NEWS ROUNDUP

Deer breeders sue state A group of deer breeders has sued the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, asking a Travis County district judge to determine who owns the white-tailed deer and mule deer held in breeding pens in Texas. The current state statute under which breeders operate allows them to buy, sell, breed, medicate and even shoot released deer for sport but retains ownership of the deer for the State of Texas. Licensed breeders, though, claim ownership of the deer they breed and want the courts to decide whether the state could be taking away their property rights. "I just firmly believe they ought to be our deer," said Quinlan rancher James Anderton, one of the eight plaintiffs listed in the suit filed Friday in Austin. "I want to know if they're my deer or if the state can shut me down and say they own the deer." Texas has about 800 breeding facilities, comprising more than 40,000 animals with an estimated worth of more than $100 million. Individual breeding bucks have sold for as much as $450,000 in Texas....
Wildfires might claim 10,000 head of cattle Panhandle ranchers scrambled to move livestock to safe ground Wednesday as wildfires, revived in places by 30-mph winds, were claiming up to an estimated 10,000 head of cattle over 840,000 blackened acres. “It burned every inch of our ranch,” said Glenda Adcock of the Lazy 11 near Miami, her voice breaking. “And we’re still fighting it. We probably lost more than 100 cattle, and we’re not completely through. They found 30 baby calves and lot of mama cows.” Ted McCollum, a livestock specialist with the Texas Cooperative Extension service, said few cattle producers carry insurance against fire loss. He said that aside from the cost of replacing livestock and miles of fencing at $5,500 to $10,000 a mile, there might also be a psychological toll. “There are ranches completely consumed,” McCollum said. “All that’s left is the house. One can only imagine what they are dealing with emotionally in terms of the losses and trying to determine how to go from here.”....
Yellowstone bison sent to slaughter without testing Roughly 30 bison captured near the western border of Yellowstone National Park were shipped to slaughter without being tested for the disease brucellosis, a state livestock official said Wednesday. Marc Bridges, executive director of the state Department of Livestock, said authorities had to set up a portable trap and plow through deep snow to get to the bison Tuesday. He said officials had tried to haze the animals but deemed them ``unhazable.'' Hazing and capture of bison are allowed under a state-federal management plan that's aimed at reducing the potential spread of brucellosis from bison to cattle in Montana. Brucellosis is found in the Yellowstone bison herd, and the disease can cause cows to abort. If it were to show up in cattle, it could cost the state its prized brucellosis-free status — a real worry to ranchers. But activists have countered that there's no proof of bison spreading brucellosis to cattle in the wild....
Killing of Carnivores Won't Protect Sheep Industry Decades of U.S. government-subsidized predator control has failed to prevent a long-term decline in the sheep industry, according to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which says that market forces – not predators – are responsible for the drop-off in sheep numbers. The study, which appears in the latest issue of the journal Conservation Biology, says that more than 80 years of federally subsidized predator control with a total investment of more than 1.6 billion dollars have not been able to stave off an 85 percent decline in the sheep industry since its peak of 56.2 million animals in 1942. According to the study, predation by coyotes is often cited as the primary cause of the decline. However, 80 years of historical data reveal that a variety of market trends ranging from fluctuating hay prices and rising wages for livestock workers, to the drop in wholesale prices of lamb and wool, are the real culprits behind the industry’s drop-off. As evidence, the study points to a 141-percent increase in wages, 23 percent decrease in lamb prices, and 82 percent decrease in wool prices during the period in which sheep numbers were reduced by 85 percent....
One man’s journey to the end of the Colorado River Now, however, the U.S. is crushing the hopes of Gonzalez and his neighbors for a little more water and the better future it could bring. The U.S. is beginning projects that will further cut the already diminished flow of fresh water to Mexico from the Colorado River. With minimal international consultation, the U.S. — along with the Metropolitan Water District and other water agencies — is turning down the spigot to Mexico to divert more water for new housing developments in Los Angeles and cities across Southern California. In so doing, water managers not only will starve Mexico for water, but likely will set up Los Angeles and urban Southern California for water shortages by enabling more growth than the river ultimately can support. Each new development approved by local city councils flush with builder cash in Southern California — from Playa Vista in Los Angeles to teeming subdivisions in the Inland Empire and San Diego County — represents death by a thousand cuts for the many cultures, economies and nature itself along the 1,450-mile-long Colorado River, which slakes the thirst and waters the crops of 30 million people in seven Western states and Mexico. It’s a case of history be damned to the people on both sides of the border and all along the river who have staked their lives on farming, fishing, ranching and recreation....
Klamath water crisis may lead to salmon season cancellation The Klamath River and the dependence of fishermen and irrigators for its water has once again reached the crisis point as federal salmon fishing season decision makers are proposing to limit or completely eliminate the salmon catch so stocks can replenish. No final decision has been made by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the proposals will go out to public hearings before being sent to U.S. Commerce Department for final adoption. The three possible options are to completely ban salmon fishing along the California coast from Monterey to the Oregon border, set catch numbers at last year's levels that reduced the catch by 60 percent or further reduce the catch below last year's levels. What has caused the reduced numbers of fish has been debated for years. Fishermen say the causes are low water levels, dams and contaminants because of diversions to farmers. Irrigators claim other factors, including warm water, disease and overcrowding have reduced salmon runs....
