NEWS ROUNDUP

Wild wolf sighted, filmed in Oregon A young, black wolf appears to be roaming a roughly 120-square-mile section of Wallowa County in northeast Oregon, biologists say. The animal was videotaped in late July and has been sighted repeatedly since then. A local rancher spotted it Sunday near some cows, but it ran off when the rancher drove toward it. The wolf appears to be alone, biologists said. It is protected by both the federal Endangered Species Act and Oregon's own state Endangered Species Act. Biologists have long predicted wolves would arrive in Oregon from Idaho, where they were reintroduced in 1995. The wolf population in Idaho is booming. It is the first wolf known to take up residence in Oregon since approval of a state management plan for wolves. The plan sets a goal of four breeding pairs of wolves each in Eastern Oregon and Western Oregon, and calls for state biologists to monitor them....
Arctic Ice Melting Rapidly, Study Says Arctic sea ice in winter is melting far faster than before, two new NASA studies reported Wednesday, a new and alarming trend that researchers say threatens the ocean's delicate ecosystem. Scientists point to the sudden and rapid melting as a sure sign of man-made global warming. Scientists have long worried about melting Arcticsea ice in the summer, but they had not seen a big winter drop in sea ice, even though they expected it. For more than 25 years Arctic sea ice has slowly diminished in winter by about 1.5 percent per decade. But in the past two years the melting has occurred at rates 10 to 15 times faster. From 2004 to 2005, the amount of ice dropped 2.3 percent; and over the past year, it's declined by another 1.9 percent, according to Comiso....
Proposed rock quarry running into opposition in North Bay Conservation groups and Sonoma County residents have stepped forward to oppose a plan by a North Bay mining company to establish a large-scale commercial quarry on a 553-acre ranch near Bodega Bay, saying that the development could spoil one of the most scenic and historic areas on the North Coast. The Dutra Group, whose San Rafael Rock Quarry is being depleted, is negotiating to buy the Bodega property from a longtime ranching family. The group has already conducted a geotechnical investigation of the site, taking core samples of mineral deposits. But conservationists fear that mining the site would destroy the habitat for federally protected steelhead trout. Nearby residents say they fear that trucks, noise and air pollution would come with mining. They also say that a quarry would drive away tourists and undercut land values. "People come here to escape development," said Maya Craig, a spokeswoman for Friends of the Bodega Bay Watershed, which opposes the possible land transfer. "We want to ensure that the zoning laws that protect the land are secure and not vulnerable to out-of-county influence."....
Coalition to unveil energy plan A new energy plan for Colorado will be unveiled Thursday by a coalition of farmers, corn growers, labor unions and environmental groups. The campaign, dubbed the Plan for Colorado's New Energy Future, will include aggressive renewable energy targets for the state such as getting 20 percent of its electricity from wind, sun, and plant and animal waste by 2015. The plan also will direct the state to include at least 10 percent bio-fuel, such as ethanol and biodiesel, in its overall fuel consumption and improve energy savings through conservation efforts. Supporters will call on candidates for the legislature and the governor's office to endorse the plan, said Mike Bowman, a rancher from Wray and a Republican co-chairing the campaign. Bowman said efforts to push a new energy plan stemmed from the state's enthusiastic response to Amendment 37, a ballot measure passed by voters in November 2004, and the utilities' prompt compliance with it. The amendment directs Colorado's top seven utilities to obtain a portion of their electricity from the sun, wind, and plant and animal waste. It calls for 3 percent in 2007 and says utilities must get up to 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015 - at least 4 percent of that from solar....
Dead Deer Found in Some West Central Texas Counties in Recent Weeks With deer season just around the corner, deer experts are concerned about reports of an unusually high number of dead deer in several West Central Texas counties. Dr. Dale Rollins, Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist at San Angelo, said most of the calls he has received are from Schleicher County landowners who have found dead deer at water sources. The affected region encompasses an area roughly from Eden to Ozona to Sterling City, said Dr. Don Davis, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station veterinary pathobiologist. "While some level of deer mortality is not newsworthy, it looks like we have a hotspot developing for epizootic hemorrhagic disease," Rollins said. "Epizootic hemorrhagic disease is a viral disease very similar to bluetongue in sheep and cattle, but EHD tends to be most common in white-tailed deer....
