Saturday, March 29, 2014

Can MIT Help Solve the Mystery of Bigfoot?

Matt Knapp thinks that Bigfoot research is a mess right now. “The facts are that in terms of progress, the Bigfoot research community has ultimately made none. We are no closer now to proving these creatures exist than we were 40 years ago,” Knapp told Boston. Knapp blames the setbacks on the digital age, and the amount of misinformation being spread in the form of photos and videos online. That, and the fact that more people seem to be trying to cash in on what they claim are legitimate Bigfoot sightings. “Self admittedly, up to this point, we have not had anything worth presenting as real evidence of this creature’s existence. If we want scientists to get involved, we have to go by their standards, not our anecdotal ones,” he said. To help filter out the phonies and fakes all trying to make a quick buck on something he believes in, Knapp is asking those vested in Bigfoot research to rely on technology built out of MIT to prove that the truth is out there. Knapp, who runs a blog called “Bigfoot Crossroads,” a personal site with updates about all things Sasquatch, recently stumbled upon an invention created by students and researchers in the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab in Cambridge in 2012, called “Eulerian Video Magnification.” EVM is essentially a software that allows users to break down videos to reveal things in them that are invisible to the naked eye. This includes visualizing the blood pulsing behind someone’s cheeks and face, or capturing changes in body behaviors that the average person is unable to detect just by simply staring at someone. EVM does this by “homing in on specific pixels” in a given video, according to the New York Times, and then amplifying those pixels by up to 100 times using complex algorithms.Knapp seems to believe that if the program can be used for medical diagnostics—it’s intended use when it was publicly introduced in 2012 by the MIT team—then there’s no reason it can’t call out fake videos...more

GOP: Predict storms, not climate change

House Republicans want government scientists to focus on predicting storms, not climate change. The House will vote next week on a Republican bill to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to focus its efforts on storm predictions instead of researching climate change. Members will consider the Weather Forecasting Improvement Act, H.R. 2413, as early as Tuesday. Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) introduced his bill last year after tornadoes hit his home state. Those storms led him to argue on the House floor the government spends too much on climate change research and not enough on developing weather forecasting tools to predict tornadoes and other events. His bill does not explicitly kick the government out of the climate change business. But it does say NOAA must "prioritize weather-related activities, including the provision of improved weather data, forecasts, and warnings for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy, in all relevant line offices." Last year, Bridenstine released a statement saying the intent of the bill is to "protect lives and property by shifting funds from climate change research to severe weather forecasting research." "The bill does not increase spending but rather shifts funding to make improved severe weather forecasting a higher priority of the Federal government," he said in July...more

Feds spent $700,000 on a climate change musical


It looks like the National Science Foundation has been handing out grants for some unorthodox research projects, according to House Republicans. This includes $700,000 in funding for a climate change musical.
House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith questioned White House science czar John Holdren in a Thursday hearing over whether or not the National Science Foundation (NSF) should have to justify its use of taxpayer dollars to fund projects. Smith pointed out some examples of questionable projects the NSF has funded.
  • $700,000 on a climate change musical
  • $15,000 to study fishing practices around Lake Victoria in Africa
  • $340,000 to examine the “ecological consequences” of early human fires in New Zealand
  • $200,000 for a three-year study of the Bronze Age around the Mediterranean
  • $50,000 to survey archived 17th Century lawsuits in Peru
  • $20,00 to look at the causes of stress in Bolivia
The $700,000 went to the play “The Great Immensity,” which is being put on by an investigative theater group called The Civilians. The play is set to premiere next month in New York City.

The play’s plot is summarized as follows: “Through her search, Phyllis uncovers a mysterious plot surrounding the upcoming international climate summit in Auckland. As the days count down to the Auckland Summit, Phyllis must decipher the plan and possibly stop it in time. With arresting projected film and video and a wide-ranging score of songs, The Great Immensity is a highly theatrical look into one of the most vital questions of our time: how can we change ourselves and our society in time to solve the enormous environmental challenges that confront us?”

The theater group also promotes major environmental groups on its website, linking to such organizations as Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and 350.org.




White House looks to regulate cow flatulence as part of climate agenda

As part of its plan to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the Obama administration is targeting the dairy industry to reduce methane emissions in their operations. This comes despite falling methane emission levels across the economy since 1990. The White House has proposed cutting methane emissions from the dairy industry by 25 percent by 2020. Although U.S. agriculture only accounts for about 9 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, it makes up a sizeable portion of methane emissions — which is a very potent greenhouse gas...more

Released yesterday, the White House Fact Sheet has this to say about agriculture:



 Agriculture: In June, in partnership with the dairy industry, the USDA, EPA and DOE will jointly release a “Biogas Roadmap” outlining voluntary strategies to accelerate adoption of methane digesters and other cost-effective technologies to reduce U.S. dairy sector greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.


I don't know about you, but I'll be sitting on the edge of my chair 'til June.  After all, I will soon have been around for 67 years and I've never seen a “Biogas Roadmap”.   Waiting another 60 days or so will be pure torture.  But wait, on April 7 is the EPA-sponsored AgSTAR 2014 National Workshop, titled "Navigating the Biogas Maze: Learning from the Leaders".  And here is your invitation:

AgSTAR invites you to attend the AgSTAR 2014 National Workshop on April 7 as part of BioCycle REFOR14 WEST in San Diego. Join us for this unique workshop focused solely on promoting anaerobic digestion in the agriculture sector! This one-day meeting will explore strategies used by the leaders of the agricultural biogas industry to overcome challenges and maximize opportunities facing today’s projects.

