NEWS ROUNDUP

Guardians Of the Range On a golden morning in the hills of western Yolo County, Scott and Casey Stone sort cattle for shipment to summer pasture. The brothers, on horseback, silently weave through the noisy herd. With practiced eyes, they match cows with their calves before the truck arrives. All around them is their 7,500-acre family ranch, a picture-perfect slice of a California landscape that is increasingly at risk. Open space like this -- rolling hills, ancient oak trees, flower-filled meadows -- defines the state's scenery and supports a huge share of its wildlife. It is also the rallying cry for an unlikely coalition bent on keeping rangeland away from developers eager to satisfy demand for housing. "There's been a lot of really nice ranches in California that over the years have been purchased and subdivided," said Scott Stone, 50. "We don't want to do that. We're trying to do ecologically friendly, sustainable ranching that benefits both us and the watershed and wildlife." That's why the Stone brothers and their father, Hank, in 2005 preserved rangeland by selling development rights on their ranch. It's why they support the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, which aims to protect about 13 million acres of oak woodland and grazing land between Redding and Bakersfield. Taking on such a task shouldn't be a big deal for the coalition. After all, it's already achieved the unthinkable: getting environmentalists and cattle ranchers to work together....
Brave New West: Something Entirely Different Rural Americans live in small towns, and the core of their economies has always been extractive—ranching, mining, and timber. To deny that the extractive industries have wreaked stunning and long-term destruction upon the Western landscape and its ecology is absurd. Urban Americans want to eliminate these industries or at least curtail them to a large extent. They believe that the amenities economy is a clean and viable alternative to ranching, mining, and timber. Urban environmentalists are convinced it can allow the rural West to prosper and prevail, without further degradation to the resource. To deny that this kind of transformation of the rural West has bleak and destructive consequences of its own is equally absurd. The amenities economy is just another extractive industry, and it should be regarded by environmentalists with the same concern. What is the unvarnished truth about both sides of this debate? From where I’m standing, it’s this. Think of this list as a primer, the barely scratched contentious surface. Most Old Westerners oppose wilderness because they believe it will limit their access to public lands. Sometimes their physical abuse of the land itself is dramatic and the damage is long term. But Old Westerners understand one key component of wilderness far better than their adversaries. They understand solitude, quiet, serenity, the emptiness of the rural West. They like the emptiness. New Westerners are individually more sensitive to the resource but are terrified of solitude. They’ll walk around cryptobiotic crust, but leave them alone in the canyons without a cell phone and a group of companions and they’d be lost, both physically and metaphysically....
Forest Service Purchases Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced that the USDA Forest Service has purchased a 5,200 acre parcel-which houses the historically significant and natural resource rich Elkhorn Ranch in western North Dakota. The Elkhorn Ranch-located in the Badlands of western North Dakota-was the site where President Theodore Roosevelt operated a ranch in the 1880s. The ranch, purchased for $4.8 million from a private owner, becomes part of the Little Missouri National Grasslands. The Forest Service will honor existing legal rights and valid permits. Traditional uses such as livestock grazing, oil and gas development, and hunting will continue. It is the intent of the Forest Service to convey a like number of acres to the private sector to continue the same balance of federal lands in North Dakota....Well, what do you know, "no net loss of private land" in North Dakota. Wish they would adopt this policy in other states. It will be interesting to see if and how the Forest Service transfers land to the private sector. We'll keep a watch on this for you.
Jon Kyl: Arizona National Scenic Trail Act I am pleased to join my fellow Arizona Senator John McCain in introducing the Arizona National Scenic Trail Act. This bill would amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Arizona Trail as a national scenic trail. In 1968, the U.S. Congress established the National Trails System to promote the preservation of historical resources and outdoor areas. National scenic and historic trails may be designated only by an act of Congress. Senator McCain and I have been working on Arizona Trail legislation since 2003. Previous forms of the bill focused on conducting a feasibility study to determine whether the trail is physically possible and financially feasible. In the meantime, the Arizona Trail Association and its state and federal partners have continued to develop the trail with national designation in mind, so I don’t believe a feasibility study is now required. In fact, much of the Arizona Trail already exists, extending over 800 continuous miles from the Mexican border to Utah. Clearly the trail is “physically possible.” It is also “financially feasible,” since it does not require a single land acquisition, and commitments already exist to manage the trail and complete the remaining few miles of trail construction....
