NEWS ROUNDUP

Feds order lethal hunt for endangered wolf pack The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday ordered the killing of a pack of endangered Mexican gray wolves that has been preying on livestock in the Gila National Forest. The Francisco pack has killed four animals in the past several weeks. Officials with the agency's wolf reintroduction program said field teams attempted to haze the wolves using noisemakers and rubber bullets following the first attack. "Despite our best efforts these wolves continued to kill livestock and that is unacceptable," Southwest regional director H. Dale Hall said Wednesday. "Wolves that repeatedly depredate endanger the recovery of the species as a whole." Since hazing failed, Hall said lethal means will be the most responsive method to address the needs of those economically affected by the wolf program....
Grizzlies stir uproar: Big predators' future in Idaho is on the line Members of several wildlife conservation groups such as the National Rural Defense Council, Earthjustice and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition have been trying to return grizzlies to the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness area of central Idaho for decades. Some of the reasoning behind the effort to move grizzlies into the area is to develop a corridor that could link populations of bears all the way from Alaska to the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The idea has been coined Y2Y (Yukon to Yellowstone.) Lance Craighead, a wildlife biologist who runs the Craighead Environmental Resource Institute, said he would like to see bear populations connect because it would provide greater genetic variation in the whole population....
Tests to reveal pups' parentage Are they dogs or wolf-dogs? Wildlife officials want to know, and they've taken six pups from a den in eastern Arizona to determine their parentage. If the 6-week-old animals are determined to be anything other than purebred Mexican wolves, they likely will be euthanized, said John Morgart, coordinator of the Mexican wolf recovery program for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We're not in the business of producing hybrids," he said. "We want to keep the genetics pure." The pups were captured Tuesday, and blood was drawn from the pups late Wednesday. The samples are being sent to a Fish and Wildlife forensic laboratory for analysis. Morgart said it would be weeks before results come back....
Pesticide appearing in watershed Five years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency moved to phase out homeowner sales of diazinon, a popular lawn insecticide that posed human health risks and had shown up at elevated levels in Seattle-area streams. As diazinon has disappeared from retail shelves, many Puget Sound homeowners have turned to carbaryl, a chemical that federal sampling now detects in the Seattle watershed of Thornton Creek. Carbaryl, sold under the brand name Sevin, is toxic to aquatic bugs that are an important source of food for fish and birds, and its presence in the waterway was flagged this week in an analysis released by the Washington Toxics Coalition, which has been campaigning to reduce pesticide use in the Puget Sound region. Chemical-company officials say that carbaryl has been in widespread use for more than a half century, and proved to be a safe and effective chemical against a wide range of pests. Bayer CropScience, maker of Sevin, calls it "one of the most environmentally responsible pesticides you can use." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in a letter to the EPA earlier this year, said it was concerned about carbaryl's risks to threatened and endangered species, and noted "a growing body of literature" about the chronic effects of carbaryl on aquatic organisms....
Judge Closes 700 Miles of Off-road trails on Eldorado National Forest A federal court judge yesterday tentatively ordered the United States Forest Service to close over 700 miles of roads and trails on the Eldorado National Forest to off-road vehicle (ORV) use. Judge Lawrence K. Karlton announced his tentative order at the conclusion of a remedy hearing in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups challenging the Forest Service’s management of ORVs throughout the Forest. The court’s closure order follows its February determination that the Service adopted its 1990 ORV plan for the Forest in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Judge Karlton also gave the Forest Service 30 days to propose a time-schedule for completing the required, forest-wide NEPA analysis for its forest-wide ORV plan. The plaintiffs, Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation, Center for Biological Diversity and California Wilderness Coalition, and the ORV groups that intervened in the lawsuit, will have 30 days to respond to the Forest Service’s proposal before Judge Karlton makes his order final....
Park Service memo sparks concern over job competitions A memo on National Park Service job competitions set off a brief firestorm after a watchdog group interpreted the document as meaning that entire parks could be outsourced to private contractors. Tuesday, the Washington-based advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility sent out a statement saying, "We have now reached the point where Disney or Bally's Resorts can bid on entire national park operations with almost no public debate on whether that is appropriate." NPS was quick to refute that interpretation. "We are definitely not, nor are we going to be, doing any kind of competitive sourcing for an entire park--that's just not going to happen," said Elaine Sevy, NPS spokeswoman....