There are more details on the workshop here.  And most exciting of all is the screening of the film Cow Power, all put together by those Vermont Vaqueros!  It even includes the phrase "working landscapes"!  Here is the trailer for the film:





Wait 60 days for the Biogas Roadmap?  No sir. Cow Farts are our future, so see you in San Diego!




94% of Electricity in 2013 Came from Reactors, Dams and Fossil Fuels

Ninety-four percent of the electricity generated in the United States in 2013 came from nuclear reactors, dams, and fossil fuels--including petroleum, natural gas, other gases, and coal--according to a new report from the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration. Only 0.2 percent of U.S. electricity during the year came from solar-power sources, and another 4.1 percent came from wind power. In total, the United States generated a net of 4,058,209 million kilowatthours of electricity in 2013. That was up slightly—0.26 percent--from the 4,047,765 million KWH generated in 2012. But it remained less than 4,156,745 million KWH generated in 2007, which remains the peak year for U.S. electricity generation...more 

Lesser Prairie Chicken Listed As Threatened, Could Impact Energy Industry

The lesser prairie chicken has been officially listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The listing could impact the Southwest’s oil and gas industry. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says rapid population decline was behind the decision to list the bird as threatened. The lesser prairie chicken is a small bird that lives in grasslands across the west. It has had some protections by range conservation efforts run in individual states. Steve Henke is the president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. He says the listing has the potential to limit drilling on some oil and gas fields, and could put the matter up to legal interpretation in federal courts. "The fact that it’s been added to the list provides the opportunity for continuing challenge by the radical environmental community to say whatever has been done under the range wide plan is not enough, is not being implemented fast enough," Henke said...more

U.S. sugar producers pursue Mexican tariffs

The U.S. sugar industry has asked the federal government to impose tariffs on Mexican sugar, alleging that nation’s sugar producers have been dumping their heavily subsidized sugar on the U.S. market. The process of evaluating the claim could take upwards of a year, but a temporary tariff could be enacted by August, said Phillip Hayes, a spokesman for the American Sugar Alliance. Hayes said the U.S. Department of Commerce has 20 days to decide whether to initiate the case, and the U.S. International Trade Commission has 45 days to determine if injury has been caused. Hayes said ASA and other U.S. sugar entities have alleged American sugar producers stand to lose $1 billion in lower prices due to the influx of Mexican sugar priced well below production costs. Prices are now half their 2011 levels due to the glut of Mexican sugar, Hayes said...more

Go here for a short history of the sordid U.S. sugar program.

Keep the NYC Horses

Friday, March 28, 2014

Federal roundup of ‘trespass cattle’ could cost at least $1 million

Bureau of Land Management officials in Nevada won’t say how much it might cost to round up so-called “trespass cattle” from federal land 80 miles north of Las Vegas, but at least $1 million is a pretty safe bet. Based on a review of government contracting records, the bureau is set to pay a private livestock contractor from Utah $966,000 to collect several hundred cattle set loose on public land by Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy. Contracts for nearly $15,000 more have been awarded for light towers and other equipment to support the government’s impound operation, which is expected to start within few days or weeks. Starting Thursday, federal authorities began restricting access to almost 600,000 acres of public land in northeast Clark County in preparation for the roundup. As the operation unfolds, the public will be kept from parts of the temporary closure area, but the remainder will remain open. The closure area includes almost all of Clark County’s northeastern corner, from Overton east to the Arizona border and from the Lincoln County line south to the northern tip of Lake Mead. According to federal records, the BLM signed a contract Feb. 7 with Shayne Sampson of Sampson Livestock in Meadow, Utah. Instead of a description of the contract, records label it as “Confidential Priority 1 Gold Butte.” But Bundy knows exactly what the contract is for. He sent out notices last week to Shayne Sampson and others in the livestock business warning them that they would face legal action for “cattle rustling” if they took part in the roundup. Bureau officials in Nevada said they won’t know the final cost of the upcoming operation until after it is over. When asked to provide an estimate, they would only say it will vary depending on a number of factors, including duration. A Federal Register notice associated with the roundup states that the operation is expected to take about 21 days but could last a month depending on weather and other factors. Bureau officials also declined to specify how many government employees and contract workers might be involved in the roundup, and they refused to identify which federal law enforcement agencies might be called in to keep the peace. “Specific operations information regarding the impoundment will not be released,” said Kirsten Cannon, spokeswoman for the BLM in Nevada...more

Range war heats up again between defiant Nevada rancher and BLM

From the cab of his old pickup, Cliven Bundy watched the trucks congregate on the horizon near his ranch some 80 miles north of here. His ongoing range war with the federal government, Bundy said, has heated up yet again. “I see where they’re set up,” Bundy told the Los Angeles Times by telephone Thursday. “There’s trailers and communications vans. I haven't seen them take any of my cattle yet, but they're getting ready to.” The father of 14 insists that generations of his family have ranched and worked this unforgiving landscape along the Virgin River since the 1880s. He says government overregulation has already driven scores of fellow ranchers out of business in sprawling Clark County, leaving him as the last man standing. In a telephone interview Thursday, Bundy's wife, Carol, said the family remains as resolved as ever. “It just shows that we’re not a sovereign state,” she said of the government's action Thursday. “It just shows that the federal government thinks they have power over us. My county and my state is allowing this to happen. But you know what? They haven’t taken our cattle yet. We’re still hanging on.” Carol Bundy told The Times that Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie has not responded to their requests to intervene. “We want him to step in and tell these federal characters that ‘This is Clark County, Nev., land and you have go through me to get these cattle.’ But we have not heard a word.”...more

