NEWS ROUNDUP

Environmental movement struggling to regain momentum This may be Earth Day, but there is little joy in America's environmental movement. After years of success, environmentalism is undergoing a midlife crisis, stewing in internal debate over how to regain momentum. Polls consistently show at least 70 percent of Americans say they support the goals of the environmental movement. Yet environmentalists have less national political power today than at any time since the first Earth Day in 1970. Some say the movement is in need of a major overhaul: Environmentalists should become part of a larger left-leaning coalition of labor, civil rights, anti-war activists and others - while talking more about mainstream American values and less about lawsuits and lobbying. But many leaders of America's largest green groups say what they need instead is to find more common goals with business owners, farmers, ranchers and religious conservatives....
On Earth Day, environmentalists debate future of movement As the world marks the 35th anniversary of Earth Day on Friday, environmentalists are debating the future of a movement that seems to be losing the battle for public opinion. President Bush's re-election, the failure to slow global warming and the fact that large numbers of Americans seem to dismiss them as tree-hugging extremists has green leaders looking for new approaches. Some think it's a message problem - that environmental groups simply need to improve their communication with the voting public. Others are calling for more fundamental changes in how the groups operate. The "Green Group," a coalition of 30 national environmental organizations, is seeking help from an expert championed by Democratic Party insiders - George Lakoff, a University of California, Berkeley linguistics professor with strong ideas about how language colors political discourse....
Dearth day Today, on the 35th anniversary of the first Earth Day, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on, and widely expected to pass, a grossly porkified energy bill that would dole out billions in subsidies to fossil-fuel industries, shortchange alternative-energy and efficiency initiatives, and indemnify makers of the gasoline additive MTBE against liability for groundwater contamination. And this time the bill may actually have a chance of passing in the Senate, perhaps as early as next month, after years of stalemate. This and other dismal news rolling off Capitol Hill of late would seem good reason to make Earth Day 2005 a revolt, not a celebration. Yet when Muckraker searched high and low for organizers of big, spirited, on-the-ground protests, we found little resembling the kind of mutiny the current political moment would seem to demand....
Lodge owner sues Forest Service A $2.5 million lawsuit filed against the Forest Service by Jeff Mummery of Cody will go to trial here in September. Mummery's attorney says the case could establish a precedent for cooperation between the agency and recreational permit holders. At issue is whether the Forest Service committed a breach of contract with Mummery, his attorney, Kevin Garden of Washington, D.C., said last week. Mummery is managing member of The Sweetwater, A Wilderness Lodge, LLC, a corporation formed in 1995 to purchase the property from Dave and Nancy Brannon. The lodge operated for one season before its access was deemed unsafe by the Forest Service. Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman Charles Miller said the case has been assigned to Judge James Merrill of the Court of Federal Claims, who is expected to travel from Washington, D.C., to Cody to hear the case Sept. 19. Garden said the fact that Senior Judge James Merow of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims recently forwarded the case for trial is an initial victory and a precedent with positive implications for other forest lodge owners/permittees....
Air tanker crash could ground other firefighting planes The fatal crash of a firefighting air tanker in California could have repercussions for Arizona's fire season. The P-3 Orion that crashed late Wednesday killing three crew members while on a training run over the Lassen National Forest is the same type of plane that wildland fire officials are counting on to help battle Arizona blazes. The U.S. Forest Service grounded the planes Thursday but said the "stand-down" order should end today or Saturday....
Christine Mine plan review put on hold A proposal for a gold-mining operation in the vicinity of McCullough Gulch has been formally put on hold by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), pending further review of wetlands issues. The environmental analysis for the Christine Mine near the base of Quandary Peak's northern flank had been creeping along for the past four years, as Forest Service officials developed a preliminary feasibility study for the project. In its early stages, the plan drew mostly critical reviews from local residents, who value the area for open space and recreation. But bound by federal mining laws, the Forest Service is obligated to look at such proposals and evaluate and disclose potential impacts....