BLM pulls 14 parcels from auction; congressman says it’s not enough The Bureau of Land Management decided Wednesday to remove 17,502 acres of privately owned lands in Colorado from today’s mineral lease auction, a move that didn’t go far enough, said U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo. Salazar had requested the entire auction be postponed until August, action the BLM said it can’t take under federal law if it has lands nominated for quarterly auctions. Today’s auction will proceed in the BLM state office in Lakewood with 56 parcels that cover 30,043 acres. Fourteen parcels in Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties, where the federal government owns the mineral rights, were removed. Another 32 such split-estate leases remain in the auction, state BLM Communications Director Vaughn Whatley said. The BLM had not heard much concern expressed or protests made about those areas, he said....
BLM, oil and gas companies join to end dumping of produced water The Bureau Of Land Management’s Carlsbad Field Office has formed a partnership with oil and gas companies in Eddy and Lea counties to address illegal dumping of produced water on public lands. “Produced water is a byproduct of oil and gas production that is pulled up with petroleum and must be disposed of properly,” explained Tony Herrell, BLM Carlsbad Field Office manager. “Most produced water is very salty, and some of it may contain heavy metals and volatile organic compounds that can sterilize the ground and kill off vegetation and wildlife.” Herrell said his office is partnering with the BLM’s state counterpart, the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division, and local oil and gas companies, including Marbob, Devon Energy and Yates Petroleum....
Energy bill stirs debate At issue is a section of the 1,000-plus-page energy bill passed by the House late last month. It calls for certain "limitations on required review" under the National Environmental Policy Act. That law requires federal land managers to conduct environmental studies before allowing significant development, and those studies include solicitation of public comments. Under the House energy bill -- which needs Senate approval before becoming law -- companies looking to drill wells 5 acres in size or less may be exempt from NEPA review. So would permits to drill in already developed areas. And wastewater discharge from things such as coal-bed methane drilling would not be subject to NEPA -- only to the federal water pollution control act. Just what these provisions might mean is the subject of deep debate....
Escalante grazing-permit case postponed After listening to three days of testimony, a judge on Wednesday placed on hold until September an appeal of grazing transfers in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Kane and Garfield counties are appealing the federal Bureau of Land Management's decision to transfer grazing rights for 1,200 cattle to the Canyonlands Grazing Corp., which was organized by the Grand Canyon Trust to run its grazing operations on public lands. Administrative law Judge Jim Heffernan's decision to postpone further deliberations came after attorneys for the two southern Utah counties claimed the corporation is not qualified under government statutes to graze cattle. "The Canyonlands Grazing Corp. is not engaged in the livestock business, does not intend nor want the land in question for grazing use and is not qualified to hold the grazing preference on the allotment," the attorneys stated in their appeal. Critics of the BLM's decision fear a ruling in favor of the Grand Canyon Trust would be the death knell of grazing - not only on the monument, but eventually on all public lands. Grazing is an integral element of the area's culture, traditions and economy, Kane County Commissioner Mark Habbeshaw told Heffernan at Wednesday's hearing. Like others who testified for the appellants at the hearing, Habbeshaw implied that the BLM is illegally conspiring with conservationists to end grazing on the monument by showing favoritism to conservation groups in the transfer of grazing allotments....
Huge water, conservation deal linked Flagstaff would have a reliable source of water beyond 2015 and northern Arizona could see a huge tract of private and public land conserved as ranchland and open space if the City Council moves on plans to buy 5,500 acres of the Bar T Bar Ranch 35 miles east of Flagstaff, stakeholders said Monday. Up to 100,000 acres of private and state land -- 156 square miles -- would become unattractive to developers, including 45,000 acres put entirely off limits to new houses southeast of the Navajo Nation's proposed casino. State land that checkerboards Judy and Bob Prosser's Bar T Bar Ranch would be surrounded by conservation land, effectively putting tens of thousands of acres out of reach for development for the next 20 years. The city would buy the 5,500 acres for $13.5 million to pump between 8,000 and 10,000 acre-feet of drinking water per year but would be partially reimbursed with $3 million in rent over 25 years for allowing 27 wind turbines to operate there in the Sunshine Wind Energy Park....
