This Land is My Land Even after a long, steady gaze, the scenery in Southeastern Colorado doesn’t have much to offer. Compared to the majestic mountain peaks found farther west and north, this area of the state appears to be a whole lot of nothing, with flat, dry and rugged expanses stretching for hundreds of lonely miles. But looks can be deceiving. This shortgrass region is alive with unique wildlife, plant species, red canyons, rivers and cattle ranches that have thrived for more than a century. By the same token, while these wide-open expanses project a quiet, calm setting, they are in reality the site of a heated and bitter fight over property rights between local ranchers and the U.S. Army. It began in 2005, when an Army map detailing plans to expand the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site was revealed. The maneuver site, located between Trinidad and La Junta, is a training ground used by troops stationed at Fort Carson, 100 miles to the north, near Colorado Springs. At 235,896 acres, it is the second-largest training site for the Department of Defense. Activities include two major military exercises a year, each consisting of a month of intense maneuvers involving 5,000 troops, 300 heavy-tracked vehicles and 400 wheeled vehicles. When the Army’s map showed plans to acquire an additional 418,000 acres, with the potential for expanding the site to more than 2 million acres, local landowners were outraged and began organizing against the expansion. Much of the proposed area is private property, and residents remember all too well how the original maneuver site was acquired—the federal government seized about half of it by condemning it and relocating 11 landowners....
Grant to help protect land along border A $1 million grant to The Nature Conservancy in Arizona is paying for the conservation of 9,500 acres along the Arizona-New Mexico border. The newly protected area will extend the land protected by a ranchers' group in New Mexico and Southeastern Arizona to nearly 85,000 acres. The area is rich in rare and endangered species and vital to profitable ranching and other traditional livelihoods, says The Nature Conservancy, a conservation organization. However, it was under threat by encroaching development. The property secures a corridor of wildlife habitat from grasslands in the San Simon Valley to woodlands in Coronado National Forest. It contributes to a key migratory corridor for several species — including jaguars in their northernmost route — along the United States-Mexico border, The Nature Conservancy says. Five statewide projects will be funded with $1 million from a $13 million regional grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, among them the 9,500 acres, the group says. The conservation area is the result of an agreement between the Malpai Borderlands Group and the owners of a ranch in the border area. The Malpai Borderlands Group is a collaboration of ranchers who live and work primarily in Southeast Arizona and Southwest New Mexico who want to maintain their livelihood while also protecting the environment....
Ranch agrees to end grazing near park Part of a federal grazing allotment south of Yellowstone National Park that was a hot spot for problems with bears and wolves has been retired. The National Wildlife Federation and other groups brokered the deal between the Diamond G Ranch of Dubois, Wyo., and the Shoshone National Forest. The agreement will end grazing on about 35,000 acres of federal land and will pay the Diamond G Ranch $150,000 to secure grazing elsewhere. The deal is the 29th of its kind since 2002 aimed at reducing conflicts in the Yellowstone ecosystem between livestock and predators in prime wildlife areas. So far, about 550,000 acres of federal grazing allotments have been retired, said Hank Fischer, special projects coordinator with the National Wildlife Federation. Stephen Gordon, Diamond G Ranch president, estimated losses to predators in the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. That includes cows, horses, family dogs snatched from the front porch and a young colt killed in a corral, he said. Since 1991, wildlife officials have confirmed 31 cows killed by grizzlies, and the actual losses may be three times higher, he said. Although the ranch has a very high density of bears, ranch managers found ways to work around them. The arrival of wolves after reintroduction in 1995 and 1996, though, proved too much, Gordon said. Over the past 13 years, verified losses to wolves include 27 cows, eight dogs and four horses. The actual number of depredations may be about eight times higher, Gordon said....
No way to run a national park Who has the most clout in Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana? Thousands of citizens who took part in an environmental impact study, or a railroad that wants to control avalanches as cheaply as possible? If you guessed the railroad, it seems you’re right. Four years ago, avalanches halted train service for 30 hours, twice derailed an empty freight train and nearly slammed into a cleanup crew. Afterward, Burlington Northern asked the Park Service for a permit to use explosives to control avalanches originating in the park. The company also contracted for an avalanche study, which identified 12 slide paths likely to affect the railway. The avalanche study suggested expanding the snowsheds, among other recommendations. But the company had a different idea. It claimed that setting off controlled avalanches on park hillsides each winter was the best and least expensive to address its safety and financial concerns. But there are other things to worry about in a national park. The Park Service’s draft environmental impact statement in 2006 found that explosives would disrupt the park’s natural avalanche regime, altering vegetation, hydrology and wildlife habitat....