GOP: Administration stonewalling on bird deaths

The Obama administration is refusing to turn over documents related to enforcement of environmental laws at wind farms where dozens of eagles and other protected birds have been killed, House Republicans charged Wednesday. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said the Fish and Wildlife Service has engaged in a "deliberate slow rolling of documents and answers" for nearly a year. Hastings is chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which has been seeking to compel the wildlife agency turn over internal documents related to its enforcement of laws protecting eagles and other birds. An Associated Press investigation last year revealed that the administration was not prosecuting wind energy companies for killing eagles and other protected birds. Only one wind energy company has been prosecuted for killing eagles and other birds in violation of federal law. Duke Energy pleaded guilty in November to killing eagles and other birds at two Wyoming wind farms and will pay $1 million. The government estimates that at least 85 eagles are killed each year by wind turbines. The wildlife agency "dragged its feet for six months" before providing a two-page memo written the year before, Hastings said, and many of the documents that have been turned over so far are incomplete or have largely been blacked out...more

Senate Energy Committee votes to advance controversial Interior Department nominee

A divided Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted Thursday to send the controversial nomination of Rhea Suh for assistant secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks to the Senate with a recommendation that she be confirmed. The vote was 12-10 with all Democrats, including new chairwoman Mary Landrieu, D-La. voting yes, and all Republicans opposed. Louisiana's Republican congressional members, led by Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, her leading challenger in the fall Senate race, have labeled Suh hostile to oil and gas development, citing her 2007 comments on behalf of a private environmental foundation that "the pace and magnitude of this [natural gas] development is easily the single greatest threat to the ecological integrity of the West." Landrieu said that Suh has assured the committee that she would "absolutely support the responsible development of natural gas and other fossil fuels from our public lands."...more

Mazda’s new gas engines emit LESS CO2 than electric cars

Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda claims new gasoline engine technology slated for debut in late-decade models will reduce carbon dioxide emissions below the amount generated to power electric cars. According to a recent article in British auto magazine Autocar, Mazda’s SkyActiv engines put out 30 percent less carbon emissions per mile than the average amount of CO2 generated by the electric power grids providing electric cars with juice. According to Mazda, those engines won’t make it to the U.S. until close to 2020. Electric grids are however expected to improve their carbon dioxide output efficiency on a global scale in the next decade, which could shave off some of Mazda’s lead by the time the new SkyActivs have a chance to hit the global market...more

Coyote Attacks Woman Walking Dog in Rockland County, NY

A woman says she was attacked by a coyote while walking her dog in Rockland County Tuesday morning. The 52-year-old woman was walking her dog on Greywood Drive in Orangeburg at about 7 a.m. when she said a coyote approached and attacked her, biting her on the leg. The woman took off her jacket during the attack and used it to try to shield herself against the coyote. She then ran to a neighbor's home for refuge. The coyote ran into a backyard, where it was shot and killed by an Orangetown police officer, authorities say. The woman told police the coyote appeared to be more focused on attacking her, not her dog. The dog was not hurt...more

NMSU experts expect little impact from chile-damaging virus this year

As chile production season approaches, three New Mexico State University professors say the danger of curly top virus is higher than last year but still low. "The prediction for this year is that it is going to be a low year for curly top," said Rebecca Creamer, professor of plant virology, who has been researching the virus since 2001. "We didn't have large amounts of fall rains, so it will be in the 1 to 5 percent range. Most growers will not have a major problem." This tri-trophic disease, which affects mostly chile plants in New Mexico, has required NMSU researchers in different disciplines to work together to investigate the different aspects and cycles of this disease, including the biology of the leafhopper, biology of weeds and virology. "We need an integrated approach to research this virus," Creamer said. "We have been trying to work out the parameters of where the insects are living and the ecology because that has a huge influence on the virus being transmitted." Curly top virus is transmitted from the tiny beet leafhopper insect, which feeds on weeds and certain crop plants such as chile and tomato, passing the disease from weeds to crops. The virus is a prevalent problem in arid regions such as California, New Mexico, Arizona, Washington and other places around the world including Mexico and Iran...more

A Film Races Against the Odds ("50-to-1", Mine That Bird)

