recreationists say the Bureau of Land Management is headed down the right path with a proposal to permanently limit summer vehicle travel to designated routes on the Roan Plateau. "None of us want anybody to go off trails whatsoever. We all believe in maintaining the integrity of a small, narrow path," said Gary Miller, a Rifle mountain biker. A temporary ban on off-road and off-trail travel has been in place since 2000 on the 56,000 acres on the plateau that Congress transferred from the Department of Energy to the Department of Interior in 1997....
Old Laws vs. New Techniques Federal antitrust legislation that was passed more than a century ago to ensure fair trade and competition among large corporations now stands as an impediment to modern ecosystem management – a concept considered critical for effective environmental protection. It is becoming difficult to balance laws that forbid companies from sharing information and collaborating with each other, and innovative land management systems that almost require such close cooperation, forestry researchers from Oregon State University conclude in a new report....
Don't have a cow, man - trampled habitat is fine Good habitat management sometimes makes strange bedfellows. Take, for example, the tale of the quail and the cow. This is no fable. Parts of some state wildlife areas along the South Platte River are bare and trampled, as if a herd of wild bison had stampeded through, eating almost everything in sight. Gorman said selective livestock grazing is part of the agency's plan for improving habitat for bobwhite quail, pheasants, turkeys, songbirds, deer and other wildlife along the river. Where cows are allowed to munch, dense thickets of mature cover give way to open terrain. Sunlight enters and the disturbed soil brings forth new life in the form of annual forbs - weeds, if you will. Quail, in particular, thrive on the new seed crop. The South Platte River corridor is the nearest Colorado comes to having a quail capital, but much of it is too overgrown for quail....
More Padre gas wells are backed A Corpus Christi-based company is on its way to drilling five more natural gas wells in Padre Island National Seashore. The National Park Service has recommended allowing BNP Petroleum Corp. to drill the wells despite protests from the Sierra Club and other environmentalists. In its environmental assessment, the park service acknowledged the best environmental alternative is to not allow the drilling. But the federal agency is compelled by law to allow the wells, park Superintendent Colin Campbell said. That's because Padre Island National Seashore was created in 1962 under a deal that allowed state and private interests to retain their subsurface mineral rights under the park and in the nearby waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre....
Ocean-advocacy groups find success backing GOP One group of environmental lobbyists had success this past election with a surprising but effective strategy: supporting Republicans. The lobbyists, who focus on ocean policy, say they are making a serious effort to find new and returning Republican lawmakers to whom they can give money and support....
President Bush to Get a Taste of Alberta’s Beef during Discussions with the Canadian Prime Minster Canadian beef is on both the agenda and the dinner plate for tomorrow's summit between Paul Martin and George W. Bush. The Prime Minister will press the President to accelerate his government's efforts to reopen U.S. markets to Canadian cattle and softwood lumber, senior Canadian officials said yesterday. And they defended the cheeky decision to serve Mr. and Mrs. Bush a plate of Alberta beef at a gala state dinner tomorrow night. One senior official said Mr. Bush is unlikely to be offended because he has consistently supported Canada's bid to get the U.S. border reopened to Canadian cattle, insisting any ban ''should be guided by science and the regulatory process'' rather than fear....
Cemetery excavation reveals gunslinger's grave Anthropologists theorize that a skeleton excavated from a frontier-era cemetery belonged to gunslinger Cy Williams. Bullet holes suggest that the Caucasian man, who was around 35 when he died, had been felled by a bullet before being dispatched with a shot to the head. Also, the body was buried with three slightly worn nickels dated 1866 and 1867. That suggests the man was buried in 1868 or 1869, according to David Darlington, an adjunct professor at Western Wyoming Community College. "Williams was considered a bad character and had killed a wagon master by the name of Lewis Simpson at fort Laramie," said Darlington, who has drafted a paper on the subject....
Cowboy caught with pants down A red-faced cowboy was found hanging from a fence with his pants down during the weekend, a victim of mixing too much alcohol with too much chain link. According to Regina police, the unidentified man, fortified by more than a few drinks, tried to climb a fence as he was leaving an agriculture festival late Saturday. His pant leg got caught, leaving him dangling upside down. When nobody came to his aid, he reached for his cellphone, which fell out of his pocket onto the ground, just out of reach. The man unzipped his pants so he could slide out of his predicament. But his feet were trapped above his head and he could only wiggle his blue jeans down to his knees. He managed to wiggle enough to dial 911 on his cellphone....