Feds sued for taking gray wolves off endangered list Environmental and animal rights groups sued the federal government Monday, seeking to restore endangered species status for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lifted federal protections for the estimated 1,500 wolves in March. It turned over management responsibilities to state officials in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana for the first time in more than three decades. The lawsuit alleges those states lack adequate laws to ensure wolves are not again eradicated from the region. At least 37 were killed in the last month. The groups are seeking an immediate court order to restore federal control over the species until the case is resolved. "We're very concerned that absent an injunction, hundreds of wolves could be killed under existing state management plans," said attorney Jason Rylander with Defenders of Wildlife, one of twelve groups that filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Missoula. The lawsuit argues that a "spate of wolf killings" last month showed state management could quickly reverse the wolf's fortunes. The injunction said state officials would allow wolves to be eliminated across most of Wyoming and large parts of Montana and Idaho....
Don't halt states' wolf management plans A federal judge in Montana should reject an attempt by environmental and animal rights groups to stop the killing of wolves in the Northern Rockies. The groups have asked for an emergency injunction to halt state wolf management plans in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, and again place the animals under federal protection. But there's no emergency. There's no evidence that the wolf population is in danger of being wiped out. That said, it should be noted that Wyoming's insistence on a dual classification system for wolves led to Monday's court challenge. The state created a trophy game area in northwest Wyoming where the animals are given some protection. Outside this zone, however, wolves can be shot on sight. And quite a few have been killed by hunters and ranchers during the first month of state management. By insisting on making most of the state a predator zone, Wyoming opened the door to a lawsuit. Without the dual classification system, wolf advocates might not have been so quick to go to court. But now that the groups have filed a lawsuit, it will be up to a judge to decide whether Wyoming's wolf management plan is legal. In the meantime, there's no reason for the court at this point to halt state management with an injunction. Despite the uproar over increased wolf killings this month, in prior years many wolves that killed and harassed livestock were legally killed by federal wildlife agents. Mike Jimenez, head of the federal wolf recovery project before being hired last week to coordinate Wyoming's wolf management plan, noted that entire packs have been killed in the past due to livestock conflicts....
Where the buffalo roam -- and die More than half of Yellowstone National Park's bison herd has died since last fall, forcing the government to suspend its annual slaughter program. More than 700 of the iconic animals starved or otherwise died on the mountainsides during an unusually harsh winter, and more than 1,600 were shot by hunters or sent to slaughterhouses in a disease-control effort, according to National Park Service figures. As a result, the park estimates its bison herd has dropped from 4,700 in November to about 2,300 today, prompting the government to halt the culling program early. "There has never been a slaughter like this of the bison since the 1800s in this country, and it's disgusting," said Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign, a group seeking to stop the slaughter program for good. Government officials say the slaughter prevents the spread of the disease brucellosis from the Yellowstone bison to cattle on land near the park. Brucellosis can cause miscarriages, infertility and reduced milk production in domestic cattle. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that half of Yellowstone's bison herd is infected with the bacterium....
Mountain is symbolic to many Tsoodzil, Kaweshtima, Turquoise Mountain and Mount Taylor are names that have been given over the years to the dormant volcano on the horizon. The mountain represents sacred sites and the home of gods to some Native American neighbors and a place for recreation, ranching, Land Grant communities and appreciation of nature for others. Currently there has been a growing interest in resuming uranium mining on Mount Taylor, coinciding with some designations of protection by both the U.S. Forest Service and the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee. These state and federal designations have produced debate in Grants and led to allegations about how the measures would limit public activity on the mountain. The emergency listing of Mount Taylor will be temporary for one year while the committee investigates the property and makes a determination if it should be permanently placed on the state register. The nominating parties - the Pueblos of Acoma, Zuni, Laguna, the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe must spend that year documenting the importance of Mount Taylor as an archaeological site, the traditional values and the historic and prehistoric uses of the site....
