Bush lifts restrictions on imported fuel due to Ike US President George W. Bush announced on Saturday restrictions on imported gasoline had been suspended in response to Hurricane Ike which had forced companies to abandon oil refineries off the coast of Texas. "Last night we suspended EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) waivers on certain reformulated gasoline, which will make it easier for imports from abroad to make it into our markets," Bush told reporters outside the White House as the powerful hurricane caused flooding on the Texas coast.

Green activists 'are keeping Africa poor' Western do-gooders are impoverishing Africa by promoting traditional farming at the expense of modern scientific agriculture, according to Britain's former chief scientist. Anti-science attitudes among aid agencies, poverty campaigners and green activists are denying the continent access to technology that could improve millions of lives, Professor Sir David King will say today. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from Europe and America are turning African countries against sophisticated farming methods, including GM crops, in favour of indigenous and organic approaches that cannot deliver the continent's much needed “green revolution”, he believes. Speaking before a keynote lecture tonight to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, of which he is president, Sir David said that the slow pace of African development was linked directly to Western influence. “I'm going to suggest, and I believe this very strongly, that a big part has been played in the impoverishment of that continent by the focus on nontechnological agricultural techniques, on techniques of farming that pertain to the history of that continent rather than techniques that pertain to modern technological capability. Why has that continent not joined Asia in the big green revolutions that have taken place over the past few decades?....

Western states invite feds to brucellosis meeting State veterinarians from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho plan to meet next week in Denver to discuss brucellosis and their concerns over federal rules for handling the livestock disease. Wyoming state veterinarian Walter Cook said the states will confer on how they'd like to see USDA's Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service change its rules for brucellosis, a bacterial infection that can cause pregnant cows to abort their calves. The meeting, set for Wednesday and Thursday, comes as Wyoming investigates the possibility of a second brucellosis-infected herd within its borders this summer. If a second case is confirmed, the state would likely lose its federal brucellosis-free status. Cook said he would like to see APHIS change at least two of its brucellosis rules. One is the requirement that a rancher with an infected herd must slaughter the herd for his state to maintain its brucellosis-free status. The second is the provision that a state loses its brucellosis-free status if two infected herds are discovered within two years, regardless whether the animals are slaughtered....

Compensation for depredation of livestock by wolves

A bill authored by Montana Senator Jon Tester and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso that would reimburse ranchers whose animals are killed by wolves cleared a hurdle in Congress Thursday. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the Gray Wolf Livestock Loss Mitigation Act which will authorize federal money for state trust funds to reimburse livestock owners and prevent livestock losses. Washington's decision to reintroduce the wolf has led to lost livestock, and is a direct threat to ranchers' livelihoods, Barrasso said. He said Washington forced the wolf on Wyoming and Washington has the responsibility to pay for the damage. The bill would provide $5 million to ranchers during the five-year program....[link]

An AP article has this: The Bush administration has objected to the bill, saying the payments should be a state responsibility.

The bill referred to in the article is S. 2875. What Senator Barrasso says about the gray wolf is also true of the mexican gray wolf, so let's take a look at some of the language in the bill.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

(3) PREDATORY SPECIES- The term `predatory species' means gray wolves, grizzly bear, and other predatory species, as determined by the Secretary...

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) In General- The Secretary may provide grants to States and Indian tribes described in subsection (b) to pay the Federal share of carrying out programs to compensate livestock producers for--

(1) activities undertaken to reduce the risk of livestock loss due to predation by predatory species; or

(2) livestock losses due to such predation.

(b) Requirements-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall designate as eligible to receive grants under this section--

(A) the States of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho; and

(B) such other States and Indian tribes as the Secretary determines from among States and Indian tribes that have populations of predatory species...

(3) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING- The Secretary shall allocate funding made available to carry out this section among States and Indian tribes based on--

(A) the level of livestock predation in the State or on the land owned by, or held in trust for the benefit of, the Indian tribe;

(B) whether the State or Indian tribe is located in a geographical area that is at high risk for livestock predation; or

(C) such other factors as the Secretary determines...

(2) COMPENSATORY PROGRAMS- A program funded by a grant under subsection (a)(2) shall compensate livestock producers for losses due to predation of the livestock of the livestock producers.

(3) ELIGIBLE LAND- Activities described in paragraph (1) and losses described in paragraph (2) may occur on Federal, State, or private land, or land owned by, or held in trust for the benefit of, an Indian tribe.

(4) FEDERAL COST SHARE- The Federal share of the cost of carrying out a program described in paragraph (1) or (2) for any fiscal year shall not exceed 50 percent of the total annual cost of the program...

This language is from S. 2875 as introduced and is the only version currently available at the Library of Congress website. I do not know if the committee amended the bill.

Let's keep in mind Bingaman and Domenici are chairman and ranking on this committee, meaning the two most powerful members of the committee are from New Mexico.

As I read the bill, the Secretary of Interior is DIRECTED to include gray wolves in the program, but has DISCRETION on whether to include the mexican gray wolf. Furthermore, the Secretary is DIRECTED to include Montana, Wyoming and Idaho in the program, but has DISCRETION on whether to include New Mexico.

Perhaps the bill was amended in committee to give New Mexico equal standing with the other three states. If not, was an attempt made to amend the bill? If not, why not? Would this have been a "deal breaker"?

When S. 2875, as reported by the committee with accompanying report language becomes available, all our questions may be answered. We'll see.

Finally, shame on the Bushies. It's a program started, run and funded by the feds that is doing damage to livestock and livelihoods. They spent millions to introduce the wolf but don't want to spend a dime to compensate the ranchers. Let's hope the wolves migrate to the Crawford, Texas area.

Wrangling more water than cows Last year the Southern Nevada Water Authority hired him to run the string of ranches it now owns in Spring Valley, about 40 miles east of Ely. His authority-issued business cards identify him as "ranch manager," a position that rarely, if ever, shows up in the staff directory of a major municipal water supplier. Humphries' job is to oversee Great Basin Ranch, a collection of seven agricultural operations the authority has snapped up since 2006. The water agency's holdings in Spring Valley now include more than 23,000 acres, 4,000 sheep, 1,700 cows, a working hay farm, and the rights to more than 13 billion gallons of surface water and groundwater each year. The authority also has acquired more than 1 million acres of federal grazing rights, including a sheep range that stretches more than halfway to Las Vegas, some 250 miles away. The purchases were made to support a scheme to tap groundwater across eastern Nevada....

