Loaded for Bear In late January, Jim Sims, the president and CEO of the Western Business Roundtable, an industry trade group that represents mining and energy interests, told his colleagues to prepare for the worst: The polar bear was almost certain to receive "threatened" status under the Endangered Species Act. "The negative implications of this to business and industry [are] breathtaking," he wrote in an email, obtained by Mother Jones. But, he said, his and other groups had devised a plan to fight and "quite possibly reverse" the imminent ruling. Part of that strategy involved a legal challenge to the listing. On that score, Sims promised they had "secured a truly extraordinary plaintiff for this effort: one of America's most prominent civil rights leaders of the four past decades." That prominent plaintiff was Roy Innis, the longtime chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality. A civil rights group that dates back to the 1940s, CORE's agenda has taken a distinct rightward tilt under Innis' leadership, aligning itself with conservative activists opposed to the environmental movement. Speaking in March at a conference of global warming skeptics sponsored by the Chicago-based Heartland Institute, which has received more than $600,000 in funding from ExxonMobil since the late '90s, Innis announced that his organization, itself a recipient of Exxon funding, would sue the Bush administration if the polar bear were listed. He cast the issue as one of economic justice, if not civil rights, saying that the pending ruling would "result in higher energy prices across the board which will disproportionately be borne by minorities," causing "countless families in our country in winters ahead to choose between food on the table and fuel in the furnace."....
For Mother's Day THE WAR AGAINST GLOBAL warming is producing collateral damage to family life. One American city may even ban the hearth--San Francisco is contemplating a prohibition on private fireplaces to reduce air pollution. But this is nothing compared to the family sacrifice of the future: babies. A new trend among some of the world's most eco-conscious is to forgo children for the sake of the planet. In a recent interview with Britain's Daily Mail, one woman who works for an environmental charity told of aborting her baby because she felt it was "immoral to give birth to a child that . . . would only be a burden to the world." She also had herself permanently sterilized at age 27 for good measure. According to another woman, who works for Ethical Consumer magazine, sterilization was the most ethical decision because " . . . a baby would pollute the planet--and that never having a child was the most environmentally friendly thing I could do." What about the assertion that kids--whether they make you happy or not--are a net burden on our world? It turns out that this does not stand up to the evidence either. Economists estimate that the net benefits to society from children are, on average, significant and positive. Balancing the negative and positive socioeconomic impacts from children, one well-regarded study from 1990 in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science placed the benefit in net government revenues in excess of $100,000 per American child--a number that has obviously greatly increased since that time. What we choose to do with this public surplus per child is obviously up to us--it reflects our society's values. As our population rises, we can use our resulting public wealth increases to ensure the preservation of our natural environment, for example. To argue against human reproduction to save the planet amounts to arguing that lowering our prosperity is the best strategy to cut resource consumption and greenhouse gases....
U.S. consumers worst at being green Americans rank last in a new National Geographic-sponsored survey released Wednesday that compares environmental-consumption habits in 14 countries. Americans were least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories - housing, transportation and consumer goods, according to the assessment. In the fourth category, food, Americans ranked ahead of Japanese consumers, who eat more meat and seafood. The rankings, called "Greendex," are the first to compare the lifestyles and behaviors of consumers in multiple countries, according to the National Geographic Society. It plans to conduct the 100-plus-question survey annually and considers trends more important than yearly scores, said Terry Garcia, executive vice president of National Geographic's mission programs....
The Biofuels Dilemma The agriculture lobby has legendary clout in Washington, so current biofuel targets, along with heavy subsidies that keep the industry alive, will stay in place for now. The 2008 farm bill, which has entered the homestretch in Congress, cuts the corn-ethanol subsidy by only 6 cents, to 45 cents per gallon, while the subsidy for the "next generation" of ethanol (to be made from grass, straw, and other cellulosic materials) will rise to more than a dollar a gallon. To soften the rapid food-price inflation that's expected to result, the new law will increase food aid to lower-income Americans. Perhaps the starkest measure of the car culture's energy appetite is the fact that the state of Iowa, the nation's leading corn producer, will soon be importing corn. If a meteorite were to land randomly in Iowa, there's a 35 percent chance it would land in a cornfield; Iowa's corn harvest last year contained more calories than the state's human population would consume in 85 years of eating; yet Iowa will be hauling corn in from other states. The grain will be fed to a multitude of new fuel-ethanol factories, along with the state's existing corn syrup and livestock industries. The world is learning fast that when fuel demand competes with food needs for the sun's energy, it's not a fair fight....