Road agreement language comes back to haunt land managers For decades, the U.S. Forest Service and private timber companies have shared logging roads, negotiating access across one another's ground and agreeing to split the cost of shared roads. The intent of those agreements was to enable both the agency and the companies to cut timber and haul logs. But that intent was not spelled out in any specific way. Instead, the easements were written with the broadest of language. Now, the breadth of that historic language is causing headaches for modern land managers, as forest values and uses change. In 1999, Plum Creek Timber Co. restructured as a real estate investment trust, turning to residential land sales to bolster its bottom line - and turning logging roads into subdivision gateways. The Forest Service viewed the easements narrowly: logging use only. Plum Creek viewed them broadly: all uses, including residential access. Neither wanted to test its opinion in court, however, because there was too much at stake for the loser. And so they talked. Beginning in fall 2006, the agency and the company embarked on closed-door negotiations aimed at hammering out a middle ground. They succeeded, but just as they were finishing, word of the talks leaked....
Rey says authority over real estate development is limited Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey says the federal government has limited control over a timber company's plans to develop its vast Montana land holdings. As the Plum Creek Timber Co. moves to be a bigger player in the real estate industry, the company is negotiating with the federal government to renew approximately 200 road easements through publicly owned forests in Montana. Commissioners from several western Montana counties want new restrictions on those easements, to address increased future demand for firefighting, road maintenance and other public services. But Rey says federal law guarantees Plum Creek access through U.S. Forest Service land. He adds that he has little power over what the company does with its own property.
New tool may help soil hurt by roads The Bitterroot National Forest is known for its mountain views, but Cole Mayn looks at what's underfoot - and under the surface - when he's out tracking the impact that heavy logging equipment has on the landscape. Nationwide, millions of miles of old logging roads and skid trails crisscross public lands, promoting noxious weeds, disrupting surface and subterranean ecosystems, and bleeding soil into streams for decades. Now, the Bitterroot National Forest and a few other federal land agencies are investing in a new tool that rehabilitates deeply compacted soils and encourages native vegetation and microorganisms to recolonize the land's scars. Mayn, the soil scientist and watershed program manager for the Bitterroot, said the tool, called a subsoiling grapple rake, is revolutionary. The grapple rake uses a narrow shank to penetrate 6 to 12 inches below the surface to shatter compacted layers. The dirt can be as hard as concrete in the wake of log skidders, dozers, trucks and other heavy equipment. Unlike traditional tilling, the grapple rake raises the soil surface only slightly and leaves a small furrow on the surface. The grapple rake leaves the nutrient-rich surface layer largely intact, while allowing water, microscopic fungus and native plant roots to penetrate more deeply. That helps to stabilize the soil and restore its natural biological balance of nitrogen, carbon and other nutrients....
Feds' consultant hire at issue The U.S. Forest Service is reviewing the recent hiring process for a consulting firm to help draft an environmental document for the proposed Rosemont mine. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Tucson asked the service to spell out how and why it picked SWCA Environmental Consultants, a Giffords aide said last week. Also, fellow U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva said he will ask the Inspector General's Office of the U.S. Agriculture Department, the service's parent agency, to review SWCA's hiring. Grijalva, like Giffords a Democrat, is concerned about whether the company can be objective in judging the Rosemont mine application, given a long track record representing developers and other businesses. The Rosemont mine, proposed by Canadian firm Augusta Resources, would be built in the Santa Rita Mountains on 995 acres of private land, 3,670 acres of national forest, 15 acres of Bureau of Land Management land and 75 acres of state trust land. A draft environmental statement is due in March 2009. A final statement is due in November 2009. Opponents have raised concerns that the mine will draw down the water table, pollute the air, hurt water quality and cause traffic safety problems....
Wire thieves leave hazardous waste at Idaho campsites Authorities say that what looks like the ashes of burned rope at campsites in Idaho may be hazardous waste. A sharp increase has been reported in illegal burning of wire insulation on public lands throughout the West. The Bureau of Land Management, for example, reports four cases in the last three months in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area south of Boise. The agency's top official in Idaho, Loren Good, says drug addicts steal electrical wire, then burn off the insulation to get a bigger payoff from scrap meal recyclers. The insulation is dangerous to human health as well as the environment, and removing the ashes properly can cost $500 to thousands of dollars. Another BLM official, Steve Moore, says anyone who encounters wire insulation ashes should contact authorities.