When Mine That Bird won the 2009 Kentucky Derby, he blazed a path so profoundly unexpected that to this day expert handicappers wince at his name. Going into the race, nothing was expected of this 50-to-1 nobody from nowhere. And for most of the race, he was dead last—until jockey Calvin Borel made his move from behind the pack, sneaking up tight against the rail and flying past them all. For filmmaker Jim Wilson, the enduring wow factor of the narrative cried out for the big screen. The major studios didn't agree. "Hollywood wanted nothing to do with it," he said. So he went ahead anyway. Functioning as producer, director and co-writer, he raised about $8.5 million from a handful of investors to make "50 to 1," a feature-length dramatization starring Skeet Ulrich ("As Good As It Gets") as horse trainer Chip Woolley and Christian Kane ("Leverage") as owner Mark Allen. To launch an independent film against recent big-budget releases like "Divergent," Mr. Wilson took a cue from Mine That Bird and crafted a grass-roots marketing campaign: He and select cast members are traveling together in a 45-foot bus—a roving billboard wrapped in "50 to 1" ads—through the American heartland to film screenings and horse races. Occasionally, they bring out the horse himself. Mine That Bird, an eight-year-old gelding, was trotted out in Albuquerque for the film's premiere March 19 and at the Sunland Park Racetrack, where he trained and raced before national fame. "It's a hell of a gamble," said Mr. Wilson, who estimates the cost of the movie launch at about $3 million. Last week, the convoy started out with stops throughout New Mexico, including Roswell, where Mine That Bird now lives. The bus then rolled to Texas and will visit Louisiana to promote the film's April 4 wider release to about 200 screens. At movie theaters along the way, they will meet audiences at cinemas and major races, including the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on March 29. After that, the film continues to open in more states as the bus travels through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and, of course, Kentucky. To launch an independent film against recent big-budget releases like "Divergent," Mr. Wilson took a cue from Mine That Bird and crafted a grass-roots marketing campaign: He and select cast members are traveling together in a 45-foot bus—a roving billboard wrapped in "50 to 1" ads—through the American heartland to film screenings and horse races. Occasionally, they bring out the horse himself. Mine That Bird, an eight-year-old gelding, was trotted out in Albuquerque for the film's premiere March 19 and at the Sunland Park Racetrack, where he trained and raced before national fame. "It's a hell of a gamble," said Mr. Wilson, who estimates the cost of the movie launch at about $3 million. Last week, the convoy started out with stops throughout New Mexico, including Roswell, where Mine That Bird now lives. The bus then rolled to Texas and will visit Louisiana to promote the film's April 4 wider release to about 200 screens. At movie theaters along the way, they will meet audiences at cinemas and major races, including the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on March 29. After that, the film continues to open in more states as the bus travels through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and, of course, Kentucky. So far, the numbers are huge in Las Cruces, N.M. Last weekend, the film played to a sold-out crowd at the Mesilla Valley Mall's movie theater, where locals flocked looking sharp in pressed jeans and wide-brimmed hats. Throughout the film, the audience cheered—hooting especially when Kentucky racing royalty snubs the underdog New Mexicans at the Derby. And though the outcome of the 2009 Derby is known, seeing the actual NBC footage on the big screen, with judicious edits, is a heart-stopper...more 

 Here's the 2009 Kentucky Derby

 http://youtu.be/Hv8x9x5A49s

http://youtu.be/Hv8x9x5A49s

The Real Inflation Fear - US Food Prices Are Up 19% In 2014

We are sure the weather is to blame but what happens when pent-up demand (from a frosty east coast emerging from its hibernation) bumps up against a drought-stricken west coast unable to plant to meet that demand? The spot price (not futures speculation-driven) of US Foodstuffs is the best performing asset in 2014 - up a staggering 19%...




Source

Thursday, March 27, 2014

I go under the knife today

I have surgery in El Paso today to replace my baclofen pump.  The pump is in the stomach area with a catheter that runs to the spinal cord.  Pump is 5 years old and not performing up to par.  They'll remove this pump, make a place for the new pump and attach it to the catheter.  Not sure how this will limit my posts to The Westerner.

Wish me luck!

Emotions run high as BLM closes 600,000 acres for cattle roundup

Federal authorities will restrict access to almost 600,000 acres of public land for the next seven weeks as they prepare to round up what they call “trespass cattle” in the desert 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The Bureau of Land Management’s temporary closure of the Gold Butte, Mormon Mesa and Bunkerville Flats areas takes effect today and lasts through May 12. During that time, federal officials and contract cowboys plan to impound several hundred cattle left on the range by Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy as part of a dispute that is about to come to a head after more than 20 years. Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie met with Bundy several times as the 2012 roundup was being organized, and he has been in contact with the rancher ever since. He visited the Bundy family at their spread along the Virgin River a few weeks ago, when it became clear that no compromise could be found to stave off federal action. Gillespie said he hoped to convince the family to keep their protests peaceful. “I didn’t get any assurances,” he said. Nor did he have any assurances to give. Metro has no role to play in the roundup, which will unfold on federal land under the supervision of federal law enforcement agents. There is nothing a county sheriff can do to stop it, Gillespie said. “I have sympathy and understanding for Mr. Bundy, but I also understand that sometimes court decisions go against that feeling you have. I work within the confines of the law,” he said. State agriculture officials are taking a similar approach. Spokesman Bob Conrad said the Nevada Department of Agriculture has no plan to intervene in what it considers a federal matter. The department’s only role will come as cattle are rounded up and state brand inspectors are called on to examine the animals to try to establish ownership, as required by Nevada law and federal court order. If nobody can make a reasonable claim to an unmarked animal, it becomes state property to be sold at auction, Conrad said.  Starting today, the bureau will post daily updates and a map online showing what in the closure area is off-limits. The website is: http://tinyurl.com/leokzah  No exact start date for the roundup has been announced, but it is likely to be soon. The closure will last 46 days. The operation is expected to take about three weeks but could drag on for a month depending on weather, the dispersal of the cattle and how easily they can be caught...more

BLM plans to roundup Bundy’s trespass cattle beginning March 27

Public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Clark County, Nevada, within the Gold Butte, Mormon Mesa, Bunkerville Flats Areas will see temporary closures to the public beginning tomorrow, March 27, in order to round up the cattle of Cliven Bundy, a rancher who has been trespass grazing in the scenic desert area since 1993 when he stopped paying his grazing fees to use the Bunkerville Grazing Allotment. The BLM had modified some of the terms of the grazing permit to protect the desert tortoise. Bundy didn’t like the modifications and refused to pay the required grazing fee, but kept his cattle on the range anyway and did not obey the terms to protect the tortoise. Bundy rejected further government orders and even the orders of the federal district court and the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. For example, in 1998 the Nevada federal district court issued an order permanently enjoining Bundy from grazing cattle on the allotment. It ordered him to remove all trespass cattle and set a penalty of $200 per day per animal remaining on the federal range. Obviously by today, he owes a huge sum of money on his years of violations of the court order. According to the BLM, “In 1999, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the District Court’s permanent injunction. When Mr. Bundy failed to remove his livestock as directed by the District Court, the United States filed a motion to enforce the permanent injunction and the District Court ordered Mr. Bundy to pay $1,377 as willful repeated trespass damages and adjusted fines to be consistent with regulatory rates of $45.90 per day for each day Mr. Bundy’s cattle remained on the allotment based on a herd size of 51 cows BLM had documented as still remaining on the federal range.” Now Bundy apparently has as many as 600 cattle scattered over a wide area and the operation might take seven weeks. In all, the total acreage of the area where there will be temporary closures is over 580,000 acres. The government even has a roundup update site and a map of closed areas for the public at http://tinyurl.com/leokzah The local (Clark County, Nevada) sheriff and state officials are not backing Bundy. The Nevada Cattleman’s Association might get involved according to the Las Vegas Review Journal...more