Water agency appeals pumping ruling The state Department of Water Resources announced late Monday it was dropping efforts to get an endorsement of the flawed federal permits that allow giant pumps near Tracy to pull water out of the Delta. Instead, the agency Monday appealed a court order to comply with the state's endangered species law by mid-June and embarked on a lengthy process that is not expected to produce a legal permit before next April. The announcement amounts to a rebuff to the district court judge who ordered the agency to comply with the California Endangered Species Act and an acknowledgment of the impossible situation that the water agency finds itself in. For years, the agency has failed to obtain a state permit to kill protected fish such as Delta smelt and some salmon runs. The fish are killed when the massive pumps pull trillions of gallons of water a year out of the ecologically sensitive waterway for use on Central Valley farms and for 25 million Californians from the East Bay down to Southern California. Now, with a 60-day clock running down to get either permits from state regulators or a regulatory endorsement of federal endangered species permits, the agency has found that it cannot do either....
Puget Sound steelhead declared "threatened" First it was Puget Sound chinook and the bull trout. Then the resident orcas. Now Puget Sound steelhead have won a spot on a list no creature would want — the federal Endangered Species List. The announcement yesterday by the federal National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that wild Puget Sound and Hood Canal steelhead are "threatened" has been expected for more than a year. Nonetheless, it underscores the growing sense that something has gone haywire with Puget Sound's ecosystem. "What this is telling us is that the ecosystem from its headwaters to saltwater needs to be restored," said Rob Masonis, of the environmental group American Rivers. It also marks a setback for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, which had tried to head off a listing by arguing it already was working to revive the species....
Editorial - Inheriting The Wind The Senate may vote this month to require that 15% of domestic energy production come from alternative sources by 2020. Welcome to the People's Republic of America. The Senate Energy Committee has sent to the full Senate legislation effectively nationalizing the energy sector of the economy by mandating increased alternative energy use in the private sector. It further requires that 10% of federal power purchases be from "green" energy sources by 2010. We have nothing against alternative energy sources. We just don't believe government should be picking winners and losers in the economy. We are in an energy pickle precisely because government has been meddling in the market, restricting construction of new refineries and pipelines, blocking oil and gas development in Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf and requiring the use of boutique fuels of questionable effectiveness. New technologies take off when they are practical, cost-efficient and beneficial — qualities that can't yet be ascribed to so-called "renewable" energy like wind and solar power. The fact is that after more than 30 years and billions of dollars of government subsidies, neither wind nor solar power is economically competitive....
Bush official's meddling could backfire, benefit prairie dog protection Gunnison's prairie dog, which is common in New Mexico, could win a second chance at legal protection because of meddling by a Bush administration official with the endangered-species list. The meddling could strengthen the arguments of Forest Guardians and other groups that are asking a federal judge to order the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a second look at protecting the prairie dog. The outcome of the case could affect development and ranching practices throughout the state, as well as force Albuquerque International Sunport officials to obtain approval from Fish and Wildlife the next time they want to use poison to eradicate the animals - as was done with a colony near a runway this spring. The environmental groups got involved after recent revelations that a political appointee at the Department of Interior told Fish and Wildlife scientists not to consider the animal for endangered-species protection during an initial review last year....