How Might Climate Change Affect Native Grasslands? Ten miles west of Cheyenne, carbon-dioxide levels are nearly twice as high as they are in the city. Well, at least in some test plots at the High Plains Grasslands Research Station. Thirty plots of native grasslands are part of an experiment to determine how local prairies could react to climate change. The results could shape congressional policy decisions, as well as rangeland management in the Rocky Mountain region. Wyoming's semi-arid landscape also is a good place to start, since grasslands cover more than 40 percent of the Earth's surface. "What makes it tricky is that weather and climate, by nature, are variable," said project leader and plant physiologist Dr. Jack Morgan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "You look out at this field, and there are probably 100 different plant species. To predict which ones will be the winners and losers is difficult." Experts know that the environment changes when a rancher puts cattle out to graze. What they don't know is how climate change will impact the animals' preferred meals or the invasive weeds that share the same space. Wyoming and southern New Mexico share similar precipitation levels, but dissimilar temperatures shape the scenery within each state....

LOS PAYASOS - YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK

Retired Glenwood Springs car dealer John Haines' hope of donating a giant chunk of snow -white marble to the federal government to replace the cracked Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery is stalled again. Haines' hoped-for donation, which has sat outside the Yule Quarry near Marble since it was cut for the tomb in 2003, didn't even rate a mention in a 34-page Department of the Army report to Congress this week on replacement and repair options for the deteriorating tomb. Haines' donation creates problems for the federal government because it is free and has not gone through a pricey bidding and specification process. A quarry in Vermont has expressed interest in submitting a bid. This week's report — the latest in a string of tomb reports done since Arlington officials decided the marble needed replacing 18 years ago — estimates the cost of replacing the tomb's marble at $2.2 million — $80,000 of that for seeking bids, $90,000 for buying and transporting the marble and the remainder for sculpting. Haines made the final payment for his $31,000 piece of marble last week. He also has lined up donated transport for the rock on a flag-decorated flatbed truck. [link]

USDA downgrades NM's bovine TB-free status New Mexico has lost its status as a bovine tuberculosis-free state, a decision state officials say is excessive and could cost ranching and dairy operations unnecessary tests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a notice published in Thursday's Federal Register, said that because two infected herds had been found in New Mexico's accredited free-zone since May 2007, it no longer met federal requirements and the state had to be downgraded. "This action is necessary to reduce the likelihood of the spread of bovine tuberculosis within the United States," the notice said. Officials had expected the decision, which requires that certain cattle be tested before being moved from New Mexico. The modified accredited advanced designation means breeding cattle 6 months old or older that are leaving the state have to test negative for bovine TB before they can be shipped outside New Mexico's borders, Culbertson said. Cattle meant to be slaughtered for food are not subject to testing, Culbertson said. That means animals going to feedlots or pastures outside the state and destined for the food chain won't have to be tested, he said....

Congress Prepares Additional Wilderness Legislation for Approval The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee favorably reported eight wilderness bills today, which together would protect special wild places to benefit local economies, enhance the quality of life for people living in nearby communities, safeguard clean air and crystalline water, and provide for hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing, and other popular activities. "This Congress continues to build an impressive record of accomplishment on wilderness protection, much to the gratitude of constituents of every stripe, from Main Street businesses to county commissions, from teachers to ranchers," said Mike Matz, executive director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness. Members of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands heard testimony on bills to protect land in Oregon and California also today. "The action on both sides of Capitol Hill shows that Congress is intent on getting good things done yet this year," said Matz. Championed by Republicans and Democrats alike, these important conservation bills ensure that America's common ground in iconic places like Colorado's Dominguez Canyons; California's Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Mountains, Joshua Tree and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks; New Mexico's Sabinoso; Michigan's Pictured Rocks National Seashore; and Spring Basin and the Badlands in Oregon can be handed down to future generations." Another seven wilderness bills are wrapped into an omnibus lands package, S. 3213, which should see action before adjournment.

These were among 54 bills approved by the committee. You can view the entire list here.

What's your political sign?

This being an election year, Gary Reed has written a political horoscope as a public service.

Here are my three favorites:

LEO (the circus lion) - Three rings of Saturn turns American politics into a Big Top. Leos are natural ringmasters who aspire to be party leaders by horse-trading, compromising, flip-flopping, and sucking up. You're a Lion-hearted lion at heart, but politicking makes you lyin' hearted.

SCORPIO (the creepy insect) - In astrology, Scorpio (October 24 through November 21) is considered a "feminine," negative sign. In zoology, the scorpion is a venomous invertebrate that stings its prey to death and sucks the life out of it. In politics Hillary Clinton is a Scorpio (birthday: October 26). If you're smart, you'll be Born Again under a different sign.

SAGITTARIUS (The centaur archer) - Your Zodiac sign is a half-human, half-horse creature with a bow and arrow. A bow and arrow in the age of automatic weapons? This makes you a half-fast horse's ass, and your proper place in the political universe is Animal Right s Activist. Go hug a mink. Or you can switch to sexual politics and hug a minx.

Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage. Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a "lawful excuse" to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent to prevent even greater damage caused by climate change. The defence of "lawful excuse" under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 allows damage to be caused to property to prevent even greater damage – such as breaking down the door of a burning house to tackle a fire. The not-guilty verdict, delivered after two days and greeted with cheers in the courtroom, raises the stakes for the most pressing issue on Britain's green agenda and could encourage further direct action....

EU committee votes to cut biofuels target EU lawmakers have voted to scale back ambitious biofuels targets, cutting the goal for use of crop-based fuel by half to 5 percent of road transport needs by 2020. The vote by the European Parliament's industry committee deals a blow to a climate change package agreed to by EU governments meant to meet international promises to cut carbon dioxide emissions. Environmental and aid groups had criticized the EU's 10 percent biofuels use target, claiming it harmed efforts to fight global poverty. The EU lawmakers, during a committee vote Thursday, pushed EU governments to move away from so-called first generation biofuels, which use food crops to make transport fuels, and rather use electric and hydrogen powered vehicles. The vote is important because the EU assembly has a veto over the package.