Ecology and free markets I think future intellectual historians will be fascinated by the disconnect between approaches to economics emphasizing the market's character as a spontaneous order and ecological science that emphasizes ecosystems as spontaneous order processes. Both markets and ecologies are complex processes relying on negative and positive feedback to coordinate otherwise independent actions into more productive and adaptive patterns of interaction than could ever be accomplished by deliberate planning. Both are resilient and fragile. In ecologies 'keystone species' can shape an entire ecosystem, whereas non keystone species can exist or not and make little difference. The same applies to markets. Nail a keystone and the whole thing degrades significantly. Nail a non keystone and not much happens besides its disappearance. And yet, these similarities and others are largely ignored by both sides, though in my experience even more by economists than ecologists. People who are exquisitely sensitive to distortions generated in markets by external political intervention enthusiastically endorse central control or overriding of ecological processes. For their part, many environmentalists who are well versed in ecological understanding are insensitive to the deep distortions arising from political intervention in the market. Sometimes they blame markets for what is really the result of political intervention. Sometimes they seek political intervention without appreciating how it is likely to backfire....
The Problems with Conservation Easements Increasingly with the larger conservation easements such as those involving big timber companies like Plum Creek and other large land owners, federal or state funds are being used to directly fund the easements. Yet because these funds are often funneled through second parties like land trusts, there is little public review of the agreements and/or cost benefit analysis. Since the land owner has a direct stake in maximizing the value of his/her contribution, and thus tax breaks and/or payment, there is a tendency to inflate the conservation and land values. And since many land trusts are driven by the desire to make a deal and claim yet another ranch, farm, or forest saved from development, they are also anxious to accommodate the land owner. Though appraisals are often done by an outside agent, everyone knows the deal won’t happen unless a positive evaluation is returned. Due to the lack of oversight in the appraisal process and analysis of its real conservation value, nearly any land can receive an easement. Second, one of the strengths of conservation easements heralded by supporters is their ability to adapt to nearly any situation and desire. However, calling such agreements “conservation easements” tells you nothing about what is being conserved. Because there are no uniform codes or standards, the proliferation of conservation easements presents a major legal challenge to future generations since nearly every term could be subject to different legal interpretations, making monitoring and enforcement difficult....
McCain Woos Democrats on Environment After spending several weeks staking out positions on taxes, Iraq and judges designed to appeal to conservatives, John McCain is shifting his attention to independents and Democrats, with proposals on climate change. The Republican presidential candidate also is using his stance on energy and the environment to draw distinctions between himself and President Bush, whose popularity is at a near-record low. Sen. McCain's support of regulating global-warming gases like carbon dioxide -- the biggest environmental issue before Congress -- more closely resembles the stance of his Democratic rivals, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, though he disagrees with them on how such regulations should be structured. Besides championing legislation to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions, Sen. McCain has opposed the administration's call to open parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, citing the refuge as a natural treasure on par with the Florida Everglades and the Grand Canyon in his home state of Arizona. In a sign of Sen. McCain's potential appeal to environmentally conscious voters, a top official at the Sierra Club, one of the nation's most influential environmental groups, said the group might not endorse any candidate for president. The group endorsed Democrats in six of the past seven presidential elections; it declined to endorse a candidate in 1988....
Owyhees bill hits new snag A dispute over a bill to preserve the Snake River in Wyoming presents a new hurdle for Sen. Mike Crapo's proposal to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands and nearby ranchers. Sen. Larry Craig and Idaho water users oppose a bill to protect 387 miles of the Snake River and its tributaries in Wyoming, which was sent to the Senate floor last week with a package of other bills, including Crapo's Owyhees bill. Craig has opposed the Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy Act from the start, saying it presented a threat to Idaho irrigation farmers downstream. It is still not clear the two bills will be in the same package on the floor, Crapo said Friday. But irrigation districts around Twin Falls own the rights to most of the water stored in Jackson Lake inside Grand Teton National Park. Craig and the Idaho Water Users Association say a Wild and Scenic Rivers designation, especially for the stretch of river below Jackson Lake, could change the times water is released from the Jackson Lake Dam or provide a legal platform for environmentalists to sue to reduce Idaho's control over Wyoming's water. The water rights involved are among the most valuable in Idaho. Most of the Magic Valley's farm economy depends in part on these rights - and they also are critical to the state's future industrial growth....