CBD Opposes oil & gas leasing in Nevada because of global warming Today the Center for Biological Diversity submitted comments urging the federal Bureau of Land Management to scrap its proposal to open 1.7 million acres of public lands in Lander and Nye counties to oil and gas development because the drilling would exacerbate global climate change and further threaten imperiled species. At the heart of the Center’s complaint is the Bureau’s failure to analyze or even acknowledge the environmental impacts from the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the development and consumption of oil and gas produced from the area, despite the National Environmental Policy Act’s mandate to fully disclose the environmental impacts from federal actions. The impacts of climate change on Nevada include prolonged heat waves and higher night-time temperatures, severe droughts, more wildfires, widespread beetle infestations in both low and high elevation forests, loss of species, and the spread of diseases such as the West Nile virus. Nevada’s water supply is also threatened by climate change, due to less snowfall and earlier runoff in both local mountains as well as the headwaters of the Colorado River....
Five more sea lions trapped at Bonneville Dam State authorities trapped another five California sea lions at Bonneville Dam on Monday, sending four of them to their new home at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma. A fifth was branded and released. Fishery managers remain concerned about sea lions eating endangered salmon. They plan to stage similar trap-and-haul operations twice a week for another month. With the bulk of the spring salmon and steelhead run still to arrive at the dam, state officials say they remain concerned about sea lions eating fish protected by the Endangered Species Act. The fish are being attacked where they’re most vulnerable, before passing the dam. “We’ll probably go toward the end of May,” said Rick Hargrave, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Washington, Oregon and Idaho state fishery managers received approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service last month to kill as many as 85 California sea lions per year at the dam. A federal court ruled last week that the sea lions could not be killed under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case next month and issue a ruling after the salmon season ends....
Saving polar bears, an excuse to grab control There's no documented, let alone alarming loss of lovable, fuzzy polar bears. But freedom-loving Americans ought to be alarmed at what's proposed under the guise of saving the furry critters. The federal government is considering designating polar bears as an endangered species, a leap in logic in light of the confusion about whether their numbers are increasing or decreasing. Global warming alarmists insist polar bears are at risk of extinction because of a string of "ifs." If manmade greenhouse gases are warming the atmosphere, and if increases in climate temperature continue, and if that warming leads to melting of arctic ice, and if that leads to bears being unable to find food or getting enmeshed in oil that might spill if drilling is permitted where ice used to be, and if these marvelous swimming creatures start to drown because of the lack of ice, then the alarmists may be right. This strikes us as a rather iffy proposition. Whether receding arctic ice actually poses a threat to polar bears is problematic, at best. The most obvious evidence that the species is hardy enough to weather this storm of "ifs" ought to be the fact that without man's help bears thrive in an area that 1,000 years ago was substantially warmer. The Vikings farmed in what today is icy Greenland. It's called Greenland for a reason....
Opec says oil could hit $200 Opec’s president on Monday warned oil prices could hit $200 a barrel and there would be little the cartel could do to help. The comments made by Chakib Khelil, Algeria’s energy minister, came as oil prices hit a historic peak close to $120 a barrel, putting further pressure on global economies. His remarks suggest Algeria wants Opec to continue to resist calls by US and European leaders for the cartel to pump more oil to help ease prices. But Mr Khelil blamed record oil prices on the weak dollar and global political insecurity. He told El Moudjahid, Algeria’s government newspaper: “I don’t think that an increase in production would help lower prices, because there is a balance between supply and demand and the stocks of gasoline in the United States have recorded a surplus and are at their highest level for five years.” He added: “The prices are high due to the recession in the United States and the economic crisis, which has touched several countries, a situation that has an effect on the value of the dollar. Each time the dollar falls 1 per cent, the price of the barrel rises by $4 and of course vice versa.”....