GF&P kills big cat treed by terrier GF&P officers killed a mountain lion treed by a terrier Monday in an area two or three miles east of Belle Fourche with near homes and livestock. Game, Fish & Parks conservation officer Bill Eastman of Belle Fourche said Tuesday that the lion was near a flock of 60 pregnant ewes, less than a quarter-mile from four homes and also near where horses and cattle were grazing. "This cat fell into the criteria of having to be destroyed," Eastman said. There had been several reports the past several weeks by rural Belle Fourche residents who suspected lion activity, based on their cattle's behavior or sounds they described as lion-like. Eastman said that history makes a case for young "movers" to be a danger to livestock. Two years ago, Eastman said, a lion killed sheep near Fruitdale, east of Belle Fourche, and the department issued a kill permit. That same year, a lion had been seen inside Belle Fourche, and another kill permit was issued. Both permits expired without another lion sighting. Six years ago, he said, a lion near the Belle Fourche Reservoir at Orman Dam -- eight miles east of Belle Fourche -- had killed sheep, apparently for play rather than just for food....
Rancher, environmental group file complaint on waste pit spills A western Colorado rancher and an environmental group have filed a formal complaint with state regulators over the release of tens of thousands of gallons of waste liquids from gas drilling storage pits, including some that is frozen inside a waterfall. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates the industry, is investigating four large releases from pits operated by two companies on top of the Roan Plateau near Rifle. The commission says waste, including mud used in oil and gas well drilling, could flow into West Parachute Creek when the ice melts. The investigation comes as the state is revamping oil and gas regulations. Industry officials have criticized the proposed rule changes as too stringent. Rancher Sid Lindauer lives on Parachute Creek and said the state didn't tell area residents about the spills. He and the Western Colorado Congress, an environmental group, have filed a complaint with the commission. “So far, the state has not told us what is in the wastewater and what threat it could pose to my livestock,” Lindauer said....
Kansas landowners suing over federal Trails Act Two Kansas landowners have sued for compensation after the government took old railroad rights of way on their properties -- but unless Congress intervenes, only one is likely to get paid. The aim was to turn the old tracks into recreational trails. But the cases illustrate how federal rails-to-trails programs can lead to decades of legal conflict. The controversy over rail-trail conversions has been brewing since Congress passed the federal Trails Act 25 years ago. It allowed the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to give unused railroad lines back to states to use as recreational trails. But adjoining landowners began asking why that property wasn't returned to them. In Butler County, a young couple has an abandoned railroad track running through their property. In McPherson County, a 95-year-old cattle farmer lives with a recreational rail trail that splits his property. Compensation -- if any is granted -- could range from getting the use of their land back to being paid for the time the government has held rights to the land....
Tahoe Fire Prevention Hurt by Infighting Steps to prevent catastrophic wildfires in the Lake Tahoe basin, one of the country's most treasured natural wonders, have been hampered for years by bureaucratic infighting among agencies that often work at cross-purposes, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. The failure of the agencies to adequately protect the basin was brought to light in June when a wildfire ripped through a thickly forested ravine and destroyed 254 homes near South Lake Tahoe. Since then, blame has fallen on the overlapping agencies that have environmental and regulatory oversight of the Tahoe basin. A commission established after the fire was scheduled to vote Friday on a report recommending ways to heal the rifts. The AP's review showed just how glaring the problems have been over the years. Most of the documents covered the three years before the wildfire and reveal a tangle of agencies with competing agendas. Efforts to clear trees and brush were delayed - often for years - as agencies bickered over methods and jurisdictional disputes. The documents also show that while the wildfire heightened the urgency to thin the forest, years of delay have left the basin ripe for a repeat calamity....
Commission says Tahoe agencies must emphasize fire-prevention A commission established by the governors of California and Nevada after last summer's Lake Tahoe wildfire has a simple message for the overlapping agencies of the Tahoe basin: Get along. The commission is scheduled to vote Friday on the report's 70 recommendations, which will be forwarded to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons. The Angora Fire that swept down a thickly forested canyon in South Lake Tahoe last June destroyed 254 homes and caused $140 million in property damage. It also exposed long-standing rivalries between the various local, state, federal and regional agencies that are charged with protecting Tahoe's environment or promoting fire protection. The commission focused on two agencies at the core of the criticism: the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and California's Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Both agencies traditionally have made fire protection secondary to environmental protection, in particular trying to maintain the lake's clarity. They now must recognize that in just a matter of days a wildfire can undo years of environmental progress, sending black ash and barren soil streaming into the lake. "There is perhaps no single ... event with greater potential deleterious impact on the lake than a catastrophic wildfire," the report says in the first of its 47 official findings....