Pentagon seeks more waivers on rules Defense Department officials hope to use an upcoming defense authorization bill to expand the military's exemptions from several environmental and public health regulations, arguing the restrictions infringe on national security. The Pentagon has drafted provisions that would free it from specified air pollution and hazardous waste laws, provisions the House and Senate Armed Services Committee could take up this week as part of broader legislation giving the military spending authority. Environmentalists, joined by congressional Democrats and state and local officials, have launched an aggressive campaign to defeat the Pentagon's plan. They argue that the military -- which the government ranks as the nation's biggest polluter -- should meet its existing legal obligations. The Defense Department accounts for more than 10 percent of the country's top priority Superfund cleanup sites and generated 16.5 million pounds of toxic waste in 2002, according to government estimates....
Conservancy buys huge Ramona ranch he Nature Conservancy has bought more than 4,000 acres of ranch land south of Ramona, the national nonprofit group announced Wednesday. The sprawling mosaic of rock-studded hills and oak- and sycamore-lined valleys could eventually become a state or county park, conservancy officials said. Cam Tredennick, project director for the conservancy, called the purchase of the expansive Monte Vista Ranch a coup for the people of San Diego County....
Senate Finally Confirms Johnson as EPA Head After a month and a half of debate, the Senate has finally confirmed Stephen Johnson to head up the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Johnson, an EPA lifer and the first scientist to be tapped to lead the agency in its three-decade history, must have breathed a sigh of relief after enduring criticism of agency policies from several Democratic Senators. First off, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) grilled Johnson regarding a controversial study slated to document the impact on household pesticides on children in Duval County, Florida. As a result of the questioning, Johnson killed the $9 million study. Then last week, Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE) blocked a vote on Johnson's confirmation to protest the EPA's unwillingness to analyze how White House proposals to reduce air pollution compared with competing approaches....
Nevada senator backs off property rights bill Faced with strong opposition from environmentalists and local officials, a Nevada legislator has backed off his proposal to prohibit governments from seizing private property for use as open space. Senator Terry Care's bill would have prohibited governments from using eminent domain authority to acquire property for open-space or wildlife habitat preservation. It would have affected all pending cases in the state, including the fight over development of the Ballardini Ranch south of Reno. Care says he still believes eminent domain shouldn't be used to preserve open space. But he says there was too much opposition to push the issue this session....
Nonresident hunting limits stand Wyoming and other Western states will be able to continue limiting nonresident hunting and fishing licenses under a bill passed Tuesday by Congress. A supplemental appropriations bill approved by the Senate on Tuesday includes an amendment that will protect the traditional authority of states to regulate hunting and fishing, said U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who cosponsored the bill. The bill allows states including Wyoming to continue distinguishing between residents and nonresidents when issuing hunting and fishing licenses. Enzi's measure was prompted by a 2002 ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling said that Arizona's law allotting just 10 percent of bull elk and antlered deer hunting tags to nonresidents was an act of "overt discrimination."....
Tyson Boosts Canada Beef Output as U.S. Bans Cattle Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest beef processor, said it will boost production capacity at a plant in Alberta by 24 percent next month as a ban on Canadian cattle imports limits supplies for the company's U.S. facilities. A $17 million expansion at the Brooks, Alberta, plant will increase production capacity to 4,700 head of cattle a day from 3,800, Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods said today in a statement. Tyson has cut production at its U.S. plants because of the cattle shortage that developed after the U.S. suspended imports when mad cow disease was found in Canada in May 2003. The U.S. meatpacking industry will permanently lose jobs to Canada unless the ban on Canadian cattle is lifted, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has warned. In March, he said Canada's processing capacity had increased 20 percent in the past year and may increase another 10 percent by the end of 2005. Tyson said the expansion at the Brooks plant will add as many as 300 jobs....
Big Bend history unfolds in memories at the regional historical commission meeting I had lunch that day with Charlie and Sixie Davis from Fort Stockton, who drove over for the meeting. Charlie, who admits to being 80, played shortstop for H.L. Kokernot Jr.’s Alpine Cowboys from 1946 to 1953, and he has a stack of scrapbooks and photographs from those days. He told me that in 1958, when Kokernot decided to put lights on the Cowboys’ stadium, the electrician doing the job asked him how many lights he wanted. “Call Yankee Stadium and find out how many lights they have,” Kokernot said. “I want one more than that.” Charlie’s wife, Sixie, grew up on her family’s ranch at Hovey, between Fort Stockton and Alpine. Over lunch, Sixie told me about the day in 1955 that a jet fighter plane crashed on her parents’ ranch. She was there, helping her father shear sheep, and they heard the crash and saw the plume of smoke. Sixie jumped in an old jeep and went to investigate....

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