Smith wants USFS to measure toxic fumes In observance of Earth Day, Senator Gordon Smith sent a letter to Chief Dale Bosworth of the United States Forest Service requesting that he focus existing Forest Service scientific research efforts on measuring the toxic fumes emitted by wildfire. Currently, federal agencies track industrial emissions, but not those related to wildfire. “Wildfire incinerates spotted owl habitat and fills the sky with smoke, yet we’ve done almost nothing to determine the effects that it has on the air we breathe,” said Smith. New research shows that forest fires are a major and increasing source of dioxins, “greenhouse” and other harmful gases. In 2002, the Biscuit Fire may have released as much as 40 million tons of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of burning 3 billion gallons of gasoline, or the equivalent of 10% of the annual emissions from all coal-fire power plants in the United States....
Analysis: Oil, environment clash in West A coalition of environmental groups again protested a sale of federal oil and gas leases in New Mexico and Oklahoma this week, a classic showdown that's become routine every quarter as the rising price of oil spurs more exploration and drilling in the West. On Wednesday the Bureau of Land Management in Santa Fe, N.M., netted $12,293,788 in revenue from 73 federal leases sold in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, but leases sold on about 26,394 acres were sold under protest and will require a review. On the eve of the sale a coalition of the Forest Guardians, the Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Alliance, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and the Southwest Environmental Center filed a 40-page protest letter....
Oil and Gas Drilling Threatens Endangered Cactus with Extinction A Bureau of Land Management proposal for more than 900 new oil wells in Utah's Uinta Basin threatens the endangered Pariette cactus with extinction, asserts a legal petition filed today. Center for Native Ecosystems and the Utah Native Plant Society filed a formal "emergency listing petition" seeking immediate protection for this spectacular native wildflower. "In the face of intense oil and gas drilling, the Pariette cactus is just hanging on," noted Tony Frates of the Utah Native Plant Society. "It is critically important that we protect it under the Endangered Species Act." The proposed oil and gas drilling would irreversibly damage the only known habitat for Pariette cactus - a single drainage in this part of eastern Utah - as well as the Pariette Wetlands Area of Critical Environmental Concern....
Norbeck Society fighting for limits on off-roading vehicles in sensitive areas Hikers and others seeking to protect sensitive areas from off-road vehicles have formed an organization to make their case to the U.S. Forest Service. The new group is called the Norbeck Society — after the late South Dakota governor and U.S. senator Peter Norbeck, best known as a conservationist, especially in the Black Hills. "We're not just hikers," organizer Colin Paterson emphasized. "We're open to everyone."....
First time under new law, six wild horses slaughtered Wild horses rounded up on federal land in the West and sold to a private owner have been slaughtered for the first time since a new law went into effect, a government official told The Associated Press on Thursday. "This is something we regret and are very disappointed this has happened," said Celia Boddington, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Washington D.C. "We make every possible effort when the horses are sold to make sure the animals are placed in good homes for long-term care," she said. The BLM is investigating this month's sale of six wild horses to an Oklahoma man and their subsequent slaughter at a commercial packing plant in Illinois, Boddington said....
Judge: Tribes' salmon suit too late by decades A federal judge in Medford says a $1 billion lawsuit brought by members of the Klamath Tribes against PacifiCorp for the loss of salmon should be thrown out. Judge John P. Cooney, a magistrate, said the lawsuit was decades too late. The statue of limitations ran out on the case in 1971, he said in a decision Thursday. "This action was not filed until May 2004," he wrote. "Therefore, it is barred by the statute of limitations." In the suit, members of the Tribes claim construction of power dams on the Klamath River destroyed the Tribes' federal treaty rights to fish for salmon in the river's headwaters. As compensation, they are asking for $1 billion....
