Wild mustangs trained at Kansas prison will be part of the inauguration parade for Donald Trump.
Fort Riley and the U.S. Border Patrol agents are bringing about 10 of the horses to the 1.5-mile parade Friday from the Capitol to the White House.
Since 2001, the Bureau of Land Management has sent horses to the Hutchinson Correctional Facility for training. They come from public lands in the western United States, where their numbers are too high to sustain.
Over the years, more than 60 horses trained at the prison have paroled the border from Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego. Hundreds of others have been adopted...more
They should make nice companions for all those jackasses in DC.
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Friday, January 20, 2017
Neil Kornze talks about accomplishments, issues of BLM
Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze took a look back at what his agency accomplished and the issues that still need work before he stepped down from the position.
Kornze said Thursday that he felt “blessed” to lead the BLM. He worked for the agency for six years and led it for the last four.
“It’s been an absolute dream for a boy from Elko,” he said. “It used to be my nights and weekends were getting to the north end of Fifth Street and just getting out and exploring. To be able to be involved in public lands questions every day has been absolutely extraordinary. Not the path that I expected for myself, but one I have been so excited to be on.”
Kornze said he was proud of the BLM’s record in managing conservation areas. The agency is responsible for about 800 of these areas across the country and the BLM has kept communities involved in the process of “figuring out the best path forward for what we do with those places,” he said. In regard to the change in administration, Kornze said the secretary of the Interior nominee said “he does not support the sale and disposal of public lands.”
“That was very encouraging to me,” Kornze said. “I think we’re always learning how to manage the public lands better, but I think it is such a critical and incredible part of our national heritage. There are few places in the world where when you’re born you’re automatically given access to some of the most beautiful places in the world, and you get that here in the United States. That’s the conversation I think we’ll continue.”...more
Getting a sheep into a teepee is no easy task
For years at the Black Hills Stock Show, sheep have been sheared, ridden upon by youngsters, wrangled by border collies and corralled by ranchers on horseback.
So what else can possibly be done to these woolly and wily animals?
How about being tackled and then shrouded in a homemade teepee by two people racing against the clock?
It's true: The 2017 Black Hills Stock Show will feature the inaugural Sheep Teepeeing competition in which a team of two chases down and tackles a ewe, assembles a home-made canvas teepee, and then must convince the sheep to go inside and stay there until the competitors can run across a finish line.
While it's certain to be fun to watch, and a big challenge for the contestants, a big goal of the sheep teepeeing event is to keep a South Dakota tradition alive.
"It's an opportunity for us to celebrate the tradition of sheep herding and use of teepees in South Dakota," said David Ollila, a sheep rancher near Newell who is also the sheep field specialist for the South Dakota State University extension office in Rapid City...more
Myths hurting beef industry: consultant
The disconnect between the agriculture industry and consumers, and the truth behind some of the myths surrounding the beef industry, were explored by guest speaker Jude Capper at this year’s Tiffin Conference.
“(The disconnect) seems to be getting bigger with the rise of media people who like to tell the consumer what they think we do rather than what we actually do,” said Capper.
Capper is an independent Livestock Sustainability Consultant based in Oxfordshire, U.K. Her research focuses on modelling the environmental impact of livestock production systems, specifically dairy and beef – projects include the effect of specific management practices and technology use upon environmental impact.
Some popular media myths explored by Capper include the effectiveness of the “Meatless Monday” campaign; ecological impact of beef production; differences between grassfed and grainfed beef; the image of the “factory farm” versus the reality; and the perceived dangers of hormones in beef.
“Meatless Monday” as an environmental movement doesn’t have the impact some believe it does, according to Capper.
She said the total carbon footprint from meat in Canada amounts to about 3.9 per cent.
“What that means is if everyone in Canada went meatless every Monday for a whole year, the national carbon footprint would come down less than 0.55 per cent,” she said. And because the meat needs to be replaced with another food, the idea is misleading to the public.
In regards to the ecological impact of beef production, Capper said efficiencies at all levels of production have led to larger yields. Between 1977 and 2007, water use in the U.S. was reduced by 12 per cent, land use reduced by 33 per cent, and carbon footprint by 16 per cent...more
Passengers scream as Florida alligator leaps into airboat
A couple vacationing in Florida got an up-close-and-personal interaction with the state’s most famous reptilian residents when an alligator leaped off the bank it was sunning on and into their airboat, briefly wedging itself in the boat’s railing.
And they caught it all on video.
Tylor Hindery, 30, really wanted to see some alligators on his Florida trip, so he managed to talk his wife, Emerald, 31, into an airboat ride.
The Springfield, Missouri, couple took a tour with two other people in hopes of capturing some brag-worthy pictures and video. He wouldn’t reveal which area of Florida he was in, but a Facebook live video he took of his close encounter starts mere feet from the creature’s snout.
“The guy killed the engine and we just floated over,” Hindery said. “We got stuck on the bank, and he didn’t want to turn the engine on and scare everything.”
The group enjoyed the picture-perfect proximity for a few moments as the guide starts to discuss plans to push off from the bank and back into the water.
“Don’t make no sudden moves,” the man in the boat warned, “because ... ”
As if on cue, the gator lunged. He landed directly in the airboat, sending the camera wheeling and the passengers screaming and scrambling to safety.
But as the focus turned back to the gator, it turned out the plump reptile cleared the railing on one side of the boat, but not the other. He was stuck...more
The Video
The Video
The company of wolves
A surefire way to animate an afternoon is to let a child share space with a wild animal. While most children do not normally get to see wolves up close, Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary facilitates such encounters. The organization, based in Ramah, New Mexico, rescues displaced wolves and offers them lifetime sanctuary. It also educates the public on “wild wolves and wolf-dogs in captivity, and the difference between wild and domestic animals” — an important distinction to be aware of in a time when wild spaces are shrinking, and it is no longer unusual for coyotes and wolves to wander into our backyards...more
Mexican Drug Lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman Extradited to U.S.
Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been extradited to the United States, Mexico's government said Thursday, a little more than a year he was caught following his brazen escape from a maximum-security prison.
Several U.S. jurisdictions want to try the former Sinaloa cartel leader on federal drug trafficking charges, including prosecutors in San Diego, New York, El Paso, Texas, Miami and Chicago.
A plane carrying Guzman landed at MacArthur Airport on Long Island, New York, at around 9:30 p.m. ET, where dozens of U.S. marshals and other law enforcement officers were gathered.
The Justice Department said Guzman was will "face criminal charges in connection with his leadership of the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the 'Sinaloa cartel," and is charged in six separate indictments in the U.S...more
Ranch Radio Song of the Day #1764
We'll close out our tribute to Tommy Allsup (http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2017...) with A Party For The Old Folks. The tune is on his CD Raining In My Heart.
https://youtu.be/1GVGwULoHiQ
https://youtu.be/1GVGwULoHiQ
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Attorney For Oregon Standoff Leader Faces New Charges In Courthouse Scuffle
The attorney for the leader of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation is facing three charges in connection with a dramatic incident that played out as his client was acquitted last fall. Mumford previously faced charges of failing to comply with the lawful direction of federal police officers and impeding the performance of official duties. He pleaded not guilty to those charges last week, but the special prosecutor from Washington, Timothy Ohms, has replaced the charges.
The new charges that Mumford faces include creating disturbances by impeding or disrupting the performance of official duties, failure to comply with signs of a prohibitory, regulatory and directory nature, and failure to comply with the lawful direction of a federal police officer. Mumford’s attorney, Michael Levine, has said Brown and U.S. marshals overreacted.
“My client was doing nothing that a zealous advocate would not do,” he said. “What we have here is an unprecedented attack on the defense bar, I truly believe unprecedented, and I’ve been practicing law for almost 40 years.”...more
Defendants in second Oregon standoff trial want Ammon Bundy, Ryan Payne to testify
The second wave of defendants set for trial next month in the armed seizure of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge want occupation leaders Ammon Bundy and Ryan Payne to testify in their defense.
Bundy and Payne are both in custody in Nevada, scheduled to face trial themselves this spring in another federal case.
The seven defendants in the second Oregon standoff trial have proposed that Bundy and Payne be transferred to Oregon to testify sometime in March and then return to Nevada by April for their trial in the 2014 standoff with federal land management agents near Bunkerville, Nevada.
They anticipate Bundy, who testified over three days last fall and was acquitted of all charges in the refuge takeover case, would take the stand on two trial days.
"In my opinion, his testimony cannot be replicated by any other witness or even group of witnesses. Mr. Bundy also has personal knowledge of facts related to the misdemeanor charges presently facing these defendants that were not at issue in the first trial and to which Mr. Bundy's prior testimony did not apply,'' wrote defense lawyer Andrew Kohlmetz, standby lawyer for defendant Jason Patrick. "It is the unanimous judgment of all defense counsel that Ammon Bundy is a critical witness for the defendants in this case.'' Prosecutors argue that no mention of the acquittal of Ammon Bundy and his six co-defendants be allowed during
the second trial, saying it would be irrelevant and "wildly
prejudicial.'' If the court were to allow mention of the acquittals,
then the court also should mention the defendants who have pleaded
guilty to the conspiracy charge as well, but ask the jury in the second
trial to disregard both, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight wrote in a
court filing. Defendants want the court to allow evidence that the seven defendants tried last fall were acquitted on the federal conspiracy charge...more
Jury In 2nd Oregon Standoff Trial Will Remain Anonymous
U.S. District Court Judge Anna Brown said Friday she will keep the identities of jurors anonymous for the second Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation trial.
Defendants Jason Patrick, Duane Ehmer, Dylan Anderson, Sean Anderson, Sandy Anderson, Darryl Thorn and Jake Ryan are scheduled to go to trial Feb. 14.