Fields of conflict in the Klamath Under the rolling cloud-scape of the Klamath Basin, a curious rite of spring is underway. Migratory birds are flocking to the basin's necklace of federal wildlife refuges straddling Oregon and California — one of the most important stops on the Pacific Flyway. As usual, the geese, mallards and terns are sharing the sanctuaries with tractors. Agriculture fields have elbowed onto what once were marshes and shallow inland seas, shrinking the basin's wetlands by nearly 80%. Environmentalists have long fought to stop that farming, saying the refuges belong to the birds. But now, activists say, farmers in the Klamath Basin appear poised to cement their presence on the refuges, the basin's most productive farmland. Farmers are gaining an edge in closed-door settlement talks over the fate of four dams on the Klamath River, which meanders across two states before pouring into the Pacific Ocean north of Eureka, Calif. Environmentalists universally support dam removal, which would let endangered salmon reach upriver spawning grounds blocked for nearly a century. Activists with a pair of Oregon-based groups, however, fear that a looming compromise backed by the Bush administration will come at an unacceptable cost: an agreement to forever allow farming in the refuges....
Protecting a rare cactus: Shiprock to consider Navajo Nation's first preserve Arnold Clifford swung out an arm and pointed, hardly pausing as he walked across the cracked yellow earth. "There's one," the geobotany consultant said, revealing a previously invisible gray-green cactus. Smaller than a half-submerged golf ball, the rare Mesa Verde cactus bubbled out of the soil, crowned by a few reddish-brown oval seed pods. "You have to get the eye for them," said Clifford, who's spent more than 10 years studying the plants. He's not exaggerating — a 10-inch wide, 10-inch high specimen is considered mammoth. This month, members of the Shiprock Chapter will consider forming the first plant or wildlife preserve on the Navajo Nation for the cacti. The 13,000 protected acres would diffuse the conflict between development and preservation on the reservation's largest city....
Higher fees planned for one-third of national parks Entrance fees are due to rise at many national parks over the next three summers, though a public outcry over specific increases could cause the government to reconsider. A few increases have already taken effect. Through 2009, the National Park Service plans to phase in higher rates for annual park passes and fees paid per vehicle or person at about 130 of the 390 parks, monuments and other areas the agency manages. The government does not collect any fees at the other two-thirds of sites in the park system. The Park Service, which has planned the increases for some time, did not publicize the higher fees through its headquarters in Washington, leaving that job to site managers, agency spokesman David Barna said Sunday....
Floods and drought: Lloyd's assesses climate change Lloyd's of London, the world's oldest insurer, offered a gloomy forecast of floods, droughts and disastrous storms over the next 50 years in a recently published report on impending climate changes. "These things are fact, not hypothesis," said Wendy Baker, the president of Lloyd's America in an interview on Monday. "You don't have to be a believer in global warming to recognize the climate is changing. The industry has to get ready for the changes that are coming." In a report on catastrophe trends Lloyd's is disseminating to the insurance industry, a bevy of British climate experts, including Sir David King, chief scientist to the British government, warn of increased flooding in coastal areas and a rapid rise in sea level as ice caps melt in Greenland and Antarctica. Northern European coastal levels could rise more than a meter (3 feet) in a few decades, particularly if the Gulf Stream currents change, the report says....
Drought a drain on flora, fauna Around this time each year, thousands make the pilgrimage to the Antelope Valley to see California poppies shining in the fields around Anne Aldrich's Lancaster home. "There are fields of orange, just like in 'The Wizard of Oz' when you first spot the Emerald City," Aldrich said. But not in 2007, as Southern California is poised to experience its driest year on record. The effects of the prolonged dryness can be seen and felt all around. Seasonal ponds are cracked dry, leaving no haven for some frog eggs or fairy shrimp to hatch. Some flower-dependent butterflies are staying dormant for another season. Plants aren't bearing berries; some oak trees aren't sprouting acorns. Bees are behaving strangely. The problem is apparent in Ventura County, where ranchers are selling their cattle early or thinking about moving them to other states. Ranchers' lands, starved of rainwater, have not grown the natural grasses key to feeding cattle through the spring and summer. John Harvey, a Ventura County ranch owner for 30 years, said he will have to sell half his herd of 350 mother cows by summer. "This is the worst year I can ever remember," said Harvey, president of the Ventura County Cattlemen's Assn....