Mesa Water to Continue Purchase Plans; Minimum Purchase Condition Satisfied Boone Pickens stated today that Mesa Water would follow through on its recently announced plans to purchase water rights in Roberts, Gray, and Hemphill Counties. Commenting on announced purchases by Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, Mr. Pickens said: "CRMWA's and Mesa Water's combined purchases are exactly what Mesa has had in mind to create value for area water rights. This is great for the ranchers to have two buyers for their water rights. "We bought 70,000 acres two years ago, and we are buying another 100,000 acres now," Pickens added. "Combined with my 30,000 acre ranch, that puts our total ownership at 200,000. The combination of CRMWA's purchases and our purchases has brought almost $75 million - $100 million to Roberts County ranchers. This is a win-win for the area economy and the ranchers, which will enable many of them to sustain their family ranches for many years into the future." Mr. Pickens further stated that "we have always emphasized that water is abundant in this four-county area, and there is plenty of water for CRMWA's purposes and for our purposes. There are many landowners who still want to sell water. I personally hope that CRMWA will continue to buy water as long as they can afford to do so. It is much fairer to the ranchers to be paid for their water than to be trapped with no use for their water and no buyer."....
Growth In Biomass Could Put Us On Road To Energy Independence Relief from soaring prices at the gas pump could come in the form of corncobs, cornstalks, switchgrass and other types of biomass, according to a joint feasibility study for the departments of Agriculture and Energy. The recently completed Oak Ridge National Laboratory report outlines a national strategy in which 1 billion dry tons of biomass – any organic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis – would displace 30 percent of the nation's petroleum consumption for transportation. Supplying more than 3 percent of the nation's energy, biomass already has surpassed hydropower as the largest domestic source of renewable energy, and researchers believe much potential remains. "Our report answers several key questions," said Bob Perlack, a member of ORNL's Environmental Sciences Division and a co-author of the report. "We wanted to know how large a role biomass could play, whether the United States has the land resources and whether such a plan would be economically viable."....
Dozens of U.S. groups support Canada in mad cow legal battle Dozens of cattle and farm groups representing the majority of U.S. ranchers are supporting Canada in a legal battle to reopen the border. In a court brief filed Thursday, the groups said a Montana judge was wrong to prolong the cattle ban based on a lawsuit from a protectionist ranchers' group, R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America. The so-called friend of the court brief was also endorsed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, 29 state cattle organizations, 18 state farm bureaus, the National Pork Producers Council and individual independent cattlemen. Collectively, the states represented by the co-signers represent more than 85 per cent of U.S. cattle farms and ranches and 75 per cent of the country's cattle, said John, while the farm bureau represents 5.6 million farm families. The cattlemen's association didn't want the only industry voice at the appeal court to be that of an "activist minority group with an isolationist agenda," said John....
Cattle ban a big hairy deal Two ranchers from southern Saskatchewan haven't cut their hair for a year and say they won't pull out the clippers until the United States reopens the border to Canadian cattle. "I was starting to get a little scruffy," Miles Anderson said, recalling the day his hair protest began. "I said, 'Well, I'll just let it grow until the border opens.'" He thought that would be a few months. But with his once close-cropped hair now shoulder-length, he's wondering how much longer he'll have to wait. "It sounds like it's a while now," said Anderson. Sharing that concern is Jay Fitzpatrick, a rancher and bronco rider who's now sporting a mane that would make Bon Jovi proud. "It certainly draws some oohs and ahs," Fitzpatrick said. "The odd old-timer is wondering what in the hell I'm thinking."....