In her order, Brown said her experience with the first trial and others throughout her career guided her decision.
“Based on 25 years of experience as a trial judge, this Court finds if jurors’ names and personally-identifiable information are publicly disclosed, there is an unacceptable, continuous, and significant risk that jurors will be contacted,” Brown wrote.
She said that such contact has the potential to compromise the jurors’ ability to make a decision on the case without being subjected to “external information and influences.”...more
Trump can scale back monument designations, experts say
by Mateusz Perkowski
The Trump administration could sharply revise controversial national monument designations made by its predecessor, though it’s unclear such changes would be a high priority, experts say. Pro-monument environmental groups would also likely seek to counteract such moves, testing largely uncharted legal waters. While the Trump administration could not entirely revoke earlier national monument designations, their size and land use restrictions within their boundaries could be modified, said Karen Budd-Falen, an attorney who represents ranchers in public land disputes. “All that stuff is fair game for the Trump administration,” she said. “It’s pretty clear they have maneuvering room.” Theoretically, Trump could go beyond recent designations — such as the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon — and amend monuments created by presidents before Obama, Budd-Falen said. “There’s not a statute of limitations or a time frame on these things,” she said. The Republican-controlled Congress could also outright overturn a national monument designation or simply excise tracts that are most problematic for ranchers and other natural resource users, said Scott Horngren, an attorney with the Western Resources Legal Center, which litigates on behalf of agriculture and timber interests. “They could use a scalpel,” said Horngren. With the multitude of contentious issues facing the Trump administration and Congress, though, it’s open to question whether they’ll want to tackle disputes over national monuments, he said. “We just don’t know that.”...more
The Trump administration could sharply revise controversial national monument designations made by its predecessor, though it’s unclear such changes would be a high priority, experts say. Pro-monument environmental groups would also likely seek to counteract such moves, testing largely uncharted legal waters. While the Trump administration could not entirely revoke earlier national monument designations, their size and land use restrictions within their boundaries could be modified, said Karen Budd-Falen, an attorney who represents ranchers in public land disputes. “All that stuff is fair game for the Trump administration,” she said. “It’s pretty clear they have maneuvering room.” Theoretically, Trump could go beyond recent designations — such as the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon — and amend monuments created by presidents before Obama, Budd-Falen said. “There’s not a statute of limitations or a time frame on these things,” she said. The Republican-controlled Congress could also outright overturn a national monument designation or simply excise tracts that are most problematic for ranchers and other natural resource users, said Scott Horngren, an attorney with the Western Resources Legal Center, which litigates on behalf of agriculture and timber interests. “They could use a scalpel,” said Horngren. With the multitude of contentious issues facing the Trump administration and Congress, though, it’s open to question whether they’ll want to tackle disputes over national monuments, he said. “We just don’t know that.”...more
Water law update: Where do we stand on WOTUS?
Shannon L. Ferrell, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet
The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) saga continues into another year, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit still considering the rule, and the rule as it stood prior to August 28, 2015, still in effect. Still, 2016 saw two important cases interpreting the present WOTUS rules. In Duarte Nursery v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the issue was whether field cultivation near “vernal pools” (depressed areas that fill with water during wetter periods of the year, but may be dry for the remainder) constituted a violation of Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The Corps alleged Duarte had been cultivating soils near the pools, resulting in the “discharge” of soils into them. The district court applied the “significant nexus” test proposed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Rapanos case, and determined that even though there was no surface connection between the pools and the closest stream (Coyote Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River), the pools were “hydrologically connected” to the Sacramento River. The court made this determination even though there was no surface connection between the pools and another water body that could be considered “navigable” (another CWA term). EXPANSIVE INTERPRETATIONS Although limited to California and currently under appeal, many observers have noted this case as an example of the expansive interpretations possible under the previous version of the WOTUS rule and have cautioned that, if eventually effective, the current WOTUS rule would expand Environmental Protection Agency and Corps jurisdiction even further. Conversely, a number of observers hailed the case of United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes as a step forward for landowners. In the Hawkes case, the Corps had issued a “jurisdictional determination,” finding that portions of Hawkes’ land constitute a WOTUS. Such determinations often put landowners in form of purgatory since they may not be appealed to a court, but could also be erroneous upon further examination. DIFFICULT OPTIONS Thus, landowners faced three difficult options: (1) Consider the land “off limits” for any activity that did not have a CWA permit, (2) ignore the determination and proceed with use of the land, with the potential of civil or criminal liability if any future activity was found in violation of the CWA, or (3) spend significant sums of time and money to secure an EPA or Corps permit that might not be necessary...more
The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) saga continues into another year, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit still considering the rule, and the rule as it stood prior to August 28, 2015, still in effect. Still, 2016 saw two important cases interpreting the present WOTUS rules. In Duarte Nursery v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the issue was whether field cultivation near “vernal pools” (depressed areas that fill with water during wetter periods of the year, but may be dry for the remainder) constituted a violation of Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The Corps alleged Duarte had been cultivating soils near the pools, resulting in the “discharge” of soils into them. The district court applied the “significant nexus” test proposed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Rapanos case, and determined that even though there was no surface connection between the pools and the closest stream (Coyote Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River), the pools were “hydrologically connected” to the Sacramento River. The court made this determination even though there was no surface connection between the pools and another water body that could be considered “navigable” (another CWA term). EXPANSIVE INTERPRETATIONS Although limited to California and currently under appeal, many observers have noted this case as an example of the expansive interpretations possible under the previous version of the WOTUS rule and have cautioned that, if eventually effective, the current WOTUS rule would expand Environmental Protection Agency and Corps jurisdiction even further. Conversely, a number of observers hailed the case of United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes as a step forward for landowners. In the Hawkes case, the Corps had issued a “jurisdictional determination,” finding that portions of Hawkes’ land constitute a WOTUS. Such determinations often put landowners in form of purgatory since they may not be appealed to a court, but could also be erroneous upon further examination. DIFFICULT OPTIONS Thus, landowners faced three difficult options: (1) Consider the land “off limits” for any activity that did not have a CWA permit, (2) ignore the determination and proceed with use of the land, with the potential of civil or criminal liability if any future activity was found in violation of the CWA, or (3) spend significant sums of time and money to secure an EPA or Corps permit that might not be necessary...more
Zinke gets the thumbs up from Montana agricultural groups
Rebecca Colnar
for Tri-State Livestock News
Ranchers watching the hearing may have noticed that grazing did not make the list of multiple use; natural resource development of oil production and coal received the most attention, with sportsmen’s concerns coming in second. Several western senators surfaced sage grouse management issues, and how stakeholders in the western states had worked to develop a feasible solution only to have those plans dismissed by the Bureau of Land Management. However, despite the lack of agriculturally related comments, ranchers believe the Congressman will listen to the concerns of those whose livelihoods depend on grazing public lands. As Montana’s Representative, Zinke has been willing to meet with ag groups and local rural communities. “He’s been very supportive of the agricultural community,” said Tom DePuydt, a cow-calf producer from Malta. “About a year ago, he held a town hall meeting in Malta and heard our local concerns, especially regarding the listing of sage grouse as an endangered species. The Treasured Landscape Initiative, for monument expansion, introduced in 2010 by the then Bureau of Land Management Director Robert Abbey, was still very much on the minds of people in Malta and Rep. Zinke listened to us.” DePuydt believes Zinke will be a willing listener. “Listening and understanding is an important part of local input. Federal plans need to be consistent with local land use. I find it disturbing that in some cases, international concerns carry more weight than those of local people.” Although Zinke has indicated his strong support of funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, DePuydt expressed concern. “I have reservations about that, as I feel that fund needs to be overhauled and have a limitation regarding private lands and private property rights. I worry that fund provides too much money for land acquisitions. However, I’m hopeful if voted as Interior Secretary and with the new leadership in Washington, D.C., Zinke will make proper use of development of natural resources a priority. That’s what makes our rural communities thrive,” DePuydt said. Montana Farm Bureau President Hans McPherson, who has met with Rep. Zinke in Montana and Washington, D.C., is thrilled with the nomination. “My experience is he gathers facts before forming opinions. He wants information from people who are on the ground with dirt under their fingernails or sawdust in their cuffs,” said the Stevensville rancher. “He wants to know what’s going on in the woods and on the farm. He will be levelheaded and honest, and willing to take advice and seek advice. He’s not going to tell you he’ll do something, then not do it.” McPherson believes Zinke will listen, a trait that he believes has been lacking in past interior secretaries. “Anybody who grazes, farms, logs or mines will have a say. He is certainly not going to let the environment get trashed, but he’ll use sound science to make decisions, and give more weight to those directly affect by federal land management policies than basing a decision from someone far-removed in San Francisco.” The fact Zinke understands Western issues is critical. “Montana is unique because we have logging, we have grazing, we have mining, and yet we also have the biggest and best national parks in this country,” McPherson noted. Zinke understands the importance of balancing those. He will be a great asset to President Trump’s cabinet, and as a Montanan, I couldn’t be more excited or more proud to have him serve as Secretary of the Interior.”...more
for Tri-State Livestock News
Ranchers watching the hearing may have noticed that grazing did not make the list of multiple use; natural resource development of oil production and coal received the most attention, with sportsmen’s concerns coming in second. Several western senators surfaced sage grouse management issues, and how stakeholders in the western states had worked to develop a feasible solution only to have those plans dismissed by the Bureau of Land Management. However, despite the lack of agriculturally related comments, ranchers believe the Congressman will listen to the concerns of those whose livelihoods depend on grazing public lands. As Montana’s Representative, Zinke has been willing to meet with ag groups and local rural communities. “He’s been very supportive of the agricultural community,” said Tom DePuydt, a cow-calf producer from Malta. “About a year ago, he held a town hall meeting in Malta and heard our local concerns, especially regarding the listing of sage grouse as an endangered species. The Treasured Landscape Initiative, for monument expansion, introduced in 2010 by the then Bureau of Land Management Director Robert Abbey, was still very much on the minds of people in Malta and Rep. Zinke listened to us.” DePuydt believes Zinke will be a willing listener. “Listening and understanding is an important part of local input. Federal plans need to be consistent with local land use. I find it disturbing that in some cases, international concerns carry more weight than those of local people.” Although Zinke has indicated his strong support of funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, DePuydt expressed concern. “I have reservations about that, as I feel that fund needs to be overhauled and have a limitation regarding private lands and private property rights. I worry that fund provides too much money for land acquisitions. However, I’m hopeful if voted as Interior Secretary and with the new leadership in Washington, D.C., Zinke will make proper use of development of natural resources a priority. That’s what makes our rural communities thrive,” DePuydt said. Montana Farm Bureau President Hans McPherson, who has met with Rep. Zinke in Montana and Washington, D.C., is thrilled with the nomination. “My experience is he gathers facts before forming opinions. He wants information from people who are on the ground with dirt under their fingernails or sawdust in their cuffs,” said the Stevensville rancher. “He wants to know what’s going on in the woods and on the farm. He will be levelheaded and honest, and willing to take advice and seek advice. He’s not going to tell you he’ll do something, then not do it.” McPherson believes Zinke will listen, a trait that he believes has been lacking in past interior secretaries. “Anybody who grazes, farms, logs or mines will have a say. He is certainly not going to let the environment get trashed, but he’ll use sound science to make decisions, and give more weight to those directly affect by federal land management policies than basing a decision from someone far-removed in San Francisco.” The fact Zinke understands Western issues is critical. “Montana is unique because we have logging, we have grazing, we have mining, and yet we also have the biggest and best national parks in this country,” McPherson noted. Zinke understands the importance of balancing those. He will be a great asset to President Trump’s cabinet, and as a Montanan, I couldn’t be more excited or more proud to have him serve as Secretary of the Interior.”...more
Obama's ‘Forceful' Final WOTUS Defense
The Obama administration is fighting for a controversial water regulation until the very end of its tenure in power.