Feds have wolf delisting plan U.S. Interior Secretary Gail Norton is expected to announce a plan today to hand over management of wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan to natural resource agencies in those states. The plan, in the works for a decade, will give the states leeway to trap and shoot wolves in areas where livestock or pets have been killed. It could lead to limited state trapping and hunting seasons if wolves remain prolific. Under the proposal, wolves will lose their federal Endangered Species Act threatened status in Minnesota and endangered status in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The plan is a scaled-down version of one proposed by Norton in 2004 that was struck down by two federal courts, in Oregon and Vermont, in 2005....
Agreement ends sheep grazing in area rife with wolves, bears Domestic sheep don't mix well with grizzly bears and wolves. Now they won't mix at all on more than 70,000 acres in the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. A 74,000-acre sheep grazing allotment south of Big Timber in the Gallatin National Forest has been permanently closed, and the ranchers who used it for generations have been paid to move their sheep elsewhere, according to a deal expected to be announced today. The agreement is the eighth -- and second-largest -- in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem in recent years that has led to the retirement of about 300,000 acres from grazing. "Ultimately, this is going to be one of the most effective solutions we have to deal with chronic conflicts between wildlife and livestock," said Hank Fischer of the National Wildlife Federation, one of the groups that helped organize the deals....
Farmers' vote could keep state out of court Farmers who irrigate from the Harlan County Reservoir at Alma agreed Wednesday to sell $2.5 million in water to the state to satisfy the terms of a Republican River compact and fend off a Kansas lawsuit. Mike Delka, manager of the Bostwick Irrigation District, said those attending a meeting at district headquarters in Red Cloud voted 172-14 to advance the unprecedented agreement. The outcome also addresses a multi-year drought, depleted rivers and streams, heavy groundwater pumping in the area and the likelihood Bostwick irrigators will get no water from the reservoir this year. Gov. Dave Heineman praised the landowners who voted and others involved in the agreement....
Gunnison's prairie dog not on endangered list The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reviewed a petition to list the Gunnison's prairie dog under the Endangered Species Act and has concluded the petition does not contain substantial scientific information that the petitioned action is warranted. The finding was published in the Federal Register. The FWS made the determination in response to a petition received on Feb. 23, 2004, from Forest Guardians and 73 other organizations and individuals. The petition requested that the Gunnison's prairie dog found in the Four Corners region of northern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah be listed as threatened or endangered. Under the ESA, the FWS is required to review the petition to decide whether it contained substantial scientific information that warrants a more thorough review. "The service remains interested in the population status, trends and ongoing management actions important to the conservation of the Gunnison's prairie dog," said Mitch King, the FWS director of the Mountain-Prairie Region, "and we encourage interested parties to continue to gather data that will assist in these conservation efforts. More research is needed to better determine the distribution and abundance of the species throughout its range."....
Editorial: Resigning U.S. secretary of the Interior lauded by industry but despised by environmentalists THE first female head of the Interior Department, departing Secretary Gale Norton, remained true to the pro-industry, antiregulation philosophy she learned as a protege of James Watt, the controversial interior secretary in the Reagan administration. During her five years in office, Norton accomplished many of the goals that Watt's careless rhetoric placed beyond his reach. At President Bush's direction, Norton put wilderness and wildlife preservation second behind opening federal lands to expanded logging, mining and drilling activities. Coal and natural gas production on public lands rose during her tenure. As federal lands provide the United States with 30 percent of its energy, and as the nation is increasingly dependent on imported oil and gas, efficient use of domestic resources must be looked on as a plus. Unfortunately, Norton needlessly outraged environmental protection organizations by rolling back Clinton-era restrictions on wilderness development and supporting congressional efforts to dismember the landmark Endangered Species Act....
Norton mum on plans after resigning as interior secretary In her first visit home since announcing her resignation, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said Wednesday another Westerner should replace her as chief manager of the nation's public lands and resources. "I think it's important to have somebody who really understands what a significant role the Interior Department can play in people's lives here in the West," she said. Norton, a former Colorado attorney general, plans to step down at the end of the month after five years heading the department that oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and other agencies that manage millions of acres of public land. Norton said she wanted to leave as early as possible in President Bush's second term to allow her successor time to take over and continue programs. She said she might have left earlier if not for such tasks as restoring offshore energy production after the hurricanes that racked the Gulf Coast....
