Quarantine to figure in mad cow probe
WASHINGTON - The government is depending on a mix of quarantine and detective work to figure out how mad cow disease apparently infected a cow in Washington state.
The nation's mad cow emergency plan - never before used - is to cordon off any cattle that could have come into contact with the infection.
Keeping any possibly infected cow out of the food chain is crucial, as a human version of the disease that literally eats holes in the brain is believed spread by eating meat tainted with infected brain or nerve tissue. The human illness, with the unwieldy name new variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, has claimed 143 victims in Britain and 10 elsewhere, but none so far in the United States.
Already, the farm near Yakima, Wash., has been quarantined as the government awaits the last of three tests on the suspect cow's tissue to confirm the presence of BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy. That final test is performed in Britain, where BSE first erupted in cattle in 1986.
Once confirmed, all the animals in that herd probably will slaughtered so their brains, too, can be tested, said Food and Drug Administration Deputy Commissioner Lester Crawford, a veterinarian who oversees the agency's BSE work.
Key is tracing the source of the first infection to see how the U.S. firewall against this disease was breached.
Beef and cattle imported from countries known to have BSE has long been banned.
But the nation's main defense is a 1997 ban on giving cattle feed made from the protein or bone meal of sheep or other mammals - because that feed is thought to be the way mad cow disease originally spread.
So the first question is whether the cow was illegally imported or ate feed that illegally contained BSE-bearing protein.
Another possibility depends on the cow's age, which wasn't immediately known. If the cow was more than 6 years old, she could have received tainted feed before the FDA's ban began, Crawford noted. The disease's incubation period can be as long as eight years.
A second part of the probe is to trace every cow the ill one - and any others found to be ill - came into contact with, so they also can be quarantined and tested to see if the infection spread.
Canada has had two cases of BSE-infected cows, once in 1993 and once last spring, but never was able to pinpoint the source of infection, Crawford noted. "We would hope to be able to nail it down," he said.
Scientists have long warned it was only a matter of time before BSE reached U.S. cattle, because safeguards can't be foolproof.
Still, "we have in place a system in this country to dramatically reduce the risk of any infected bovine getting into the food system and being consumed," said Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, who has advised the federal government on food-safety issues.
"One case does not make for a crisis," he stressed.
Extra layers of protection come at slaughterhouses, where inspectors prevent sick animals from being killed for human consumption.
In addition, the Agriculture Department had the brains of more than 20,000 cows tested for signs of BSE in the last year, triple the number from previous years.
Any non-ambulatory cow, like the Washington one, as well any cow with signs of neurological disease and all cows over 30 months old - because BSE is more common in old cows - are tested, said the National Cattlemen's Association.
Critics say there are loopholes. Europe tests far more cattle for BSE, for example. Also, BSE is caused by rogue proteins called prions that collect in the cow's brain, spinal cord and other nervous system tissue. Processors are supposed to remove the spinal cord to minimize health risks, although a 2002 report found not all processors completely follow that rule. The Agriculture Department last spring began more careful testing to ensure compliance.
"Virtually every aspect of our BSE prevention program will be reevaluated," said FDA's Crawford.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Canada weighing its response to possible outbreak of mad cow in U.S.
OTTAWA (CP) - Federal Agriculture Minister Bob Speller huddled with officials Tuesday evening as Ottawa absorbed the news its largest trading partner may have been hit by a case of mad cow disease.
Speller, who couldn't be immediately reached for reaction, has been Canada's minister of agriculture for only 10 days. Still, U.S. authorities notified his office "with a head's up that this was happening" late Tuesday afternoon as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman publicly announced that country's first-ever case of mad cow disease was suspected.
The case is thought to involve a single cow in Washington state.
A single case of mad cow in Alberta last May led to rapid border closures to Canadian beef exports, devastating the industry, particularly in Western Canadian provinces.
The crisis has abated since September, when the United States began accepting some boneless beef cuts. Since then, more than 60,000 tonnes of beef have moved into the United States and Mexico - all from animals under 30 months of age, which are believed at lower risk of contracting the brain-wasting disease.
Closing Canada's border to U.S. beef exports as well as live cattle, which at times graze in southern reaches of Prairie provinces, is one possibility federal officials were weighing Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., Veneman hastened to assure American consumers that the meat they buy is safe.
"We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," said Veneman.
Consumers in both Canada and the U.S. should be reassured that the food inspection system is sound, said former federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief.
"It's not a situation as it was a few years ago over in the United Kingdom where there was an estimate of up to two million animals (with the disease) that had been in the system over a period of time," said Vanclief, who was federal minister during the height of Canada's mad cow crisis.
"Things have moved, the science has advanced since that time and people can be very, very comfortable that the system in both Canada and the United States can detect this type of situation and keep the product out of the food chain."
Veneman told a news conference a single Holstein cow that was either sick or injured - thus never destined for the U.S. food supply - tested presumptively positive for the brain-wasting illness.
OTTAWA (CP) - Federal Agriculture Minister Bob Speller huddled with officials Tuesday evening as Ottawa absorbed the news its largest trading partner may have been hit by a case of mad cow disease.
Speller, who couldn't be immediately reached for reaction, has been Canada's minister of agriculture for only 10 days. Still, U.S. authorities notified his office "with a head's up that this was happening" late Tuesday afternoon as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman publicly announced that country's first-ever case of mad cow disease was suspected.
The case is thought to involve a single cow in Washington state.
A single case of mad cow in Alberta last May led to rapid border closures to Canadian beef exports, devastating the industry, particularly in Western Canadian provinces.
The crisis has abated since September, when the United States began accepting some boneless beef cuts. Since then, more than 60,000 tonnes of beef have moved into the United States and Mexico - all from animals under 30 months of age, which are believed at lower risk of contracting the brain-wasting disease.
Closing Canada's border to U.S. beef exports as well as live cattle, which at times graze in southern reaches of Prairie provinces, is one possibility federal officials were weighing Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., Veneman hastened to assure American consumers that the meat they buy is safe.
"We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," said Veneman.
Consumers in both Canada and the U.S. should be reassured that the food inspection system is sound, said former federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief.
"It's not a situation as it was a few years ago over in the United Kingdom where there was an estimate of up to two million animals (with the disease) that had been in the system over a period of time," said Vanclief, who was federal minister during the height of Canada's mad cow crisis.
"Things have moved, the science has advanced since that time and people can be very, very comfortable that the system in both Canada and the United States can detect this type of situation and keep the product out of the food chain."
Veneman told a news conference a single Holstein cow that was either sick or injured - thus never destined for the U.S. food supply - tested presumptively positive for the brain-wasting illness.
Western US states react to Washington mad cow case
LOS ANGELES, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Agriculture officials from Western states on Tuesday expressed confidence that the discovery of a case of mad cow disease in Washington state was not the start of an outbreak, even as they hurried to check their records for recent cattle movements from the state.
Nevada officials said the state would block the entry of Washington dairy cattle and New Mexico put an emergency response team on alert. Otherwise, Western states were taking a wait-and-see approach, downplaying the risks from the potentially fatal disease to cattle and humans alike.
In California, the nation's most populous state, officials said no special precautions would be taken, even though other cases of infection might be linked to the dairy cow that tested positive for the disease near Yakima, Washington.
"We have had extremely strong programs in place for many years," California state veterinarian Richard Breitmeyer said. "The fact that we have found a case is very unfortunate but it does not change the fact that the food supply is safe."
But he added that another animal could have eaten the same feed that infected the cow in Washington: "It wouldn't surprise me if more than one animal got the disease from that source."
A confirmed case of mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has never been found in the United States. The U.S. cattle industry has long feared an outbreak, which could result in billions of dollars of losses.
David Thane, the Nevada state veterinarian, said the state would pull up the records of all the dairy cattle that came from Washington in the last five years.
"We'll also continue along the lines of not allowing any dairy cattle in from Washington ... until we get a better idea of how widespread this is," he told Reuters.
CAUTIOUS RESPONSE
Many state agriculture officials said they would not be hasty to act since the disease was not contagious between animals and could not travel fast.
"We will not be considering imposing restrictions until we have a confirmed diagnosis," Lara Azar, press secretary to Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, told Reuters.