The Justice Department filed “a 245-page brief in defense of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that defines every water body in the nation, and determines whether they can be regulated under the Clean Water Act,” The Washington Post reported. The brief filed last week is “the administration’s most forceful defense of the rule,” the Post reported. Justice Department Assistant Attorney General John Cruden “said that by filing the brief, the court now has to consider it, and the lawyers prosecuting the case for the current administration will still be around to do so. To undo a rule, Cruden said, the Trump administration would have to take the same arduous path that the EPA and Army Corps took to create it.”
Legal challenges to the rule “should be denied because the rule is not arbitrary, capricious, or otherwise contrary to law,” the brief argues...more
Sheriff introduces ag theft prevention tool
Tulare County ranchers and farmers are getting a little help from the sheriff’s department in the form of water.
But it’s not what you might think.
Sheriff Mike Boudreaux announced Wednesday a new investigative tool being used by the department’s Agricultural Crimes Unit, SmartWater CSI.
Once sprayed on ag equipment, the liquid which is invisible, odorless, stays on a thief for up to five years without them noticing and is picked up using an ultra-violet light. The sheriff’s department is the first agency in the western United States to take advantage of the technology.
“We will use this tool to protect our ag partners,” Boudreaux said.
The invisible witness
Boudreaux referred to the product as a “silent, invisible witness”...more
Ranch Radio Song of the Day #1763
In memory of Tommy Allsup we bring you his live performance of A Big Rock In The Road, which is on his Raining In My Heart CD.
https://youtu.be/LsKsH_1fRMw
https://youtu.be/LsKsH_1fRMw
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Trump picks Sonny Perdue for agriculture secretary
Donald Trump has chosen former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue to be his secretary of agriculture, completing a protracted search with implications for how the president-elect plans to deliver on his promises to the army of rural voters widely credited with helping him win the election.
A transition official confirmed the pick — the final Cabinet department chief to be selected — which could be formally announced as early as Thursday.
Perdue, a former Democrat who switched to the Republican Party before governing Georgia for two terms from 2003 to 2011, has a strong agricultural background, having grown up on a farm and earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine. As governor of Georgia, he also took conservative stances on immigration and voting rights and drew national headlines for holding a public vigil to pray for rain in 2007 amidst a crippling drought.
Although Perdue’s Georgia is not among the nation’s top 10 agricultural states, it is home to 42,000 farms, with a strong focus in the cattle industry. Perdue’s pick heads off abundant speculation that Trump was seeking a Latino for the job and aligns with the desires of Trump’s influential agricultural advisory committee, empaneled during the 2016 election and comprising influential Republican representatives, state officials and representatives of the industry. Members of this group reportedly disapproved strongly of Trump’s early consideration of a Democrat, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, for the position. Perdue was a member of the advisory committee. By picking Perdue, Trump has passed on appointing any Latinos to his Cabinet, the first time Cabinet meetings will lack someone from the nation’s largest minority population since 1988. That’s the year Lauro F. Cavazos became Ronald Reagan’s last education secretary and the first Latino ever nominated to the Cabinet...more
Trump Interior Nominee Would Review Obama's Limits on Oil Drilling
President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the Department of the
Interior, Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, said during his
confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he would review President Barack
Obama's moves to limit oil and gas drilling in Alaska and some other
parts of the country if confirmed.
“Yes,” he said in response to a question from Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska about whether he would review drilling limits on federal land in her state as head of the department.
“The president-elect has said that we want to be energy independent. I can guarantee you it is better to produce energy domestically under reasonable regulation than overseas with no regulation," he said.
...Obama's Interior Department banned new coal mining leases on federal property early in 2016. More recently the agency placed parts of the offshore Arctic and Atlantic off-limits to drilling and declared national monuments that protect large parts of Utah and Nevada from development.
Zinke said he believed Trump could “amend” Obama's moves to declare millions of acres as national monuments.
...Zinke also said during his hearing that he believes that humans contribute to global climate change but that there is still debate over what should be done about it.
“I do not think it is a hoax,” he said.
...In his opening remarks, Zinke struck a moderate tone, saying that he recognizes that some federal lands require strong protection. He also called himself an “unapologetic admirer of Teddy Roosevelt,” a former Republican president who pioneered public land conservation.
He said, however, that “a preponderance” of U.S. federal lands are better suited for “multiple use using best practices, sustainable policies and objective science” — a nod to U.S. industries that depend on access to public acreage.
For those interested, Chairman Murkowski's press release is here, Ranking Member Cantwell's is here, and I've embedded Zinke's testimony below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Yd5M8kgeNtUWEtQ2hsbThWQnc/view?usp=sharing
“Yes,” he said in response to a question from Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska about whether he would review drilling limits on federal land in her state as head of the department.
“The president-elect has said that we want to be energy independent. I can guarantee you it is better to produce energy domestically under reasonable regulation than overseas with no regulation," he said.
...Obama's Interior Department banned new coal mining leases on federal property early in 2016. More recently the agency placed parts of the offshore Arctic and Atlantic off-limits to drilling and declared national monuments that protect large parts of Utah and Nevada from development.
Zinke said he believed Trump could “amend” Obama's moves to declare millions of acres as national monuments.
...Zinke also said during his hearing that he believes that humans contribute to global climate change but that there is still debate over what should be done about it.
“I do not think it is a hoax,” he said.
...In his opening remarks, Zinke struck a moderate tone, saying that he recognizes that some federal lands require strong protection. He also called himself an “unapologetic admirer of Teddy Roosevelt,” a former Republican president who pioneered public land conservation.
He said, however, that “a preponderance” of U.S. federal lands are better suited for “multiple use using best practices, sustainable policies and objective science” — a nod to U.S. industries that depend on access to public acreage.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Yd5M8kgeNtUWEtQ2hsbThWQnc/view?usp=sharing
Daugherty family issues statement
The family of Walker Daugherty has provided the following statement to
the New Mexico Council of Outfitters and Guides. The Daugherty's are
long time members of NMCOG and have asked that we distribute this to the
membership. The opinions expressed in the following statement belong to
the author and do not necessarily represent the organization - Kerrie C.
Romero (NMCOG, Executive Director)
Official Family Statement - For Immediate Release 1/16/17
Written by Bob and Jennafer Daugherty
We, the family of Walker Daugherty, have decided to release a statement regarding our version of the events that took place on a rural TX ranch along the Mexico border on January 6, 2017. Our statement comes after the Presidio County Sheriff, Danny Dominguez issued what he described as his office’s conclusion to their investigation of the incident. In an interview with reporters, Sheriff Dominguez declared that there was no cross-border activity and the incident “was the result of friendly fire”. We have chosen to release our account of events leading up to the incident to clear up, what we feel is, a lot of misinformation being reported.
Sheriff Dominguez’s statement that there has been “no indication of cross border activity” on the ranch is inaccurate. We have been involved in numerous incidents of cross border activity on the Circle Dug Ranch. Since December, we have been involved in 2 helicopter captures of illegal immigrants on the ranch. The first involved a group of illegals immigrants we spotted and kept track of until Border Patrol arrived to apprehend them. The 2nd capture was the result of a break-in at our camp while we were out hunting. The day after the robbery we located a group of illegals through our spotting scopes and called Border Patrol, who again apprehended the immigrants. They turned out to be the same group who robbed our camp and we were able to recover some of our stolen property. Border Patrol agents told us that one of the robbers was also a convicted felon who had recently been released from a prison in KS, MO. This was his fourth capture.