Idaho Rancher Kills Wolf Said to Have Killed Colt


A couple living in a rural canyon west of Hailey have killed a wolf, saying it’s the same predator that destroyed their colt and attacked two of their dogs. “The wolf that killed J.R. Luna Azul (the colt) is dead,” wrote Kevin and Jennifer Swigert in a press release issued through Idaho for Wildlife. “Although we cannot be sure there were not other wolves involved, we can be sure that the distinctive track we have been following for five long weeks belonged to this wolf. Justice has been served for the painful death of our horse.” Two officers checked the dead wolf Friday afternoon, said Josh Royse, Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional conservation officer. The kill appeared to be legal, and Kevin Swigert had the proper hunting tag, Royse said. Fish and Game could not confirm it was the specific wolf that killed the Swigerts’ colt in early February, Royse said. According to Idaho for Wildlife’s website, the Swigerts found their colt dead, “isolated against an outer fence just 100 feet from the barn” on the morning of Feb. 13. The wolf returned and attacked two of their border collies, which fought off the wolf but sustained injuries to their necks and legs, the Swigerts said. The Swigerts contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s wildlife services. USDA confirmed the wolf depredation and conducted flyovers in the area hoping to kill the predator. The Swigerts also reached out to Idaho for Wildlife, which helped organize an on-the-ground hunt for the wolf. The situation received regional media attention...more

House moves to curb president's power on monuments

The House has approved a Republican bill to limit the president's ability to designate new national monuments, a step President Barack Obama and predecessors have taken to protect historic or ecologically significant sites. The bill approved Wednesday, sponsored by Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, would require an environmental review — including a public hearing — before designation of monuments larger than 5,000 acres. Only one monument per state could be created in a president's four-year term. Bishop and other Republicans have complained that Obama has designated a half-dozen monuments in the past year without input from Congress. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., is an original co-sponsor of the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation (EPIC) of National Monuments Act (H.R. 1459) that would require public participation before a presidentially declared national monument is made official. "Land-use decisions should be made in the sunshine, with full input from affected citizens like farmers and ranchers," Walden said. "The president shouldn't be able to lock up thousands of acres of federal land to all productive uses with just the stroke of his pen and no say from the American people." "That's why I've worked for a long time to reform the Antiquities Act to stop its worst abuses. This common-sense bill would ensure that future national monuments are created with public participation, not behind closed doors at the White House," Walden said...more

Ranchers frustrated over border security issues

US Senator Tom Udall's staff hosted the quarterly meeting of the Southwest New Mexico Border Security Task Force Wednesday at the historic Train Depot in Deming. Approximately 37 people were in attendance, including guest speaker Matt Bouillon, assistant New Mexico Attorney General of the Border Violence Division. Also in attendance were member of the United States Border Patrol's Santa Teresa Station, Lordsburg Station and the Deming Station. Local law enforcement agencies also gave updates and the US Congressional delegation presented its update. On the Congressional side, it was learned that Sen. Udall is continuing work to secure funding for the port center in Santa Teresa. According to the USBP Santa Teresa contingent, the rail yard is an impressive site along the border community to the southeast of Deming. The rail yard is roughly a mile long and will create nearly 600 job opportunities to the area. Once the yard is in service, 600 to 800 cars will pass through daily. Ranchers south of Deming voiced their frustration over what they believe are USBP agents who may be damaging property fences and leaving gates open during investigations and tracking. In many cases ranchers are pointing to ATV tracks they believe were caused by the USBP. LeBlanc said is station is making sure the agents who patrol are held accountable for their actions and that they reports such incidents to the ranchers and farmers who own the property. He said that in some cases, agents are equipped with repair kits, but they still need to alert the property owners of any damage or repairs that are made. One rancher stated: "I can't stress enough how some agents won't even bother to look for a gate when taking down a fence." Hector Maese of the USBP Lordsburg Station said apprehensions and traffic have been down since the recapture of Mexican drug cartel leader "Chapo" Guzman. He indicated the pace could have had something to do with the shift in cartel power. The USDA also has ordered the closing of the Stockyard near Columbus while anticipating possible violence over the capture of Guzman. The stockyard was reopened on March 7...more