House Democrats Expand Proposed Oil, Gas Drilling House Democrats, some chanting "drill, drill," embraced a plan to open the door for more oil and natural-gas exploration along the entire U.S. coastline, in a shift showing the power of the energy issue in this election. Under a compromise bill hammered out in a series of closed-door meetings Wednesday on Capitol Hill, the House Democratic leadership agreed on a plan that would authorize drilling along the entire coastline, though new production would hinge on states agreeing to participate. Previously, Democrats proposed opening the door to expanded drilling along only a portion of the Atlantic seaboard, from Virginia to Georgia, and the Gulf Coast of Florida. The new proposal would potentially open areas off the coast of California that have been closed to new oil drilling for more than two decades. The measure could be voted on as soon as Friday....

Grand Canyon flood results erode A half-year after a manmade flood built bigger sandbars and beaches in the Grand Canyon that are boon to native fish and plants, U.S. Geological Survey researchers say beaches are again eroding. The data at this point is incomplete, researchers say, but some of the photos to date point to eroding sand bars as water releases from Glen Canyon Dam vary to meet peak power demands and interstate water-sharing agreements. A group of federal agents, tribes, environmentalists and power agencies that advises the Interior Department on how the Colorado River in Grand Canyon should be managed is meeting in Flagstaff Tuesday and today to discuss the latest research and propose next steps. A budget up for discussion by the group today could determine whether there are any more experimental floods in the next five years. The next one called for in an earlier report by the Bureau of Reclamation is not until 2012....

Dispute over roads in Emery County heats up The fight between the state and the Bureau of Land Management over a number of closed roads in wilderness areas continues, and a handful of environmental groups wants in the mix. Attorneys for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club argued Tuesday in U.S. District Court the groups have the right to intervene in the state's 2005 lawsuit over control of seven dirt roads in Emery County's San Rafael Swell. In the lawsuit, the state and Emery County lay claim to the roads under RS 2477, a statute that dates back to 1860 but was repealed in 1976. Though it was repealed, any route in use before then might come under RS 2477. Federal officials and environmental activists, however, argue opening the roads will have a negative impact on the area. A BLM attorney said he doesn't want SUWA intervening, but an attorney for the environmental groups said neither the state nor federal government has the best interest of Utah's wildlands in mind....

Zap! Marauding grizzlies in for nasty shock As owner of Shoal Creek Outfitters, Scott Millward is used to grizzly bear intrusions. The Pilgrim Creek hunting camp is just a stone’s throw north of the Grand Teton National Park territory where bear No. 399 raised her famous brood. Millward’s hunting guides say the creek itself acts as a natural funnel, channeling grizzly bears back and forth from the wilderness to the park. To fend off these roving omnivores, the guides lock human food and feed in 55-gallon steel drums with special locks, clean dinner dishes with bleach, and burn their trash. Despite these precautions, the bear raids continue. Soon Millward will have a little surprise for this ursine usurper: a flimsy, white mesh fence that encircles the campsite and is attached to a small solar panel. When the snout of an inquisitive bear pokes through the mesh, completing the circuit, he’ll get 7,000 volts across his nerve endings....

Bear vs. bike: Teacher riding to school runs into bruin above Miller Creek Jim Litz has a broken bike helmet and bruised ribs to show for the 25-mile-per-hour collision with a 300-pound black bear Monday morning while riding his bike to work from his home in upper Miller Creek. “I was lucky. I was truly lucky, because I accosted the bear and he let me live,” Litz said, while recovering from his injuries Tuesday afternoon at his home....

WILDERNESS AREAS, WILDLIFE REFUGES & ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

The Tucson Weekly has a lengthy but very interesting article, The Chiricahua Corrider, which examines the damage to public lands, private property and local residents by illegal immigrants.

Of note, the author writes:

Much of the badly impacted land, like Burro Springs, is in the 87,700-acre Chiricahua Wilderness. It offers a preview of what could be in store for the Tumacacori Highlands northeast of Nogales, if Rep. Raúl Grijalva gets his way and wins a wilderness designation for that land. Trash dumps will grow. Underbrush will expand. Trails won't be maintained. The land will fall out of the control of the people who should be managing it and under the control of those who don't belong there.

The illegals go where the Border Patrol can't, pure and simple. And yet our lawmakers keep designating wilderness and other protective areas along our southern border which makes it impossible for federal and local law enforcement to do their jobs.

Feds need extra $400 million to finish border fence The Bush administration needs an extra $400 million to complete its fence along the country's southwestern border, and government investigators say that may not even be enough to finish construction by the end of this year. To complete the 670-mile fence - already half built - the administration has asked Congress to approve the use of $400 million set aside for other programs, mostly surveillance technology projects along the U.S.-Mexico border, Jayson Ahern, the deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said on Tuesday. Higher costs of fuel, steel and labor have led to the $400 million shortfall, Ahern said....

Wide-Ranging Ethics Scandal Emerges at Interior Dept. As Congress prepares to debate expansion of drilling in taxpayer-owned coastal waters, the Interior Department agency that collects oil and gas royalties has been caught up in a wide-ranging ethics scandal — including allegations of financial self-dealing, accepting gifts from energy companies, cocaine use and sexual misconduct. In three reports delivered to Congress on Wednesday, the department’s inspector general, Earl E. Devaney, found wrongdoing by a dozen current and former employees of the Minerals Management Service, which collects about $10 billion in royalties annually and is one of the government’s largest sources of revenue other than taxes. “A culture of ethical failure” besets the agency, Mr. Devaney wrote in a cover memo. The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch. The investigations are the latest installment in a series of scathing probes of the troubled program’s management and competence in recent years. While previous reports have focused on problems the agency has had in collecting millions of dollars owed to the Treasury, the new set of reports raises questions about the integrity and behavior of the agency’s officials. In one of the new reports, investigators conclude that a key supervisor at the agency’s minerals revenue management office worked together with two aides to steer a lucrative consulting contract to one of the aides after he retired, violating competitive procurement rules. Two other reports focus on “a culture of substance abuse and promiscuity” and unethical behavior in the service’s royalty-in-kind program. That part of the agency collects about $4 billion a year in the form of oil and gas rather than cash royalties....