On another recent, yet separate, occasion two men from El Salvador came into our hunting camp and we provided them with food and water until Border Patrol arrived. On yet another occasion we witnessed an individual breaking into a neighboring ranch house. We reported the incident to Border Patrol who apprehended the individual. We also routinely see foot tracks and other evidence of uninvited individuals on the ranch. Border Patrol has told us that everyone in the area should be armed at all times and to never travel alone.
It is our opinion that the incident that took place on January 6th was a failed robbery attempt of our hunter client’s RV. Our son Walker and our other guide, Michael, were responding to what they perceived to be an immediate threat to the lives of our hunter and his wife. Walker was awakened, in his room in the ranch house, by an ongoing commotion at the RV. He then awoke Michael as back up. Shots were fired and the hunter and Walker were both wounded.
We do not deny that our hunter client was hit by a bullet that resulted from a horribly fearful and confusing situation. However, the bullet that shot our son was not. That shot came later and from an entirely different direction. We are unable to reveal all the details of the event at this time but we do not agree with the Sherriff’s stated conclusion to the incident. We have 40 years’ experience guiding hunters. We know our surroundings, our firearms, and our occupation. We have also assisted state game agencies in the apprehension of poaching cases and I am a former reserve conservation officer for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. This incident was not the result of miscommunication or reckless gun handling.
We are happy to report that our son Walker, who was shot in the chest, is in stable condition and continues to improve. We would like to thank all those who have been praying for our family and have supported us through this crisis. There is no way we can express our feelings of gratitude to everyone personally but we know who you are and you will never ever be forgotten. To all our friends both known and unknown THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!!
Official Family Statement - For Immediate Release 1/16/17
Written by Bob and Jennafer Daugherty
We, the family of Walker Daugherty, have decided to release a statement regarding our version of the events that took place on a rural TX ranch along the Mexico border on January 6, 2017. Our statement comes after the Presidio County Sheriff, Danny Dominguez issued what he described as his office’s conclusion to their investigation of the incident. In an interview with reporters, Sheriff Dominguez declared that there was no cross-border activity and the incident “was the result of friendly fire”. We have chosen to release our account of events leading up to the incident to clear up, what we feel is, a lot of misinformation being reported.
Sheriff Dominguez’s statement that there has been “no indication of cross border activity” on the ranch is inaccurate. We have been involved in numerous incidents of cross border activity on the Circle Dug Ranch. Since December, we have been involved in 2 helicopter captures of illegal immigrants on the ranch. The first involved a group of illegals immigrants we spotted and kept track of until Border Patrol arrived to apprehend them. The 2nd capture was the result of a break-in at our camp while we were out hunting. The day after the robbery we located a group of illegals through our spotting scopes and called Border Patrol, who again apprehended the immigrants. They turned out to be the same group who robbed our camp and we were able to recover some of our stolen property. Border Patrol agents told us that one of the robbers was also a convicted felon who had recently been released from a prison in KS, MO. This was his fourth capture.
On another recent, yet separate, occasion two men from El Salvador came into our hunting camp and we provided them with food and water until Border Patrol arrived. On yet another occasion we witnessed an individual breaking into a neighboring ranch house. We reported the incident to Border Patrol who apprehended the individual. We also routinely see foot tracks and other evidence of uninvited individuals on the ranch. Border Patrol has told us that everyone in the area should be armed at all times and to never travel alone.
It is our opinion that the incident that took place on January 6th was a failed robbery attempt of our hunter client’s RV. Our son Walker and our other guide, Michael, were responding to what they perceived to be an immediate threat to the lives of our hunter and his wife. Walker was awakened, in his room in the ranch house, by an ongoing commotion at the RV. He then awoke Michael as back up. Shots were fired and the hunter and Walker were both wounded.
We do not deny that our hunter client was hit by a bullet that resulted from a horribly fearful and confusing situation. However, the bullet that shot our son was not. That shot came later and from an entirely different direction. We are unable to reveal all the details of the event at this time but we do not agree with the Sherriff’s stated conclusion to the incident. We have 40 years’ experience guiding hunters. We know our surroundings, our firearms, and our occupation. We have also assisted state game agencies in the apprehension of poaching cases and I am a former reserve conservation officer for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. This incident was not the result of miscommunication or reckless gun handling.
We are happy to report that our son Walker, who was shot in the chest, is in stable condition and continues to improve. We would like to thank all those who have been praying for our family and have supported us through this crisis. There is no way we can express our feelings of gratitude to everyone personally but we know who you are and you will never ever be forgotten. To all our friends both known and unknown THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!!
###
USDA rules to protect livestock, poultry producers
By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press
Editorial: Why the death tax needs to die
According to the old saying, only death and taxes are certain in life.
If Republicans have their way (hopefully), at least one of these certainties can be eliminated.
Since there is nothing that can be done about mortality, that leaves taxes - or more specifically the so-called “death tax.”
U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is once again helping lead the charge with legislation to repeal the federal inheritance tax, also known as the “death tax.”
Thornberry, who visited Tuesday with the Amarillo Globe-News editorial board, is optimistic that - finally - Congress can put the “death tax” out of taxpayer misery.
“We passed a similar bill in the last Congress in the House. It was the first time it had been voted on straight-up in quite awhile,” Thornberry said. “Tax reform will be a major focus for later this year. One of the proposals is to do away with the death tax, and to streamline and simplify the tax code.
“One element of that will, could (and) should be to get rid of the death tax completely forever.”
...When it comes to the federal government and taxpayer money, anyone want to bet against Uncle Sam “adjusting” the death tax threshold to fatten his wallet? And then there are the 18 states, along with Washington, D.C., that have their own versions of a death tax.
The bottom line is it is just not fair for the federal government to impose taxes throughout a taxpayer’s lifetime, and then also slap even more taxes on this same individual’s family upon his or her death.
It is time for the “death tax” to meet its demise.
If Republicans have their way (hopefully), at least one of these certainties can be eliminated.
Since there is nothing that can be done about mortality, that leaves taxes - or more specifically the so-called “death tax.”
U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is once again helping lead the charge with legislation to repeal the federal inheritance tax, also known as the “death tax.”
Thornberry, who visited Tuesday with the Amarillo Globe-News editorial board, is optimistic that - finally - Congress can put the “death tax” out of taxpayer misery.
“We passed a similar bill in the last Congress in the House. It was the first time it had been voted on straight-up in quite awhile,” Thornberry said. “Tax reform will be a major focus for later this year. One of the proposals is to do away with the death tax, and to streamline and simplify the tax code.
“One element of that will, could (and) should be to get rid of the death tax completely forever.”
...When it comes to the federal government and taxpayer money, anyone want to bet against Uncle Sam “adjusting” the death tax threshold to fatten his wallet? And then there are the 18 states, along with Washington, D.C., that have their own versions of a death tax.
The bottom line is it is just not fair for the federal government to impose taxes throughout a taxpayer’s lifetime, and then also slap even more taxes on this same individual’s family upon his or her death.
It is time for the “death tax” to meet its demise.
Coors Western Art Exhibit comes back for 24th year
The Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale is in its 24th year, featuring works by 66 contemporary realists from North America and Europe on display at the National Western Complex Expo Hall, Third Floor, through Jan. 22, open during Stock Show hours.
“Community,” a gentle landscape by Dinah K. Worman of Taos, is chosen as the 2017 featured artwork and is printed on the show’s official poster, available for sale. (The original will join others in the National Western collection.)
Worman’s oil painting on canvas measures five feet by four feet and shows a snowy field sloping up to an old traditional red barn and farmhouse, with purple mountains in the background. A few black cattle dot the field, giving some perspective to how huge it is.
On Jan. 3, there was a gala reception where many of the paintings sold to area collectors. Money raised by this and other National Western Stock Show events provides scholarships for more than 80 college students in medicine, agriculture and veterinary medicine through the National Western Scholarship Trust.
In 2016, the Art Show and Sale raised $1.1 million in ticket and art sales.
Rabid bobcat attacks 4, terrorizes resort town in Arizona
People flock to the Arizona desert town of Sedona for its tranquility and relaxation. But tranquility turned to terror after a rabid bobcat attacked residents and pets.
Authorities killed the rabid animal after it injured four people, a dog and a house cat in three separate attacks last week in Sedona.
The bobcat first struck Thursday morning when a man heard strange noises coming from his parked vehicle and looked underneath. The sick animal scratched and bit the man and injured his dog before running away.
Five hours later, a woman called police to report that a bobcat attacked her house cat, Roger, while the two animals were under her vehicle. The woman was not injured, but Roger was scratched on his rear leg before the bobcat fled.
The bobcat was spotted about 20 minutes later running through the parking lot at Los Abrigados Resort and Spa. Three employees trying to get the bobcat out from under vehicles and to leave the property were scratched before police arrived.
“There were all these kinds of people crowded around the cat, which was under the car growling,” said Gene Kurz, a community service officer for the Sedona Police Department who responded to the call at the resort. “And once it was determined the cat was sick, people listened real fast and got out of the way.”
