Reversal of Endangered Species Rulings The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday reversed seven rulings that denied endangered species increased protection, after an investigation found the actions were tainted by political pressure from a former senior Interior Department official. In a letter to Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., the agency acknowledged that the actions had been "inappropriately influenced" and that "revising the seven identified decisions is supported by scientific evidence and the proper legal standards." The wildlife agency said it will reconsider a petition to list as endangered the white-tailed prairie dog. The petition had been denied, but the agency said after its investigation "the Service believes this decision should be reconsidered." It also said it will examine the continued listing of the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, as well as a separate ruling that had been made concerning the mouse's critical habitat. The agency decision to take the mouse from under the protection of the Endangered Species Act was questioned after MacDonald's involvement became known. Four other cases being reconsidered involved declarations of critical habitat for the Canada lynx, the Hawaiian picture-wing fly, the Arroyo toad, and the California red-legged frog. The agency said it did not find any scientific evidence to warrant changes in another questioned critical habitat decision involving the Southwestern willow flycatcher, saying it was "scientifically supportable."....
Techno-Optimistic Environmentalism In their 2004 essay "The Death of Environmentalism," activists Michael Schellenberger and Ted Nordhaus famously declared, "We have become convinced that modern environmentalism, with all of its unexamined assumptions, outdated concepts and exhausted strategies, must die so that something new can live." What killed environmentalism? Man-made global warming. The pair argued that the problem of global warming is too big to be handled by green incrementalism. Switching to bioethanol and compact fluorescent lighting simply won't do. Something much bigger is needed. And they argued that modern environmentalism was not up to the task. They blamed environmentalism's political ineffectiveness on the fact that environmentalists were perceived as being little more than another special interest group. In addition, the two excoriated movement activists for their "failure to articulate an inspiring and positive vision." Environmentalists turned off possible supporters because they were invested in telling the public doom-and-gloom "I have a nightmare" stories rather than delivering "I have a dream" speeches. Schellenberger and Nordhaus have now launched an effort to expand the frame of political environmentalism to encompass core American values. Earlier this year the dynamic duo issued a new book, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility, in which they attempt to outline a positive vision for the future. Schellenberger and Nordhaus identify an emerging faultline that they argue will divide the environmentalist movement of the 21st century. On one side stand the traditional anti-immigration, anti-globalization, and anti-growth greens. One the other hopeful side, according to Nordhaus and Schellenberger, stand "those who believe that there is room enough for all of us to live secure and free lives. It will be pro-growth, progressive, and internationalist." Nordhaus and Schellenberger see this new positive environmentalism as embracing markets and technological innovation in order to create prosperity and protect the natural world....
"Hey Meaty, You're Making Me So Hot!" There's something about vegetarianism that co-opts other causes—animal welfare, health, yogic meditation. Everyone seems to want to have a side of philosophy with dinner these days. The hottest, newest cause to be assimilated into the vegetarian-anti-industrial complex is global warming. Environmentalists and vegetarians have long maintained excellent relations, but the dawning of broader awareness about fossil fuels expended in food production and the other environmental impacts of farming have brought the two causes into an extremely cosy relationship. Since the proportion of greenhouse emissions from transportation are similar to those produced by raising animals for food, the logic goes, having a burger undoes all the good of your virtuous bicycling, and not just around the waistline. Will asking the bike-riding green to give up steak at dinner parties help him spread the word? Why this strange desire to bring together the self-denying, ascetic streak in both vegetarianism and environmentalism? Why guilt and accusations instead of good cheer? As an antidote to Mills' cheeky but still depressing billboards and all that they represent, below is a list of a handful of the many promising possibilities for minimizing the methane output of cows in the works--including genetically altered bovines, better feeds for animals, and other technological solutions that can make possible a vast middle ground for those who like a steak, but would also like for there to be some ice left somewhere on Earth to chill the martini they're washing it down with....
As a drought grips Los Angeles, the city sends its 'Drought Busters' out to teach citizens to save water "Who ya gonna call?" The famous buzz phrase from the 1984 movie, "Ghostbusters" is being heard on the lips of Los Angeles water officials grappling with two of the driest years in the city's history. Their answer: "drought busters." The program, which helped cut water use by about 30 percent during a drought in the 1990s, comes as the entire state takes step to conserve water. A federal judge has told state water authorities to cut up to 30 percent of their usual deliveries, starting next month, to protect endangered fish. Last week, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced it was buying water from farmers in the state's Central Valley. San Diego has announced a similar deal with farmers in the Imperial Valley. Hundreds of farmers are idling fields, and manufacturers such as silicon-chip makers are rethinking water processes. And then there's Richard Crossley and his 15 colleagues. Each "water cop" drives a white Toyota Prius (complete with "Drought buster" logo) and wields a polite smile, handshake, and an armload of bulging information packets....