Storm brewing for William Gray By pioneering the science of seasonal hurricane forecasting and teaching 70 graduate students who now populate the National Hurricane Center and other research outposts, William Gray turned a city far from the stormy seas into a hurricane research mecca. But now the institution in Fort Collins, Colo., where he has worked for nearly half a century, has told Gray it may end its support of his seasonal forecasting. As he enters his 25th year of predicting hurricane season activity, Colorado State University officials say handling media inquiries related to Gray's forecasting requires too much time and detracts from efforts to promote other professors' work. But Gray, a highly visible and sometimes acerbic skeptic of climate change, says that's a "flimsy excuse" for the real motivation — a desire to push him aside because of his global warming criticism. Among other comments, Gray has said global warming scientists are "brainwashing our children." Now an emeritus professor, Gray declined to comment on the university's possible termination of promotional support....
The Food Crisis As everyone knows by this point, we are in the midst of a food crisis. Domestic prices of basic foods have risen by 46% over the past year, putting even more pressure on already stressed consumers. Overseas, food riots have occurred in Haiti, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Indonesia, Yemen, and as close to our borders as Mexico. These riots were severe enough to bring down the Haitian government of Jacques Edouard Alexis. Others may follow. Any number of explanations have been offered. Global warming has taken its accustomed bow, only to be immediately pushed to one side by other candidates including market pressure created by higher living standards in India and China and increased fuel and fertilizer costs thanks to OPEC's price-raising spree. Overpopulation has been dragged from the closet and dusted off one more time. The dour ghost of economist Thomas Malthus, with his lethal equation that food supply increases arithmetically while population increases geometrically, has made yet another appearance. How will we feed the world, the cry arises. The feast is over; the era of cheap food has come to an end. The West (as ever), must mend its ways, give up its McDonald's and KFC for the common good, learn to content itself with a bowl of cabbage soup and a handful of bamboo shoots a day. Soylent Green is just around the corner. Within a year, the prophet of the 1200-calorie international diet will begin his campaign, in much the same way as Al Gore (perhaps it will even be Al Gore, if global warming goes south quickly enough), pursuing that Nobel aglow just over the horizon. Ecoterrorists will develop new targets to add to loggers and fur-wearers....
Cattle Towns: Medora, North Dakota A 24-year old French nobleman, the Marquis De Mores, founded the town of Medora in April 1883. He named the town for his bride, the former, Medora Von Hoffman, daughter of a wealthy New York City banker. The Marquis de Mores arrived in the valley a few weeks after the abandonment of Badlands Cantonment in early 1883. With financial backing from his father-in-law, he founded the town of Medora east of the river, building a meat packing plant, a brick plant, a hotel, stores, and a large home (Chateau de Mores) overlooking his new town. Another colorful individual drawn to this area was a young New York politician named Theodore Roosevelt. He first arrived to hunt buffalo in September 1883, immediately fell in love with the land, and invested in cattle raising. He would eventually own two large ranches - the Maltese Cross, about seven miles south of Medora, and the Elkhorn, about 35 miles north of town. In 1901 Roosevelt, at age 42, became the youngest president in United States history, serving until 1909. He called his years in the Badlands "the romance of my life," and often credited his Dakota experiences with enabling him to become president....
A Western tradition and delicacy Sitting in a field on his ranch a few weeks ago on a nice spring afternoon, with the sun peeking in and out of the clouds, Sen. Brad Little, R-Emmett, and Mike Roach of Meridian went to work cleaning a bucket of "calf fries" after a day of branding on Little's ranch south of Emmett. Growing up in Montana and Wyoming around family who are ranchers, I have been to my share of spring brandings. And calf fries - bull fries, Rocky Mountain oysters, whatever you want to call them - have always been a part of the cowboy culture and cuisine. The Littles have had a get-together with family and friends for years after branding season to serve up the calf fries that were collected and cleaned, then battered and fried. Little said the dinner started out as a bird-hunting event, and the "fries" were lamb, not calf, because the Littles were in the sheep business back then. Only later did that change to cattle. I also came across a story from the early 1900s of a Yugoslavian immigrant named Theo Yordanoff who lived in Texas. He was said to have served calf fries in the 1920s in his Forth Worth restaurant. Story goes that a cowboy came into the restaurant and asked for the delicacy. After explaining what exactly they were to the cook, Yordanoff went to the nearest stockyard and was told he could have as many calf fries as he wanted for free if he would just take them away. Yordanoff created a calf fries sandwich that he sold for 15 cents, and it was a big success....