NEWS ROUNDUP

Environmentalists, GOP at Odds Over Hunting on Calif. Island A House GOP bid to continue big-game hunting in a national park on a California island is angering environmentalists and parks officials, who say preserving the nonnative deer and elk herds for hunters will further damage the delicate habitat. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is seeking to maintain the hunting preserve as part of a defense authorization bill, arguing that disabled and paralyzed veterans should be able to hunt there. That would overturn a legal agreement, signed by the National Park Service eight years ago, to eliminate deer and elk from Santa Rosa Island by 2011. Hunter, who came up with the idea while driving down the California coast with a group of Iraq veterans, said it could "provide wonderful outdoor activities for those American veterans who have protected our freedom." The House has adopted the language, but the Senate passed a resolution opposing it. Lawmakers must reconcile if they hope to pass the defense bill before adjourning for the election....
Man-made factors fuel hurricanes, study finds Global warming caused by humans is largely responsible for heating hurricane-forming regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, probably increasing the intensity of the storms, scientists reported yesterday. The scientists used 22 computer models to simulate how the world's climate works and to help answer a key question: Are hurricanes becoming more intense because of natural influences, or man-made ones? The scientists, reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said there was an 84 percent chance that human-induced climate change was responsible for most of the ocean warming . Oceans have warmed by about 1 degree in the past century, and natural influences alone could not account for that, they said. Hurricanes draw their strength from warm seawater, and even small changes in temperature can give a storm much more energy, increasing its fury. The findings, if borne out by further research, could mean that hurricanes with the strength of Katrina and Rita may become more common....
Anyone can travel El Camino Real with a click of a mouse ravelers once used oxen to travel the nearly 1,500-mile El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro trail from Mexico City to Santa Fe. Now they can use a mouse. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, as part of its celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Antiquities Act of 1906, has put together a history tour via computer of the Camino Real, a designated national historic trail. The BLM has been celebrating the anniversary all year, and it was the New Mexico BLM's turn "to blow our horn about El Camino Real," said Sarah Schlanger, a spokeswoman for the bureau's Albuquerque office. El Camino Real, the only international trail recognized in the U.S. trail system, was proposed for inclusion in the system in the 1990s, but wasn't designated until 2000. In the interim, scholars with the National Park Service, the University of New Mexico, agencies in Mexico and others worked up a history on the trail, Schlanger said. During its peak as a wagon road through the early 1800s, El Camino Real led settlers north, promoted trade and fostered an exchange of people and ideas that led to the vibrant culture that is the American Southwest, according to the Web site, www.blm.gov/heritage/adventures. Click on the tour link titled "Royal Road of the Interior Lands" on the left side....
Snake Valley water deal: Bull by the horns or plain old bull? Water officials came armed with a deal on the first day of hearings to determine whether Nevada approves a massive groundwater pumping project that could have far-reaching effects on eastern Nevada and parts of western Utah. Just before three weeks of public hearings were scheduled to commence Monday at the Capitol, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and U.S. Interior Department announced the signing of a joint monitoring and mitigation agreement. Water authority officials hailed the agreement as a giant step forward in gaining approval for their project, which seeks to take up to 200,000 acre-feet of water annually out of Nevada's arid eastern valleys. Included is a proposal to withdraw 25,000 acre-feet yearly out of Snake Valley, which straddles the Nevada-Utah state line. The water would then be shipped to Las Vegas via a 200-mile pipeline network. But opponents of the project, who fear the destruction of the region's ecosystem and ranching industry if such large amounts of groundwater are withdrawn, called the agreement an end-run that was ordered from higher up. "We heard months ago that this was coming, and it's a sellout. The Interior Department has lost all credibility," said Baker, Nev., rancher Dean Baker. ''If they let SNWA sign an [agreement] without any teeth, without any science in it, what does that say about how they deal with the rest of us? If they have a grazing issue with us, can we say 'Let it ride' until later? I doubt it.''....
Hearing continues on Las Vegas water-pumping plan Proponents of a $2 billion plan to pipe rural Nevada water to booming Las Vegas continued Tuesday to push for state approval, promising to protect against overpumping that could harm the rural areas. Responding to questions during state hearings into the plan to draw roughly half the water from Spring Valley, near the Nevada-Utah border, the Southern Nevada Water Authority's resource director said SNWA wells would be shut off if overpumping occurred. Ken Albright said that if the water authority's pumping conflicted with existing rights in the valley, options would include relocating wells, letting locals hook up to the SNWA system, "and most importantly we will cease pumping if that becomes a requirement." The Spring Valley plan is a key element of overall plans to get more than 180,000 acre-feet of water a year from rural Nevada....