If delisted, wolves will be hunted again Wolves were hunted, trapped and poisoned to near-extinction almost a century ago in the West, so the federal government's plan to remove them from the endangered species list and allow them to be hunted once again has alarmed environmental groups. Yet experts say a return to hunting wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains will not be a repeat of what happened when Western pioneers feared wolves would kill their livestock and attack humans. People have a much different view of wolves now, hunting advocates say, and the animals would most likely be secondary targets for sportsmen already in the field in search of deer or elk. That's because wolves are relatively difficult to hunt and are not prized for meat, and only a small number of hunting tags would be available, experts said. "They've been hunted in Alaska and Canada forever, and there's not much interest," said Steve Nadeau, large carnivore manager of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which is creating a hunting plan for wolves. "People would rather look for caribou, and shoot a wolf if they see one," Nadeau said. The federal government is considering removing wolves from endangered species protection next year, turning management over to the states. In turn, the states are developing management plans that include hunting....
DeFazio encouraged, skeptical on predator poison ban Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio says he is encouraged but not overly optimistic as the Environmental Protection Agency takes a first step toward banning two poisons used to protect livestock from wild animals. The agency has called for public comment on a proposal to end the use of sodium cyanide and sodium fluoroacetate, commonly known as Compound 1080, on federal lands. The poisons are used to kill predators in the West, but DeFazio says they also end up killing endangered species and injuring humans. The poisons are primarily used to kill wolves and coyotes that threaten livestock and game. Sodium cyanide capsules are put in baited ejectors, while Compound 1080 is used in sheep and goat collars. DeFazio, a Democrat, has been trying for years to ban the two poisons. He called the EPA's Nov. 16 request for public comment a good sign, but said he was not confident the agency will follow through. The request for comment came in response to a petition by a coalition of conservation groups and public health organizations, which demand an end to use of the poisons. EPA is accepting comments through Jan. 15....
The Local Impacts of Global Climate Change West of Denver, and up state highway 40 from Empire, Grand County is the center of Colorado's pine beetle epidemic. The county's border is the Continental Divide, any further east and you're in Rocky Mountain National Park. Its 12,422 people are spread over 1,870 square miles. These residents – and their governments and businesses – form a microcosmic testing ground for how communities will respond to the changes that climate change is and will bring to the world's landscapes. When we think about climate change, we tend to think big. The blue-green earth of An Inconvenient Truth or the coal factories of China. The Whole Earth Catalog or Worldchanging. Thousands of scientists at work on a 2500 page report or Big Oil cabals stopping reform in its tracks. But, to borrow the old political adage, when it comes down to it, all climate change is local. I don't just mean its causes, but also its impacts....
Forest Service Weakens Wildlife Rules Behind Closed Doors Records obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity confirm that the U.S. Forest Service excluded wildlife agencies from the development of controversial new wildlife rules and ignored feedback from non-Forest Service biologists. “The Forest Service actively ignored criticisms from state biologists and unilaterally changed the rules behind closed doors,” said Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity. “It failed to disclose those criticisms in Freedom of Information Act requests.” Responding to two Freedom of Information Act requests by the Center, the Forest Service claims that it neither offered nor received feedback on draft copies of the rule from state and federal wildlife agencies. But records obtained through requests to Arizona’s Game and Fish Department contradict Forest Service claims. Those records show that state biologists repeatedly expressed concerns to the Forest Service over the new rules’ impact on wildlife. The new rules substantially change a 1996 rule governing forest management in all Arizona and New Mexico national forests — a rule that protects northern goshawks and their prey from logging. The previous rules, known as the Goshawk Guidelines, were developed in response to Center litigation and affect the vast majority of ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forest in the Southwest....