Pearce Bill would enhance Border Patrol oversight

Rep. Steve Pearce, a New Mexico Republican, teamed up with a Texas Democrat on Wednesday to introduce a bill that would beef up oversight of the U.S. Border Patrol and offer additional ways for people to report abuses. The legislation comes after several fatal shootings of unarmed civilians by Border Patrol agents near the Mexican border. Pearce, a New Mexico Republican, co-sponsored the legislation with Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat who represents El Paso. The bill would create an independent Border Oversight Commission with subpoena powers and place an ombudsman within the Customs and Border Protection office who would be responsible for investigating complaints. The legislation would also establish a Border Community Liaison Office, require additional use-of-force training for Border Patrol officers and mandate regular reports from the agency to Congress. Pearce said news stories of seemingly unwarranted violence, as well as reports of invasive search procedures of people apprehended at the border, factored into his decision to introduce the legislation. He was also concerned about federal encroachment onto private property on the New Mexico side of the border. “We had been running into ranchers who said, ‘These arrogant (Border Patrol agents) run over our cows and never pay us for them and leave our gates open and tell us it’s all in the line of duty,’ ” Pearce said. “The political spectrum has actually come circular here — left and right are pretty well in agreement. The last thing we want as a country are people coming here to visit and get treated (improperly). “This brings it to a higher level of attention,” he added. Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, called the legislation “unprecedented and historic.”...more

2 conservation groups backing prairie chicken plan

In the final days approaching the potential listing of the lesser prairie chicken as either an endangered or threatened species, two wildlife conservation organizations have partnered to provide $5 million to assist landowners in preserving habitat for the grassland grouse. On Friday, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced it is partnering with Pheasants Forever, a national wildlife conservation organization, to jointly invest $5 million over three years to support technical assistance, including hiring non-federal field conservationists to help farmers and ranchers voluntarily maintain and improve lesser prairie chicken habitat in the Southern Great Plains. The five states included are Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is set to decide on Monday whether the species could be listed as either endangered or threatened. Endangered means any species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Threatened means any species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range...more

Oklahoma AG sues over lesser prairie chicken

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance on Monday filed a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of “colluding” with environmental groups to bypass public rule-making procedures to enact endangered species regulations. The lawsuit is Pruitt’s latest salvo against so-called “sue and settle” techniques, wherein agencies are accused of reaching friendly settlements of lawsuits filed by special-interest groups. Pruitt and Domestic Energy Partners — an Oklahoma-based group representing oil and gas companies and royalty owners — say those settlements amount to using the court system to cut state regulators and other interested parties out of the rule-making process. Pruitt has made similar allegations against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over energy and environmental regulations. The lawsuit stems from a settlement reached in a 2010 lawsuit by Wild Earth Guardians, “which alleged the Fish and Wildlife Service did not meet deadlines in determining the listing of 251 species,” The Oklahoman‘s Jay Marks reports. The federal agencies’ settlements, Pruitt argues, would undermine a $26 million conservation plan the “State of Oklahoma, along with other states and private industry” were considering for the Lesser Prairie Chicken...more

(I'm so relieved!) Scientists: WIPP radiation leak not a threat to Lesser Prairie-Chicken

New Mexico's favorite poultry is in no harm after a radiation leak last month in the southeastern portion of the state. At its peak, the lesser prairie-chicken roamed and grazed the land where the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant currently sits, 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad. Despite the escape of trace amounts of americium and plutonium into the outside atmosphere, scientists and environmentalists say there is no danger to the chicken and other wildlife. "The amounts are so low, it's really a non-issue," said Jane Pierce, an entomologist at the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center located in Artesia. Thirty-three soil samples have been taken since the incident and all except one returned negative for any radiation above background levels. The one soil sample that turned up trace amounts of plutonium is believed to be remnants of the isotopes from Project Gnome, a 1961 test in which a nuclear bomb was detonated underground 25 miles east of Carlsbad...more


Finally, now I can get some sleep.



FDA: Drug companies agree to restrict use of antibiotics in farm animals

Almost all drug companies have agreed to go along with a voluntary plan to stop the use of antibiotics to fatten farm animals, according to Food and Drug Administration. The agency said Wednesday that 25 of 26 of the companies it appealed to in December, asking them to change labels and disallow the use of antibiotics for animal growth, had agreed to the plan. The FDA did not say which company declined to go along with the request, aimed to reduce the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The growth of so-called superbugs, caused in large part by the overuse of antibiotics on farms, poses a major threat to the treatment of human infections. The FDA plan, which was criticized by food safety groups in December because it was voluntary, drew some praise on Wednesday. "The FDA and drug makers appear to have passed the first big test of the agency's voluntary approach," said Laura Rogers, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ human health and industrial farming campaign. "This is very encouraging -- as is the agency's transparency in reporting this information today -- but there's a lot more to do."...more

What’s the horse market look like?

What’s the horse market look like? Are we seeing a turnaround in horse demand and prices? The American Quarter Horse Journal spoke to four representatives from the Quarter Horse industry to get their take on horse sales and prices: South Dakota rancher and AQHA Director Jim Hunt; Cindy Bowling with Triangle Horse Sales in Oklahoma; Jeff Tebow with Heritage Place Sale Co. in Oklahoma City; and Mike Jennings with Professional Horse Services in Virginia. In a nutshell, they all feel like they’re seeing a slight turnaround in the market and in the demand for good horses. Here’s what each of them had to say:..more