Elk rancher warns Idaho agents to stop shooting escaped herd The owner of a herd of domesticated elk that escaped near Yellowstone National Park says Idaho Governor Jim Risch had no justification for ordering state game officers to shoot his animals on sight. Rex Rammell is the owner of the Chief Joseph private hunting reserve near Rexburg. He says he's trying to recapture the elk before state agents shoot them all and ruin his business. Rammell says his farm-raised animals are disease-free and are pure-bred Rocky Mountain elk descended from Yellowstone stock. He says if his elk do intermingle with wild herds, they'll help, not hurt, the genetics of the Yellowstone herds. But Idaho Fish and Game officers say they can't take that risk with the state's premier big game resource....
A New Model for Green Living in the American Southwest In the heart of Southern Arizona’s Sky Islands, a new model of residential development focuses as much on planting oak trees and harvesting water as it does on building adobe walls and patios with panoramic views. Three Canyons is a development design that contributes both to the life of the land and the people who live there, according to Conservation Properties developers David Parsons and Denny Hubbell. They envision restoring this onetime cattle ranch to the lush savanna grassland and cienega wetland it was 150 years ago – before the impact of the railroad, woodcutting and overgrazing. Three Canyons is a new development of 198 homes just north of Patagonia, a quintessentially Western town of 1000. Ninety-five percent of the 1760-acre site will remain open space. This land lies within the Sonoita Creek watershed corridor, an area known for its unique biodiversity of plants, animals and migratory birds. The land restoration plan begins with harvesting water, thinning scrub mesquites and planting thousands of oak trees. The developers also are investing in the local community and partnering with Arizona non-profit organizations....
Rule helps ranch protection More Wyoming ranchers and farmers are expressing interest in conservation easements following a recent change in federal tax law. "I'd say the calls have probably tripled," said Glenn Pauley, executive director of the Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust. "And it hasn't really percolated through all of the agriculture community (yet)." President Bush last month signed into law a measure that increases tax incentives for landowners who donate conservation easements. Conservation easements are agreements to restrict development on real estate while allowing the original owner to retain title to the property and other rights of ownership. Previously, federal law allowed conservation easement donors to deduct 30 percent of their adjusted gross income from their taxes for six years. Under the new law, donors can deduct 50 percent for 16 years, and qualifying farmers and ranchers can deduct up to 100 percent. Land trusts and conservationists in Wyoming say the new law will give ranchers and others a way to avoid selling off their lands for subdivisions....
U.S. judge's ruling could end forest user fees A federal magistrate's ruling could end, or scale back the scope of, the $5 daily user fees charged on Mount Lemmon and in Sabino and Madera canyons. The case could set a national precedent, possibly ending fees in other national forests around the country, said the chief Forest Service official for the Mount Lemmon-Sabino Canyon area. It could also mean cutbacks in maintenance and improvements of picnic grounds and campsites, and possible closure of some facilities because the fees generate hundreds of thousands of dollars annually that are plowed into recreation areas, the forest official said. Magistrate Charles Pyle dismissed Forest Service charges last week against a Tucsonan who got $30 tickets twice in the same month for failing to pay fees when parking and hiking on different spots on Mount Lemmon. Pyle ruled that the Forest Service went beyond its congressional authorization when it charged fees for parking to use a trail, for roadside or trailside picnicking, for camping outside developed campgrounds and for roadside parking in general....
Indians say Arizona ski resort desecrates their sacred mountains A dozen Southwestern Indian tribes plan to ask a federal appeals court Thursday to block upgrades to an Arizona ski resort they say already desecrates the mountains they hold sacred. The San Francisco Peaks are said to be the mother of the Navajo, where White Mountain Apache adolescent girls ascend into womanhood in the Sunrise Ceremony. For the Havasupai, the peaks overlooking Flagstaff, are the origin of humans. To the Hopi, they are the point in the physical world defining the tribe. But on the western flank of these peaks, which have names like Humphrey's, Agassiz, Doyle and Fremont, rests what the tribes say is an affront to their religion: the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort. The tribes say the 777-acre resort in the Coconino National Forest desecrates the land and might be cause for the Sept. 11 attacks, the tsunami, recent hurricanes and the Columbia shuttle crash. The tribes want the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block proposed resort improvements, which include the spraying of machine-generated snow, for fear of more universal ills and further desecration of their land....
