NEWS ROUNDUP

Landowners pleased with BP settlement Checks totaling about $120 million have been mailed to about 4,500 landowners in southwestern Colorado, under a settlement struck with BP America over a natural gas royalty payments dispute. The checks ranged from a couple of pennies to nearly $2 million. "It felt pretty good after 12 years," Richard Parry, an Ignacio rancher, said of receiving a check he described as not "one of the largest ones." Parry launched the suit against the former Amoco Production Co. a dozen years ago. BP later bought Amoco. Parry's suit became a class-action lawsuit involving landowners from La Plata and Archuleta counties. The case centered on the underpayment of royalties for natural gas production in the two counties. It was filed in May 1994. In October 2003, a Colorado district judge ruled against BP in the case. He said BP and predecessor Amoco - when calculating royalty payments - couldn't deduct costs tied to getting the gas ready for market....
House panel OK's Idaho wilderness proposal The U.S. House Resources Committee Wednesday approved a bill designating 492 square miles of federal land in central Idaho as protected wilderness while conveying other public land to the state and local governments. The measure now will be scheduled for a final vote on the House floor and then must make it through the U.S. Senate before the end of the year when this session of Congress concludes. "I'm pretty confident it will pass the floor of the House," sponsor Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho said. "After that, it depends on how quickly the Senate moves it." If the measure passes the House, it will go before a Senate subcommittee chaired by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. Craig has not taken a position on Simpson's bill, but Simpson said he planned to meet with Craig shortly to brief him on the final version passed by the committee....
Mount Hood bill over a hump A key congressional committee gave unanimous backing Wednesday to a bill setting aside about 77,500 acres of the Mount Hood National Forest as protected wilderness off-limits to logging, roads and motor vehicles. The bill sponsored by Reps. Greg Walden, a Republican from Hood River, and Earl Blumenauer, a Portland Democrat, would secure the rugged Roaring River and towering, 1,000-year-old trees within Mount Hood's first new wilderness in more than 20 years. It also directs the U.S. Forest Service to develop a strategy for crowded and aging forests at high risk of wildfires and redirects funding to pay for trails and other facilities in what has become a prized playground for Portland. President Bush would sign the bill if it gets to the White House, Walden said Wednesday. But that will depend on whether the Senate also backs new wilderness on Oregon's iconic mountain....
Guilty plea in eco-terrorist plot A 20-year-old man entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy in connection with an apparent eco-terrorist plot to blow up commercial and government buildings in the Sacramento region, including the U.S. Forest Service Institute of Forest Genetics in Placerville. The eco-terrorist group, and Zachary Jenson of Seattle, allegedly planned to take credit for their actions on behalf of the Earth Liberation Forum, said U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott. Numerous law-enforcement agencies -- including the FBI, state and local police -- investigated the case. Under the plea agreement, Jenson acknowledges that the federal terrorism enhancement applies to his crime, which increases the penalties. He also has agreed to cooperate with the federal government's case, including to testify against co-defendant Eric McDavid. A third co-conspirator, Lauren Weiner, pled guilty on May 30....
Missoula County favors alternative forest plan Missoula County and six other county commissions have sent letters to the Forest Service encouraging the agency to consider an alternative management plan for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest proposed by an unusual coalition of conservation groups and timber industry interests. But the two counties in the heart of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest say reopening the process to update the forest's land use plan is just plain “a lousy idea.” Last April, a coalition of conservation groups and timber industry officials proposed the plan that includes setting aside portions of the 3.3-million-acre forest for wilderness and as suitable timber base. The proposal also called for using stewardship contracting on most timber sales, which allows that money raised by logging to stay on the forest to pay for activities like weed control, trail maintenance and improving fish habitat. So far, the proposal has received a lukewarm reception from the Forest Service....
Groups Appeal Bush Administration’s Plans for Southern California’s National Forests A coalition of conservation organizations today appealed the Bush administration’s revised Land Management Plans for Southern California’s four national forests, outlining a litany of flaws that would result in more environmental damage on these popular, biologically rich forests. The 250-page administrative appeal cites numerous problems with the management plans, including an inadequate and illegal analysis on related impacts to roadless and wilderness areas, plants and forests, and native wildlife species. The organizations charge that the plans focus too much on expanding roads, motorized recreation and commercial, extractive uses such as logging and oil drilling rather than protecting the natural values and low-impact recreational uses that so many citizens enjoy. The Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland national forests are within a of couple hours’ drive of 20 million people, and boast some of the country’s most popular places to hike, camp, picnic, fish and hunt, bird watch, rock-climb, mountain bike, horseback ride, stargaze, and indulge in a host of other nature-based activities. These 3.5 million acres of public forests also are part of the California Floristic Province, which is recognized as a global biological “hotspot” – defined as an area that harbors an incredible diversity of life but is also undergoing rapid habitat loss. As such, the forest plans are tremendously important for both people and the native plants and animals of southern California....