"Being a dairy animal, it should be pretty easy to trace because they have records of what they are fed," said Jan Busboom, professor of meat science at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
Texas, Kansas and Nebraska, three of the largest beef-producing states, said they had seen no sign of the disease in their own herds, and they had been monitoring for years.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported 11 million cattle on feed for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Washington as of Dec. 1.
"We hope this one isolated case, or at least we hope it was isolated, will be the end of BSE in our country, and that is what we would expect," Kansas Livestock Commissioner George Teagarden said. "Canada had one case and they haven't had any since." (Additional reporting by Michael Kahn and Jim Christie in San Francisco and Jon Herskovitz in Dallas) (Editing by Michael Miller; Reuters Messaging: ben.berkowitz.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 213-955- 6781; ben.berkowitz@reuters.com))
LOS ANGELES, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Agriculture officials from Western states on Tuesday expressed confidence that the discovery of a case of mad cow disease in Washington state was not the start of an outbreak, even as they hurried to check their records for recent cattle movements from the state.
Nevada officials said the state would block the entry of Washington dairy cattle and New Mexico put an emergency response team on alert. Otherwise, Western states were taking a wait-and-see approach, downplaying the risks from the potentially fatal disease to cattle and humans alike.
In California, the nation's most populous state, officials said no special precautions would be taken, even though other cases of infection might be linked to the dairy cow that tested positive for the disease near Yakima, Washington.
"We have had extremely strong programs in place for many years," California state veterinarian Richard Breitmeyer said. "The fact that we have found a case is very unfortunate but it does not change the fact that the food supply is safe."
But he added that another animal could have eaten the same feed that infected the cow in Washington: "It wouldn't surprise me if more than one animal got the disease from that source."
A confirmed case of mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has never been found in the United States. The U.S. cattle industry has long feared an outbreak, which could result in billions of dollars of losses.
David Thane, the Nevada state veterinarian, said the state would pull up the records of all the dairy cattle that came from Washington in the last five years.
"We'll also continue along the lines of not allowing any dairy cattle in from Washington ... until we get a better idea of how widespread this is," he told Reuters.
CAUTIOUS RESPONSE
Many state agriculture officials said they would not be hasty to act since the disease was not contagious between animals and could not travel fast.
"We will not be considering imposing restrictions until we have a confirmed diagnosis," Lara Azar, press secretary to Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, told Reuters.
"Being a dairy animal, it should be pretty easy to trace because they have records of what they are fed," said Jan Busboom, professor of meat science at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
Texas, Kansas and Nebraska, three of the largest beef-producing states, said they had seen no sign of the disease in their own herds, and they had been monitoring for years.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported 11 million cattle on feed for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Washington as of Dec. 1.
"We hope this one isolated case, or at least we hope it was isolated, will be the end of BSE in our country, and that is what we would expect," Kansas Livestock Commissioner George Teagarden said. "Canada had one case and they haven't had any since." (Additional reporting by Michael Kahn and Jim Christie in San Francisco and Jon Herskovitz in Dallas) (Editing by Michael Miller; Reuters Messaging: ben.berkowitz.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 213-955- 6781; ben.berkowitz@reuters.com))
S.Korea temporarily suspends U.S. beef imports
SEOUL, Dec 24 (Reuters) - South Korea has temporarily suspended imports of U.S. beef after the first U.S. case of the deadly mad cow disease was found in a sick animal in Washington state, the agriculture ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement said the government would take the same action as it had taken against Canadian beef earlier this year. South Korea banned beef imports when Canada reported its first case of mad cow disease in a decade in May.
The United States accounted for two-thirds of South Korea's total beef imports between January and October, when the U.S. shipped 208,636 tonnes of beef, according to the South Korean agriculture ministry's Web site.
SEOUL, Dec 24 (Reuters) - South Korea has temporarily suspended imports of U.S. beef after the first U.S. case of the deadly mad cow disease was found in a sick animal in Washington state, the agriculture ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement said the government would take the same action as it had taken against Canadian beef earlier this year. South Korea banned beef imports when Canada reported its first case of mad cow disease in a decade in May.
The United States accounted for two-thirds of South Korea's total beef imports between January and October, when the U.S. shipped 208,636 tonnes of beef, according to the South Korean agriculture ministry's Web site.
*
*
Here's how a tabloid in England is reporting the BSE case.
Mad cow case rocks US
AMERICA was in a state of fear last night after a case of mad cow disease was suspected in Washington state.
A tissue sample from the sick animal was being flown by military jet to Britain for testing.
Health experts in the States, where beef is the staple diet, will have to wait up to five days for confirmation of the disease.
McDonald’s quickly put out a statement saying its supplies were not affected. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, reflecting the current nervousness in America, said: “This incident is not terrorist-related.”
The U.S. cattle industry has long feared an outbreak of BSE, which could result in billions of dollars of losses. Mad cow disease has been linked to 130 human deaths in Europe, mostly in Britain.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the UK destroyed 3.7million cattle.
*
Here's how a tabloid in England is reporting the BSE case.
Mad cow case rocks US
AMERICA was in a state of fear last night after a case of mad cow disease was suspected in Washington state.
A tissue sample from the sick animal was being flown by military jet to Britain for testing.
Health experts in the States, where beef is the staple diet, will have to wait up to five days for confirmation of the disease.
McDonald’s quickly put out a statement saying its supplies were not affected. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, reflecting the current nervousness in America, said: “This incident is not terrorist-related.”
The U.S. cattle industry has long feared an outbreak of BSE, which could result in billions of dollars of losses. Mad cow disease has been linked to 130 human deaths in Europe, mostly in Britain.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the UK destroyed 3.7million cattle.
Transcript of News Conference with Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman on BSE
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Washington D.C.
SECRETARY VENEMAN: We are here this afternoon on such very short notice. Joining me today are Bill Hawks, USDA's Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory programs; Dr. Elsa Murano, our Under Secretary for Food Safety; and Dr. Ron DeHaven, our Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services at the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and our chief veterinarian here at USDA.
They will assist me in answering any questions that you have.
Today we received word from USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa that a single Holstein cow from Washington State has tested as presumptive positive for BSE or what is widely known as mad cow disease.
Despite this finding we remain confident in the safety of our food supply. The risk to human health from BSE is extremely low. The animal tested was a downer cow or nonambulatory at the time of slaughter and was identified as part of USDA's targeted surveillance program.
The sample was taken on December 9th. It was tested and retested at our Ames facility using two tests including immuno-histo-chemistry, which is recognized as the “gold standard” for the detection of BSE by the World Health Organization and OIE, the Organization of International Epizootics.
A sample from this animal is being flown on a military aircraft to the central veterinary laboratory in Weybridge, England in order to confirm this finding. Our traceback indicates that the animal comes from a farm in Mabton, Washington, about 40 miles southeast of Yakima, Washington.
As part of our response plan that farm has been quarantined. After the animal was slaughtered meat was sent for processing to Midway Meats in Washington State. USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service is working quickly to accurately determine the final disposition of the products from the animal.
Even though the risks to human health is minimal based on current evidence, we will take all appropriate actions out of an abundance of caution.
Since 1990 the U.S. Department of Agriculture has had an aggressive surveillance program in place to ensure detection and a swift response in the event of the introduction of BSE in this country. As part of that program we developed a response plan to be used if BSE is identified in the United States.
While this is a presumptive finding, we have activated that response plan today. We are making the appropriate notifications and confirmations under the plan and start-up activities are beginning.
I have been in contact with Secretary Ridge and I would emphasize that based on the information available this incident is not terrorist related nor is it related in any way to our nation's heightened alert status. I cannot stress this point strongly enough.
The safety of our food supply and public health are high priorities of this Administration and high priorities of USDA. In the last year we have tested 20,526 head of cattle for BSE, which is triple the level of the previous year of 2002. The presumptive positive today is a result of our aggressive surveillance program. This is a clear indication that our surveillance and detection program is working.
USDA has been training and planning for several years in case this situation presented itself. We continue to protect the U.S. food supply and the public health and safeguard American agriculture.
In October we announced findings from the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis that found that even if an infected animal were introduced into the U.S. animal agriculture system, the risk of spreading is low based on the safeguards and controls we have already put in place.