Groups file suit over endangered falcon protections A coalition of environmental groups has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying the agency's decision this summer to designate the northern aplomado falcon as an experimental population strips the bird of needed protections. The Fish and Wildlife Service decided in July to reintroduce the falcon to its historical home in Chihuahuan desert grasslands of New Mexico and Arizona. As part of the reintroduction rule, the agency classified the birds as a nonessential experimental population designation. That means any birds in the two states will no longer be considered endangered but they will continue to have some protections. For example, it's still illegal to shoot or harass the birds or to take their eggs. The environmental groups contend in their lawsuit filed Monday in federal court that reintroduced animals designed as experimental and nonessential be outside the current range of the species. Because there has been an increase in falcon sightings in New Mexico, they argue the reintroduction rule is illegal....
Proposal cuts murrelet habitat area A federal proposal would slash the critical habitat in Oregon, Washington and California set aside under the Endangered Species Act for the marbled murrelet, a threatened sea bird, by about 95 percent, to 221,692 acres. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday the bird already is protected by other plans such as the Northwest Forest Plan and state and tribal management plans on the 3.37 million acres that would lose the critical habitat designation. It is studying a proposal to delist the bird altogether. Of the land still listed as critical habitat, 53,640 acres would be newly designated, said agency spokeswoman Joan Jewett. She said the proposed changes would not affect areas open to logging. The Audubon Society of Portland, which worked to get the bird listed, said it fears for the marbled murrelet's future....
Endangered frogs find home near Payson Before the Chiricahua leopard frog earned a spot on the federal government's endangered species list in 2002, the amphibians thrived in the streams and ponds of Arizona and New Mexico. But scientists saved the species from extinction. Thursday, biologists released hundreds of adult frogs and tadpoles back into their endemic riparian environments of Tonto National Forest in an area called Gentry Creek near Payson. Before reintroduction into the wild, the frogs received a fungicide treatment to prevent the spread of an amphibian-killing disease called chytridiomycosis. During the three-hour ride from the Valley to Tonto National Forest, the Arizona Game and Fish Department placed the frogs in coolers to prevent their overheating; biologists also placed small aerators in some of the containers that held the tadpoles to keep the water oxygenated....
Feds Identify 279 Species Needing Endangered Species Act Protection The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued an updated “candidate notice of review” that recognizes 279 species as candidates for protection as threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The review lists eight new “candidate species” and also raises the priority status for nine others due to increased threats and/or further population declines. Species are not afforded any protection while on the candidate list. “The Endangered Species Act is one of America’s most successful environmental laws,” said Noah Greenwald, conservation biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The vast majority of endangered species are recovering and very few have gone extinct. The candidate list, by contrast, has proven to be an extinction trap. At least 24 species have gone extinct while waiting for protection. These 279 species need to be put on the endangered species list as fast as possible. Their lives depend on it.” The Center for Biological Diversity and other groups have filed a lawsuit charging that the Bush administration is using the candidate list as a stall tactic to prevent species from being placed on the endangered list....
Roadless areas worth saving, panel decides A state task force recommended Monday that Gov. Bill Owens ask the federal government to set aside the bulk of the state's 4.1 million acres of roadless areas from most future development. The proposal approved Monday evening by the state roadless-area task force would restrict road construction for gas and mineral exploration, generally preclude logging and preserve large swaths of natural areas from most motorized vehicles. The long-awaited task-force recommendation, the latest step in a lengthy process to solve one of the nation's longest-running land- preservation conflicts, is part of a state-by-state effort to determine which plots of federal lands should be left free of a growing lattice of roads....
Welcome to the conflicted West “Welcome to the New Old West” reads the sign outside Pahrump, Nev., as you drive from Death Valley Junction along the California border. Given the meaning of these two terms, it’s a funny juxtaposition. The Old West has always meant open spaces, riding the range, cowboys and gunfire, freedom in the early 20th century sense of the word -- to do what you want, where and when you want -- without pesky regulations. This is the West of an untapped world of promise. The New West means something different. Service and leisure have mostly replaced extraction and herds, cities dominate, and people wearing cowboy hats sit in traffic in SUVs, with glorious sunsets behind the nearby mountains that most never visit. This West builds four things: casinos, subdivisions, theme parks and prisons. It has glitter and glitz, leisure and at least a measure of security. Yet we pine for the old West as we live in the new. This is the terrible paradox of the West today. Our collective desire has created a split between where people tend to settle and the land that surrounds them. The West is the most densely urban part of the country; it is also home to the most glorious and spectacular open spaces available in the Lower 48. The two abut one another, but they rarely intersect....