Senators Question Wildfire Prevention Program Additional money is needed to treat land in the West that is vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires, members of the Senate subcommittee on public lands and forests concluded Wednesday. This comes despite the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, signed into law in December 2003, which helps remove timber, wood pulp and other flammable materials from lands susceptible to fires. It also pays for forest projects to prevent wildfires that could damage residential areas. Out of 1.6 million acres treated across the country this year, slightly more than 44,000 acres were in Colorado. Dale Bosworth, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, attributed the small acreage to the high cost of land treatment. He pointed out that acreage in the Southeast U.S. costs less to treat than land in the West. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said that there were at least 240,000 acres of hazardous lands that needed to be handled by the forest service. He called the low number of treated acres a "lack of responsibility" by the government. "This is similar to Katrina," Salazar said. "It's the Katrina of the west. You can see it coming up from the coast, yet the government didn't do enough. Now we're paying billions and billions, and that can happen again." As of Wednesday, the Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, reported more than 63,000 fires so far this year that burned more than 4 million acres. That's above the 10-year seasonal average of 47,000 fires and 2.5 million acres....
Task force crafts roadless plan After months of listening to the public, government experts and each other, members of a task force started crafting recommendations Wednesday on how 4.4 million acres of remote national forest land in Colorado should be managed. The 13-member panel formed by the Legislature and Gov. Bill Owens plans to submit a proposal by mid-September recommending whether the land declared off-limits to development under the Clinton administration should still be protected. "It's hard, it's slow," said Russell George, head of the state Department of Natural Resources. "But the group has held together very well." George, the task force chairman, said the group intends to give the public a chance to comment on its suggestions before a final version is sent to the governor....
New wolf pack at Sevilleta will soon be released A pack of four Mexican gray wolves will be placed in a temporary holding pen, located near Middle Mountain in the Apache National Forest, in preparation for the endangered animals' release in Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department officials say the wolves will be moved to the pen site this month in order to meet ongoing wolf reintroduction objectives. The pack is currently at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in northern Socorro County. The Meridian pack consists of an alpha male and female and two pups. Maggie Dwire, for the New Mexico Wolf Project, said that the male came from a research facility in St. Louis while the female is from a Minneapolis zoo. Kim King-Wrenn, outdoor recreation planner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Sevilleta, explained how the two wolves got together. She said that representatives from all of the 40-plus zoos and research centers get together once a year. One person is in charge of the studbook. At that time, the agencies see who has wolves that can be bred as well as who has the facilities and financial resources necessary to establish a pack with pups....
Public input sought on land bill Jim Crisp, manager of the Bureau of Land Management's St. George Field Office, spoke during the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Holiday Inn about the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act of 2006. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, introduced the bill in the U.S. Senate on July 11 and Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, introduced it in the U.S. House of Representatives the next day. "The bill has significant ramifications for the county," Crisp said. "It affects every person here, whether directly or indirectly." Crisp focused many of his comments on the minimum of 20,000 acres of BLM land that is expected to be sold into private ownership, according to language in the bill. He said the first 1,000 acres or so will come from about 15 isolated parcels in and around the urban corridor. The local outreach initiative associated with the bill, Vision Dixie, will be an opportunity for the public to help plan the coming growth, Crisp said. Some public workshops are already planned for this fall. Crisp said the BLM is seeking input from residents on which eligible land parcels should be chosen to sell. He said if the public does not help, the decisions will end up being made by "very small groups of people doing the best they can."....
Buckeye's boom Buckeye is a place where the best breakfast in town is right on Main Street, where a man still feels comfortable leaving his car running as he jets inside a corner store. It's a place where you tell someone to meet you at "the Sonic" because there's only one. Signs, though, hint things soon will be sharply different for a town that could someday be as large as Phoenix. The acres of empty land are filling up with plats for homes that will make up more than 30 master-planned communities like Verrado. Town Council meetings provide standing room only and are filled with developers holding poster boards with more plans for Buckeye's future. The numbers say the town could have 1 million people by 2025, up from about 25,000 now. The most current manifestation of the town's growth is happening now as Buckeye prepares to annex 108 square miles, which would increase the town's size by a third. It would be one of the largest municipal annexations in Arizona's history. But the vast land is not planned for bricks and mortar of retail development. Instead, town leaders want to set it aside for parks and recreation, filled with trails where horses can roam and families can hike. The Federal Bureau of Land Management owns most of the property, which includes the town's entire southeastern planning area....