Judge appears to tip his hand in wolf lawsuit U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy appeared to show his hand when he rejected the federal government’s motion Wednesday to delay a hearing on a suit to reverse wolf delisting. The hearing is set for May 29 in Missoula and Molloy’s main argument for not delaying it was that the federal government knew as far back as February that environmentalists were going to challenge the decision in March to remove wolves from the endangered species list. But since March 28 at least 39 of the more than 1,500 wolves have been killed, which environmentalists say bolsters their argument that wolves should remain federally protected. Molloy also expressed concern. "The court is unwilling to risk more deaths by delaying its decision on plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction," Molloy wrote in his court order. Federal officials argue that most of the wolves would have been killed even had they still been under federal control. Wolves have been growing at a rate of 20 percent or more since they were reintroduced in 1995 in the face of 20 percent annual mortalities, supporters of delisting argue. But Molloy seemed to side with environmentalists when he pointed out the federal lawyers acknowledge that as many as 10 of the wolves killed would not have died if federal protection remained....
California 2-Year-Old Dragged From Yard by Coyote in Third Such Attack in Five Days A coyote grabbed a 2-year-old girl by the head and tried to drag her from the front yard of her mountain home in the third incident of a coyote threatening a small child in Southern California in five days, authorities said. The coyote attacked the girl around noon Tuesday when her mother, Melissa Rowley, went inside the home for a moment to put away a camera, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in an incident report. Rowley came out of the house and saw the coyote dragging her daughter towards a street. She ran towards her daughter, and the animal released the girl and ran away, said sheriff's spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire. Rowley took her daughter to a hospital where the toddler was treated for several punctures to the head and neck area, and a laceration on her mouth. She was then flown to Loma Linda University Hospital for further treatment, although her injuries were not life-threatening. State Fish and Game wardens and county animal control authorities set traps for the coyote and were monitoring the neighborhood high in the San Bernardino Mountains about 65 miles miles northeast of Los Angeles. On Friday, a nanny pulled a 2-year-old girl from the jaws of a coyote at Alterra Park in Chino Hills, a San Bernardino County community about 30 miles east of Los Angeles. The girl suffered puncture wounds to her buttocks and was treated at a hospital. A coyote came after another toddler in the same park Sunday. The child's father kicked and chased the coyote away. Alterra Park is near Chino Hills State Park, a natural open space of thousands of acres spanning nearly 31 miles.
Energized effort to protect wildlife The complacency of Utah anglers and hunters has always confounded me. Most organized group reactions to issues concerning wildlife are emotional outbursts that come too late in the game. There are some key examples where special interest groups used forethought and pre-emptive strikes to thwart troubling developments, but for the most part sportsmen and sportswomen in Utah usually stand back and let somebody else explain their passion for wildlife and the lands that provide them a home. Things have changed with our country's ever-increasing demand for energy. As oil and gas exploration and development rages, obvious concerns for wildlife have emerged. To provide a venue for hunters and anglers, and anybody else with a concern about pulling oil and gas from the land and the impacts on wildlife, Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development was formed. The main players in the group include Trout Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. All three groups have stood in Washington, D.C., backrooms fighting for preservation and conservation in the West. Now they are asking hunters and anglers to stand with them united. To make one thing clear, the idea is not to fight energy development as a whole. The groups realize energy exploration and tapping is something the country should be doing, but there are ways to do it without wiping out wildlife and they want to make sure it is done with that in mind....
Videos capture images of sheep killer The video shot in Jack Foerschler’s barn shows his flock of sheep lying quietly in the dark. It’s a windy night, and dust that flies in front of the lens looks like snow, and the wind sounds like thunder in the night-vision camera’s microphone. The flock seems peaceful, until the animals are suddenly startled. A nanosecond later, a blur leaps into the screen and tackles one of the sheep. The ewe is able to escape momentarily, jumping up from the creature’s clutches, running to the viewer’s left. But the invader is faster. It bounds to its feet and extends a claw toward its fleeing prey. The viewer can see its massive claws, slender muscular body and distinctively long tail. The culprit that killed four ewes, a ram and seven lambs on Foerschler’s southeast Carson ranch last month has been revealed, for everyone to see. It’s a hungry mountain lion....
