NEWS ROUNDUP

Experts say Forest Service needs better grasslands data A team of independent scientists that has spent two years studying a management plan for North Dakota's national grasslands says the Forest Service needs better information to guide decisions, as the agency prepares to cut grazing levels. The Forest Service and ranchers disagree over how much grazing will be cut under the agency's plan, which governs everything from wildlife habitat to mineral development on the public lands. The Forest Service projected overall grazing cuts of 9 percent and rancher groups countered with predictions as high as 69 percent. The grazing portion was put on hold while the scientific review team studied the plan. The eight scientists unveiled their recommendations Friday....
Column - Good Riddance: Clinton "Roadless Rule" Dead Finally, more than four years after its hideous birth, the Clinton “Roadless Rule” is dead. The Bush administration and the Forest Service just announced a final rule that effectively undoes Clinton’s reckless decree. Dying with the “Roadless Rule” are the following: - threats of catastrophic wildfire - threats of forest infestation and disease - lack of public access to public lands - improper resource management - unhealthy forests - top-down federal overreach. Recall that Bill Clinton, just eight days before he left office, in the dark of night, penned his infamous, unilateral, executive order that locked up over 58 million acres of public land....
Brazilians clone endangered cow Brazil's agricultural research agency says it has successfully cloned a cow belonging to a nearly extinguished breed, in an experiment that could help save other endangered species. Two calves, named Pora and Potira, were born last month in healthy condition after being cloned from a 9-year-old cow of the Junqueira breed, which is known for its prized meat and has fewer than 100 animals left in Brazil, the government agency said. "This is potentially important for programs aimed at the conservation and improvement of (endangered animals)," researcher Rodolfo Rumpf said in a statement....
Birds shot to save fish Chris Anderson is only half-joking when he offers a solution for the hungry cormorants that are eating the fish in Leech Lake — and taking money out of his pocket. "Kill them all," he says. In response, wildlife officials — prodded by resort owners and fishing guides who are convinced the cormorant is to blame — have reached a dramatic decision: Over the summer, they will kill 4,000 or more of the diving birds. Some wildlife biologists and animal-rights groups oppose the plan, saying research about the bird and its eating habits is incomplete. Though an international migratory bird treaty protects cormorants, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled two years ago that states could curb their numbers if they were harming natural resources....
Ford has plan to help save 2,000 wild mustangs The company that makes the Mustang sports car is investing in the wild horse of the same name. With the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary as a backdrop, officials from Ford Motor Co. said the company would provide money to help save 2,000 wild mustangs that face an uncertain future and help establish a fund to take public donations to maintain the horses. The Bureau of Land Management and the Take Pride in America group also are participating in setting up the fund....
Column: Love the Gas, Not the Drill I have a confession to make: I like natural gas. Every morning at five minutes before 6:00, I wake up to the gentle whumph of the gas stove kicking on in the family room. I then get out of bed, tap on my son's door and call, "Time to get up," and plant myself in front of the miraculous dancing flames that never consume the glowing fake logs. But my enjoyment of natural gas brings up a conundrum that many an oil company executive has eagerly pointed out: How can someone who uses natural gas be anything less than a hypocrite for opposing drilling in the West? Don't we have an obligation to produce as much energy as we can here at home? Hypocrisy is a dogged companion in this world, where the simple act of buying shoes brings up a moral dilemma of international dimensions. Anyone who maintains a strict don't-drill-in-my-backyard stance while warming their bottom, or firing up their vehicle, with the dregs of the Carboniferous period -- or, for that matter, while complaining about this country's political dealings in the Middle East-- keeps good company with hypocrisy. But to be opposed to drilling in the West's few remaining pristine landscapes does not make one a hypocrite. Nor does insisting that the industry tread as lightly on the land as possible....
National forest lands cost local counties Every year the federal government is supposed to pay the three counties in the Roaring Fork Valley hundreds of thousands of dollars each to make up for lost property taxes that cannot be collected on federal lands. But each year the feds actually dole out far less than the promised amount because Congress shortchanges the program. In 2004, for example, Eagle County was supposed to receive $1.24 million from the federal government in payment in lieu of taxes or PILT funds, as the program is known. The county received only about two-thirds of that amount, or $842,000. Pitkin County received about $582,000 when it should have received about $895,000....
Column: The Religious Left's Lies The religious left's political operatives have mounted a shrill attack on a significant portion of the Christian community. Four out of five evangelical Christians supported President Bush in 2004 -- a third of all ballots cast for him, according to the Pew Research Center. Factor in Catholics and members of other conservative religious communities and it's clear that the religious right is the largest voting bloc in today's Republican Party. The religious left took note. Political opportunists in its ranks sought a wedge issue to weaken the GOP's coalition of Jews, Catholics and evangelicals and shatter its electoral majority. They passed over obvious headliners and landed on a curious but cunning choice: the environment. Those leading the charge are effective advocates: LBJ alumnus Bill Moyers of PBS fame, members of the National Council of Churches USA and liberal theologians who claim a moral superiority to other people of faith. Their tactics are familiar. I encountered them more than 20 years ago as President Reagan's secretary of the interior, when I clashed with extreme environmental groups adept at taking out of context -- or in some cases creating -- statements that, once twisted, were attributed to me as if they were my religious views....
Owens Wants Database Of Protected Land Gov. Bill Owens asked state officials on Thursday to conduct an inventory of all protected lands in Colorado, including wildlife habitat, agricultural lands and watershed areas, after expressing concern that the state does not have enough information to best protect open spaces. Owens said the information would help Great Outdoors Colorado, which uses lottery proceeds to fund park, recreation, wildlife and open space projects across the state, to make better choices on investing $48 million approved in December for the preservation of large landscapes. He said it also will help land trusts, local governments and state agencies....

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