New America’s Heartland Public TV Series to Celebrate Agriculture A new weekly public television show that celebrates the miracle of American agriculture and the farm and ranch families that help make it possible will hit the airwaves this fall, it was announced today. America’s Heartland will profile the people, places and products of U.S. agriculture. The magazine-style, half-hour program will focus on our national love for the land, our fascination with food and the bedrock American values of family, hard work and independence that make our agricultural system the finest in the world. In announcing the ground-breaking series today, the series’ two flagship supporters – Monsanto Company and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) – along with the show’s producer, KVIE, the public television affiliate in Sacramento, Calif., said they are proud to collaborate with other U.S. agriculture groups to raise awareness of the significant contribution that agriculture makes to the quality of American living. America’s Heartland supporting contributors include American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, United Soybean Board and U.S. Grains Council. America’s Heartland will help viewers better understand the nation’s farm and ranch families and the challenges and opportunities they face as they produce food and fiber for Americans and people in other countries....
Lawmakers warm to Dutch oven as Texas icon The Dutch oven — "a welcome and dependable" stalwart of chuckwagon cooking — is on its way to becoming the official state cooking implement. Texas lawmakers have previously grappled with weighty issues of bluebonnets, pecan trees, lightning whelks and jalapeño peppers. The state Senate approved a resolution Thursday to designate the three-legged cast-iron pot as a state symbol. "The Dutch ovens had a great history cooking in the state of Texas, and I think it's a very appropriate thing," said Tracy Scannell of the San Jacinto Sons Chapter of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society. "I'm glad it's being recognized. We're hoping it gets a lot more people interested in cooking." Theories about the pot's evolution abound. According to Merriwether, it originated in England and was brought to the colonies by Dutch traders; hence its name. Paul Revere is credited with adding the feet, which protect the contents from direct heat. George Washington and the Continental Army are said to have used the pots, too. Whatever its precise origins, the sturdy, versatile pot proved an indispensable tool for pre-Teflon-era Americans. It can steam, bake, stew and braise. Its lid, when inverted, serves as a griddle. Coals can be piled on top of the pot's lid to bake. Chuckwagon cooks used it for chili, sourdough bread, biscuits, beans and cornbread....
Magnificent 7 Rides Again The nation's top trainers are headed back to Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento, California for the premier stock horse competition known as the Magnificent 7, held June 9-10, 2005 at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento, CA. Under the expert supervision of John Deinhart at West Coast Footings, the Sundowner Arena will once again be prepared for the ultimate showdown. For two days one man and one horse will put themselves to the test in a series of four events that will showcase their athletic ability and raw stock horse talent. The skill and versatility of both rider and horse will be challenged in herd work, rein work, steer stopping and fence work. By Friday night, only seven horse and rider teams will remain to compete for the title of All-Around Stock Horse Champion. Based on the historical 1972 event called the World's Championship All-Around Stock Horse Contest, the Magnificent 7 is a revival of the first one man, one horse competition created by Pro Rodeo Hall of Famers, Cotton Rosser and Benny Bennion. The idea came to pass over drinks in Benny Bennion's notorious Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas, NV when the two men started talking about putting together a competition showcasing the horses many a rancher talked about; the horse that ranchers would love to have; the horse that could rope, cut, rein, and run a cow down the fence....
Stock dogs valuable tool on farm As a veterinarian for the Calgary Humane Society, Schmaltz knows the importance of pets in people’s lives and how much a rancher can benefit from having a fully-trained stock dog working the cattle. “If you have ever had a fully trained stock dog, you would wonder how you ever did without -- they save miles and stress reduction when you can move cattle and sheep efficiently,” said Schmaltz. Proper training is important alongside the already-ingrained instinct seemingly inherent in dogs such as border collies, Kelpies and Heelers. Stock dogs are commonly trained by voice or whistle to maneouvre stock (whether it be cattle or sheep) from area to area around a farm. “Ranchers can move hundreds of cows or sheep with the help of one or two stock dogs,” said Schmaltz. “For the most part they use their eye, or presence to move stock around -- we like to say a dog has power if stock moves off a dog.” Most often trained on sheep, trainers will cultivate a dog’s natural instinct to bring stock over to them and most often teach the animal to “come by” and herd in a clockwise rotation, or “away to me” in the opposite motion....

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