Construction Stirs Debate on Effects on ‘Perfect Wave’ A plan to build a toll road in northern San Diego County has the worldwide surfing community concerned that the project could ruin the iconic Trestles surf break. This week, Trestles is the host of the annual Boost Mobile Pro of Surf contest. Featuring elite surfers from the Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour, the contest is the only event of its caliber in the continental United States. “The world tour only goes to the best waves in the world,” said Alex Wilson, associate editor at Surfer Magazine. “Trestles is one of them. It’s a gem. It’s a perfect wave.” Not overly large and relatively easy to ride, the waves are long and fast, and they peel with well-shaped shoulders ideal for aerials and other maneuvers. Trestles is said to make average surfers seem sublime, and superior surfers colossal. The Surfrider Foundation, an international grass-roots coastal conservancy, insists that a planned 16-mile toll road would downgrade Trestles. The foundation has pledged to fight the road’s construction and has assembled support from surfing and other sources, including a $30,000 donation from the rock band Pearl Jam....
Pew 'Farm Animal' Commission Tainted by Vegetarian Bias, Says Consumer Group This morning the $4.5 billon Pew Charitable Trusts rolled out a stealth campaign against meat production and consumption. The two-year National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (NCIFAP), stacked with opponents of animal agriculture and advocates of strict vegetarianism, threatens to attack farmers and demonize the meat on America's dinner tables. The academic sponsor of this Pew project is Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, which has already demonstrated an institutional bias against meat in general. The Bloomberg School also promotes a "Meatless Mondays" campaign in cooperation with New York philanthropist Helaine Lerner -- whose considerable fortune also subsidizes the anti-meat "Meatrix" internet videos. David Martosko, Director of Research at the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom, said: "This Pew-funded panel is a Trojan horse for organized activists who want to radically change the way meat is produced or eliminate it entirely. If you wanted to assemble a kangaroo court to rubber-stamp the opinion that modern meat production is the root of all evil, you could hardly do better than this group. The only thing missing is PETA."....
3 animal-welfare activists sent to U.S. prison for inciting threats against company Three animal-rights activists convicted of using their Web site to incite threats and harassment against a company that tests products on animals received prison sentences ranging from four to six years Tuesday. They were also ordered to pay a total of $1 million in restitution to the company and people they harassed. All three activists said they planned to appeal their convictions and requested they receive vegan meals while in prison. Three other members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty are awaiting sentencing within the next two weeks. The six activists and their organization were convicted in March of using a Web site to incite threats, harassment and vandalism against Huntingdon Life Sciences, a company that tests drugs and household products on animals....
A National Call to Action by the Women of Professional Barrel Racing The Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) today announced that it would actively defend the rights of it women members and their association against the hostile actions taken by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The PRCA board of directors voted on August 16th to sever its partnership of 60 years, and form a competing subsidiary. "Throughout the years we allowed the PRCA to utilize our efforts, our women athletes and our association to further the rodeo brand and reap the economic rewards. Now, without notice or further negotiation, they have decided to toss the organization aside and actively block our business opportunities," said Jymmy Kay Davis, President of the WPRA. The abrupt decision had been preceded by months of failed attempts by the WPRA to identify and rectify the concerns of the PRCA. "We were under the impression that the communication was open but never received a defined proposal or the accurate financial details to justify their demands," stated Davis. The WPRA, one of the oldest women sports organizations, has nearly 2000 members and sanctions over 600 barrel racings across the nation....
An Open Letter To All Members From The Board Of Directors Your Board of Directors met in Las Vegas on August 21-23, 2006. Although there were a number of items on the agenda, including rule proposals for the 2007 season, the vast majority of the meeting was spent on our current situation with the PRCA. For those who have not been following our negotiations, here is a recap of recent events. In August of 2005 the PRCA Board of Directors voted to impose a $200 competition fee upon all WPRA members who compete at rodeos sanctioned by the PRCA. The WPRA Board felt this fee would create an undue hardship upon its members, severely limiting how many would be able to retain their WPRA membership and continue to compete in pro rodeos. Therefore they felt they had no choice but to reject this proposal. The WPRA Board countered with a proposal of its own. This proposal offered a $100,000 payment to the PRCA for the 2006 season in exchange for the PRCA's agreement that any barrel race held in conjunction with a PRCA rodeo must be WPRA sanctioned unless otherwise approved by our Board. The proposal also offered that the WPRA would assume responsibility for all sponsorship negotiation, as this was one of the areas where the PRCA had concerns that it was paying for our members. This included taking care of our own members in the Patch Program. The offer also included a stipulation that the WPRA would retain the television and media rights and that the PRCA would have no obligation to televise the barrel race at its sanctioned rodeos....