As part of our response to this situation we will provide daily briefings to update the public on the status. We will continue to provide you all of the information that we possibly can and do so as quickly as possible.
We have released this finding even before final confirmation in the U.K. because of our confidence in the testing that has already been carried out, and in the interest of protecting the food supply and public health. Information is available on our web site at www.usda.gov, and we will be updating that information frequently.
We will also have regularly recorded updates for you, and you may call a toll-free number, 1-866-4USDA-COM.
While this incident would represent the first finding of BSE in the United States, we have worked hard to ensure that our response is swift and effective. We will continue to work with partners such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to protect our food supply and the public health.
At this time of year many Americans are making plans for the holidays and for food. We see no need for people to alter those plans or their eating habits or to do anything but have a happy and healthy holiday season. I plan to serve beef for my Christmas dinner. And we remain confident in the safety of our food supply.
I want to thank you all again for being here on this late hour and on such short notice. But we did feel it was important to update you on this important situation. Thank you. And we will be glad to take your questions.
PARTICIPANT: Danielson, Bloomberg News. Is there any connection with this finding to the incident in Alberta, Canada? That perhaps that cow came down from Canada in any way?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: It is way too early to tell, but I would think that the situation of trying to put those two incidences together would be doubtful, primarily because they're different kinds of animals. This was a Holstein cow.
MR. FAUVY: Randy Fabi with Reuters. Have you alerted any of your trading partners to this incidence, and, if so, have they--have any countries taken action against, close their borders to U.S. beef exports?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Again, it's very early, Randy. We have--we are in the process of notifying a whole range of people at this point, including our trading partners, and I can't at this point anticipate what they may do in response to this announcement.
MR. SALANTE: Jonathan Salante with the Associated Press. What steps, if any, are you specifically taking to prevent the spread of this disease, and what assurances do we have that the beef is--that the other beef is not contaminated?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, I think it's very important to recognize that this disease does not spread easily. One of the things that people are very confused about, and I found it as we went through situation when Canada had a single case of BSE is a lot of times people don't understand that this is not foot and mouth disease; it's not that highly contagious disease that you often see spread so quickly as you did in the U.K. at the beginning of 2001. So it's important to make that distinction.
We have been taking steps since 1990 to protect our beef supplies from this disease. We implemented a feed ban; we have required the removal of any kind of risk materials from an animal like this one, a downer animal, and we have a whole series of actions that have been taken to reduce, substantially, the risk to public health from this disease if it ever were found. And that's why we continue to believe that this finding, while unfortunate, does not pose any kind of significant risk to the human food chain.
MS. NAGEL: Sara Nagel, Fox News. Can you tell us who this will affect, what the chances that it could become more widespread here in the U.S. are?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, I think at this point it's hard to tell, but again, the unfortunate find of a single case in Canada earlier this year gave us some experience of the type of investigation that we now have to do. We did not know when the Canada investigation started, whether or not there would be more cases or whether or not it would be an isolated case. Indeed, after several months of checking into the situation, it turned out to be an isolated case.
It is too early at this point to say whether or not this will be an isolated case. What I can tell you that we're doing is we're going back to the farm where this cow came from. We will be doing a complete investigation on farm and tracing the animal back to its origin.
MR. RIVALL: Sorry, Audy Rivall, ABC News. Tell us a little bit more about this particular farm. What do you plan to do about the other animals? Are you saying that it was quarantined, and you're--and it's going to test the other--the cows there? And also, how concerned are you that the public outcry of people here on the street hear "mad cow" there could be some sort of hysteria associated with that? How concerned are you about that? And, certainly, you must agree that it's a possibility, are you not?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, I would certainly hope that people will remain confident in the food supply. As I said, we in some ways had some experience with this because of the one find in Canada. What we found because of the actions that were taken both in Canada and in the United States with the case earlier this year is that demand for beef did not diminish partly because we believe the people in North America know that we have the strongest food safety systems in the world. We have the protections in place, and again, I, personally, do not hesitate to recommend to anyone that beef is absolutely safe to eat.
As to the farm, your other question, again we're in the very early stages of the investigation. We have a complete book of protocols that we're following with regard to how we would deal if we ever had an outbreak of BSE. We're following all those steps, including we've already located the farm, and that farm will be quarantined and an investigation will begin. Again, this was very recent breaking news so we're taking all steps that we can, and we will be continuing to update you, as we indicated.
MR. DUNN: I'm (inaudible) Dunn from the Washington Post. Could you give us some sense of narrative about the farm? Why was this particular farm being studied? Was this animal significant in some way that you did tests on this animal? How many other animals were there on this farm? How many other farms are approximate to this farm?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Okay, first of all, the test was not done on the farm. The test was done when the animal was presented at the slaughter facility, and it is our standard operating procedure that what they call downer animals will be tested if they--if they come to the slaughter facility as a downer animal.
The farm has been identified since we got the test results back from the animal. We've then gone to the plant just this afternoon, found where the animal came from, and that's where the investigation will begin in terms of looking at whether or not there is any other impact on cows on that farm. But at this point the information with regard to the farm and the surrounding areas is still pretty preliminary. I don't have that information at this point.
MR. FABI: Randy Fabi with Reuters. I'm just--what is the likelihood that any of this cow made it into the food supply? I know that you have contacted the meat suppliers. Is there a recall underway?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: That's--that, Randy, is what we're trying to identify at this point. We do believe that the product from the animal went to two further processing plants. This plant was a very small plant. It just slaughters a few animals, and our current understanding, and again it's very preliminary, is that that product did go to further processing plants. But again, one thing that is important to remember is that muscle cuts of meats have almost no risk. In fact, as far as the science is concerned, I know of no science to show that you can transmit BSE from muscle cuts of meat. So the fact that it's gone to further processing is not significant in terms of human health. But we are doing the trace backs. We are looking at trace forwards, where did the product go. And we will take appropriate actions as we make the determinations as to where the product is and what has happened to it.
I think we -- I mentioned one of them, but there is actually two.
DR. MURANO: Let me first reiterate what the Secretary just said. You should know that the tissues that are the infectious tissues from an animal that has BSE, that is the central nervous system tissues, the brains, spinal cord and so forth, of this animal did not enter the food supply. Those tissues to rendering. So they did not enter the food supply. That's very important to know.
Now, the muscles cuts, as the Secretary said, went from the slaughter facility to another facility that did the deboning and that facility is Midway Meats, as the Secretary mentioned. Then from there we believe that it went to two other facilities. One is called Willamette and the second one is called Interstate Meat, both in Washington State.
Again, the muscle cuts are where there is virtually no risk of BSE. The material, the brain, spinal cord, distal ileum, which is where the BSE agent resides, those materials did not enter the food supply.
PARTICIPANT: (inaudible) with CNN. You said the health risks are minimal but what if someone did eat meat contaminated with this. What are the health risks?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, again as Dr. Murano just indicated, there is virtually no chance that the meat has been contaminated and the agents, that would be the high risk agents in any animal have been removed from this particular animal so we really don’t believe that there is—we believe that the risk of any kind of human health effect is extremely low.
PARTICIPANT: Yes, but what if you find another animal on the farm that is contaminated.
DR. MURANO: Well, you should know that the agent that causes mad cow disease as I said earlier resides mainly in those tissues that I mentioned, the brain, spinal cord, distal ileum, which were removed from this animal and sent to rendering so they were not in the food supply. The scientific community believes that there is no evidence to demonstrate that muscle cuts or whole muscle meats that come from animals that are infected with mad cow disease agent themselves—the meat itself is effective to human beings. There is no evidence to show that and that is as far as we can state that. It’s a good thing obviously that the infectious materials from this animal were removed and sent to rendering which is something that we do as standard practice on these downer animals that are tested by APHIS.
PARTICIPANT: Christopher (inaudible) with Reuters. I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about what is going to be happening in the U.K. specifically and what your timetable is for getting final results on those tests?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, as I indicated, the sample is being flown to a laboratory in the U.K. which is one of the world's best laboratories for analyzing BSE. And that will take a number of days, probably -- probably three to five days to get final results on that sample.
So, again, we are getting it there as quickly as we possibly can. But the results that we have been able to confirm in our own laboratories have been something that we felt that we ought to take action on.