Red fire ants facing killer virus Imported red fire ants have plagued farmers, ranchers and others for decades. Now the reviled pests are facing a bug of their own. The virus caught the attention of U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers in Florida in 2002. The agency is now seeking commercial partners to develop the virus into a pesticide to control fire ants. With no natural predators to keep them in check, fire ants have spread across the U.S., where their numbers are now 10 times greater than in their native South America. They thrive in open sunny areas such as cropland, pastures, and urban lawns, and they like moisture. Fire ants have been detected in 13 states, covering 320 million acres, and are spreading northward. The pest has been found as far north as Virginia and along parts of the California coastline. That‘s why researchers believe the virus has potential as a viable biopesticide to control fire ants, known to scientists as Solenopsis invicta. Integrating the virus into ant baits could offer a tool to the pest-control industry, agricultural producers and harvesters, consumers and others for whom fire ants are a persistent problem....
GeneThera To Expand Mad Cow Testing To Foreign Markets GeneThera, Inc. (OTCBB: GTHA) announced today it is expanding its marketing program for its Mad Cow testing kit to include foreign markets. The marketing campaign is being designed to build brand awareness with the ranchers and slaughterhouses around the world. Japan and some European countries test 100% of the cattle that are slaughtered. All of the current tests in these countries are done after the cattle have been slaughtered. GeneThera's test, however, is tested on live cattle which would save slaughterhouses considerable time and money by identifying the sick cattle prior to slaughter. Additionally, it will allow ranchers to segregate cattle that are infected from healthy cattle. The ability to test on live cattle will provide GeneThera a clear advantage against other testing methods. Dr. Tony Milici, CEO of GeneThera, stated, "We will continue to work on our live animal testing program of Mad Cow Disease in foreign countries particularly in Europe where GeneThera has a greater market opportunity due to the large number of tests being done."....
Rancher gets rounded up in war game Even when it's play acting, a glitch can turn a simulated war scenario into a chillingly real drama. Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Coolidge, commanding one of two M-1 "Abrams" tanks on a simulated Iraqi dirt road at the Army base, had ordered soldiers to be alert for anything suspicious in an expanse of cow pastures and rolling hills leading to the mock village of "Karabila." His convoy halted because of a suspected improvised explosive device on the roadside. Suddenly, across an adjacent field, a herd of cattle broke into a run, suggesting that a sniper could be hidden among some trees. Then a red pickup, loaded with assorted boxes and hay bales, emerged from a field and began to drive away. Cpl. Christopher Ashworth, commander of a tank near the truck, radioed that he was in pursuit but believed the vehicle was not part of the exercise. "Negative. Negative," Sgt. Coolidge responded. "Until we know what it's up to, it is not out of play. So stop saying he's out of play." As a two-time Iraq veteran, he regarded the scenario as bearing too many signs of insurgent activity....
It's All Trew: Fascinated by food facts Ketchup, as we know it today, originated in the 17th century and was called "ke-tsiap." Over time the name evolved into catchup, then ketchup as New Englanders began adding tomatoes to the recipe, which also changed the color to a rich red. The most recognized name in American ketchup history is Henry J. Heinz, who began bottling his recipe in 1876. The product was so successful many imitations followed. Because of copyright restrictions, other brands had to be spelled differently. Included are Catsup, Catchup, Katsup, Catsip, Cotsup, Kotchup, Kitsip, Catsoup, Katshoup, Katsock, Cackchop, Comchop, Cotpock, Kotpock, Katpuck, Kutchpack and Catchpuck. Ketchup is so tasty and nutritious it is included as a vegetable on government approved school lunch menus. Now, I challenge readers to read and repeat the various ketchup names above as fast as possible. Don't lose your false teeth. How many of you know that "pinto" in pinto beans is a Spanish word meaning "painted." Some pinto bean afficionados claim God paints each bean different. Amazingly, as each bean cooks, it changes into a beautiful red-rust color. These spotted, painted beans originated from common beans with the Latin name of Phase Ius Vulgaris originating in Peru and scattered all over the world by traders. As a small boy I remember my mother "counting beans." Only after a few years in school did I learn she was not counting but searching for small rocks to cull....