NEWS

Cattle doing enviro-duty Cows, once considered a menace to the planet by environmentalists, are being credited with bringing back the wildflowers and native grasses at the 535-acre Bouverie Preserve in the Sonoma Valley. Cows simply do what cows do best: eat. They graze on the invasive non-native grasses so that native grasses and wildflowers can thrive. Cattle find non-native grasses like wild oats and rye grass more palatable than the native plants. Like kids, they eat the good stuff first. Grazing has helped native wildflowers such as meadowfoam and mule-eared sunflowers prosper at Bouverie. "Cows are a perfect management tool here. When you have highly productive coastal grasslands with strong competition from imported European grasses you need a herbivore to level the playing field," said biologist Daniel Gluesenkamp....
Board delays Montana CBM water restrictions A decision on whether the state should consider new restrictions on what can be done with water pumped from coal-bed methane wells will not be made until late July. The state Board of Environmental Review unanimously decided Friday to delay until its July 29 meeting any action on new regulations proposed by a coalition of conservation and ranching interests from southeastern Montana. Members said they wanted more time to study the proposal that surfaced just 2.5 weeks ago. The Northern Plains Resource Council, along with 15 other groups and ranchers, want requirements that water removed from the wells to be pumped back into the ground to replenish aquifers or, if that is not technically possible, to be treated before being discharged into rivers or streams for irrigation....
A water watchdog Dogged persistence and years devoted to the study of arcane, century-old water law have made Russell one of the most formidable environmental lawyers in the Northwest. Admirers consider her a "pit bull" fighting for the preservation of Oregon's beloved rivers. Detractors, who are in no short supply, say her legal exploits are overzealous and misguided, doing little to restore rivers while costing people jobs and opportunity. For better or worse, Russell and her scrappy little nonprofit are changing how Oregon uses its limited and all-important water....
Rancher weaves barbed wire into folk art It's amazing what you can do with a few miles of barbed wire -- besides build a fence, that is. Don Berry sculpted statutes of buffalo and bears out of material found on his property, mostly barbed wire. The folk art figures that are sentinels at the Berrys' ranch 20 miles north of Cheyenne on the Torrington highway include a bison, two bears and a bear cub. The sculptures represent about 700 hours of work and patience....
It's All Trew: Tagging vehicles has colorful history The idea of requiring automobile identification numbers originated in New York State in 1901. With a fee imposed, it became a license. The term tags originated in Michigan in 1905 when vehicle owners received small, aluminum, numbered discs the size of a silver dollar. A Vehicle Registration Act was adopted by the Texas Legislature on August 10, 1907. Cost was 50 cents with the vehicle owner responsible for constructing and installing the plate. Most license plates were made of leather with house numbers riveted to the surface....

===