Forest Services proposes expansion of elk feedgrounds The Bridger-Teton National Forest proposes to allow the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to continue to feed elk at state-operated feedgrounds in northwest part of the state for at least 20 more years. The Forest Service also proposes to allow the state to expand three elk feedgrounds. Government officials say expanding the areas will help to keep elk spread out and reduce the transmission of diseases such as hoof rot and brucellosis. Permits for some of the feedgrounds had already expired or were set to expire soon. The Forest Service in its new environmental study states that operation of the feedgrounds has harmed some plants in the surrounding areas, but concludes that the damage is not severe enough to bar the Game and Fish Department from continuing feeding operations. The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and other conservation groups have pushed for years to phase out Wyoming's elk feedgrounds. They claim that they create artificially dense elk populations that promote the spread of diseases.
Ritter signs law to fine unlawful off-road-vehicle use Beginning in July, those caught using motorized vehicles on prohibited, public lands will be handed fines and penalties. Gov. Bill Ritter on Thursday signed into law a bill to set these penalties, which include fines ranging from $100 to $200, and suspensions of hunting and fishing licenses for violators also engaging in these activities. “This is an issue that has been percolating for a couple of years and it took that long for everybody to come together to meet consensus about how best to move forward,” said Evan Dreyer, Ritter’s spokesman. He said the governor praised the hard work of many groups in finding common ground. The legislation, which goes into effect July 1, puts in place an agreement that allows state peace officers to enforce federal regulations — a point some opponents of the measure have criticized. This agreement also initiates a unprecedented practice in land management. “Because this is relatively new practice, we know that the eyes of the nation will be on Colorado to see how this unfolds,” said Dreyer....
Congress to research delays in polar bear decision The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate environment committee wants Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to explain why the department has delayed a ruling on the expansion of federal protection of the polar bear. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., sent a letter to Kempthorne on Thursday requesting him to appear before the committee when the Senate reconvenes after the Easter recess. “It is time for the Interior secretary to answer questions about the administration’s continued foot-dragging on the polar bear listing,” Boxer said in a prepared statement. In the letter, Boxer says she will hold an oversight hearing either April 2 or April 8. She gave Kempthorne until today to confirm his appearance. Boxer also questioned why the department went ahead with an oil and gas lease sale in the Chukchi Sea — home to about 20 percent of the world’s polar bears — before finalizing a decision on the listing....
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether ESA Listing Exceeds Federal Power The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government authority to regulate Alabama sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. A lawsuit contending the federal government overstepped its bounds in seeking to regulate Alabama sturgeon was filed by attorneys with the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), an organization that litigates on behalf of property owners against government overreach. PLF attorneys represent the Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers Coalition, an alliance of Alabama businesses, agricultural associations, and other water users who would be adversely affected by federal regulation. Critical to the issue of federal oversight authority is the fact that the Alabama sturgeon is not found outside of limited areas in Alabama and is not used for any commercial purpose. "We are very gratified that the Supreme Court has accepted this case, which raises major constitutional questions about the appropriate limits of federal power," said M. Reed Hopper, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation. "Does federal power to regulate commerce among the states extend to purely local land and water use matters, and local species, that don't have a role in interstate commerce?" Hopper asked. "Will a balance of power between federal and state authority continue to be a meaningful concept in our constitutional system? That is what is at stake in this case."....
Eco-Terrorism: No Such Thing Right or wrong, they're not terrorists. The feds say they are. They call ELF, the loose-knit "group" that took responsibility for the blazes in unincorporated Snohomish County, the biggest threat to mom, freedom, apple pie and three-minute pop songs since the Soviet Union closed shop. Six months before 9/11, shortly before the famous "Bin Laden Wants to Kick Our Ass Six Ways to Sunday" memo, the FBI went so far as to list the ELF as a federally designated terrorist organization. Like al Qaida. Terrorism—you can look it up—involves killing people. Hijacking a plane and flying it into a building is terrorism. Destroying property—property that, for the most part, made the world a worse place—is not. ELF's goal of "inflict[ing] maximum economic damage on those profiting from the destruction and exploitation of the natural environment" has inspired people to set fire to SUVs at a New Mexico car dealership, Hummers in California, and a Vail ski lodge whose construction threatened the lynx, an endangered species. Damage to the Colorado ski project amounted to $12 million. ELF members are vandals. They're arsonists. But they aren't terrorists. ELF demands that its adherents "take all necessary precautions against harming any animal—human and non-human." Although it could happen someday, no one has ever been killed or hurt in an ELF action. Equating the burning of a Hummer to blowing up a child exposes our society's grotesque overemphasis on the "right" of property owners to do whatever they want....
Bill gives animal owners right to kill harassing wolves The House has approved changes to state law that would let ranchers, outfitters and pet owners kill wolves harassing livestock. House lawmakers voted 65-4 on Wednesday to give owners up to 72 hours to report wolves they've killed after catching them annoying, disturbing or stalking animals or livestock. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is rewriting its wolf laws, ahead of the expected lifting of federal Endangered Species Act protections this year. The Senate has already passed the bill. It is now ready for Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's signature.