LOS PAYASOS - GOVERNMENT AT WORK

A review by the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) of an online database listing Missouri's public expenditures found more than $2.4 million of taxpayer money spent for questionable purposes over the past eight years, including purchases made at bakeries, beauty salons, bra stores, coffee shops, and picture-framing galleries, among others. Nearly 7,300 NTU members live and work in Missouri. "Taxpayers should never be forced to finance bureaucrats' 'I love me' walls of framed awards and photos, nor should residents be shelling out for floral bouquets, beauty treatments, or caffeine fixes," NTU Director of Government Affairs Kristina Rasmussen said. "Clearly, no Missouri politicians could claim with a straight face that all of the fat has been cut out of the state's budget." NTU pulled expenditure information from the Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP), launched by Gov. Matt Blunt (R) in 2007 in order for taxpayers to see where their money is going. The state of Missouri spent $15,482.57 at Ann's Bra Shop from 2000 to 2008 for "professional services" and "clothing supplies." Over the same period, government employees spent more than $1.6 million at coffee shops, $387,210.14 at framing stores, $278,053.46 at florists and nurseries, and $70,849.02 at donut bakeries....Do you have this kind of accountability portal in your state? Looks like a great idea.

John McCain walks a fine line on the environment The television ad shows John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, in scenic desert landscapes as he talks about the dangers of global warming. "We have an obligation to future generations to take action and fix it," he says. Striving to appeal to moderate voters, McCain has frequently highlighted his bipartisan proposal to clamp down on greenhouse gas emissions. But by naming Sarah Palin as his running mate, McCain has aligned himself with a Republican whose record as governor of Alaska has drawn scorn from environmentalists, most notably for her denial that humans are causing climate change. That, combined with McCain's call for opening new stretches of coastline to oil drilling, risks undercutting his standing on the environment....

Groups challenge new Sierra logging rules Environmental groups accused the Bush administration in a lawsuit Tuesday of changing the rules for protection of threatened wildlife to promote logging in national forests that cover nearly 10 million acres in the Sierra. Four conservation groups asked a federal judge in San Francisco to overturn a U.S. Forest Service decision in December that scaled back the agency's duty to monitor and protect designated species. The animals and plants are considered "indicator species" that reflect the overall health of the forest. By law, the Forest Service must study the populations of each species and set goals to maintain the creatures and their habitats before considering tree cutting and road building in 10 national forests in the Sierra. The new rules reduce the number of species to be monitored from 60 to 13 and allow the Forest Service to approve logging before studying any indicator species in the area, the suit said. Among those eliminated from the indicator list, environmental groups said, were the bighorn sheep, the Northern goshawk and the endangered California condor....

Testimony: Burned letter didn't start Hayman Wildfire The lead U.S. Forest Service investigator looking into the cause of Colorado's largest wildfire testified Tuesday that she doesn't believe the official version of how it started -- that a burning letter sparked the fire. Agent Kimberly Jones was testifying in a Denver federal civil case where five insurance companies and several property owners are suing the federal government for more than $7 million. The plaintiffs argue that the government acted negligently in the first few minutes of the fire. A Forest Service employee, Terry Barton, was convicted of starting the 2002 Hayman wildfire and spent nearly six years in a federal prison before being released this summer. Jones told the judge she never believed Barton's story that the fire started accidentally, after she burned a letter from her husband and put it in a fire pit....

Who’s Hoarding America’s Oil? Opponents of domestic energy production constantly say that America “uses 25% of the world’s oil, but only has 3% of the world’s oil reserves.” This talking point is misleading, at best, and its trumpeters get away with it because the federal government has made it illegal to explore for and expand our reserves. We will never increase our oil reserves if we can never look. A huge amount of acres are owned by the federal government off our shores and onshore, principally in the western states, but instead of addressing that problem and helping to bring down energy prices, politicians have been making up stories and trying to fool Americans with wild allegations. The truth is, over 96% of the lands that belong to the taxpayer haven’t even been leased by the government so that energy exploration might occur. Consumers are paying for this failure at the pump and in utility bills. Some are even paying for it with their jobs. But instead of opening new areas to energy exploration and production, some in Congress have taken to diversionary tactics. Take, for example, the mysterious “68 million acres” myth....

Cutthroat trout ducks endangered species list Federal officials say they don't need to put the Bonneville cutthroat trout on the endangered or threatened species list, and that pleases Utah members of Trout Unlimited who have worked for decades to bring back the fish once thought extinct. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that self-sustaining Bonneville cutthroat trout populations are well distributed throughout its historic range and are being restored or protected in all currently occupied watersheds....

Hydrocarbons found in Wyo. stock well Trace amounts of hydrocarbons have been found for the first time in a livestock water well bordering a natural gas drilling area in southwest Wyoming. Officials say the concentrations of hydrocarbons found in the well were minuscule and posed no threat to human or animal health. But they were still concerned. "We found this detection for hydrocarbons, which shouldn't be there, and we're trying to figure out how it got there and where it's coming from," Chuck Otto, director of the Bureau of Land Management's office in Pinedale, said Tuesday. The state hasn't determined the source of the hydrocarbons found in the livestock water well, but the nearby oil and gas drilling is a likely suspect, according to Mark Thiesse, hydrogeologist with the state Department of Environmental Quality....

BLM Identifies Vast Western Oil Shale Field The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has identified some 1.9 million acres of public lands in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming to be set aside for commercial production of oil from oil shale and tar sands. BLM believes shale and tar sand deposits on the identified lands hold the equivalent of 800 billion barrels of oil, enough says BLM, to meet U.S. demand for imported oil at current levels for 110 years. Earlier this year, Congress enacted a moratorium on the future leasing of lands for oil shale and tar sand production. President Bush has now asked Congress to lift the moratorium, allowing BLM to create rules regulating how the lands will be leased to commercial oil producers....

Traditional Almanacs Ponder Meaning of Climate Change They call themselves "prognosticators," people who study the phases of the moon and the height of wasp nests, then declare there will be showers on Oct. 18, 2009. Prognosticators create long-range weather charts for the handful of surviving farmer's almanacs -- an old job, done an old way. They eschew Doppler radar and weather satellites and look for clues in the timeless rhythms of nature. But now, the world and the weather don't look as timeless as they used to. Scientists say the planet is warming, threatening to make droughts more widespread, heat waves more punishing and hurricanes more severe. So one of the country's most fervently unmodern subcultures has had to confront climate change. Prognosticators are deciding how -- or if -- they should factor greenhouse gases into weather-predicting formulas that are two centuries old. Traditional methods "worked really well for hundreds of years," said Bill O'Toole, prognosticator for the Washington area's local almanac, J. Gruber's Hagers-Town Town and Country Almanack, founded in 1797. "Global warming has kind of messed it up," said O'Toole, who has started predicting shorter winters and less snow than in the past....