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

If You Don't Want a SWAT Team at Your Door, You Shouldn't Be Drinking Tea

Why did a SWAT team raid Bob and Addie Harte's house in Leawood, Kansas, two years ago, then force the couple and their two children to sit on a couch for two hours while officers rifled their belongings, searching for "narcotics" that were not there? KSHB, the NBC station in Kansas City, reports that the Hartes made two mistakes: Bob went to a hydroponics store in Kansas City, Missouri, with his son to buy supplies for a school science project, and Addie drank tea. It cost them $25,000 to discover that these innocent actions earned them an early-morning visit by screaming, rifle-waving men with a battering ram. The Hartes, who tried to reassure their neighbors by showing them the search report indicating that nothing was taken from their home, were naturally curious what they had done to attract police attention. But the Johnson County Sheriff's Office would not say, so the Hartes hired a lawyer to help them obtain the relevant records, which according to KSHB is not easy in Kansas because state law favors darkness over sunshine. Eventually the Hartes learned that a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper saw Bob at the hydroponics store on August 9, 2011. Seven months later, state police passed on this hot tip to the sheriff's office, which sprang into action (after a few weeks), rummaging through the Hartes' garbage three times in April 2012. On all three occasions, they found "wet plant material" that a field test supposedly identified as marijuana. Such tests are notoriously unreliable, confusing chocolate with hashish, soy milk with GHB, and soap with cocaine, among other hilarious errors that result in fruitless searches, mistaken arrests, and false imprisonment. But the cops did not bother to confirm their field results with a more reliable lab test before charging into the Hartes' home, three days after their third surreptitious trash inspection. When the Hartes starting asking questions about the raid, the sheriff's office suddenly decided to test that wet plant material, which it turned out was not marijuana after all. The Hartes figure it must have been the loose tea that Addie favors, which she tends to toss into the trash after brewing. Field tests have been known to misidentify various possible tea ingredients, including spearmint, peppermint, lavendar, vanilla, anise, and chicory, as marijuana...more

College student arrested for buying bottled water

A University of Virginia student charged with assaulting two Virginia ABC agents attempting to stop her for the underage purchase of beer that turned out to be sparkling water has filed a $40 million suit against the state and seven agents. Instead of beer, a friend of Elizabeth K. Daly, now 21, had purchased LaCroix sparkling water from a Harris Teeter store in Charlottesville. Daly said she was terrified when plain-clothed agents surrounded her car and banged on the windows ordering her to roll them down. After one agent drew a handgun and another jumped on the car hood she said she panicked, unsure they were really agents, and fled the scene in her car grazing two of the agents. The charges were later dropped, and her record was expunged. Among other things the 47-page suit, filed Tuesday in Richmond Circuit Court, alleges malicious prosecution, failure to train ABC agents appropriately, and six counts of assault and battery.Among other things the 47-page suit, filed Tuesday in Richmond Circuit Court, alleges malicious prosecution, failure to train ABC agents appropriately, and six counts of assault and battery. Elizabeth Daly, a U.Va. student from Henrico, was arrested after she and two sorority sisters fled six plansclothes ABC agents who had confronted them. The charges were later dropped...more

Woman Arrested For Late Payment of $5 Dog License—and That's Business as Usual

Ann Musser was arrested at her Holyoke, Massachusetts, home, according to media reports, and spent four and a half hours in jail—because she was tardy in paying her $5 dog license fee. Well, actually, as Holyoke City Clerk Brenna McGee assured me, Musser was actually arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court—over the tardy $5 dog license fee. Musser is a little preoccupied these days with ovarian cancer, which may explain why she put an administrative fee on the back burner. But then, it's common practice in Massachusetts to refer people to court after they've ignored or simply missed notices of tickets for even the pettiest of offenses. And since petty offenses have proliferated, including the non-payment of fees for the most mundane activities, court referrals and encounters with the police over...well...bullshit are not uncommon.Musser "and her husband are also repeated offenders" McGee told me, referring to the dog license issue...more

Mexican Wolf/Livestock Coexistence Council Unveils Innovative Strategic Plan

 
     The Mexican Wolf/Livestock Coexistence Council (Coexistence Council), an 11-member volunteer group of livestock producers, tribes, environmental groups, and county coalitions, has developed an innovative Strategic Coexistence Plan (Coexistence Plan), to reduce wolf/livestock conflicts and the need for management removals of depredating or nuisance wolves.  The goals of the Coexistence Plan are to sustain viable ranching, protect healthy western landscapes, and advance a wild, self-sustaining Mexican gray wolf population.
     In April 2011, the Southwest Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service appointed the Coexistence Council to direct disbursement of the Mexican Wolf/Livestock Interdiction Trust Fund (Trust Fund) to qualified applicants.  The Trust Fund is administered by the non-profit National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
    The Coexistence Council has now completed the Coexistence Plan, which provides the basis for the disbursement of these funds.  The Coexistence Plan is comprised of three core strategies:  payments for wolf presence, funding for conflict avoidance measures, and funding for depredation compensation.
    Payments to livestock producers for wolf presence will be based on a formula that considers a variety of factors to determine allocation of the annual funding for each applicant, including whether the applicant’s land or grazing lease overlaps a wolf territory or core area (e.g., den or rendezvous area) and the number of wolf pups annually surviving to December 31 in the territory, recognizing that survival of wolf pups is not dependent upon the livestock producer.  The formula also considers the number of livestock exposed to wolves and the applicant’s participation in proactive conflict avoidance measures.
    Up to 50% of the yearly budgeted funds will be available to sup¬port the voluntary implementation of wolf/livestock proactive conflict avoidance measures by livestock producers.  Adaptive management techniques are available to reduce wolf/livestock conflicts, at the discretion of the livestock producer.
    Direct compensation will continue for confirmed livestock deaths or injuries caused by Mexican wolves to livestock producers who are not otherwise receiving payments for wolf presence funding under the Coexistence Plan, unless they require immediate reimbursement.  In such cases, the reimbursement amount will be subtracted from the payment for wolf presence allocation to that livestock producer.
    The intent of the Coexistence Plan is to recognize that there are real economic consequenc¬es to livestock producers coexisting with wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. In addition to losses from livestock depredations, livestock producers incur costs from undetected depredations and changes in livestock behavior in response to wolf presence, which result in a reduction of livestock weight gain, reproductive rates, and meat quality, as well as increased costs tied to managing wolf/livestock interactions.  The Coexistence Plan creates incentives for ranching in ways that promote self-sustaining Mexican wolf populations, viable ranching operations, and healthy western landscapes.
    “Recovering the Mexican wolf must be accomplished on a working landscape,” said Benjamin Tuggle, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Southwest Regional Director. “Working collaboratively with stakeholders, we can achieve a balance of activities that sustain economically viable ranching operations and a self-sustaining population of wild wolves. This plan is a significant step in that direction.”
    The Coexistence Council will work with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to disburse available funds to affected livestock producers based on the plan’s funding formula and a yearly application process. Livestock producers with private lands, Tribal lands, or grazing allot¬ments in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA), the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, or the San Carlos Apache Reservation, and private lands adjacent to the BRWRA are eligible to apply for funding.  The Coexistence Plan budget projection for year 1 is $634,000.
    The amount of money available each year through the Coexistence Council’s plan will depend on private and public funding directed to support the Trust Fund, with available Fund balances being divided among eligible livestock producers who have applied to participate in the program. Applications to participate are due by May 1 of each year. 