EPA, Army Corps Square Off Over Mississippi Delta Drainage Plan The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers are squaring off over an Army Corps proposal to seasonally drain 67,000 acres of wetlands adjacent to the lower Mississippi River. The Army Corps wants to spend $220 million to build a pumping station in the Yazoo River Basin. It argues the taxpayer-funded project is necessary to protect agricultural lands and approximately 1,000 homes from potential flooding. EPA says the project's goals do not justify altering wetlands that are vital to regional fish and wildlife. It has notified the Army Corps it plans to veto the proposal unless the Corps can provide sufficient evidence the feared environmental impacts will not occur. Army Corps officials maintain the proposed pumping station would not have as much environmental impact as EPA and environmental activist groups claim. The Corps notes it would operate the pump only to drain water into the adjacent Mississippi River when floodwaters in the Yazoo River Basin reach exceedingly high levels....
At island retreat, Branson and friends seek to save a world 'on fire' Richard Branson was lounging under the starry midnight sky on this palm-dappled speck of an island recently when he popped a sobering question. "So, do we really think the world is on fire?" Branson, the British magnate and adventurer, asked several guests, as a manservant scurried off to fetch him another glass of pinot grigio. What he wanted to know was whether his high-powered visitors, among them Larry Page of Google, Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia and Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, thought global warming threatened the planet. Branson does - and so did most of his guests. So on this recent weekend on his private hideaway in the crystalline waters between the islands of Tortola and Anegada, they tried to figure out what to do about it and perhaps get richer in the process. Some of them, like Page, carbon-consciously jet-pooled in from Silicon Valley, where the financiers who bankrolled the Web boom of the 1990s have started chasing the new "New New Thing": green power. In an era of $100-plus oil, venture capitalists like Vinod Khosla, another invitee, are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into young companies that cook up biofuels and harness the power of the sun....
Manson Family's gruesome history resurfaces in the desert The Barker Ranch was the last redoubt of the gaggle of hippies, hitchhikers and lost souls that called itself the Family and followed the twisted beliefs of the convicted pimp, sex offender and would-be musician Charles Manson. It was to this lonely outpost in the California desert that the group of 26 came after committing the gruesome Sharon Tate and LaBianca murders, and it was here, on August 12 1969, that Manson was arrested hiding under a bathroom sink. The story of how Manson came to form his sex and drug-fuelled cult, and turned his followers' adulation into blood lust, has become the stuff of criminological legend, marking the low point of the 60s revolution. Members of the Family were prosecuted for nine murders, the most famous victim being Tate, the pregnant wife of the film director Roman Polanski, but rumours have consistently claimed that the true death toll was much higher. Now a group of interested individuals - including Tate's younger sister, Debra, a local police detective, and forensics experts - have begun searching the desert around the ranch and believe they have found evidence of two, perhaps three, human graves that may be linked to the Manson Family....
Colo. ranches preserved on film As the state's conservation-easement program comes under scrutiny, legendary landscape photographer John Fielder is working on a new book aimed at illustrating the importance of the program for preserving Colorado's ranching heritage. Fielder is photographing 50 working ranches from the Eastern Plains to the western river canyons. He is focusing on multigenerational, centennial-quality ranches, about two-thirds of which have conservation easements on them. "I want to show people how glorious ranches are in this state," said Fielder, who is well-known for previous books he has published, such as "Colorado 1870-2000" and "Colorado Then & Now." "We can show Colorado what's at stake." The conservation-easement program allows landowners to get tax deductions and earn tax credits they can sell for cash in exchange for restricting development on their land. Preliminary results from an investigation launched by the state's Division of Real Estate in October have revealed some highly suspect transactions that may have cost the state a significant amount of lost revenue. A bill wending its way through the state legislature is aimed at stemming abuses of the program....
Open wide, please Flashlight in hand, Tom Murphy peers into the horse’s large open mouth, then reaches for one of the dental tools neatly laid out on the table in the barn aisle. The acrid smell of ground tooth permeates the air as he slides the rotary disc float over the top row of molars. This is the first patient of the day for Murphy, a certified equine dentist from Killdeer, N.D. By the end of the day Murphy will have performed dental procedures, including floating or filing off the teeth’s rough points on 23 horses in the Grand Forks area. Murphy, a cattle rancher and certified equine dentist, from Killdeer, N.D., got interested in equine dentistry after being impressed by the results his niece saw when she took her 16-year-old mare to a Rapid City, S.D., dentist. At the time, the horse was thin and was having difficulty getting pregnant. The equine dentist found that one of the horse’s teeth was longer than the others, which interfered with its chewing....