The bobcat ran into a nearby storm wash. Game and Fish officers attempted to capture the animal, but it was too aggressive, and they shot and killed the bobcat with a pistol...more
Authors confronts longstanding myths about Native Americans
By David Steinberg
Sometimes short, snappy statements are pathways to understanding complex issues. You can find those pathways in virtually every chapter of “All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans.” Each chapter investigates the origins and impacts of a different myth. The investigations are opportunities to rethink assumptions about American Indians. The first chapter is about the myth named in the book’s title. It’s a reference to once-popular phrase “the vanishing Indian.” The authors, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker, take aim at the myth with both barrels. “No myth about Native people is as pervasive, pernicious and self-serving as the myth of the vanishing Native,” they write. The myth reached its zenith around the end of the 19th century. The authors say what’s important to understand is the myth’s self-serving function. It was used in pursuit of seizing Indian lands through policies of forced assimilation, the authors argue. The diminishing presence of Indians eased the transfer of Indian treaty lands to ownership by Anglo settlers. Viewed today, the authors say, the myth is “entirely untrue, if for no other reason than because there are currently 567 federally recognized Native nations in the United States today” and because 5.2 million people identified as Native American or Alaska Native, alone or in combination with other races, according to the 2010 Census. Here are two of the other myths in the collection that Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker confront...more
Sometimes short, snappy statements are pathways to understanding complex issues. You can find those pathways in virtually every chapter of “All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans.” Each chapter investigates the origins and impacts of a different myth. The investigations are opportunities to rethink assumptions about American Indians. The first chapter is about the myth named in the book’s title. It’s a reference to once-popular phrase “the vanishing Indian.” The authors, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker, take aim at the myth with both barrels. “No myth about Native people is as pervasive, pernicious and self-serving as the myth of the vanishing Native,” they write. The myth reached its zenith around the end of the 19th century. The authors say what’s important to understand is the myth’s self-serving function. It was used in pursuit of seizing Indian lands through policies of forced assimilation, the authors argue. The diminishing presence of Indians eased the transfer of Indian treaty lands to ownership by Anglo settlers. Viewed today, the authors say, the myth is “entirely untrue, if for no other reason than because there are currently 567 federally recognized Native nations in the United States today” and because 5.2 million people identified as Native American or Alaska Native, alone or in combination with other races, according to the 2010 Census. Here are two of the other myths in the collection that Dunbar-Ortiz and Gilio-Whitaker confront...more
Ranch Radio Song of the Day #1762
We lost Tommy Allsup last week, see http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2017... In his memory we'll share a few of his songs this week. First up is Swing To The Beat, a tune from his Raining In My Heart CD.
https://youtu.be/8-W9ej9fmSU
https://youtu.be/8-W9ej9fmSU
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Obama admin injects another $500M into global climate fund
The Obama administration has made a second $500 million payment into an international climate change adaptation fund, the State Department announced Tuesday.
With the announcement, the Obama administration has now spent $1 billion on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) despite broad GOP opposition to U.S. financing for the fund.
The fund is the driving force behind a United Nations' goal to raise $100 billion to help poor countries adapt to the changing climate and cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Obama in 2014 pledged $3 billion for the program by 2020, but he couldn’t get congressional Republicans to agree to the plan.
Congress never appropriated money for the GCF, but lawmakers didn't explicitly block the State Department from finding funding for the program elsewhere in its budget, which is what the Obama administration did to pay for the two $500 million payments...more
Interior pick walks fine line on climate, highlights conservation
Rep. Ryan Zinke, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next secretary of Interior, used his confirmation hearing Tuesday to repeatedly highlight his record on conservation, while walking a fine line on the hot-button issue of climate change.
Montana’s sole congressman sought to compare himself to President Teddy Roosevelt and his strong conservation agenda, while saying he’ll ensure that fossil fuel production on federal land still have a place.
“Without question, our public lands are America’s treasure and are rich in diversity,” Zinke said. “We need an economy and jobs too,” Zinke said when pressed on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “And in my experience of probably seeing 63 different countries, I’ve seen what happens when you don’t have regulations.”
Zinke sought to contrast his positions against those of the GOP on key questions, specifically the transfer of federal land to state or private control.
“I want to be clear on this point: I am absolutely against transfer or sale of public land. I can’t be any more clear,” he said.
When pressed on a vote this month in favor of a House rules package to make it easier to transfer public land, Zinke downplayed the legislation, saying if the land provision were put up for a vote by itself, he would vote against it.
Zinke’s answers seemed to please the Republicans on the committee...more
Navajo Nation vows to fight EPA for toxic mine spill
Navajo Nation officials say they are outraged the Environmental
Protection Agency is refusing to pay millions of dollars in claims filed
against it following the devastating Colorado Gold Mine spill. The federal agency has accepted responsibility for the August 2015 disaster,
which devastated farm and grazing lands in southern Colorado and
northwest New Mexico. But it announced late last week that it was not
legally able to pay claims submitted by farmers and livestock owners. “The Navajo Nation call upon our Congressional
leaders from the states of Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona to do what is
right for our people by demanding that the U.S. EPA reconsider its
decision and that the U.S. EPA provide full compensation to the many
Navajo people who sustained extensive losses due to the spill that was
caused by the agency,” Navajo Nation speaker Lorenzo Bates said last
Saturday. “When the law allows the government to hide from those whom it has harmed, the law must change,” Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) said in a statement. In a dramatic speech on the banks of the Animas River last August, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye
announced that the tribe was filing a $159 million lawsuit for damages
and $3.2 million to cover expenses that had not been paid. The suit was
in response to what the tribe said was an inadequate gesture by the EPA
to reimburse them $602,000. Last Friday, the EPA said it was legally
prohibited
from paying the claims because of sovereign immunity, which prohibits
most lawsuits against the government. The agency said the only legal
option left is to either refile the claims in federal court or have
Congress authorize the payments...more
Navajo Nation vows to fight EPA for toxic mine spill
Navajo Nation officials say they are outraged the Environmental
Protection Agency is refusing to pay millions of dollars in claims filed
against it following the devastating Colorado Gold Mine spill.
The federal agency has accepted responsibility for the August 2015 disaster, which devastated farm and grazing lands in southern Colorado and northwest New Mexico. But it announced late last week that it was not legally able to pay claims submitted by farmers and livestock owners. “The Navajo Nation call upon our Congressional leaders from the states of Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona to do what is right for our people by demanding that the U.S. EPA reconsider its decision and that the U.S. EPA provide full compensation to the many Navajo people who sustained extensive losses due to the spill that was caused by the agency,” Navajo Nation speaker Lorenzo Bates said last Saturday.
“When the law allows the government to hide from those whom it has harmed, the law must change,” Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) said in a statement. In a dramatic speech on the banks of the Animas River last August, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye announced that the tribe was filing a $159 million lawsuit for damages and $3.2 million to cover expenses that had not been paid. The suit was in response to what the tribe said was an inadequate gesture by the EPA to reimburse them $602,000. Last Friday, the EPA said it was legally prohibited from paying the claims because of sovereign immunity, which prohibits most lawsuits against the government. The agency said the only legal option left is to either refile the claims in federal court or have Congress authorize the payments...more
The federal agency has accepted responsibility for the August 2015 disaster, which devastated farm and grazing lands in southern Colorado and northwest New Mexico. But it announced late last week that it was not legally able to pay claims submitted by farmers and livestock owners. “The Navajo Nation call upon our Congressional leaders from the states of Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona to do what is right for our people by demanding that the U.S. EPA reconsider its decision and that the U.S. EPA provide full compensation to the many Navajo people who sustained extensive losses due to the spill that was caused by the agency,” Navajo Nation speaker Lorenzo Bates said last Saturday.
“When the law allows the government to hide from those whom it has harmed, the law must change,” Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) said in a statement. In a dramatic speech on the banks of the Animas River last August, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye announced that the tribe was filing a $159 million lawsuit for damages and $3.2 million to cover expenses that had not been paid. The suit was in response to what the tribe said was an inadequate gesture by the EPA to reimburse them $602,000. Last Friday, the EPA said it was legally prohibited from paying the claims because of sovereign immunity, which prohibits most lawsuits against the government. The agency said the only legal option left is to either refile the claims in federal court or have Congress authorize the payments...more
Think of rural Americans as you reform Obamacare
By Betsy Huber
Repealing the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare" could severely damage the principal healthcare institutions of many rural communities — the local hospitals.
But there is a way to repeal the law that will not further endanger our local healthcare institutions. When Obamacare was passed in 2009, the federal government significantly cut Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals in favor of funding insurance coverage for uninsured patients. Should Congress proceed with repeal of the ACA, we must ensure the legislation includes the restoration of these reimbursements.
Rural Americans are statistically older and more likely to be a part of the nearly 50 million Medicare beneficiaries, making Medicare, and also Medicaid, functionality and preservation essential for rural residents.
In recent years, many community hospitals have had to shut down and many others have had to limit the services they offer to stay afloat. This problem will be exacerbated should the repeal of the Affordable Care Act not allow for the proper funding of hospitals through Medicare and Medicaid programs. According to an analysis by healthcare economics firm Dobson DaVanzo, if legislation for repeal is passed without restoring the $400 billion in hospital cuts, it would result in the largest Medicare cut to hospitals in history.
It is estimated that over 11 million patients in rural areas, representing a fifth of the rural population, will lose direct access to care if our community hospitals are not protected.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare" could severely damage the principal healthcare institutions of many rural communities — the local hospitals.
But there is a way to repeal the law that will not further endanger our local healthcare institutions. When Obamacare was passed in 2009, the federal government significantly cut Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals in favor of funding insurance coverage for uninsured patients. Should Congress proceed with repeal of the ACA, we must ensure the legislation includes the restoration of these reimbursements.
Rural Americans are statistically older and more likely to be a part of the nearly 50 million Medicare beneficiaries, making Medicare, and also Medicaid, functionality and preservation essential for rural residents.
In recent years, many community hospitals have had to shut down and many others have had to limit the services they offer to stay afloat. This problem will be exacerbated should the repeal of the Affordable Care Act not allow for the proper funding of hospitals through Medicare and Medicaid programs. According to an analysis by healthcare economics firm Dobson DaVanzo, if legislation for repeal is passed without restoring the $400 billion in hospital cuts, it would result in the largest Medicare cut to hospitals in history.