PARTICIPANT: You have said that you have quarantined the farm itself. Have you imposed any kind of quarantine on the slaughterhouse at the three facilities that are downstream?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, we have people that have gone into the slaughterhouse as well as are going into the downstream facilities, starting to review records. But we will be doing a complete review and investigation of the entire food chain where this animal might have been transferred during the process.
Well, I don't think you would normally impose quarantine on a plant. You impose quarantine on a farm. But we will be doing an investigation of the plants to determine exactly where the product might have gone.
[Pause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, we are taking all appropriate action. We first need to identify where the product went before we can take action. I am not saying that we are not taking action. As I said in my opening remarks, we are going to take all appropriate actions based upon the investigation.
I know that the tendency is to want to know all the answers right away. And we decided that we couldn't wait to give the public the information about this situation, but we certainly don't have all answers today. And that is why we will be continuing to update both our web site and the call in number that I indicated earlier and we will be conducting daily press briefings to update you on what is going on.
Thank you.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Washington D.C.
SECRETARY VENEMAN: We are here this afternoon on such very short notice. Joining me today are Bill Hawks, USDA's Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory programs; Dr. Elsa Murano, our Under Secretary for Food Safety; and Dr. Ron DeHaven, our Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services at the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and our chief veterinarian here at USDA.
They will assist me in answering any questions that you have.
Today we received word from USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa that a single Holstein cow from Washington State has tested as presumptive positive for BSE or what is widely known as mad cow disease.
Despite this finding we remain confident in the safety of our food supply. The risk to human health from BSE is extremely low. The animal tested was a downer cow or nonambulatory at the time of slaughter and was identified as part of USDA's targeted surveillance program.
The sample was taken on December 9th. It was tested and retested at our Ames facility using two tests including immuno-histo-chemistry, which is recognized as the “gold standard” for the detection of BSE by the World Health Organization and OIE, the Organization of International Epizootics.
A sample from this animal is being flown on a military aircraft to the central veterinary laboratory in Weybridge, England in order to confirm this finding. Our traceback indicates that the animal comes from a farm in Mabton, Washington, about 40 miles southeast of Yakima, Washington.
As part of our response plan that farm has been quarantined. After the animal was slaughtered meat was sent for processing to Midway Meats in Washington State. USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service is working quickly to accurately determine the final disposition of the products from the animal.
Even though the risks to human health is minimal based on current evidence, we will take all appropriate actions out of an abundance of caution.
Since 1990 the U.S. Department of Agriculture has had an aggressive surveillance program in place to ensure detection and a swift response in the event of the introduction of BSE in this country. As part of that program we developed a response plan to be used if BSE is identified in the United States.
While this is a presumptive finding, we have activated that response plan today. We are making the appropriate notifications and confirmations under the plan and start-up activities are beginning.
I have been in contact with Secretary Ridge and I would emphasize that based on the information available this incident is not terrorist related nor is it related in any way to our nation's heightened alert status. I cannot stress this point strongly enough.
The safety of our food supply and public health are high priorities of this Administration and high priorities of USDA. In the last year we have tested 20,526 head of cattle for BSE, which is triple the level of the previous year of 2002. The presumptive positive today is a result of our aggressive surveillance program. This is a clear indication that our surveillance and detection program is working.
USDA has been training and planning for several years in case this situation presented itself. We continue to protect the U.S. food supply and the public health and safeguard American agriculture.
In October we announced findings from the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis that found that even if an infected animal were introduced into the U.S. animal agriculture system, the risk of spreading is low based on the safeguards and controls we have already put in place.
As part of our response to this situation we will provide daily briefings to update the public on the status. We will continue to provide you all of the information that we possibly can and do so as quickly as possible.
We have released this finding even before final confirmation in the U.K. because of our confidence in the testing that has already been carried out, and in the interest of protecting the food supply and public health. Information is available on our web site at www.usda.gov, and we will be updating that information frequently.
We will also have regularly recorded updates for you, and you may call a toll-free number, 1-866-4USDA-COM.
While this incident would represent the first finding of BSE in the United States, we have worked hard to ensure that our response is swift and effective. We will continue to work with partners such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to protect our food supply and the public health.
At this time of year many Americans are making plans for the holidays and for food. We see no need for people to alter those plans or their eating habits or to do anything but have a happy and healthy holiday season. I plan to serve beef for my Christmas dinner. And we remain confident in the safety of our food supply.
I want to thank you all again for being here on this late hour and on such short notice. But we did feel it was important to update you on this important situation. Thank you. And we will be glad to take your questions.
PARTICIPANT: Danielson, Bloomberg News. Is there any connection with this finding to the incident in Alberta, Canada? That perhaps that cow came down from Canada in any way?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: It is way too early to tell, but I would think that the situation of trying to put those two incidences together would be doubtful, primarily because they're different kinds of animals. This was a Holstein cow.
MR. FAUVY: Randy Fabi with Reuters. Have you alerted any of your trading partners to this incidence, and, if so, have they--have any countries taken action against, close their borders to U.S. beef exports?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Again, it's very early, Randy. We have--we are in the process of notifying a whole range of people at this point, including our trading partners, and I can't at this point anticipate what they may do in response to this announcement.
MR. SALANTE: Jonathan Salante with the Associated Press. What steps, if any, are you specifically taking to prevent the spread of this disease, and what assurances do we have that the beef is--that the other beef is not contaminated?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, I think it's very important to recognize that this disease does not spread easily. One of the things that people are very confused about, and I found it as we went through situation when Canada had a single case of BSE is a lot of times people don't understand that this is not foot and mouth disease; it's not that highly contagious disease that you often see spread so quickly as you did in the U.K. at the beginning of 2001. So it's important to make that distinction.
We have been taking steps since 1990 to protect our beef supplies from this disease. We implemented a feed ban; we have required the removal of any kind of risk materials from an animal like this one, a downer animal, and we have a whole series of actions that have been taken to reduce, substantially, the risk to public health from this disease if it ever were found. And that's why we continue to believe that this finding, while unfortunate, does not pose any kind of significant risk to the human food chain.
MS. NAGEL: Sara Nagel, Fox News. Can you tell us who this will affect, what the chances that it could become more widespread here in the U.S. are?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, I think at this point it's hard to tell, but again, the unfortunate find of a single case in Canada earlier this year gave us some experience of the type of investigation that we now have to do. We did not know when the Canada investigation started, whether or not there would be more cases or whether or not it would be an isolated case. Indeed, after several months of checking into the situation, it turned out to be an isolated case.
It is too early at this point to say whether or not this will be an isolated case. What I can tell you that we're doing is we're going back to the farm where this cow came from. We will be doing a complete investigation on farm and tracing the animal back to its origin.
MR. RIVALL: Sorry, Audy Rivall, ABC News. Tell us a little bit more about this particular farm. What do you plan to do about the other animals? Are you saying that it was quarantined, and you're--and it's going to test the other--the cows there? And also, how concerned are you that the public outcry of people here on the street hear "mad cow" there could be some sort of hysteria associated with that? How concerned are you about that? And, certainly, you must agree that it's a possibility, are you not?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, I would certainly hope that people will remain confident in the food supply. As I said, we in some ways had some experience with this because of the one find in Canada. What we found because of the actions that were taken both in Canada and in the United States with the case earlier this year is that demand for beef did not diminish partly because we believe the people in North America know that we have the strongest food safety systems in the world. We have the protections in place, and again, I, personally, do not hesitate to recommend to anyone that beef is absolutely safe to eat.
As to the farm, your other question, again we're in the very early stages of the investigation. We have a complete book of protocols that we're following with regard to how we would deal if we ever had an outbreak of BSE. We're following all those steps, including we've already located the farm, and that farm will be quarantined and an investigation will begin. Again, this was very recent breaking news so we're taking all steps that we can, and we will be continuing to update you, as we indicated.
MR. DUNN: I'm (inaudible) Dunn from the Washington Post. Could you give us some sense of narrative about the farm? Why was this particular farm being studied? Was this animal significant in some way that you did tests on this animal? How many other animals were there on this farm? How many other farms are approximate to this farm?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Okay, first of all, the test was not done on the farm. The test was done when the animal was presented at the slaughter facility, and it is our standard operating procedure that what they call downer animals will be tested if they--if they come to the slaughter facility as a downer animal.