BLM reopens comment period on Vegas water plan The Bureau of Land Management is reopening the public comment period on plans by the Southern Nevada Water Authority to pump millions of gallons of water from rural areas to Las Vegas. The agency said substantial changes have been made to the plan since the initial scoping period last year, requiring public further comment in advance of a draft environmental impact statement. Changes include conveyance of about 3,600 acre-feet of water per year to the Lincoln County Water District, the cancellation of proposed groundwater development in the Tikaboo Valley North Basin, and shifts in alignment and location of well fields and facilities. The agency wants to pump up to 180,000 acre-feet of water a year from Lincoln and White Pine counties and rural areas of Clark County to meet the demands of growing Las Vegas....
Senators push for fossil monument Two U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would create a new, 5,367-acre national monument west of Las Cruces to protect ancient fossilized footprints. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., entered a bill into a Senate committee June 29 that would create a monument in the Robledo Mountains. It was co-sponsored by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. A local group pushing for the preservation of 290-million-year-old tracks says it's pleased with the move, though the bill has upset some area off-road vehicle enthusiasts, who say the proposed boundaries are too large. Las Crucen Greg Smith, a Doña Ana County resident who lives near the trackways site, is a member of the Paleozoic Trackways Foundation, a group formed earlier this year to push for the legislation. "We're very pleased," he said. "Obviously this isn't the end thing, but it's a big first step." Doña Ana County resident Fred Huff, an off-road vehicle enthusiast, said his organization, the Las Cruces Four-Wheel Drive Club, was surprised to see how large the boundaries are for the proposed monument. The bill's language includes a provision that would allow the Chile Challenge, a yearly off-roading event, to continue, but Huff said he doesn't think the wording is strong enough. Huff said in addition, fossils aren't visible at many of the several sites proposed for protection....
Big cabin in Big Prairie poses big questions for Glacier Big Prairie in Glacier National Park is home to many things. Herds of elk and deer. The occasional grizzly. Wolves. It does, in many ways, embody the concept of the North American Serengeti. Now it has a big new cabin as well. Landowner Bill Smith of Georgia has put the cabin on his property after receiving a variance from the county for a septic system. The future of the parcel has been a point of contention for years - the previous landowner, Gerald Penovich, a Chicago attorney went back and forth with Glacier Park officials for years. The lot, which is .22 acres, went idle after the cabin on it burned down in the Red Bench Fire of 1988. Penovich, in turn, wanted to rebuild on the site, which started a battle of documents between him and Glacier. Glacier did a study that determined the site was in the floodplain....
Congressional Earmark to Pad Park Service Payroll Entering a new dimension of micromanagement, Congress is now seeking to specify the pay grades and civil service rankings for individual park managers, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The earmark for one National Park superintendent in Mississippi marks the first time that Congress would inject itself into specifying the grade ranking for individual civil servants and may open the floodgates to similar moves designed to boost federal payrolls in particular districts or states. At the behest of Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Thad Cochran (R-MS), the funding bill for the National Park Service stipulates that "The position of Superintendent of the Natchez Trace Parkway [in Mississippi] shall be classified in the Senior Executive Service," the top federal civil service grade, ranking just below a political appointee, with a salary range of between $109,000 and $165,000 per year. Sen. Cochran would consolidate four small park units in his state (the Natchez Trace Parkway, Natchez National Historical Park, Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, and Tupelo National Battlefield) and place them under the supervision of one Senior Executive Service (SES) slot. These combined units, however, employ only 110 workers, out of the entire187-person Park Service workforce in Mississippi, according to Office of Personnel Management figures....
Enviro groups petition feds to protect plant habitat Three environmental and citizens’ groups have called on the federal government to increase the critical habitat for an endangered plant that’s known to exist only in and along the adobe hills of Delta and Montrose counties. The Center for Native Ecosystems, the Colorado Native Plant Society and Montrose’s Uncompahgre Valley Association filed a petition on Monday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the hopes of protecting clay-loving wild buckwheat from growing threats such as suburban sprawl, a proposed beltway around Montrose, and the use of off-road vehicles on public lands. “This really could be a relatively straightforward action for the Fish and Wildlife Service to take that would have a concrete consequence for the species,” said Josh Pollock, executive director for the Center for Native Ecosystems. Pollard said adding to the designated habitat would increase the consideration federal agencies must give to the species in their management decisions....
Alaska Brown Bears Gain Global Internet Audience Armchair travelers, take note. Now all you need to watch brown bears fishing at the famed McNeil River Falls is an Internet connection. Thanks to a collaborative effort among the Pratt Museum, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the National Park Service, the National Geographic Society, RealNetworks, SeeMore Wildlife Systems and others, images from remote camera aimed at bears inside the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary can now be viewed live on the Internet. Simply click on the Pratt Museum's website to link to National Geographic's WildCam Grizzlies Web page, where the live video is hosted. Right now the cameras are active from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. Alaska time. From 1 to 5 p.m. daily, the camera is controlled by an interpreter at Homer's Pratt Museum who pans the McNeil Falls and zooms in on bears catching salmon or competing with each other over prime fishing spots. At other times, the camera cycles through a series of preset positions to provide a variety of views. The remote video system is shut off at night to conserve solar power....