B.C. man lives through vicious grizzly attack A B.C. man who survived a ferocious attack by a grizzly bear the size of five men then drove to get help is resting in hospital today. "I'm doing OK," Brent Case said Wednesday. "But I'm not a pretty sight. It's been pretty traumatic. I just need to relax." Case, a 53-year-old father of two sons, was taking pictures Saturday for survey work near Bella Coola, in northwest B.C., when he was attacked by a 400-kilogram grizzly on Saturday. "(The bear) initially grabbed him and threw him to the ground," said his son Dean Case. "It was kind of boggy where he was and he fell down and there was a log nearby, so he tried to . . . put himself under the log. But the bear grabbed him by the other arm and pulled him out from under there." Dean's father wasn't dead, but he pretended to be while the bear jumped up and down on him several times, then wandered off. Case had gashes on his head, arm and knee. "(The bear) had him by the head and he was shaking him," said Case's friend, Tony Knott. "He said he felt like (the bear's) teeth were in his brain. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to make it through." Knott credits Case with saving his own life because he didn't struggle. "When you have a bear shaking you and tearing away your scalp, to play dead is very difficult task," said Knott....
New county ordinance bans wolf release with little hope of enforcement An ordinance prohibiting the release of wolves and specifying criminal penalties for violations was proposed by Board Chairman J.R. DeSpain at the May 6 supervisors meeting. "I want to give you some background," he said, holding up a copy of the Pioneer newspaper. "They reported that in New Mexico cages were built for the children who were waiting to catch the bus because of the fear of being attacked by wolves. "It's pretty ironic to have to cage kids to protect them from wildlife. This ordinance is in conflict with the federal program to release to the wild, but we are the Board of Supervisors for Navajo County and have the right to protect our citizens." He said the new habitat proposed by federal Fish and Wildlife would open up all of Arizona for the release program....
Pima buys land, lots of land Four years ago this month, voters authorized Pima County to spend $164 million for lands that would receive special protection under the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. In that bond election of May 2004, more than 65 percent of those voting agreed that money dedicated to preserving native plants and animals would be money well spent. So far, Pima County has spent roughly $73 million of the 2004 bond authorization to acquire six ranches that include nearly 26,000 acres of private (patented) land and more than 116,000 acres in grazing leases, in addition to smaller parcels known as "community open space" properties. The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, our manual for preserving and enhancing our unique landscape, was created in reaction to the announcement in 1997 that the federal government had placed the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl on the Endangered Species List. That decision required that measures be taken to improve the habitat that might keep the animal from becoming extinct. Invariably, such measures lead to controversies over property rights because they tend to limit where and how land can be developed — exacerbated, in this case, by the fact that the federal government later decided the owl was not endangered....
These Daredevils Don’t Dust the Crops. They Plant Them As rice farmers in Northern California plant their flooded fields over the next couple of weeks, most will not head for a tractor or a tiller or any kind of seeder. They will head for the skies. With rice selling at record high prices and global demand rising, California’s farm belt and the airspace above are increasingly home to one of aviation’s, and agriculture’s, most heart-pounding stunts: aerial seeding. Using a fleet of single-engine planes and squads of modern-day barnstormers, California’s farmers are expected to plant more than 500,000 acres this spring, most of it laid by pilots like Danny Hawk. “Do I get scared?” asked Mr. Hawk, 45, repeating a question from behind a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses. “You’re too busy to get scared.” Mr. Hawk is one of dozens of agricultural aviators in California, which plants more than 90 percent of its rice fields from the air, a method that dates to the 1920s but has gone high-tech over the last decade with the introduction of global positioning systems that allow pilots to drop seed to within three feet of a target. From the ground, the seeding looks like daredevil work, with planes loaded with a ton of seed diving as low as 30 feet and banking at angles that make carnival rides look tame. From the sky, the feeling is even more intense, as G-forces cause blood to rush to the head and, occasionally, food to rush from the belly....
British Airways takes beef off the menu to avoid offending Hindus For decades the national dish has been a staple meal on the national carrier. But now British Airways has taken beef off the menu for economy passengers amid concerns about its "religious restrictions". The airline has instead switched to a fish pie or chicken dish option for the so-called "cattle class" passengers. BA's second-biggest long-haul market is to India, where the majority Hindu population do not eat beef because of their beliefs....