From 9 to 20 Queens, All Our Fire Ants Sprang The entire U.S. population of red fire ants, which is... well, the only number bigger than the national debt, came from just nine to 20 very prolific queens in Mobile, Alabama, according to researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A well-deserved member of the World Conservation Union's top 100 worst invasive alien species, the red fire ant is believed by USDA researchers to have first come to the U.S. from its native South America on board trading boats in mid-1930s. The painful pest now calls more than 320 million acres in several southern states and Puerto Rico home....

Iowa files child labor charges against meat plant The owner and managers of the nation's largest kosher meatpacking plant were charged Tuesday with more than 9,000 misdemeanors alleging they hired minors and had children younger than 16 handle dangerous equipment such as circular saws and meat grinders. Two employees were also charged in federal court. The state and federal charges are the first against operators of the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, where nearly 400 illegal immigrant workers were arrested in May in one of the largest immigration raids in U.S. history....

No Hope for a Sensible Energy Policy THERE IS A REASON I chose "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here" as the subtitle of the study of energy policy I just completed under the auspices of the Washington-based Hudson Institute. That reason: decades of listening to politician leaders of both of our parties promising "energy independence," and an end to America's "oil addiction." Such promises must be music to the ears of domestic environmental groups and our foreign friends who feel that our cars are too big, our houses either over-heated or over-air-conditioned, and our consumption of fossil fuels the source of the global warming and its cataclysmic consequences predicted by failed presidential candidate and successful pursuer of a Nobel Prize, Al Gore. I have bad news for all those who think that the retirement of George W. Bush will somehow initiate a golden--or green--age in America. It won't. Just take a close look at the promises being made by the two men who have now been formally nominated as their parties' standard bearers in the fight to control the White House. Barack Obama promises that he will lead us to independence from imported oil in ten years by spending $150 billion of taxpayer money. Never mind that such independence has been the nation's goal ever since Richard Nixon set it for us in his 1974 State of the Union address. Since then, imports have doubled as a portion of our oil consumption.....

Whatever Happened To Those Old Westerns . . . and Their Stars?

To watch a nice video display with music, go here.

House Judiciary Committee to VOTE on H.R. 6598

Announced earlier TODAY, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a full mark-up on H.R. 6598, the “Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act”, on WEDNESDAY, September 10th. H.R. 6598 is authored by Congressman John Conyers (D, MI-14) and was introduced on July 24, 2008. Congressman Conyers is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and on July 31, 2008 this bill had its first, and only, subcommittee hearing.

Talking points on this bill are included below.

WE NEED YOU to call Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (MI-14) and Ranking Minority Member Lamar Smith (TX-21) TODAY and express your opposition to this bill.

** Congressman Smith is a friend to us on this bill and does oppose it, however calls placed to his office will offer our support of his opposition to this legislation.

Congressman John Conyers – 202 225 5126

Congressman Lamar Smith – 202 225 4236

Please let me know what feedback you hear from these offices. We will be pairing these calls with emails and phone calls from our CAPWIZ users who live in House Judiciary Committee districts.

THANK YOU for your help on this and as the hearing happens and we have more information, we will be sure to get it out to you. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact me, Elizabeth Bostdorff, at 202 879 9128 or ebostdorff@beef.org.

H.R. 6598 – Talking Points

* H.R. 6598 – has not be fully vetted -- this bill has only had a subcommittee hearing, it has not had a full committee hearing – therefore the unintended consequences and should not be voted on by the full committee.

* H.R. 6598 is NOT a measure that will protect our horses, and cattle producers should be able to make our own decisions about the animals in our care. Our management decisions, in regards to our private property should not be considered criminal acts that can result in three years of federal prison time.

* H.R. 6598 puts prosecutorial authority, as well as care of the confiscated horses, under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney General, thus making U.S. tax payers responsible for paying for the care of these horses as a direct result of government action. Also, the U.S. Attorney General lacks the knowledge and expertise to be able to properly care for these horses.

* Since the final closure of the last remaining horse plant in Dekalb, IL -- last fall -- we have seen horse auctions dry up and horses be abandoned, neglected and left to starve. (If you have a personal story PLEASE share with your member).

* Many proponents of this ban argue that horse adoption and rescue facilities would be able to handle the unwanted horses, but these facilities have not been able to demonstrate that they can handle all of the unwanted horses we are now seeing nor are they regulated by the Federal Government.

* Regardless of whether some people feel that the processing of horses is unacceptable, the decisions about equine welfare and this issue must be based on scientific facts and solid animal husbandry, not merely on emotion.

* Legislation based solely on emotion is a slippery slope not only for animal agriculture, but for all issues that Congress addresses.

Growing Threat of Wildfire Government There was a time when volunteer fire departments, paid fire fighters and local residents would work hand-in-hand to put out wildfires. It was an amenable relationship, sharing hardships, goals and camaraderie. But if the 2008 California wildfires proved anything, it demonstrated that this alliance is no longer a cornerstone of American communities. During the Big Sur fires in July, residents who did not evacuate reported that they felt they were behind "enemy lines." When 79-year-old Don McQueen traveled down the road to his campground business to provide hot water showers for fire crews, he was detained by sheriff deputies and scolded. Although McQueen was released, he soon discovered that fire officials had changed the rule book. To him it seemed like the various federal and state firefighting agencies no longer wanted to work with the community to put out fires. Instead, they wanted Big Sur residents to leave the area and stop defending their property. Worse still, the fire fighter crews were "strictly forbidden to assist locals." Despite experience fighting fires since the 1940s, McQueen was told to get off his ranch. When he refused, an official reportedly said, "We’re carefully allowing these homes to burn down. You can build a new house at no cost with your insurance money." McQueen could hardly believe what he had heard. According to local residents, many of the fire crews were grounded and told to let the fire burn itself out. One ashamed firefighter told them, "I was taught to put out fire, not let them burn." Professionals watched as the locals on the front line fought the blaze. Finally, one crew become so upset that it covertly parked its engine near McQueen’s property, rolled out a 4,000-foot fire hose and helped him to maintain his fire break. On Apple Pie Ridge in Big Sur another family worked feverishly to protect its 55-acre ranch and home. The Curtis family had successfully fought several fires going back to the 1970s. Some family members and friends had worked in the past as seasonal fire fighters. When the fire crept within 12 feet of the family’s property, they set a back fire, which is legal "for the purpose of saving life or valuable property" under California Public Resources Code 4426. But within a short time a different type of firestorm flared up. A Cal Fire official and several sheriff deputies drew guns on Ross Curtis and a friend. They were arrested, handcuffed and charged with lighting a backfire. Outraged authorities said that the Curtis family, friends and tenants had disobeyed warnings not to use backfires. But the Curtis family also was told earlier that firefighters were ordered away from his property; that the area was written off as "inaccessible and undefendable." Ironically, some of Curtis’ fire-protection gear was confiscated as one deputy warned them to stop impersonating a firefighter...