For more information, visit the Coexistence Council website:  www.coexistencecouncil.org

The plan is here and I see where Howard Hutchinson and Gene Whetten are on the Council.
Got to hand it to Tuggle, or whomever wrote this for him, because all the buzzwords are there in just two sentences:  working landscape...collaboratively...stakeholders...balance...sustain.  Everything is there except for climate change. 

EPA land grab? Agency claims authority over more streams, wetlands

In what critics are describing as a government land grab, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a change Tuesday to the Clean Water Act that would give it regulatory authority over temporary wetlands and waterways. The proposal immediately sparked concerns that the regulatory power could extend into seasonal ponds, streams and ditches, including those on private property. "The ... rule may be one of the most significant private property grabs in U.S. history," said Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The EPA proposal would apply pollution regulations to the country's so-called "intermittent and ephemeral streams and wetlands" -- which are created during wet seasons, or simply after it rains, but are temporary. At issue is whether the smaller streams and wetlands are indeed part of the "waters of the United States." The Supreme Court ruled on the issue in 2001 and 2006. The second ruling restricted the federal government's authority by stating such waters must be "relatively" permanent or continuously flowing and sizeable, like "oceans, rivers, streams and lakes." In defending the proposed change, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday that determining Clean Water Act protection for streams and wetlands became "confusing and complex" following the high court decisions. "For nearly a decade, members of Congress, state and local officials, industry, agriculture, environmental groups, and the public asked for a rulemaking to provide clarity," the agencies said in a joint statement. They also argued such waters "form the foundation of the nation's water resources" and the changes would not extend the federal government's reach. "To be clear, our proposal does not add to or expand the scope of the waters historically protected under the Clean Water Act," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a video accompanying the announcement. The EPA also said roughly 60 percent of "stream miles" in the country only flow seasonally or after rain but have a "considerable impact" on downstream waters -- and that about 117 million Americans, or one in three, get their drinking water from public systems that rely in part on such streams...more

National Report Pushes Obama, Congress To Act On Boulder-White Clouds & Organ Mtns.

Hoping to prod Congress into action, a Washington, D.C., think tank has released a report on 10 stalled land conservation bills, including one to designate the Boulder-White Clouds area as wilderness. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, introduced legislation six times to set aside 332,775 acres of the land as wilderness. His bill is among those in “Languishing Lands,” the report published by the Center for American Progress (CAP), an independent non-partisan educational institute. The report does not mention conservationists’ recent efforts to sidestep Simpson’s work and have the land designated as a national monument. But it does point out Simpson’s longstanding effort to “permanently protect the impressive beauty and abundant wildlife” there. The report comes on the heels of President Obama’s signing last week of legislation that designated 32,557 acres of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan as wilderness. That was the first congressional designation under the Wilderness Act since 2009. Also last week, the president ordered expansion of the California Coastal National Monument to include 1,665 acres of Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands. Where he can, Obama has pledged to protect “this incredible gift of American lands” with or without Congress. His administration is looking closely at the 571,276-acre Boulder-White Clouds and the nearly 500,000-acre Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks region near Las Cruces, N.M., the Washington Post has reported. Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks also is mentioned in the new report. The report calls Congress’ inattention to land bills such as Simpson’s the “longest conservation drought since World War II.” It says legislation to protect the 10 locations has been introduced “a combined 52 times over the past 30 years.“...more

The report is here, and mentions both  Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Valles Caldera National Preserve.

NPS Spending $41K For Mobile App Announcing Old Faithful’s Eruptions

The National Park Service (NPS) is spending $41,125 on a mobile app that will give visitors and virtual visitors to Yellowstone National Park advance notice of the "scheduled eruption times for Old Faithful and other predictable geysers.” NPS’ Notice of Intent to Award states that it will collaborate with Washington State University "to reach virtual and in-park visitors by communicating accurate eruption schedules in real time as well as provide interactive, informational, and interpretive content" after the first version of the app is released. Old Faithful is known for its predictable eruptions, which are anywhere from 60 to 110 minutes apart depending on the duration of the previous eruption...more 


Just in time for Secretary Jewel's budget hearing today.
Are people left in the dark without this app?
Not hardly.



However, there are currently several other means of accessing geyser eruption times at Yellowstone:
  • Visitors at Yellowstone can view eruption times on an LCD screen at the park’s visitor center;
  • The National Park Service also has a Twitter feed which gives the times of eruption for Old Faithful and a phone number to find out eruption times for other Yellowstone geysers; and
  • There is an Old Faithful Geyser Live video webcam on the NPS website.