Wildfires take the worst toll in acreage since '60 Wildfires across the country have scorched more land in 2006 than in any year since at least 1960, burning an area twice the size of New Jersey. But the flames have mainly raced across sparsely populated desert, causing fewer firefighter deaths than in previous years. As of Wednesday, blazes had torched 8.69 million acres, or 13,584 square miles, just above last year's total of 13,573 square miles, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Reliable records were not kept before 1960, officials said. The annual average over the past 10 years is 4.9 million acres. Federal officials attributed the increase to two consecutive seasons of hot and dry weather that left forest and ranges parched and easily ignited by lightning. The Interior Department and the U.S. Forest Service have spent about $1.25 billion fighting the fires since the fiscal 2006 year began last Oct. 1. Meanwhile, a Montana wildfire nearly doubled in size Wednesday, prompting evacuation orders for about 325 homes....hmmmm, no mention of how Federal land management practices have contributed to the problem. It's too bad they don't have figures prior to the 60's, cause the 60's are when they started screwing thing up.
Who Is the Greenest Governor? The Golden State, long a leader in environmental protection, is just getting greener and greener. On August 30, nearing the 11th hour of an overstuffed California legislative session, Assembly Bill 32, also known as the Global Warming Solutions Act, passed in the Assembly and then proceeded to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. To the satisfaction of environmentalists nationwide, and the outrage of GOP loyalists, Schwarzenegger signed it, instantaneously catapulting California to a leadership position in emissions reductions. It also instantly created a problem for state Treasurer Phil Angelides, the Democratic candidate for governor, and his attempt to present himself as the greenest candidate in this race. Supporters of Angelides argue that Schwarzenegger is not an environmentalist at all and his reasons for passing bills such as AB 32 are motivated only by the November election. Angelides, they say, is the real environmentalist. His record of advocacy goes back a couple of decades and he’s received numerous awards to prove it. He also drives a Toyota Prius, for what it’s worth. Schwarzenegger, however, has often bucked the GOP orthodoxy to sign important eco-legislation – enough times to give him a good reputation with environmentalists. For the first time in California history, it appears that the environment ranks at the top of the list of issues that could decide the gubernatorial race. Both candidates are showcasing their most formidable green achievements and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the two....
Researchers looking into dying aspens Aspen trees have been dying off, leaving dwindling numbers of the white-barked fixture of the Western mountain landscape. Nobody is quite sure why. More than 100 researchers gathered at Utah State University this week for a two-day conference called "Restoring the West: Aspen Restoration." The trees reproduce with a wide root system, that spawns other trees nearby. Even if the parent tree dies, the surviving root system can support new trees. U.S. Forest Service researcher Wayne Shepperd said in some Colorado stands, the entire root networks have perished. "If we're losing roots," Shepperd said, "that's going to change the amount of aspens on the landscape." The researchers are trying to figure out why aspens, native to the higher elevations of the region, have been dying. In addition to ecological diversity and the aesthetics of an aspen grove on a quiet mountainside, the trees also affect watersheds. With the decrease in aspens, conifers are encroaching on aspen territory. "There may be significant loss of water resources that could be coming out of these watersheds," said Ron Ryel, a Utah State University researcher on wildland resources....