The farm has been identified since we got the test results back from the animal. We've then gone to the plant just this afternoon, found where the animal came from, and that's where the investigation will begin in terms of looking at whether or not there is any other impact on cows on that farm. But at this point the information with regard to the farm and the surrounding areas is still pretty preliminary. I don't have that information at this point.
MR. FABI: Randy Fabi with Reuters. I'm just--what is the likelihood that any of this cow made it into the food supply? I know that you have contacted the meat suppliers. Is there a recall underway?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: That's--that, Randy, is what we're trying to identify at this point. We do believe that the product from the animal went to two further processing plants. This plant was a very small plant. It just slaughters a few animals, and our current understanding, and again it's very preliminary, is that that product did go to further processing plants. But again, one thing that is important to remember is that muscle cuts of meats have almost no risk. In fact, as far as the science is concerned, I know of no science to show that you can transmit BSE from muscle cuts of meat. So the fact that it's gone to further processing is not significant in terms of human health. But we are doing the trace backs. We are looking at trace forwards, where did the product go. And we will take appropriate actions as we make the determinations as to where the product is and what has happened to it.
I think we -- I mentioned one of them, but there is actually two.
DR. MURANO: Let me first reiterate what the Secretary just said. You should know that the tissues that are the infectious tissues from an animal that has BSE, that is the central nervous system tissues, the brains, spinal cord and so forth, of this animal did not enter the food supply. Those tissues to rendering. So they did not enter the food supply. That's very important to know.
Now, the muscles cuts, as the Secretary said, went from the slaughter facility to another facility that did the deboning and that facility is Midway Meats, as the Secretary mentioned. Then from there we believe that it went to two other facilities. One is called Willamette and the second one is called Interstate Meat, both in Washington State.
Again, the muscle cuts are where there is virtually no risk of BSE. The material, the brain, spinal cord, distal ileum, which is where the BSE agent resides, those materials did not enter the food supply.
PARTICIPANT: (inaudible) with CNN. You said the health risks are minimal but what if someone did eat meat contaminated with this. What are the health risks?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, again as Dr. Murano just indicated, there is virtually no chance that the meat has been contaminated and the agents, that would be the high risk agents in any animal have been removed from this particular animal so we really don’t believe that there is—we believe that the risk of any kind of human health effect is extremely low.
PARTICIPANT: Yes, but what if you find another animal on the farm that is contaminated.
DR. MURANO: Well, you should know that the agent that causes mad cow disease as I said earlier resides mainly in those tissues that I mentioned, the brain, spinal cord, distal ileum, which were removed from this animal and sent to rendering so they were not in the food supply. The scientific community believes that there is no evidence to demonstrate that muscle cuts or whole muscle meats that come from animals that are infected with mad cow disease agent themselves—the meat itself is effective to human beings. There is no evidence to show that and that is as far as we can state that. It’s a good thing obviously that the infectious materials from this animal were removed and sent to rendering which is something that we do as standard practice on these downer animals that are tested by APHIS.
PARTICIPANT: Christopher (inaudible) with Reuters. I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about what is going to be happening in the U.K. specifically and what your timetable is for getting final results on those tests?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, as I indicated, the sample is being flown to a laboratory in the U.K. which is one of the world's best laboratories for analyzing BSE. And that will take a number of days, probably -- probably three to five days to get final results on that sample.
So, again, we are getting it there as quickly as we possibly can. But the results that we have been able to confirm in our own laboratories have been something that we felt that we ought to take action on.
PARTICIPANT: You have said that you have quarantined the farm itself. Have you imposed any kind of quarantine on the slaughterhouse at the three facilities that are downstream?
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, we have people that have gone into the slaughterhouse as well as are going into the downstream facilities, starting to review records. But we will be doing a complete review and investigation of the entire food chain where this animal might have been transferred during the process.
Well, I don't think you would normally impose quarantine on a plant. You impose quarantine on a farm. But we will be doing an investigation of the plants to determine exactly where the product might have gone.
[Pause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: Well, we are taking all appropriate action. We first need to identify where the product went before we can take action. I am not saying that we are not taking action. As I said in my opening remarks, we are going to take all appropriate actions based upon the investigation.
I know that the tendency is to want to know all the answers right away. And we decided that we couldn't wait to give the public the information about this situation, but we certainly don't have all answers today. And that is why we will be continuing to update both our web site and the call in number that I indicated earlier and we will be conducting daily press briefings to update you on what is going on.
Thank you.
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Here is the USDA statement on the BSE case.
USDA MAKES PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS OF BSE
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2003–Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has diagnosed a presumptive positive case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an adult Holstein cow in the state of Washington.
“Despite this finding, we remain confident in the safety of our beef supply,” Veneman said. “The risk to human health from BSE is extremely low.”
Because the animal was non-ambulatory (downer) at slaughter, samples were taken Dec. 9 as part of USDA’s targeted BSE surveillance system. The samples were sent to USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Positive results were obtained by both histology (a visual examination of brain tissue via microscope) and immunohistochemistry (the gold standard for BSE testing that detects prions through a staining technique). Test results were returned on Dec. 22 and retested on Dec 23.
USDA has initiated a comprehensive epidemiological investigation working with state, public health, and industry counterparts to determine the source of the disease. USDA will also work with the Food and Drug Administration as they conduct animal feed investigations, the primary pathway for the spread of BSE.
This investigation has begun while the sample is being sent to the world reference laboratory in England for final confirmation. USDA will take the actions in accordance with its BSE response plan, which was developed with considerable input from federal, state and industry stakeholders.
BSE is a progressive neurological disease among cattle that is always fatal. It belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Also included in that family of illnesses is the human disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), which is believed to be caused by eating neural tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from BSE-affected cattle. USDA has determined that the cow comes from a farm in Washington State and as part of the USDA response plan, the farm has been quarantined. After the animal was slaughtered, the meat was sent for processing and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is working to determine the final disposition of products from the animal.
For more information visit www.usda.gov.
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Here is the USDA statement on the BSE case.
USDA MAKES PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS OF BSE
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2003–Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has diagnosed a presumptive positive case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an adult Holstein cow in the state of Washington.
“Despite this finding, we remain confident in the safety of our beef supply,” Veneman said. “The risk to human health from BSE is extremely low.”
Because the animal was non-ambulatory (downer) at slaughter, samples were taken Dec. 9 as part of USDA’s targeted BSE surveillance system. The samples were sent to USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Positive results were obtained by both histology (a visual examination of brain tissue via microscope) and immunohistochemistry (the gold standard for BSE testing that detects prions through a staining technique). Test results were returned on Dec. 22 and retested on Dec 23.
USDA has initiated a comprehensive epidemiological investigation working with state, public health, and industry counterparts to determine the source of the disease. USDA will also work with the Food and Drug Administration as they conduct animal feed investigations, the primary pathway for the spread of BSE.
This investigation has begun while the sample is being sent to the world reference laboratory in England for final confirmation. USDA will take the actions in accordance with its BSE response plan, which was developed with considerable input from federal, state and industry stakeholders.
BSE is a progressive neurological disease among cattle that is always fatal. It belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Also included in that family of illnesses is the human disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), which is believed to be caused by eating neural tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from BSE-affected cattle. USDA has determined that the cow comes from a farm in Washington State and as part of the USDA response plan, the farm has been quarantined. After the animal was slaughtered, the meat was sent for processing and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is working to determine the final disposition of products from the animal.
For more information visit www.usda.gov.
NCBA Statement Regarding USDA Announcement of Suspect BSE in a Dairy Cow in Washington State
Terry Stokes, Chief Executive Officer, National Cattlemen's Beef Association
December 23, 2003
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture announced today the diagnosis of a possible case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, also known as mad cow disease) in a Dairy Cow in Washington State.
The U.S. has conducted a BSE surveillance program since 1990 and this is the first possible case that has been found.
The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis has conducted a comprehensive multi-year assessment of the risk of BSE in the U.S. While the Harvard study noted there was some level of risk, the analysis concluded that "In summary, measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced into this country."