It is estimated that over 11 million patients in rural areas, representing a fifth of the rural population, will lose direct access to care if our community hospitals are not protected.
NCBA, PLC Support Confirmation of Rep. Zinke for Secretary of Interior
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council released
the following statements today in support of the confirmation of
Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) for the Secretary of Interior:
“During his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Zinke has consistently advocated for our western communities, economies, and ranchers,” said Tracy Brunner, NCBA president. “He has demanded transparency and the inclusion of stakeholders when it comes to land management decisions, and has a strong understanding of the challenges that come with stewarding the West.”
Western ranchers own approximately 120 million acres of the most productive private land in the West and manage nearly 250 million acres of public land. Ranchers who hold grazing permits on public land do vital work that benefits public land including the improvement of water sources, improvement of wildlife habitat, and maintaining the open space that Americans enjoy, yet are often targeted by outside interest groups.
“For too long, ranchers have been marginalized and overlooked during planning processes and the benefits they provide to public rangelands, wildlife and natural resources have gone unrecognized,” said Dave Eliason, PLC president. “The current leadership of the Department of Interior refuses to stand up for the very people who have invested their time and livelihoods into the management and improvement of public lands. Having a Secretary of Interior who understands public lands, and who values true cooperation with stakeholders is in the best interest of all Americans. We are excited for Representative Zinke to refocus the agency’s efforts to their core mission, and to have someone in this role that understands the unique challenges we face in the West.” press release
“During his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Zinke has consistently advocated for our western communities, economies, and ranchers,” said Tracy Brunner, NCBA president. “He has demanded transparency and the inclusion of stakeholders when it comes to land management decisions, and has a strong understanding of the challenges that come with stewarding the West.”
Western ranchers own approximately 120 million acres of the most productive private land in the West and manage nearly 250 million acres of public land. Ranchers who hold grazing permits on public land do vital work that benefits public land including the improvement of water sources, improvement of wildlife habitat, and maintaining the open space that Americans enjoy, yet are often targeted by outside interest groups.
“For too long, ranchers have been marginalized and overlooked during planning processes and the benefits they provide to public rangelands, wildlife and natural resources have gone unrecognized,” said Dave Eliason, PLC president. “The current leadership of the Department of Interior refuses to stand up for the very people who have invested their time and livelihoods into the management and improvement of public lands. Having a Secretary of Interior who understands public lands, and who values true cooperation with stakeholders is in the best interest of all Americans. We are excited for Representative Zinke to refocus the agency’s efforts to their core mission, and to have someone in this role that understands the unique challenges we face in the West.” press release
Merkley says Obama won’t make Owyhee Canyonlands a national monument
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley says he does not believe President Obama will designate the Owyhee Canyonlands as a national monument before leaving office on Friday.
Merkley said Interior Secretary Sally Jewel told him a monument designation for the eastern Oregon lands has been shelved.
Obama has taken a series of monument actions in recent months, including expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon.
The fate of the 2.5 million-acre region along the Idaho border has been the subject of heated controversy for more than a year. Several environmental groups and the Keen footwear company have campaigned for the monument designation, saying it’s needed to protect the rugged landscape.
That’s generated strong opposition from local ranchers and by Malheur County residents — where the canyonlands are located — in an advisory vote...more
EDITORIAL: EPA hypocrites won't pay victims of Gold King spill
The Environmental Protection Agency is suing Colorado Springs for
inadequate drainage facilities, because the EPA purportedly cares so
much about clean water. The outdated infrastructure could, conceivably,
cause trouble downstream. City officials raced to upgrade facilities
long before the suit, committing hundreds of millions to do so.
Regardless, the EPA wants a pint of blood.
Meanwhile, in a move of brazen hypocrisy, the same EPA says it absolutely, positively will not reimburse farmers, ranchers, Indian tribes, rafting companies, rafting workers and others who suffered financial losses from the agency's 2015 Gold King Mine spill. The agency claims sovereign immunity. With the spill a distant memory in the collective mindset, the EPA won't pay a dime. Harm from the EPA's offense is not speculative, as it is with Colorado Springs' drainage problems. People are hurting because of the Gold King spill.
The agency's refusal to pay is in stark contrast to its song and dance immediately after the spill, in the midst of an epic public relations crisis, Back then, the EPA promised all injured parties would be reimbursed. We're from the government and we're here to help.
The EPA filed suit against the Springs nearly a year after Mayor John Suthers finessed a commitment to spend $460 million to build state-of-the art stormwater facilities. Water customers of Colorado Springs Utilities will pick up the tab. New infrastructure will comply with or exceed federal standards. Whatever money the EPA costs Colorado Springs is capital the city cannot spend expediting improvements to protect clean water.
If EPA officials cared about the public that funds their agency, they would compensate victims of the Gold King spill. If they cared about clean water, they would not obstruct a community's massive effort to protect it. Clearly, the EPA cares mostly about the EPA.
Meanwhile, in a move of brazen hypocrisy, the same EPA says it absolutely, positively will not reimburse farmers, ranchers, Indian tribes, rafting companies, rafting workers and others who suffered financial losses from the agency's 2015 Gold King Mine spill. The agency claims sovereign immunity. With the spill a distant memory in the collective mindset, the EPA won't pay a dime. Harm from the EPA's offense is not speculative, as it is with Colorado Springs' drainage problems. People are hurting because of the Gold King spill.
The agency's refusal to pay is in stark contrast to its song and dance immediately after the spill, in the midst of an epic public relations crisis, Back then, the EPA promised all injured parties would be reimbursed. We're from the government and we're here to help.
The EPA filed suit against the Springs nearly a year after Mayor John Suthers finessed a commitment to spend $460 million to build state-of-the art stormwater facilities. Water customers of Colorado Springs Utilities will pick up the tab. New infrastructure will comply with or exceed federal standards. Whatever money the EPA costs Colorado Springs is capital the city cannot spend expediting improvements to protect clean water.
If EPA officials cared about the public that funds their agency, they would compensate victims of the Gold King spill. If they cared about clean water, they would not obstruct a community's massive effort to protect it. Clearly, the EPA cares mostly about the EPA.
Grazing That's For the Birds
In 2006, Chad Weiszhaar had a revelation ... he didn't have to sacrifice one cent of profitability to build wildlife habitat. The same grazing practices that benefitted nesting birds in his home state of South Dakota actually improved quality and diversity of the native, mixed-grass prairie forages his cattle depended on.
Weiszhaar's paradigm shift began when he agreed to enter into a seven-year land lease with Ducks Unlimited (DU) that year. The purpose of the agreement was to see how his herd's annual grazing strategies affected survival of nesting waterfowl. The land he was to graze was part of DU's Revolving Land Strategy program in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR).
"Because of its numerous shallow lakes, diversity and density of marshes, rich soils and warm summer climate, the Prairie Pothole Region is seen as one of the most important wetland regions in the world. It's one of the highest-priority landscapes for implementation of DU programs," explains Randy Meidinger, DU Conservation Program Manager.
DU uses the Revolving Land Strategy in South Dakota, along with other states in the PPR, as a way of holding ownership of selected parcels of land for one to seven years. During that time, the conservation group restores the land and develops protective management plans. At the same time, the land is leased to neighboring ranchers, who agree to create grazing plans that support beef production, while preserving wetlands and wildlife habitat. Once restoration is achieved and protective easements are established, the land is sold. Proceeds are reinvested in new PPR land, and the cycle repeats.
Weiszhaar's ranch sits in the midst of northeast South Dakota's PPR, where millions of waterfowl migrate and nest. The PPR covers a vast area of central Canada, most of eastern South Dakota and eastern North Dakota, and portions of Iowa, Minnesota and Montana...more
Zebra found dead, skinned near Hearst Castle
A zebra from a herd that roams the ranch around Hearst Castle was found dead and partly skinned on a beach on California's central coast, authorities said.
The zebra died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department said. Officials gave no explanation for the skinning.
The zebra had most likely washed down Pico Creek from Hearst Ranch to a rocky section of beach where it was found Saturday, Sheriff's Sgt. Nate Paul told the Tribune newspaper and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Powerful storms in the area last week might have been behind the death, Paul said. The zebras are the private property of the ranch, which can decide whether to launch an investigation and has opted not to, Paul told the Tribune.
Over 100 zebras roam the ranch area. They are descendants of zebras brought to the San Simeon estate of William Randolph Hearst in 1923 as part of the publishing tycoon's private zoo, which also included African antelope, camels, llamas and kangaroos...more
Rule easing public lands transfer concerns hunters, others
A change in U.S. House rules making it easier to transfer millions of acres of federal public lands to states is worrying hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts across the West who fear losing access.
Lawmakers earlier this month passed a rule eliminating a significant budget hurdle and written so broadly that it includes national parks.
President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Interior secretary, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, voted for the rule change as did many other Republicans. The Senate would have to weigh in on public land transfers as well.
"Anybody who uses them for any kind of outdoor activity â snowmobiling, mountain biking, hunters, all that â they're very alarmed by all this," said Boise State University professor and public lands policy expert John Freemuth. "The loss of access that this could lead to." The rule passed by the House defines federal land that could be given to states as "any land owned by the United States, including the surface estate, the subsurface estate, or any improvements thereon." U.S. lawmakers have the authority to transfer those lands to states. Outdoor recreationists fear states would then sell the land to private entities that would end public access.
Zinke, whose confirmation hearing to become Interior secretary is Tuesday, has a track record of opposing public land transfers. Last summer, he resigned as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which favors such transfers.