Drilling to dominate September Lawmakers returned to Washington this week after a month-long hiatus. Lobbyists expected much of the first week to be dedicated to drilling, as Democrats in the House and Senate continued to work Monday to find a compromise that would open up some new areas to oil and gas companies but also promote renewable energy development. Acknowledging the tide on the offshore debate may have turned against them, environmental groups tried to make the best of a bad situation. “If they are going to do something we don’t like, it should be weighted heavily with something we do like on clean energy and renewables,” said Athan Manuel, director of lands protection for the Sierra Club. For the Sierra Club, that means inclusion of a renewable electricity standard that would require utilities to produce a certain amount of their power by using renewable energy sources....

Congress warms to new oil drilling Senate Democrats promised a series of votes next week on offshore oil drilling as Republicans agreed Monday to let the Senate proceed on a defense bill that had been bottled up because of partisan disputes over the country's energy priorities. Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he is ready to take up two proposals that would allow limited oil and gas drilling 50 miles off Florida's Gulf coast and in the Atlantic off four southeastern states as well as a broader Republican drilling bill. "We are offering Republicans multiple opportunities to vote for increased drilling," declared Reid, addressing what has become the biggest energy issue in Congress as well as in the presidential campaign....

Drilling duo claims way to sidestep a shutdown The bipartisan duo who authored a compromise on offshore oil drilling say their plan may be the best way to avoid a government shutdown now that Republican leaders have flatly rejected Democrats’ first effort to allow exploration off the coasts. Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and John Peterson (R-Pa.) led a group of more than two dozen lawmakers from both parties in drafting legislation to allow drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The key selling point of their plan is diverting one-third of the royalties to support alternative and renewable energy....

Wildflowers anchor watershed This high-elevation meadow is called a 'tall forb' community -- fields of wildflowers that grow between 6,300 and 11,000 feet in parts of Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. The unique meadows culminate in wildflowers, not trees. According to experts, a healthy 'tall forb' meadow can stand thigh and even waist high. This particular meadow, though, is only tickling our shins. But now a unique partnership between a rancher and some government and conservation groups has created an opportunity to give this high-elevation meadow a break from domestic sheep grazing in an attempt to accelerate its recovery. Ultimately, the plan is to return sheep grazing to the mix -' albeit at lighter frequencies than in the past. In the early 1900s, ranchers ran an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 sheep from the south end of the Wyoming Range to the north and back again each summer, explains Steve Kilpatrick, a habitat biologist for Game and Fish. 'That was before we knew how fragile the tall forb communities are,' Kilpatrick says. 'Once it unravels it's just difficult to get it back.' Historically, heavy grazing meant there was less plant material on the land to anchor the soil and soak up the rain. So the black, loamy topsoil washed away, leaving bare ground. Those are the conditions Jim Magagna's family inherited when they started grazing sheep in the Wyoming Range in the 1940s. Moreover, concerns about predators encouraged ranchers to bed sheep at night in big numbers to protect the lambs and ewes from coyotes and other carnivores, Magagna says. Over time, however, Magagna acquired and consolidated nearly 60,000 acres of grazing leases on the national forest. By using guard dogs to protect the sheep from predators, he was able to spread them out to lighten their impact on the land, he says. With that in mind, Trout Unlimited brokered a deal with Magagna to give the high-elevation meadows time to heal. Under the agreement, Magagna waived his option to graze four bands of sheep yearly on nearly 60,000 acres in exchange for $209,904 in compensation. The payment comes from a variety of contributors including fishing, hunting and conservation groups....

Federal judge grants appeal of Cobell judgment Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the Interior Department, welcomed a federal judge's order this week granting an appeal on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Native landowners across the country. “If this opinion was fair, I'd like to be out of court, but we certainly can't let a decision like this stand,” said Cobell, a national community development expert from the Blackfeet Reservation. “It's factually and legally wrong so we have to challenge it. We're ready to go the long haul to make sure we have fairness to all the plaintiffs.” On Aug. 7, U.S. District Judge James Robertson issued a final ruling in the 12-year-old case, Cobell vs. Interior, awarding $455.6 million judgment to Native landowners who have thousands of Individual Indian Money accounts managed by the Interior Department. Robertson said he would grant an appeal in the Cobell suit because of “substantial ground for difference of opinion.” He also said an immediate appeal would ultimately bring an end to the long-running litigation....

Man spends day after day viewing, recording wolf movements A grizzly sow battled wolves to protect her cub about a mile from where Rick McIntyre sat upon a black fold-up stool. Just another day at "the office." Two times a day, seven days a week, visitors to Yellowstone National Park can find McIntyre gazing through a 60-power Swarovski spotting scope as he observes wolves and records their movements into a handheld tape recorder. "Part of my job is to count the wolves," he said from his perch upon a hill in the Lamar Valley on Aug. 20. McIntyre, 59, is a half-time employee of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, his wages funded through grants. After transcribing his field notes on observations of the wolves, he gives them to the Wolf Project staff. The other six months of the year he volunteers for the program. The work is close to his home, a cabin in Silver Gate near the park's northeast entrance....

Obama & Unionized Agriculture

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama sent a letter to Beef Northwest Feeders in Oregon, asking them to recognize the June 13 card check election and negotiate with the United Farm Workers Union.

According to the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation, in a card check election "union organizers can approach an employee at work, at his home or elsewhere and pressure him into signing a card in front of them - no privacy and no secret ballot. The union is not required to have the employer's participation nor even alert the employer to their activities or pressure."