Beyond the Gale The rumor mill is churning fast as Interior Secretary Gale Norton prepares to bid adieu to the Bush administration, and two names on the short list of possible replacements are leading the pack: for an outside-the-Beltway pick, Dirk Kempthorne, Republican governor of Idaho; for an inside-the-agency pick, Lynn Scarlett, currently Norton's No. 2, who will likely run the department anyway until a permanent replacement is secured. "This administration has done things two ways when it comes to nominations," observes Frank Maisano, a lobbyist for the energy industry. "They find a high-profile person outside Washington who can be easily confirmed, carry his own water, and lift the profile of the agency" -- think Christine Todd Whitman, the former New Jersey governor who served as Bush's first EPA administrator -- "or the under-the-radar administrative person who can make the trains run on time, is an effective manager, and has the respect of agency staffers" -- think current EPA administrator Stephen Johnson. Whichever course the Bush administration chooses in this case, it's a safe bet that the outcome will be business as usual....
Key Environmental Law Ever-Tangled in Litigation The American Bar Association's environmental law conference at Keystone, Colorado, drew several hundred attorneys, and it may take all of them – and then some – to deal with the ever-growing mountain of legal battles surrounding the Endangered Species Act (ESA). "It's death by a 1,000 cuts," said Eileen Sobeck, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney who handles many endangered species cases for the Department of the Interior. "The Department of Justice and the Department of Interior can't handle the volume. There are 30 challenges to critical habitat pending (in court) in California alone," Sobeck said last weekend during a panel discussion on the big daddy of environmental laws. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, charged with managing rare and threatened plants and critters, can't seem to win for losing. Some critical habitat cases are in their third or fourth round of litigation, said panelist Michael Senatore, with the Washington, D.C.-based Defenders of Wildlife. Sometimes, as was recently the case with Canada lynx, the agency is challenged when it doesn't designate habitat quickly enough. When it does come out with a critical habitat delineation, challenges frequently come from both sides....
Column: We Can't Afford This Public Land Sale Selling federal forest land to subsidize rural schools and road projects is a bad idea for many reasons. But a proposal to do just that, incorporated into the Bush administration's 2007 budget, has one powerful virtue: It has focused welcome public attention on a century-old welfare program that has yet to achieve its goals. Bush and his Department of Agriculture, which runs the U.S. Forest Service, have proposed extending a law that gives money to logging-dependent counties to compensate them for revenue losses caused by declining timber harvests. That law was signed by President Clinton in 2000 after protections for the northern spotted owl and other endangered species reduced logging in the Pacific Northwest, causing rural revenues to tumble. But thanks to such fiscal irritants as the war in Iraq, tax cuts and a reluctance to veto even the most outlandish congressional spending proposals, the administration can't afford to keep the rural subsidy afloat. Rather than find offsetting savings elsewhere, or let the program expire as lawmakers apparently intended six years ago, the president and Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey want to prolong it another five years and sell more than 300,000 acres of national forest land to pay the $800 million bill....
Red-legged frogs hamper efforts to clear storm drains After more than two decades, Bob Loya of Cordelia's A.R. Loya Electrical Construction, Inc., said the well-being of a frog could put his business at risk. Loya's is among several firms in the Cordelia Industrial Owner's Association's industrial condo business park at Lopes Road and Fulton Avenue that were flooded in the New Year's Eve storms. Loya said a subsequent investigation found that a clogged drainage system caused part of the flooding. Attempts to get that cleared out, however, are blocked by rules designed to protect an endangered species of frog, he said....
County trades land to protect rare cactus The county approved a land swap yesterday that it says will help protect the endangered Pima pineapple cactus. The county gave up 640 acres off South Swan Road and will receive 529 acres near Elephant Head in the Santa Rita foothills, about 30 miles south of Tucson. Developer Donald Diamond's South Wilmot LLC plans a major development in the Swan Road area, and cactuses on the parcel next to it are mysteriously dying off. Only three of the 28 plants put on the preserve survived and officials are not sure why. The Elephant Head habitat is expected to be more hospitable. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which regulates endangered species, has approved the land swap, said County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry....
Leader Urges Argentinians to Eat Less Beef Argentines rank among the world's biggest meat-eaters. But President Nestor Kirchner has told his carnivorous compatriots it's time to consume less if beef prices continue to rise and threaten his campaign against inflation. But isn't that like shunning the tango or telling a soccer-mad nation to skip the World Cup? Just ask Argentines, who made Kirchner's stridently public threats of a near-boycott on beef the talk of the town Wednesday at barbecue pits and steakhouses across this vast cattle-raising country. What's the Argentine president's beef with beef? Kirchner on Tuesday urged consumers to "buy less beef if they don't lower the price," speaking of industry prices he is trying to control. "Let's make them feel the power of the consumer so they don't sell at whatever prices they want," he said....
Back At Home On The Range Long ago in Texas’ more sordid past, fed-up ranchers would host “neck-tie parties” to exact their own brand of justice against cattle thieves. But, while mob rule is no longer an acceptable approach, make no mistake about it -- the very crime of “rustling” continues to this day in Gillespie County. Modern advancements in crime lab forensics have refined investigations to a science, and yet many unsavory sorts are still blinded by high cattle prices and see the risk of thievery worth taking. Nowadays, cattle rustlers use a “blending in” method, a clever study of schedules and modern transport to pull off their crimes....