Fans fly to bald eagle blog Atop a great white pine, Big is venturing out on limbs now, spreading his or her wings in preparation for flight. Little, four days younger, also is branching out and should take to the sky soon. The two bald eagles and their parents are the surprise superstars of a round-the-clock Internet reality show featuring love and adventure, flight and feeding -- and fatal sibling rivalry. The full-time eagle blog and video-stream was designed by a group of Maine scientists who wanted to help people connect with nature from their computers. Other video monitoring stations have been set up to observe bald eagles, but have not reached the public in the same way. Tens of thousands of Internet viewers watched (www.briloon.org/ed/eagle/index.htm) as the first eaglet -- known as Big -- hatched April 10. Within days, two more chicks followed. Goodale and state and federal scientists were thrilled too -- eagle triplets are rare in Maine, and this was a chance to observe them closely.
Life in the eagle family was idyllic at first....
Aquifer's drop triggers water limits for region Sixteen months of drought finally caught up with the Edwards Aquifer on Wednesday, draining it to the trigger point for restrictions on water usage — and forcing homeowners and anyone else with landscaping to adopt a once-a-week lawn-sprinkling schedule. The aquifer hit 649.5 feet above sea level in San Antonio, leading the Edwards Aquifer Authority to order its customers — mainly water utilities, cities and large commercial operations — to slash usage by 5 percent or face penalties. The drop below 650 feet also triggered municipal drought plans in the region, affecting homeowners. "We've been on the cusp of getting below 650 for a while," said Robert Potts, the authority's general manager. "Fortunately, because of people using less water and some well-timed rains, we've been able to put restrictions off until now. The longer we can delay the better off this region is, because there are a lot of folks who depend on this water for their businesses and their livelihoods." Although most restrictions announced Wednesday apply to Edwards Aquifer users, some who rely on other sources in the San Antonio area were placed under the same restrictions....
Americans Spend Less Than 10 percent of Disposable Income on Food The U.S. consumer is spending a bit more of their disposable income to purchase food than the previous year, but they still enjoy the cheapest, most abundant food supply in the world, according to new statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "It's no secret that Americans continue to get a bargain with their food dollar," says Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. "We should all thank our productive and efficient farmers and ranchers for making that bargain possible." USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) has recently released food expenditure statistics for 2005. They show that Americans are spending, on average, 9.9 percent of their disposable income on food. That's up slightly from 9.7 percent in 2004 but very consistent with figures over the past five years. The percentage dropped to single digits for the first time in recorded U.S. history in 2000. Twenty years ago, American consumers spent 11.7 percent of their disposable income on food. Thirty years ago, that figure was 15.1 percent. Going back in history, Americans spent about 20 percent of their income on food about the time today's baby boomers were born. In 1933, the figure was more than 25 percent....
Basque sheep rancher clings to tradition Any way you look at it, Pete Camino is an unusual man. He is one of a dwindling number of people in the U.S. who still speak Basque, the language of the fiercely independent people of mysterious origin who inhabit the western Pyrenees of France and Spain. He is also a Wyoming sheep rancher at a time when they are becoming as rare as Basque speakers. And he is something of a movie star. A showing of "The Last Link," which chronicles Camino's journey back to the land of his parents, will be a highlight of the Sheep Wagon Festival in Buffalo this weekend. The Bighorn Basque Club will host the event, which is the annual convention and festival of the North American Basque Organization. There will be dances, concerts, a bike race, a sheep-wagon parade, Basque athletic competitions and lots of Basque food....
2 Wilson reprints retell history of Hi-Line “Last evening George Francis was declared guilty of horse stealing by a jury of twelve citizens of Hill County ... . “Francis is one of the most widely known men in Northern Montana. He is a pleasant, likeable fellow with many friends and admirers ... . He is a product of a certain class of early day ranchers who did not believe or consider it unethical to brand everything found unbranded to ‘keep even.’ “Yesterday the death knell of such practices and distorted moral principles was sounded ... . In reality Francis deserves sympathy. He is the victim of betrayed friendships. But even their position can be appreciated. It is hard for some people to realize that the old Montana is gone and a new Montana has arrived. “... The jig is up.” That editorial excerpt from a Havre Plaindealer of 1919 sums up some of the cultural conflicts that were waged along the Hi-Line for decades and are chronicled in re-issues of two Gary A. Wilson books: “‘Long George’ Francis: Gentleman Outlaw of Montana” and “Honky-Tonk Town: Havre’s Lawless Era.” Both of these $12.95 paperbacks from Globe Pequot Press of Connecticut originally were published by other independent publishers in Montana....