The AFF says in most states workers have the right to a secret ballot in deciding whether or not to join a union, and that national card check legislation is a priority for Obama and his party. The AFF reports that Beef Northwest Feeders will abide by the wishes of its employees in a truly neutral election monitored by a qualified third party.

In his letter, Obama states "I am committed to the ability of our nation's agricultural workers to organize."

Go here(pdf) to view the letter.

Hat Tip to Bobby & Pat Jones.

Teddy Roosevelt IV Predicts McCain Won't Promote ‘Extreme’ Oil Drilling The great-grandson of John McCain’s political hero said Thursday that he doesn’t think the Republican presidential candidate will promote “extreme” offshore drilling for oil. Theodore Roosevelt IV -- the great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt -- also called on Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin to rethink her stance on oil drilling and polar bears. Roosevelt spoke to a gathering of Republicans for Environmental Protection, a pro-conservation group that sometimes opposes party leaders. McCain, an Arizona senator, often has supported environmental legislation opposed by Republican Senate leaders, such as capping carbon emissions. He also believes that human activity is contributing to global warming. “Primaries and elections are sometimes silly season and you’ll see people say things to reach out to one base or another,” Roosevelt told CNSNews.com. “I’m pretty confident the senator will move back, because I think he does believe in the environment and I think he’ll be a good environmental steward. I have the expectation he’ll do that. If he doesn’t, I’ll tell him, ‘Mr. President, let’s move back to the positions I think you represent.’”....

RNC: We're no doom-sayers on climate The Republican Party approved its 2008 platform yesterday, which it hailed in a press release as containing "the most aggressive and innovative energy policy in Republican Party history." But the approved version differs significantly from earlier drafts in the climate and energy realm. This line, which appeared in an earlier draft, was dropped: "Increased atmospheric carbon has a warming effect on the earth." While the final acknowledges the role of humans in climate change, it calls for solutions that won't "force Americans to sacrifice their way of life or trim their hopes and dreams for their children." At points the platform appears dismissive of climate change. "Republicans caution against the doomsday climate change scenarios peddled by the aficionados of centralized command-and-control government," it says. "We can -- and should -- address the risk of climate change based on sound science without succumbing to the no-growth radicalism that treats climate questions as dogma rather than as situations to be managed responsibly." The platform suggests that there should be no carbon constraints on the U.S. unless China or India face similar limits: "It would be unrealistic and counterproductive to expect the U.S. to carry burdens which are more appropriately shared by all." It also calls for a repeal of the biofuels mandate that passed as part of the 2007 energy bill; that provision mandates a fivefold increase in biofuels in the U.S. fuel stream by 2022. "The U.S. government should end mandates for ethanol and let the free market work," the platform reads....

Cleaner mower, speedboat engines ordered Gasoline-powered lawnmowers that are a big cause of summertime air pollution will have to be dramatically cleaner under rules issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The long-awaited regulation requires a 35 percent reduction in emissions from new lawn and garden equipment beginning in 2011. Big emission reductions are also required for speedboats and other recreational watercraft, beginning in 2010. EPA said approximately 190 million gallons of gasoline will be saved each year when the rules take effect, and more than 300 premature deaths prevented annually....

Public Participation in Environmental Decisionmaking A new report from the National Research Council probes deeply into the positive and occasionally negative effects of public participation on the environmental policymaking process. It is practically an article of faith in democratic societies that openness and public participation are presumptively good, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. On closer inspection, however, including empirical studies of participatory processes, the new NRC report was able to reach some encouraging conclusions. “When done well, public participation improves the quality and legitimacy of a decision and builds the capacity of all involved to engage in the policy process. It also can enhance trust and understanding among parties,” the report said. On the other hand, “public participation, if not done well, may not provide any of these benefits — in some circumstances, participation has done more harm than good.” The 250 page report, including a valuable 50 page bibliography, elucidates some of the conditions for successful participation and those that are likely to result in failure....

Free Water: Collecting Rainwater Is Catching on in the U.S. Bill Gates Foundation has just budgeted $4m to investigate the potential of rainwater harvesting in the third world. But what about the first world? America is rapidly catching on to water caching, as rainwater harvesting is also known. In the Bay Area, Tara Hui, a rainwater campaigner, climbed under her deck, nudged past a cluster of 55-gallon barrels and a roosting chicken, and pointed to a shiny metal gutter spout. "See that?" she said. "That's where the rainwater comes in from the roof." Hui is one of a growing band of people across the country turning to collected rainwater for non-drinking uses like watering plants, flushing toilets and washing laundry, reports Associated Press. Concern over drought and wasted resources, and stricter water conservation laws have revitalized the practice of capturing rainwater during storms and stockpiling it for use in drier times....

UN says eat less meat to curb global warming People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change, the world's leading authority on global warming has told The Observer. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which last year earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize, said that people should then go on to reduce their meat consumption even further. His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warning. Pachauri, who was re-elected the panel's chairman for a second six-year term last week, said diet change was important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. It was relatively easy to change eating habits compared to changing means of transport, he said....

The green gold rush The green cause of preserving nature has been corrupted ever since ugly, towering wind turbines began appearing in many beautiful locations. But now renewable politics is disrupting even the social texture of rural life. One man, who along with his wife has become active in a network of people who oppose the wind companies, told the NYT: “They tear communities apart... My sisters and brothers won’t even talk to me anymore". Soft energy is the new gold rush. So much so that people in upstate New York, speckled with huge areas of industrial decline, are scrambling to get hold of the green cash thereby intoxicating not only community relations but even splitting families. The industry is being accused of targeting the weakest NY-upstate communities whilst avoiding more affluent areas like Long Island, even though the wind blows much more strongly there. But in the small towns near the Canadian border, families and friendships have been riven by feuds over the lease options, which can be worth tens of thousands of dollars a year in towns where the median household income may hover around $30,000....

