NEWS ROUNDUP

Letter claims arson devices as eco-terror Vandals from an eco-terror group that calls itself the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) have claimed responsibility for two attempted arsons at construction sites in Lincoln and Auburn in recent weeks. The claim, made in a two-page, single-spaced letter received by The Bee and three other area newspapers, described the devices left at the sites in some detail and purportedly explains why the devices did not detonate. "Though our fires failed, the actions (were) not completely unsuccessful," the letter said, adding that more incidents will be forthcoming. "We are setting a new precedent, where there will be at least one or more actions every few weeks," the letter said. The FBI said last week it believed the incidents were the work of eco-terrorists, and although the agency would not say much about the letters Wednesday a spokeswoman said an area counter terrorism task force is investigating....
Giving wolf more space The Mexican gray wolf needs more room to roam, and a government study is recommending that the entire state of Arizona, as well as all of New Mexico, be considered part of the wolves' territory. Parts of Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as Mexico, are also up for consideration, as long as the wolves do not conflict with livestock or humans, a five-year review of the wolf program recommends. The current boundaries - 4.4 million acres on the Apache-Sitgreaves and Gila national forests and 1.6 million acres on the Fort Apache Reservation - are too small, which has resulted in many wolves being captured, removed from the wild or relocated, according to the review of the program by members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona and New Mexico game and fish departments....
Editorial: Let's expand range for Mexican gray wolf Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? For centuries, the wolf has gotten a bad rap, but in recent years it is proving to be a far better neighbor than legend and myth had us believing. Now New Mexico and other Southwestern states have a golden opportunity, as recommended by biologists, to correct a disgraceful legacy of wolf persecution and embrace a broader and less restrictive repatriation of the Mexican gray wolf. Additionally, the state should join in assessing the possibilities of reintroducing the common or northern gray wolf across the vast public lands of northern New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming, as other recent biological studies suggest....
Heli-skiing permit withdrawn Bridger-Teton National Forest officials have withdrawn approval for expanded helicopter-accessed skiing to investigate claims raised by conservation groups. Forest Supervisor Kniffy Hamilton's decision comes in response to an appeal filed by conservationists who contend that plans to increase helicopter ski trips in the Bridger-Teton and Caribou-Targhee forests would harm wildlife and degrade wilderness. "They raised some issues in their appeal that I need to look into," Hamilton said Tuesday. She said she wants to "make sure that we've done the appropriate level of analysis" and "make sure that we're on firm ground" before issuing the permit....
Old-growth forest plan critiqued The Forest Service isn't protecting as many big old trees as it should in North Idaho, an environmental group says. The Lands Council of Spokane issued "Lost Forests: An Investigative Report on the Old-growth of North Idaho" on Tuesday. The report says officials with the Idaho Panhandle National Forests falsely identify old growth to meet forest plan standards. "Using the Forest Service's own maps, databases and standards for measuring old growth, I routinely found myself surveying stumps and saplings," said Ellen Picken, lead field organizer for the Lands Council. "Several times we found clearcuts the Forest Service documented as old growth."....
Genetic Gradient Theory Challenges Evolutionary Ideas Research published in Science is the first in the world to demonstrate a genetic gradient - or path of gradually changing genetic traits - between two distinct species that have been isolated by distance. The research challenges the prevailing theory among evolutionary biologists that species evolve only when separated by a geographical barrier. The research team, led by Darren Irwin from the University of British Columbia, say the results could have broad implications for preserving biological diversity and endangered species....
Courting Disaster: Bush judicial nominees could shake the foundations of environmental law Perhaps the most disturbing trend in Bush's judicial appointees is their increasingly common links to industry. More than a third of Bush appointments to appellate courts and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims during his first term -- 21 of 59 nominations since 2001 -- have worked as lawyers or lobbyists for the oil, gas, and energy industries, according to a new investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting. Three of these energy industry-linked Bush nominations have been made to the critically important 9th Circuit (with one confirmed so far), another nominated but not confirmed to the D.C. Circuit Court, and four confirmed to the little-known Court of Federal Claims, which deals with "takings" property claims made by developers and industry against the government....
Wildlife officials plan to quarantine 100 Yellowstone bison for research Wildlife officials plan to capture 100 bison calves that leave Yellowstone National Park in the coming months and use them to test an experimental quarantine facility just outside the park. The pilot project will look at whether a quarantine facility could be helpful in finding bison free of the cattle disease brucellosis to help start herds in Montana and other states. "Our view is that if we are going to restore bison to the landscape in some broader way, we're going to have to take some real active steps," said Pat Flowers, a regional supervisor for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. But bison defenders, such as Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign, say the facility will serve to treat the bison like cattle....
Chemicals blemish Colorado's water Detergents, drugs, disinfectants and other household chemicals taint Colorado's water, especially along the urban Front Range, federal scientists said Wednesday. "None of the concentrations exceed the regulatory limit, but we don't know what the human health impacts are," said Lori Sprague, chief author of the study. The U.S. Geological Survey's study is the most comprehensive analysis of water quality ever conducted in Colorado, testing for hundreds of chemicals. The findings were unsettling because researchers didn't expect to find so many chemicals in a headwaters state....