BLM Pushes Back Test Results on Poisoning of 71 Wild Horses The Nevada Bureau of Land Management is pushing back test results that might reveal why 71 horses died of nitrate poisoning on the Tonopah Test Range in July. The BLM now says they won't have test results from the water until April. Senator Harry Reid called for the investigation into what caused the high concentration of nitrates and is telling the BLM to get it done sooner. Eyewitness News had previously reported 61 horses were poisoned by de-icing fluid from a runway near the same spot in 1988. Though the test results are not yet back, the BLM is saying the military was not involved.
ATV enthusiasts fear sport is in jeopardy As more riders are discovering the thrills of zooming up and down hills in Lyon County and across Nevada, the number of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles is increasingly at odds with those who see a threat to nature. The number of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles nearly tripled across the country since 1993, a phenomenon critics and land managers said comes at increasing cost to a vulnerable landscape. Lyon County's hillsides are the perfect terrain for most ATV riders, but ragged tread scars criss-cross the hills, meadows are torn up by spinning tires and conflicts are increasing between those who enjoy motorized recreation and others who see it as a threat. Nature is under wheeled assault, experts said. "It shouldn't be like this," said Frank Machler, off-highway vehicle coordinator for the U.S. Forest Service's Carson Ranger District. "It's just invasive is what it is. It's destructive." By and large, Machler said, the majority of OHV riders stick to roads where the environmental damage from their sport is minimal. But some don't, and the resulting damage often is severe....
Taiwan Suspends Beef Imports From Cargill, Swift Plants The Taiwanese government on Sunday found bone chips in a shipment of JBS-Swift beef, but the Greeley, Colo.-based processor has not received confirmation from Taiwanese authorities that Taipei has suspended beef imports from the company, JBS-Swift spokesman Marco Sampaio told Meatingplace.com. Taiwan's health department on Sunday told Washington to improve its quality control after finding bone chips in a shipment of Swift beef at Keelung Harbor. The department said all shipments from the company have been suspended pending investigation, the Taipei Times reported. The health department noted, however, that the shipment contained no animal parts considered a high risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, adding there would be no need to remove U.S. beef from local stores. Taiwan accepts only boneless U.S. beef from animals younger than 30 months of age owing to BSE concerns. Taiwan imports 20 percent of its beef from the United States, according to the Taipei Times....
Lessons Abound on Animal Welfare Issue As the farm animal care debate ensues, the American Farm Bureau Federation thought it was time to check in with consumers to measure their opinions on the issue. In cooperation with Oklahoma State University, more than 1,000 individuals across the U.S. were contacted by telephone and asked questions about farm animal welfare. Containing almost 50 questions, the survey produced a wealth of information to better help the industry understand its customer. While there are many lessons to take away from the survey, three are particularly important for the livestock industry. The first lesson is that the public cares far more about human welfare and farmers than they do farm animals. As a social issue, the financial well-being of U.S. farmers was found to be twice as important as the well-being of farm animals. Human poverty, the U.S. health care system, and food safety were found to be more than five times more important than farm animal well-being. The second lesson is that consumers understand animal welfare is a result of their shopping decisions, in addition to farmer decisions. A majority of consumers believe their personal food choices have a large impact on the well-being of farm animals, and that if consumers desire higher animal welfare standards, food companies will provide it....
On the edge of common sense: Goats, old hens and Thanksgiving There is a farmer in Indiana who offers goats and sheep for sale. His marketing slogan is "You buy - you kill - you dress - you take home." When I heard about this retro sales pitch, I was reminded of my friend Sam. He was raising laying hens as part of his kids' 4-H project. One of his management problems involved the disposal of old hens. Campbell's Soup was a buyer, but they were not accessible to a producer of his small size. But, to his surprise, the local Hmongs, Vietnamese and Laotians discovered him and offered to buy his culls. Sam explained he didn't have a government approved slaughter facility. "Oh, no," they said, "Want to buy live chicken." The Southeast Asians were of a generation that preferred to butcher their own and knew how. The customers who inspired the Indiana farmer's unique market are American immigrants from the Middle East, Africa and Mexico, where goat meat is a regular part of their diet. They, too, for religious or freshness reasons, prefer to slaughter and dress their own food. These two localized instances remind us of how far we as a civilized nation have removed ourselves from the realities of life. The percentage of Americans and Canadians capable of converting meat from the hoof or feather to the table would probably be less than those who could fix a flat tire. Which helps explain the growth of animal rights hysterians and the lack of comprehension that a sacrifice is required for every chicken nugget, turkey sandwich, baked salmon, BBQ rib and double whopper that we eat....