What happened to freedom? Zoning is one thing; social engineering is quite another. Zoning in cities and metropolitan areas, while not really necessary, can be justified if the zoning decisions are made by locally elected officials who can be held accountable by the local community. Historically, zoning has not been a concern in rural areas where neighbors are not stumbling over each other. With the advent of sustainable development and the notion of "smart growth," zoning has grown into comprehensive planning that encompasses the entire county, region and state. The people who promote comprehensive planning are convinced that a planned community, designed to protect the environment, is far more important than the private property rights of any individual member of the community. Moss Dalrymple was one of those individuals. After serving in three wars, he moved to an unincorporated area of Marshall County, Ala., where he expected to live out the rest of his years in peace. He lived in a mobile home in a rural area where neighbors didn't stumble over each other. Over the years, he accumulated some "stuff" that was visible from the highway. It wasn't much, but it was important to Moss. He worked for it. He paid for it. It was his, on his property. It harmed no one....

Vanishing Barns Signal a Changing Iowa One by one, the old-fashioned barns that speckle this landscape are vanishing. Some are demolished to make way for new cornfields. Others, weak with years, simply crumple. “She’s gonna go,” Rod Scott said wistfully, gazing up at a stone barn from the 1850s, walls buckling. Down a gravelly road, he sighs at a small barn decorated with a mural, standing but stooping slightly now. A bit farther, holes in the walls of another offer a flash of some forgotten life — a rusted rocking chair, a beer can, an old bed frame. And on one rise sits a ruin, the oak beams of a barn fully collapsed, hay bales still at the ready, crushed beneath. “We’re trying to ring that alarm bell,” said Mr. Scott, whom people here have come to call the Barn Guy for his insistence on trying to save some of Iowa’s 50,000 remaining barns, icons that turned up again and again in a guidebook to the state’s landmarks that was produced during the Great Depression and has recently been published online. But the tale of the disappearing barn, a building whose purpose shifted, then faded away, tells a bigger story too, of how farming itself, a staple in this state then and now, has changed markedly since those writers drove through....

How El Paso's Fusselman Canyon came by its name We are all familiar with Trans Mountain Road, just as we are all familiar with the name Texas Rangers. And in one respect, both go together, for prior to the construction of the highway, this area was simply a canyon. And for a long time -- one might say for ages -- the canyon had no name. But that commenced changing back in 1890. During those days, a Texas Ranger company was stationed in Ysleta, that town being the El Paso county seat. And one of those Rangers was a 24-year-old Wisconsin-born lad named Charles Fusselman. In 1888, as a Ranger private, he had shot it out with a local outlaw, and the following year was promoted to sergeant and transferred to Presidio. Still, he was often present in El Paso because it had the only West Texas district court. In April 1890, Fusselman happened to be in the El Paso County Sheriff's office chatting with a couple of deputies and a city policeman when they were interrupted by John Barnes, a local rancher living near what used to be Mundy Springs. The rancher claimed that outlaws Geronimo Parra and three additional bandits from Mexico had stolen his cattle. Barnes had trailed them to near the entrance of the Franklin Mountains' present-day Fusselman Canyon (where present-day Trans-Mountain Road peaks out), before he (Barnes) pealed off and rode hastily into town to notify authorities....

It's All Trew: Camino Real known as scenic byway The old road "Camino Real" or Royal Road may not be the oldest road in America but was completed in 1598, a long time ago. It begins at the San Juan Pueblo in northern New Mexico, goes 400 miles south to El Paso then on another 1,200 miles to Mexico City. The mileage varies as many segments had alternate routes depending on the water holes and warring Indian tribes living along the way. Every trip seemed to have its unique problems. The Spanish government designated many trails as Camino Reals throughout early Texas and the Southwest but sooner or later each one intersected the old road at some point. During the early boom days of discovery when many silver, lead and gold mines were worked by the Spanish, the old road was called The Silver Road as pack trains and wagon trains carried the treasure to Mexico City to be assessed by the king's officials. The founder of New Mexico's colonies, Juan de Onate, is given credit for blazing the final northern segment from El Paso to San Juan Pueblo. The earlier segment in Mexico began with the huge silver discovery at Zacatecus....

And then there was the lariat rope

By Julie Carter

The lariat rope was used long before cowboys were cowboys. It wasn’t even a cowboy invention.

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, circa 300-400 A.D., the Huns- you remember them- rode short little ponies and could stay in the saddle for days.

They were excellent warriors who could accurately shoot an arrow or use their lariat to rope an enemy while their ponies carried them along at a full gallop. The Goths lived in dread of these short horsemen who annihilated them in every engagement.

Rope seems to be as old as mankind itself. All primitive peoples seem to have discovered some sort of material out of which they could produce twine and rope.

The Chippewa Indians used a method by which they made rope from the inner bark of basswood. Just what people in the history of the human race was the first to make a lariat out of a rope, and exactly what materials were used in its construction no one seems to be able to answer with any authority.

The development of the lariat seems to be closely associated with the history of the horse. The handling of animals necessitated the use of a rope of some type.

Since it was evidently around the horse that the lariat was evolved, chances are that the materials used were either horsehair or rawhide, both of which are obtainable from the animals themselves. Many think the most primitive riata was horsehair.

Ropes made of hair, hemp, rawhide, maguey (agave fiber), cotton and today’s ever popular nylon are all products of centuries of evolution.

What hasn’t changed is man’s fascination with a catch rope. I can’t speak for those Hun’s but today’s “twine twirlers” are every bit as dedicated to their craft. If they have a rope in their hand, they have to rope something.

While there are no longer any Goth’s around to rope, it’s not uncommon for the rope owner to try to rope just about anything that moves and it doesn’t have to be a cow or horse.

I’ve known dedicated fools to rope mountain lions, coyotes, deer, antelope (now that took a fast horse) and yes even a bear. Pretty much across the board, each of those events culminated in the cowboy wondering just what had he been thinking? The catchin’ was good. The “what do I do with it now” wasn’t always an easy decision in the heat of the battle.

And even it if it doesn’t move its fair game for a practice loop. Buckets, bushes, chairs and the sleeping dog which of course then quickly becomes part of the moving category. In part of the country it is the weapon of choice for killing a snake if you aren’t armed with a gun.

The skill involved in the use of what began as a tool became marketable as a competitive “sport.” Like shooting and riding, roping quickly became a contest to prove who was best at it. And like an illegal substance, it became an addiction for many.

Today it is multi-million dollar industry that attracts men, women and children from all walks of life. It no longer is just a “cowboy” sport, but calls to those that want a little piece of cowboy living.

By picking up a rope the journey begins.

Didn't receive a column from Julie this week, so am posting one from 2004.