While this one case is unfortunate, systems have been built over the past 15 years to prevent this disease from spreading and affecting either animal health or public health.
NCBA has fully supported an aggressive surveillance program in the U.S. to assure that if BSE were introduced it would be detected and eliminated. We applaud the swift action taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to announce the finding of this possible case and its aggressive investigation of the circumstances. The U.S. cattle industry remains committed to eliminating this disease from North America. As such, we will work closely with the USDA to carry out a full investigation and determine what additional preventive measures, if any, need to be taken to continue to protect animal and public health.
This case was found in a federally inspected plant. The central nervous tissue from this animal, which scientists recognize as the infective material, did not go into the food supply.
Consumers should continue to eat beef with confidence. All scientific studies show that the BSE infectious agent has never been found in beef muscle meat or milk and U.S. beef remains safe to eat.
Americans can be confident in the safety of U.S. beef for a number of reasons:
* The BSE agent is not found in meat like steaks and roasts. It is found in central nervous system tissue such as brain and spinal cord.
* All U.S. cattle are inspected by a USDA inspector or veterinarian before going to slaughter. Animals with any signs of neurological disorder are tested for BSE.
* BSE affects older cattle, typically over 30 months of age. The vast majority of the cattle going to market in the U.S. are less than 24 months old.
* The U.S. began a surveillance program for BSE in 1990 and was the first country without the disease within its borders to test cattle for the disease. The surveillance system targets all cattle with any signs of neurological disorder as well as those over 30 months of age and animals that are non-ambulatory.
* The U.S. banned imports of cattle and bovine products from countries with BSE beginning in 1989.
* The only way BSE spreads is through contaminated feed. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 1997 instituted a ban on feeding ruminant-derived meat and bone meal supplements to cattle. This is a firewall that prevents the spread of BSE to other animals if it were present in the U.S.
Currently this is a suspected case in one animal and the USDA is aggressively investigating this case. We want to reiterate that we support a full investigation and the necessary steps to eliminate this disease from North America and protect the health of U.S. cattle.
For additional information go to www.BSEinfo.org
Core Messages:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration will take all actions necessary to protect animal health, consumers and the food supply.
BSE is not known to spread from animal to animal according to the latest science. The most critical animal health control measure - a ruminant feed ban - has been in place since 1997. We have systems in place to quickly contain this disease and eliminate it.
This is an animal health issue, current science indicates BSE is not found in muscle meat, rather it is only found in central nervous tissue such as the brain and spinal cord.
This case was found in a federally inspected plant. The central nervous tissue from this animal, which scientists recognize as the infective material, did not go into the food supply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration will take all actions necessary to protect animal health, consumers and the food supply.
The USDA and the FDA are putting every resource available behind rapidly containing this disease. The USDA and FDA are rapidly initiating an epidemiological investigation to determine the source and extent of BSE. We are cooperating fully.
USDA will work in concert with local, state and national emergency response plans to investigate this case as quickly as possible. For example, state and federal agencies will work in coordination to initiate an immediate trace-back of feed and a trace-forward of food roducts.
Key components of this response plan include:
Immediate quarantine of herd and progeny
Humane culling of herds according to AVMA prescribed methods
Testing of cattle under investigation
Trace forward of all food items
Trace out herd mates and progeny
Trace forward of all rendered material
Herd disposal
Compensation program for livestock owners
Constant, ongoing communication updates
BSE is not known to spread from animal to animal according to the latest science. The most critical animal health control measure - a ruminant feed ban - has been in place since 1997. We have systems in place to quickly contain this disease and eliminate it.
The feed ban has had one of the highest levels of compliance of all the Food and Drug Administration regulations not only because it's a requirement but because we've seen the impact this disease had in the U.K. and we're committed to preventing it's spread within the U.S. cattle herd.
The 2001 Harvard University Center for Risk Assessment report concluded that "measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced in this country."
Cattle with BSE display gradual changes in several aspects of their behavior, including:
temperament changes such as increased nervousness or aggression
abnormal posture
coordination problems
difficulty in rising or walking
decreased milk production
severe muscular twitching
loss of body weight despite a continued appetite
The incubation period for BSE ranges from two to eight years. Following the onset of clinical signs, the animal's condition rapidly deteriorates until it dies (usually within six months) or is culled. The disease is fatal, and there is no treatment or vaccine to prevent BSE.
For more information about BSE, please visit www.aphis.gove/lpa/issues/bse.bse.html or www.bseinfo.org.
THIS IS AN ANIMAL HEALTH ISSUE: Current science indicates BSE is not found in muscle meat, rather it is only found in central nervous tissue such as the brain and spinal cord.
Terry Stokes, Chief Executive Officer, National Cattlemen's Beef Association
December 23, 2003
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture announced today the diagnosis of a possible case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, also known as mad cow disease) in a Dairy Cow in Washington State.
The U.S. has conducted a BSE surveillance program since 1990 and this is the first possible case that has been found.
The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis has conducted a comprehensive multi-year assessment of the risk of BSE in the U.S. While the Harvard study noted there was some level of risk, the analysis concluded that "In summary, measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced into this country."
While this one case is unfortunate, systems have been built over the past 15 years to prevent this disease from spreading and affecting either animal health or public health.
NCBA has fully supported an aggressive surveillance program in the U.S. to assure that if BSE were introduced it would be detected and eliminated. We applaud the swift action taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to announce the finding of this possible case and its aggressive investigation of the circumstances. The U.S. cattle industry remains committed to eliminating this disease from North America. As such, we will work closely with the USDA to carry out a full investigation and determine what additional preventive measures, if any, need to be taken to continue to protect animal and public health.
This case was found in a federally inspected plant. The central nervous tissue from this animal, which scientists recognize as the infective material, did not go into the food supply.
Consumers should continue to eat beef with confidence. All scientific studies show that the BSE infectious agent has never been found in beef muscle meat or milk and U.S. beef remains safe to eat.
Americans can be confident in the safety of U.S. beef for a number of reasons:
* The BSE agent is not found in meat like steaks and roasts. It is found in central nervous system tissue such as brain and spinal cord.
* All U.S. cattle are inspected by a USDA inspector or veterinarian before going to slaughter. Animals with any signs of neurological disorder are tested for BSE.
* BSE affects older cattle, typically over 30 months of age. The vast majority of the cattle going to market in the U.S. are less than 24 months old.
* The U.S. began a surveillance program for BSE in 1990 and was the first country without the disease within its borders to test cattle for the disease. The surveillance system targets all cattle with any signs of neurological disorder as well as those over 30 months of age and animals that are non-ambulatory.
* The U.S. banned imports of cattle and bovine products from countries with BSE beginning in 1989.
* The only way BSE spreads is through contaminated feed. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 1997 instituted a ban on feeding ruminant-derived meat and bone meal supplements to cattle. This is a firewall that prevents the spread of BSE to other animals if it were present in the U.S.
Currently this is a suspected case in one animal and the USDA is aggressively investigating this case. We want to reiterate that we support a full investigation and the necessary steps to eliminate this disease from North America and protect the health of U.S. cattle.
For additional information go to www.BSEinfo.org
Core Messages:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration will take all actions necessary to protect animal health, consumers and the food supply.
BSE is not known to spread from animal to animal according to the latest science. The most critical animal health control measure - a ruminant feed ban - has been in place since 1997. We have systems in place to quickly contain this disease and eliminate it.
This is an animal health issue, current science indicates BSE is not found in muscle meat, rather it is only found in central nervous tissue such as the brain and spinal cord.
This case was found in a federally inspected plant. The central nervous tissue from this animal, which scientists recognize as the infective material, did not go into the food supply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration will take all actions necessary to protect animal health, consumers and the food supply.
The USDA and the FDA are putting every resource available behind rapidly containing this disease. The USDA and FDA are rapidly initiating an epidemiological investigation to determine the source and extent of BSE. We are cooperating fully.
USDA will work in concert with local, state and national emergency response plans to investigate this case as quickly as possible. For example, state and federal agencies will work in coordination to initiate an immediate trace-back of feed and a trace-forward of food roducts.