"The congressman has never voted to sell or transfer federal lands and he maintains his position against the sale or transfer of federal lands," Heather Swift, a Zinke spokeswoman, said in an email...more
Court denies stay on BLM flaring rule
Efforts to halt the implementation of federal rules on venting and flaring methane on public land failed Monday in a federal court in Casper.
Opponents of the Bureau of Land Management’s new flaring rule hoped the court would grant a preliminary injunction, which would keep the regulations from going into effect Tuesday.
The judge’s decision applies to multiple requests for a preliminary injunction, from Wyoming, North Dakota and industry groups.
Those groups each argued that the BLM overstepped its authority by developing the rules, which among other things require companies to increase inspections and use new technologies to reduced leaks of methane gas.
Air quality issues, they argue, are addressed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
However, advocates on environmental causes, like the Environmental Defense Fund, say the BLM did have a reason to enforce greater measures against wasted gas, as stewards of public resources. The reduction in emissions that impact air quality is a collateral bonus, they said...more
Ranch Radio Song of the Day #1761
We will make this a Swingin' Tuesday wth Tommy Morrell & The Time Warp Tophands performing Tears Flowed Like Wine. The tune is on their CD Jugglin' Cats. Note the cover is by our own Etienne Etcheverry.
https://youtu.be/7TOJXpXxMsY
https://youtu.be/7TOJXpXxMsY
Monday, January 16, 2017
EAC students to speak at BLM Brown Bag event: An evening with Bigfoot
Interns from the Eastern Arizona College-Safford Bureau of Land Management STEM Partnership, will speak at the BLM’s next Brown Bag Lecture event on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 6-8 p.m., in the BLM Safford Office, located at 711 14th Ave. Admission is free.
The event will feature a Bigfoot lookalike contest, door prizes, popcorn, Bigfoot cookies, and more. “The Legend of Bigfoot,” a documentary film of one researcher’s quest to track down the elusive mammal, will be shown and discussed. Participants will also be able to talk to a logger who worked in Bigfoot country for decades.
The STEM Partnership is a grant supported program which requires intern participation in public speaking. Bigfoot movie night will help fulfill this requirement...more
Brown Baggin' wih Bigfoot...Bigfoot Cookies...a Bigfoot lookalike contest...Bigfoot movie night. Nice to see the BLM budget is not in the dire straits some claim.
What's next? A BLM Break with Big Bird?
https://youtu.be/PzFXfvZuLK0
And yes, BLM has a WOMENINSTEM program, where they celebrate WOMENINSTEM Wednesdays.
If, like me, you weren't all that familiar with the federal STEM (Science, Technology, Education, Mathematics) program, then take a glance at this in Obama's 2015 budget proposal.
Brown Baggin' wih Bigfoot...Bigfoot Cookies...a Bigfoot lookalike contest...Bigfoot movie night. Nice to see the BLM budget is not in the dire straits some claim.
What's next? A BLM Break with Big Bird?
https://youtu.be/PzFXfvZuLK0
And yes, BLM has a WOMENINSTEM program, where they celebrate WOMENINSTEM Wednesdays.
If, like me, you weren't all that familiar with the federal STEM (Science, Technology, Education, Mathematics) program, then take a glance at this in Obama's 2015 budget proposal.
BLM Announces Selections for Key Leadership Positions
The Bureau of Land Management today announced two key leadership positions. BLM veteran Kristin Bail will serve as the agency’s Acting Director upon completion of Director Neil Kornze's tenure, and Jody L. Hudson has been selected as the Assistant Director for Human Capital Management. Director Kornze is stepping down on January 20 with the transition to the new administration, and Hudson succeeds Carole Carter-Pfisterer who retired from the BLM last month.
“Kristin is a thoughtful, effective leader. The BLM family will be in good hands under her leadership,” said Kornze.
In her most recent assignment, Bail served as Assistant Director for the BLM’s Resources and Planning Directorate. She previously served as the agency’s Assistant Director for National Conservation Lands and Community Partnerships...more
Timber industry may challenge Cascade-Siskiyou monument expansion
The timber industry thinks it may able to reverse President Barack Obama’s expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon.
The president’s decision to add 48,000 acres to the 65,000-acre national monument was praised by environmentalists and Oregon’s two senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
But a timber industry trade group argued that Obama misused his power under the 1906 Antiquities Act.
Travis Joseph, president of the Portland-based American Forest Resource Council, said Friday the expansion improperly included several thousand acres of federal land that Congress has prioritized for logging.
“Can an administration come and change the meaning of a statute through the Antiquities Act?” he asked. “That’s the legal question, and our answer is no.”
The expansion includes at least 7,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management acreage — known as the O&C lands — that the agency sees as “harvestable,” Joseph said.
Supporters of the expansion noted the original Cascade-Siskiyou monument designation also included O&C lands, and that it was never challenged legally. Michael Campbell, a BLM spokesman in Portland, said he couldn’t comment on the timber industry’s contention. But he said the agency’s initial belief was that harvest contracts already signed in lands covered by the expansion would be honored. In addition, Republican Congressman Greg Walden said Thursday he will talk with the incoming Trump administration about reversing Obama’s action. But there’s slim precedent for that...more
BLM delivers owl message to Youth Mentoring Program
From St. Mary to St. Marie, Central Montana’s owls appear in American Indian stories as messengers of important news.
Bureau of Land Management Lewistown Field Office Wildlife Biologist Andy Oestreich delivered a message of scientific information about owls during his presentation to the Central Montana Youth Mentoring Program.
Elementary school students and their high school mentors learned about identifying characteristics unique to a number of the elusive raptors. Oestreich played sound-bites of hoots and screeches to attentive ears, while displaying pictures of the creatures in flight, perched and nesting.
The multi-media presentation also included a BBC Two-produced video “The silent flight of an owl,” demonstrating the near absolute silence by which a Barn Owl can close the distance to its prey. Specially designed ridges on owl feathers allow the predators to move through the air at a decibel just above that of a shadow.
Oestreich’s lesson included information unique to several owls. A Short Eared Owl fitted with a GPS tracking collar in Alaska was found about 2,000 miles south in the middle of Montana. The Great Gray, Montana’s largest owl, has a bullseye shaped face framed by a stately 5-ft. wing span...more
Gravesite legend survives century since western icon's death
A headstone-free, non-descript plot
of land atop 7,890-foot Cedar Mountain may be the peaceful, mostly
ignored resting place fulfilling the wishes of the honorable William F.
Cody. Or it may be the focal point of one of the Old West's greatest myths. Larger than life Master
showman, Congressional Medal of Honor winner, scout, Indian fighter,
founder of the City of Cody, and full-time legend, Buffalo Bill Cody was
a man of many roles, hats, beards and white horses. No
one disputes he died 100 years ago at his sister's home in Denver,
reported the Cody Enterprise. The story instantly flashed by telegraph -
the social media of the time - around the world. Word
spread so quickly this newspaper, then-called the Park County
Enterprise, announced Cody's death in a story that ran under a headline
reading, "Death Summons Col. W.F. Cody." It was on the front page, just
beneath the phrase reminding readers Buffalo Bill actually founded the
newspaper in 1899, three years after lending his name to the community. The first line of the story included the comment, "better known perhaps than any other man in private life."There
was no perhaps about it. Cody was the most famous and most photographed
man in the world during his lifetime, from 1846 to 1917. He hobnobbed
with presidents and royalty, yet still related to everyday citizens,
especially children, who called him Old Scout. Burial mystery Still,
the question of where beloved Buffalo Bill, the most iconic figure of
the American frontier, has been since his passing, lingers. It's a
question that has fascinated generations, intrigued many, and even
angered some with a stake in the mystery.
He
is either buried in Golden, Colo., at a specially constructed
gravesite, lying under 20 tons of concrete to protect against body
snatching, or he really is on Cedar Mountain after a group of Cody
residents secretly absconded with the body and buried him here. Oh yes, as in all capers of such nature, there is more than one will. There is the 1906 version, and there is a second...more
Widow of Oregon refuge occupier to hold meeting
Leaders of an armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in rural Oregon were driving to a public meeting a year ago when police shot and killed one of them at a roadblock.
Now, LaVoy Finicum’s widow and their children are planning to hold that meeting later this month in the same town, John Day. Speakers are slated to talk about the Constitution, property rights and other issues.
“It is the anniversary of my husband’s death. We want to continue with his mission,” Jeanette Finicum told the Associated Press. “The people within counties and states should decide how to use those properties, not the federal government.”
LaVoy Finicum was the spokesman for several dozen occupiers during the 41-day takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and has become a martyr for the movement to transfer ownership of federal lands to local entities. The U.S. government owns nearly half of all land in the West, compared with 4 percent in other states, according to the Congressional Overview of Federal Land Ownership.
Finicum’s cattle brand, an L connected to a V with a floating bar, adorns bumper stickers, black flags and T-shirts seen at conservative gatherings.
Jeanette Finicum has become something of a cause celebre in the year since her husband’s death. She spoke at a rally on the steps of Utah’s Capitol. The Tri-State Livestock News, based in South Dakota, recently ran a story describing her dispute with the Bureau of Land Management over grazing fees. The agency administers 245 million acres of public lands and manages livestock grazing on 155 million acres of those lands.
“It’s been a horrific year,” Jeanette Finicum said in a phone interview from her Cane Beds, Arizona, home. “There’s been so much going on that most people don’t have to deal with when they lose a loved one, like we did.”
She met LaVoy at a barn dance. He told her he was a bad dancer.
“He was right. He had no rhythm,” Jeanette Finicum said with a laugh. They got married 14 days later.
“There isn’t anyone like him that I met in my lifetime, and I don’t expect there will be anyone else who will measure up,” she said, choking up with emotion.
She was a stay-at-home mom all 23 years they were married.