Multiple use advocates descend on capitol Approximately 100 members of grassroots associations gathered at the Montana State Capitol on Saturday to present Gov. Brian Schweitzer with petitions signed by more than 7,800 Montanans opposed to the 2001 Clinton Roadless Rule and Attorney General Mike McGrath's support of the rule. Joining the group were U.S. Senator Conrad Burns and U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg, Montana Public Service Commissioner Doug Mood, Montana State Senator Jerry O'Neil and Montana GOP Legislative Campaign Coordinator Larry Grinde. Forest-use groups present were: Citizens for Balanced Use, Families for Outdoor Recreation, Montana Trail Vehicle Riders Association, Montana Snowmobile Association, Montana Four Wheel Drive Association, Montanans For Multiple Use Association, Montana Property Rights Association, and the Treasure State Alliance. At the front steps of the Capitol, these groups presented Hal Harper, Governor Schweitzer's representative, with the petitions that stated: We the undersigned wish to voice our opposition to the 2001 Clinton Roadless Rule and Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath's continued support for this rule. We the undersigned furthermore ask Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer not to make any petition to President Bush asking these lands be further studied or preserved as roadless areas for future wilderness. We object: • to having our access to our National Forests restricted; • to the gating and destruction of our forest roads; • to having our National Forests mismanaged and reduced to fire fuel; • to being subjected to arbitrary restrictions concerning our preferred activities while on our National Forests. We are the people who live, work, pay taxes and vote in this state....
Judge: Residents cannot sue USFS over lost houses Bitterroot Valley residents who allege their homes were destroyed by a backburn that got away from firefighters cannot sue the U.S. Forest Service over their losses, a federal judge here has ruled. U. S. District Judge Donald Molloy said the agency and its employees are immune from such lawsuits because they were acting under a “discretionary function” exception of federal law when they set the burn. “Whether the government employees’ actions were wise, foolish or negligent is irrelevant in considering whether the exception applies,” Molloy wrote in his ruling, which is dated Aug. 31. The case stemmed from the massive wildfires that burned tens of thousands of acres in the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula in 2000. In a lawsuit filed in 2003, more than 100 residents sued the Forest Service, alleging that the damage and destruction to their homes was a direct result of a backburn set by fire crews attempting to slow the advancing wildfire. The homeowners and their insurance companies alleged the firefighters violated their own policies when they lit the Aug. 6 backburn, and should have known there was a strong chance it would endanger lives and property in the area. They claimed the backburn was not authorized, was set without warning area residents and was “highly imprudent.” At least 10 homes were destroyed by the fire....
House approves San Ildefonso Pueblo’s land claim The US House has approved legislation that would settle San Ildefonso Pueblo’s decades-old claim to thousands of acres of ancestral land. The bill was passed earlier by the Senate and now heads to President Bush for approval. The measure authorizes land transactions affecting San Ildefonso and Santa Clara pueblos, Los Alamos County and the Forest Service. The pueblos would be able to add land to their pueblos, and the county would be able to protect its water wells. The settlement will resolve the last remaining claim before the Indian Claims Commission, which was established in 1946....
A decade cools the controversy With the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument entering its second decade, it's time to forget the days of yore - and ore. So says Garfield County Engineer Brian Bremner, who challenged scientists this week to pass on a new way of thinking to the next generation that will manage the 1.9 million-acre preserve in southern Utah. “Extractive industries like coal mining and timber harvesting are the old days," he said, "and science represents the new days." Bremner was one of several speakers to address scientists, land managers and government officials attending a “Learning From the Land” science symposium at Southern Utah University. The Cedar City meeting marks the 10-year anniversary - set for Monday - of the monument. On Sept. 18, 1996, then-President Clinton created the preserve, which the federal Bureau of Land Management oversees. The monument - with its vast, austere and rugged landscapes - set the stage for a contentious decade as border communities fought to preserve a way of life that became more complex on lands managed with more scrutiny by the federal government....
Goshute leader calls N-waste rulings 'thin' The leader of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians used the words "pretty thin" to describe last week's federal actions that may have been the death knell for a plan to store nuclear waste on his Tooele County reservation. After reviewing decisions by two Interior Department agencies to deny the lease for the Private Fuel Storage consortium, Leon Bear, the disputed chairman of the Goshutes, said the explanations did nothing to justify the potential loss of millions of dollars in future earnings for his small band of about 125 people. "The thing is, I felt that they were kind of skating on thin ice on the issues they brought up," Bear told the Deseret Morning News Monday. "We've met all the conditions of that lease for approval." PFS had planned to move as much as 44,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel to the temporary storage site in Skull Valley about 50 miles from Salt Lake City. The waste would have been stored there until a permanent site becomes available....