Key components of this response plan include:
Immediate quarantine of herd and progeny
Humane culling of herds according to AVMA prescribed methods
Testing of cattle under investigation
Trace forward of all food items
Trace out herd mates and progeny
Trace forward of all rendered material
Herd disposal
Compensation program for livestock owners
Constant, ongoing communication updates
BSE is not known to spread from animal to animal according to the latest science. The most critical animal health control measure - a ruminant feed ban - has been in place since 1997. We have systems in place to quickly contain this disease and eliminate it.
The feed ban has had one of the highest levels of compliance of all the Food and Drug Administration regulations not only because it's a requirement but because we've seen the impact this disease had in the U.K. and we're committed to preventing it's spread within the U.S. cattle herd.
The 2001 Harvard University Center for Risk Assessment report concluded that "measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced in this country."
Cattle with BSE display gradual changes in several aspects of their behavior, including:
temperament changes such as increased nervousness or aggression
abnormal posture
coordination problems
difficulty in rising or walking
decreased milk production
severe muscular twitching
loss of body weight despite a continued appetite
The incubation period for BSE ranges from two to eight years. Following the onset of clinical signs, the animal's condition rapidly deteriorates until it dies (usually within six months) or is culled. The disease is fatal, and there is no treatment or vaccine to prevent BSE.
For more information about BSE, please visit www.aphis.gove/lpa/issues/bse.bse.html or www.bseinfo.org.
THIS IS AN ANIMAL HEALTH ISSUE: Current science indicates BSE is not found in muscle meat, rather it is only found in central nervous tissue such as the brain and spinal cord.
Beef industry is the driver of US agriculture sector
CHICAGO : The first suspected case of Mad Cow disease in the United States could badly damage what is the backbone of the US agricultural industry, accounting for about a fifth of all agricultural receipts, according to official statistics.
Annual sales of cows and calves runs are worth about 40 billion dollars, and the industry supports about 1.4 million full-time jobs on farms and ranches and indirectly in beef feed lots and packing plants.
Most of the beef raised in the United States is consumed domestically: 90 percent goes to the US market, with 10 percent being exported overseas, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
The most important export markets are Japan, Mexico, Canada, Korea, and Hong Kong, in that order and exports of beef and variety meats such as tongues and tails was worth 3.4 billion dollars in 2002, according to the US Meat Export Federation.
The average American chows down on about 68 pounds (30.9 kilogrammes) of beef a year, which is second only to chicken in terms of popularity.
American exports benefited from the devastation to the European cattle industry caused by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or Mad Cow Disease, in the 1990s.
CHICAGO : The first suspected case of Mad Cow disease in the United States could badly damage what is the backbone of the US agricultural industry, accounting for about a fifth of all agricultural receipts, according to official statistics.
Annual sales of cows and calves runs are worth about 40 billion dollars, and the industry supports about 1.4 million full-time jobs on farms and ranches and indirectly in beef feed lots and packing plants.
Most of the beef raised in the United States is consumed domestically: 90 percent goes to the US market, with 10 percent being exported overseas, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
The most important export markets are Japan, Mexico, Canada, Korea, and Hong Kong, in that order and exports of beef and variety meats such as tongues and tails was worth 3.4 billion dollars in 2002, according to the US Meat Export Federation.
The average American chows down on about 68 pounds (30.9 kilogrammes) of beef a year, which is second only to chicken in terms of popularity.
American exports benefited from the devastation to the European cattle industry caused by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or Mad Cow Disease, in the 1990s.
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Canadian producers are worried the BSE case in Washington will delay opening of the US border to cattle. The US currently accepts boneless beef under 30 months, but doesn't allow live cattle from Canada to enter the US. First U.S. mad cow case may delay border opening for Canada, producers worry
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Canadian producers are worried the BSE case in Washington will delay opening of the US border to cattle. The US currently accepts boneless beef under 30 months, but doesn't allow live cattle from Canada to enter the US. First U.S. mad cow case may delay border opening for Canada, producers worry
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USDA: Mad Cow Suspected in Washington State
A single Holstein on a Washington state farm has tested positive for mad cow disease (search), marking the disease's first suspected appearance in the United States, the Bush administration announced Tuesday as it assured Americans their food is safe.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the slaughtered cow was screened earlier this month and any diseased parts were removed before they could enter the food supply and infect humans. Fear of the disease has brought economic ruin on beef industries in Europe and Canada.
"We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," Veneman told a hastily convened news conference. The farm near Yakima, Wash., where the cow originated, has been quarantined as officials trace how the animal contracted the disease and where its meat went.
"Even though the risk to human health is minimal, we will take all appropriate actions out of an abundance of caution," she said.
Mad cow disease, known also as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, eats holes in the brains of cattle. It sprang up in Britain in 1986 and spread through countries in Europe and Asia, prompting massive destruction of herds and decimating the European beef industry.
A form of mad cow disease can be contracted by humans if they eat infected beef or nerve tissue, and possibly through blood transfusions. The human form of mad cow disease so far has killed 143 people in Britain and 10 elsewhere, none in the United States. Blood donors possibly at risk for the disease are banned from giving.
Wary of the potential economic impact on their American market, beef producers quickly sought Tuesday to reassure consumers that infected meat wouldn't reach their tables. "There is no risk to consumers based upon the product that came from this animal," said Terry Stokes, chief executive of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (search).
Veneman also assured Americans the screening system worked, and no foul play was suspected. "This incident is not terrorist-related," she said. "I cannot stress this point strongly enough."
President Bush was briefed a few times on the development Tuesday and was confident Veneman's department handling the matter properly, the White House said.
With an election year approaching, the news concerned some in Congress. Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa., a member of the House Agriculture Committee (search), said he expected lawmakers to hold hearings when they return to Washington in late January.
"We're going to look into this and see the possibility of how this happened," Holden said. "I'm sure there will be extensive oversight hearings to see what we can do to assure the American people the safety of the food chain."
Lawmakers are keenly aware that a case of mad cow disease in Canada last May -- which officials described as a single, isolated incident -- still had devastating economic consequences.
"If it's anything like what happened in Canada, it will be bad. The problem won't be that people will stop eating meat in the United States; the problem is the exports will be shut down like we did with Canada," said Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.
Veneman said the Holstein, which could not move on its own, was found at a farm in Mabton, Wash., about 40 miles southeast of Yakima, and tested preliminarily positive for the brain-wasting illness on Dec. 9. Parts of the cow that would be infected -- the brain, the spinal cord and the lower part of the small intestine -- were removed before the animal went to a meat processing plant.
Samples from the cow have been sent to Britain for confirmation of the preliminary mad cow finding, Veneman said. The results will be known in three to five days. Veneman said consumers can get daily updates by reading the department's Web site or by calling 1-866-4USDACOM.
She said tests are made of all downed cows -- old cows that are not mobile -- that are sent to slaughterhouses.
But Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said such cows shouldn't be in the food supply in the first place. The Senate passed such a ban earlier this year, but it failed to make it through the House.
"I blame it on greed, greed, greed," Ackerman said. "The greed of the industry, the greed of the lobbyists and the greed of the members of Congress."
Veneman said the Agriculture Department has had safeguards in place since 1990 to check for mad cow disease and 20,526 cows had been tested in 2003 in the United States.
"This is a clear indication that our surveillance and detection program is working," Veneman said.
U.S. beef remains "absolutely safe to eat," she said.
"We see no reason for people to alter their eating habits," she said. "I plan to serve beef for my Christmas dinner."
Other versions of the story: U.S. Discovers Its First Suspected Case of Mad Cow Disease from the New York Times, U.S. Reports First Case of Mad Cow Disease from Reuters, and US reports suspect 'mad cow' case from the BBC.
Japan halts US beef imports
From correspondents in Tokyo
December 24, 2003
JAPAN has temporarily banned the import of American beef after the US reported its first suspected case of mad cow disease, an official said today.
"We are now withholding the issuance of import permits" on US beef, said Japanese agriculture ministry spokesman Hiroaki Ogura.
"That means for now, (beef) imports have been banned."
He said the measure enacted early this morning was temporary until further information could be gathered.
US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced that a cow from Washington state had tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.