“With him gone, all of the responsibilities have fallen to me,” she said. “I spent the year rounding up, branding and calving.” The Oregon State Police shot LaVoy Finicum three times on Jan. 26, 2016, after he exited a vehicle at a police roadblock in the snowy Malheur National Forest, held up his hands and then reached toward his jacket.
Authorities concluded the officers were justified because they thought Finicum was going for his pistol. But at least one FBI Hostage Rescue Team operator fired two shots at Finicum’s vehicle – shots that were not disclosed during the investigation.
In March, the inspector general of the U.S. Justice Department began investigating possible FBI misconduct and whether there was a cover-up. The inspector general’s office declined to discuss the investigation last week. The U.S. attorney’s office in Portland said it was ongoing.
Jeanette Finicum insists her husband was not a threat and that he was murdered. Her lawyer has said the family plans a wrongful-death lawsuit, and Finicum said she will release more details during the Jan. 28 meeting...more
'Clean energy' or fracking? More green dreams
Among the blitz of claims to shore up his presidential legacy, Barack Obama says matter-of-factly that under his administration, the U.S. “traded foreign oil for clean energy,” implying that green energy policies reduced U.S. foreign oil dependence.
That’s right up there with such familiar sound bites as “you can keep your doctor” and “shovel-ready jobs.”
It’s been the boom in hydraulic fracturing — fracking — that has cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil by more than half, from 11.1 million barrels per day in 2008 to 4.7 million barrels in 2015. And this, despite the Obama administration’s concerted efforts to hamper fracking, which has been almost entirely limited to state and private lands.
Moreover, and regardless of Mr. Obama’s wishful green dreams, the U.S. actually increased its oil use on his watch, The Daily Caller reports...more
BLM releases long-awaited coal program review; suggests raising coal rental rates with inflation
Almost two years after Secretary Sally Jewell called for an “open” conversation about the country’s coal, the Bureau of Land Management released a public review of the national coal program Wednesday.
Issues of concern in the nation’s coal program include transparency in the leasing process, enhanced surface rights for landowners and wasted natural gas from coal mines, according to the BLM.
Billed as a chance to modernize the federal coal program that hasn’t been reassessed since the mid-’80s, this preliminary review summarizes public comments on the program, garnered over the last year.
It also includes a long list of suggestions for policy changes, like increasing royalty rates and adjusting both rental rates and bonus bids to catch up with inflation. The suggestions are packaged in a series of proposed options, each including a bundle of reforms.
The BLM will continue toward developing a final draft, which will include assessments of the reform packages, as well as analysis of continuing the status quo...more
Senator - Feds need to step up screwworm response
They chose endangered Key deer as their first victims in the U.S. in more than 30 years and if they’re not stopped, New World screwworm flies could wipe out other endangered species and livestock.
After a stray dog was found in Homestead last week and parasitic larvae in its body were confirmed as screwworms, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday sterile screwworm flies would be released in the area starting Friday.
Screwworms have caused the deaths of 134 endangered Key deer found only in the Florida Keys since July. While sterile flies have helped lower the number of fertile flies in the islands, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is calling on state and federal officials to step up the response.
“If we don’t move aggressively to halt the spread of this dangerous pest, the result could be catastrophic for Florida’s wildlife and livestock industry,” Nelson wrote in a Wednesday letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. “More than 130 endangered Key deer have already fallen victim to the screwworm. We cannot allow the white-tailed deer population, or the endangered Florida panther, or Florida’s nearly $1 billion beef industry to collapse too.”
There are fewer than 100 Florida panthers left in the wild, according to the National Wildlife Federation, and they are found in Florida’s swamplands such as Everglades National Park and the Big Cypress National Preserve...more
Op-Ed - Land management should benefit all Utahns, not just a select few
By Matthew Anderson
When Black Diamond CEO Emeritus Peter Metcalf called on the Outdoor Retailer trade show to leave the state by 2018 over concerns with our state's land management policies, he used unsubstantiated arguments to make his case. Such rhetoric can prevent us from reaching viable land management solutions. This article addresses three of Metcalf's assertions. Quote: "Over the past several months Utah's political leadership has unleashed an all-out assault against Utah's protected public lands and Utah's newest monument." Objections to the Bears Ears National Monument raised by local, state and federal officials range from the process by which it was designated to the economic harm the decision might have on the people of San Juan County. Among their concerns is the federal government's inability to adequately protect the area under a monument designation. During last summer, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said she was "shocked" at the lack of protection for the area's cultural resources. This is quite alarming. According to federal laws, it is her job to protect the pottery, cliff dwellings and petroglyphs in the area. In addition, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, who are charged with managing Utah's newest monument, have a combined deferred maintenance backlog of almost $6 billion. Simply put, these federal land management agencies are strapped for cash and do not have the funding to keep up with the increased traffic a monument designation will likely bring the Bears Ears, putting the area's cultural and archaeological resources in harm's way.
When Black Diamond CEO Emeritus Peter Metcalf called on the Outdoor Retailer trade show to leave the state by 2018 over concerns with our state's land management policies, he used unsubstantiated arguments to make his case. Such rhetoric can prevent us from reaching viable land management solutions. This article addresses three of Metcalf's assertions. Quote: "Over the past several months Utah's political leadership has unleashed an all-out assault against Utah's protected public lands and Utah's newest monument." Objections to the Bears Ears National Monument raised by local, state and federal officials range from the process by which it was designated to the economic harm the decision might have on the people of San Juan County. Among their concerns is the federal government's inability to adequately protect the area under a monument designation. During last summer, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said she was "shocked" at the lack of protection for the area's cultural resources. This is quite alarming. According to federal laws, it is her job to protect the pottery, cliff dwellings and petroglyphs in the area. In addition, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, who are charged with managing Utah's newest monument, have a combined deferred maintenance backlog of almost $6 billion. Simply put, these federal land management agencies are strapped for cash and do not have the funding to keep up with the increased traffic a monument designation will likely bring the Bears Ears, putting the area's cultural and archaeological resources in harm's way.
Attorney advocates producers fight for their rights
When government agencies have the power to write, enforce and interpret the law, private citizens are disadvantaged and the government always wins, said Anthony Francois, senior staff attorney, environmental and property rights law for Pacific Legal Foundation at the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting last week.
Francois discussed forces that are making government so different from what it was intended to be, and what can be done to return it to its original design.
“The purpose of the government’s founding documents was generally to protect freedom,” Francois said. “And yet a lot of people don’t get that customer service experience.”
Constitutional law, separation of powers, limited powers and due process, which Francois calls the “elements of freedom,” are the main areas where government has lost sight of the design.
“For the government to follow the law, it can’t be its own judge in that,” Francois said. “And it can’t simply re-write the law in order to say it followed it.”
Francois explained how the “four Ds” — division, delegation, deference and due process — have created an “administrative state” in which agencies have in many ways become the government. And in some cases, one junior staffer within an agency can overrule a judge in a legal proceeding. Division, or the separation of powers in the Constitution, assures that no one branch of government has absolute power. When division is ceded, agencies become the “bully on the playground” who always wins, Francois said. Delegation, in which Congress surrenders lawmaking power to agencies, concentrates power in those agencies. Deference, in which courts accept agencies’ interpretations of the law, means that by rule agencies always win. Finally, when citizens are deprived of due process, they have no access to government information or decisions, no ability to make their own case, and the government ceases to be a neutral decision-maker by eliminating the burden of proof on federal agencies.
This concentration of government power can have devastating results for farmers and ranchers...more
Utah ranchers forming LLC in innovative grazing plan
Carol Ryan Dumas
More than a decade ago ranchers in northern Utah saw the writing on the wall — the way they had operated on public land for years wasn’t going to be acceptable to some people, and their grazing permits would be appealed by anti-agriculture groups. That’s just what happened in 2001. Permittees were able to reverse the stay on grazing, but they needed to come up with a management plan that made sense for grazing while taking care of the natural resources. They turned to the state for help. Thus began the idea to consolidate the permittees’ public land allotments and livestock herds, Taylor Payne, grazing and rangeland coordinator in the Utah Grazing Improvement Program, said during the University of Idaho Range Livestock Symposium last week. The director of Utah’s Division of Wildlife Services saw no reason livestock on public land couldn’t be managed to the benefit of wildlife and the environment. After all, it was being done on a large neighboring private ranch that had incorporated rest rotational grazing. The initial response of permittees was that it couldn’t be done. The private ranch ran solely on private ground and had the money to make improvements and manage intensively. The public land ranchers were apprehensive about the cost, private property rights and additional work, Payne said. But the conversation continued, and planning for the Three Creeks projects and consolidated management started in 2009...more
More than a decade ago ranchers in northern Utah saw the writing on the wall — the way they had operated on public land for years wasn’t going to be acceptable to some people, and their grazing permits would be appealed by anti-agriculture groups. That’s just what happened in 2001. Permittees were able to reverse the stay on grazing, but they needed to come up with a management plan that made sense for grazing while taking care of the natural resources. They turned to the state for help. Thus began the idea to consolidate the permittees’ public land allotments and livestock herds, Taylor Payne, grazing and rangeland coordinator in the Utah Grazing Improvement Program, said during the University of Idaho Range Livestock Symposium last week. The director of Utah’s Division of Wildlife Services saw no reason livestock on public land couldn’t be managed to the benefit of wildlife and the environment. After all, it was being done on a large neighboring private ranch that had incorporated rest rotational grazing. The initial response of permittees was that it couldn’t be done. The private ranch ran solely on private ground and had the money to make improvements and manage intensively. The public land ranchers were apprehensive about the cost, private property rights and additional work, Payne said. But the conversation continued, and planning for the Three Creeks projects and consolidated management started in 2009...more
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