Column - Vegas water plan should whet our thirst for answers The lack of water conservation in Las Vegas, where fountains, fake lakes and huge swimming pools are the norm, should make Sin City's effort to grab water from the dry Great Basin an affront to those who treasure the natural world. Why should special places such as Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, the Goshute Range and the Great Salt Lake be potentially sacrificed to accommodate the ugly sprawling mess that Las Vegas has become? And why should a plan to divert as much as 200,000 acre feet of water annually from the Great Basin be fast-tracked when scientists don't know what effect the pumping will have? Does any credible scientist within the Department of Interior believe the fix isn't in when a new agreement requires the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs to withdraw protests filed against this scheme? The agreement is so much horsefeathers. Does anyone really believe that once Vegas gets its hands on the Great Basin water, it will turn off the spigot to preserve wildlife?....
Groups win suit over water flows Former Interior Secretary Gale Norton's decision to let Colorado limit water flows in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was illegal and "nonsensical," a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Brimmer also said the 2003 agreement between Norton and Colorado was "arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion." Brimmer's long-awaited decision was hailed by conservation groups as a victory over Bush administration policies they said ignored science. Gov. Bill Owens and attorneys for the Interior Department hadn't read the decision Wednesday and were unable to comment. In the pact, Norton let Colorado set the year-round minimum flow at 300 cubic feet per second for the Gunnison River within the park. Trout Unlimited, Western Resource Advocates and other conservation groups sued, arguing that 30 years of federal research called for periodic higher flows of 10,000 cfs....
IRS extends tax break for ranchers suffering drought Cattle producers nationwide forced to sell animals because of drought won't have to pay capital gains on their profits for a year after parched conditions end, the Internal Revenue Service has announced. If ranchers replace their animals, their tax liability for sales no longer exists, officials said. Previous legislation gave cattlemen four years — beginning in 2002 — to replace the livestock sold because of drought without recognizing a capital gain. Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson extended the provision for an additional year if in the 12 months ending Aug. 31 there was severe, extreme or exceptional drought conditions in a particular area. "Your clock doesn't start ticking until your area recovers enough that it's out of those three categories of drought," National Cattlemen's Beef Association spokesman Joe Schuele said. "This just offers them time to make those (buying) decisions at a time when conditions are better."....
Wyoming recognized as free of brucellosis The federal government declared Wyoming's cattle herds free of brucellosis, meaning costly restrictions placed on the state's producers over the past 2½ years can be eased, state officials said Tuesday. The decision by the U.S. Agriculture Department to declare the state brucellosis-free will be official in the next several days when it is published in the Federal Register, according to Gov. Dave Freduenthal's office. "It is a tribute to the brucellosis task force and the others around the state who worked to make this effort successful," Freudenthal said in a prepared statement. "It also demonstrates the importance of the producers, hunters and Game and Fish in the eastern and western parts of the state working and staying together so that we can retain statewide brucellosis-free status." Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can cause pregnant bison, cattle and elk to abort their fetuses....
Three Former Chiefs of Natural Resources Conservation Service Praise Introduction of Energy and Conservation Bill Benefitting Farmers Three former chiefs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) praised the introduction today of the first major agriculture bill introduced prior to the 2007 expiration of the current farm bill because it will help farmers address the nation's energy crisis by boosting funding for renewable energy development on farms, ranches and forest lands. The bipartisan legislation also would provide consumers with greater access to healthy foods and double conservation spending to provide cleaner air, water and wildlife habitat, and help stabilize global warming over the life of the next farm bill. The bill, "The Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act of 2006," is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and has 26 cosponsors. Among other things, the Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act, will: -- Increase from $200 million to $2 billion annual loan guarantees for renewable energy development on farms. -- Expand programs that provide local, healthy food choices to our school children and dramatically expand coupon programs that allow elderly and low income Americans to shop at farmer's markets. -- Double incentives to $2 billion a year for farmers and ranchers to protect drinking water supplies and make other environmental improvements. -- Provide funding to restore nearly 3 million acres of wetlands. -- Provide funding to protect 6 million acres of farm and ranch land from sprawl....