A single Holstein on a Washington state farm has tested positive for mad cow disease (search), marking the disease's first suspected appearance in the United States, the Bush administration announced Tuesday as it assured Americans their food is safe.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the slaughtered cow was screened earlier this month and any diseased parts were removed before they could enter the food supply and infect humans. Fear of the disease has brought economic ruin on beef industries in Europe and Canada.
"We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," Veneman told a hastily convened news conference. The farm near Yakima, Wash., where the cow originated, has been quarantined as officials trace how the animal contracted the disease and where its meat went.
"Even though the risk to human health is minimal, we will take all appropriate actions out of an abundance of caution," she said.
Mad cow disease, known also as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, eats holes in the brains of cattle. It sprang up in Britain in 1986 and spread through countries in Europe and Asia, prompting massive destruction of herds and decimating the European beef industry.
A form of mad cow disease can be contracted by humans if they eat infected beef or nerve tissue, and possibly through blood transfusions. The human form of mad cow disease so far has killed 143 people in Britain and 10 elsewhere, none in the United States. Blood donors possibly at risk for the disease are banned from giving.
Wary of the potential economic impact on their American market, beef producers quickly sought Tuesday to reassure consumers that infected meat wouldn't reach their tables. "There is no risk to consumers based upon the product that came from this animal," said Terry Stokes, chief executive of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (search).
Veneman also assured Americans the screening system worked, and no foul play was suspected. "This incident is not terrorist-related," she said. "I cannot stress this point strongly enough."
President Bush was briefed a few times on the development Tuesday and was confident Veneman's department handling the matter properly, the White House said.
With an election year approaching, the news concerned some in Congress. Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa., a member of the House Agriculture Committee (search), said he expected lawmakers to hold hearings when they return to Washington in late January.
"We're going to look into this and see the possibility of how this happened," Holden said. "I'm sure there will be extensive oversight hearings to see what we can do to assure the American people the safety of the food chain."
Lawmakers are keenly aware that a case of mad cow disease in Canada last May -- which officials described as a single, isolated incident -- still had devastating economic consequences.
"If it's anything like what happened in Canada, it will be bad. The problem won't be that people will stop eating meat in the United States; the problem is the exports will be shut down like we did with Canada," said Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.
Veneman said the Holstein, which could not move on its own, was found at a farm in Mabton, Wash., about 40 miles southeast of Yakima, and tested preliminarily positive for the brain-wasting illness on Dec. 9. Parts of the cow that would be infected -- the brain, the spinal cord and the lower part of the small intestine -- were removed before the animal went to a meat processing plant.
Samples from the cow have been sent to Britain for confirmation of the preliminary mad cow finding, Veneman said. The results will be known in three to five days. Veneman said consumers can get daily updates by reading the department's Web site or by calling 1-866-4USDACOM.
She said tests are made of all downed cows -- old cows that are not mobile -- that are sent to slaughterhouses.
But Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said such cows shouldn't be in the food supply in the first place. The Senate passed such a ban earlier this year, but it failed to make it through the House.
"I blame it on greed, greed, greed," Ackerman said. "The greed of the industry, the greed of the lobbyists and the greed of the members of Congress."
Veneman said the Agriculture Department has had safeguards in place since 1990 to check for mad cow disease and 20,526 cows had been tested in 2003 in the United States.
"This is a clear indication that our surveillance and detection program is working," Veneman said.
U.S. beef remains "absolutely safe to eat," she said.
"We see no reason for people to alter their eating habits," she said. "I plan to serve beef for my Christmas dinner."
Other versions of the story: U.S. Discovers Its First Suspected Case of Mad Cow Disease from the New York Times, U.S. Reports First Case of Mad Cow Disease from Reuters, and US reports suspect 'mad cow' case from the BBC.
Japan halts US beef imports
From correspondents in Tokyo
December 24, 2003
JAPAN has temporarily banned the import of American beef after the US reported its first suspected case of mad cow disease, an official said today.
"We are now withholding the issuance of import permits" on US beef, said Japanese agriculture ministry spokesman Hiroaki Ogura.
"That means for now, (beef) imports have been banned."
He said the measure enacted early this morning was temporary until further information could be gathered.
US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced that a cow from Washington state had tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.
Monday, December 22, 2003
NEWS ROUNDUP
Conservation groups seek protection for sage grouse Twenty conservation organizations submitted a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday to list the greater sage grouse as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The species has suffered declines of 45 percent to 80 percent over the past 20 years due to habitat loss, the groups said. "The sage grouse is clearly in trouble," said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist for Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. "And yet the deterioration in land stewardship on federal public lands is driving this bird even faster towards extinction...Forest funding declines A federal reduction of about $150,000 in one year's funding for updating the Shoshone Forest Plan could slow the project. Forest planner Bryan Armel said cuts in revising forest plans are being experienced throughout the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Region, and likely across the nation. That's because the agency at the national level has shifted emphasis - and funding - away from planning toward action, namely thinning stands of timber adjacent to developed property...Roads, vehicles points to ponder Although many environmental groups support the goals of the Klamath Tribes' forest management plan, some are leery of how the Tribes would go about reaching them. Many who live next to the national forestland in northern Klamath County say they haven't yet been able to read to plan. But before the plan's public release the Tribes met with a number of environmental group leaders in Eugene on Dec. 4, where the co-authors of the plan outlined what the Tribes would do if 690,000 acres of national forest land became a re-established reservation. The meeting hosts were the Wilderness Society and Ecotrust. It was the first time many of the environmental groups got to see the nuts and bolts of the plan that has gotten divided response from conservation groups on the question of who should control the land...State loses mountain-biking status Colorado has fallen from first to fifth in an annual report card for mountain biking, with the authors complaining of restrictive policies around the state. The International Mountain Biking Association, a Boulder-based advocacy group, stripped Colorado of its most-favored status and gave it to Arizona because of restrictive Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management policies...Bike-clinic leader faults BLM for permit problem Gene Hamilton had hoped to lead mountain-biking clinics this past summer and fall in the Grand Valley, but he ran into the federal government. Now, he said, his business plans are a year behind, and the delay has cost him at least $400, not counting lost business. He said the federal Bureau of Land Management, which administers most of the public lands around Grand Junction where mountain biking is popular, failed to tell him that getting a permit would take so long he would miss all of his 2003 business opportunities. The BLM said it could have done a better job of communicating time requirements to Hamilton, but said it was ultimately Hamilton's responsibility to ask the agency pertinent questions and to make sure he had a permit before starting operations on public lands...Endangered Species Listings May Backfire New research confirms that Endangered Species Act listings do not necessarily help--and may even harm--rare species on private lands. "Private landowners' responses suggested that the current regulatory approach to rare species conservation is insufficient to protect the Preble's mouse," write Amara Brook, Michaela Zint, and Raymond De Young of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in the December issue of Conservation Biology. More than 90 percent of federally listed species live at least partly on lands not owned by the federal government, and as many as half live entirely on nonfederal land, much of which is private. Anecdotal evidence suggests listing endangered species may not help protect them on private property because landowners may destroy species habitat to avoid land-use restrictions. Brook and her colleagues set out to test how widespread that practice might be...Condors take wing finally What a bunch of chickens. Friday's release of endangered California condors at Pinnacles National Monument was delayed a day because the birds stayed put. Going in, biologists knew that was a possibility. "It's nerve-racking because of the unknown," said Joe Burnett, a condor specialist for the Ventana Wilderness Society, before the scheduled release. Finally, two of the condors flew out Saturday afternoon - but without a spectacle and hundreds of bird watchers who waited 2 1/2 hours Friday before handlers closed the double-door trap. The two soared through the canyon Saturday and Sunday but stayed near the pen, according to ranger Brant Porter...Column: Wyoming's wolf plan needs fixing Before the ink even dried on Wyoming's wolf management plan, it was greeted by a chorus of howls. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service voiced strong concerns that the plan would not provide adequate assurances to prevent wolves from becoming threatened again. Neighboring political leaders, such as Montana Gov. Judy Martz, admonished Wyoming to create a more balanced plan so as not to delay the transition of wolf management to all three Northern Rocky states. Conservationists also believed that the Wyoming plan was too aggressive by allowing the immediate shooting of wolves. And this past week, in a process called "peer review" (a step in the wolf delisting process), a group of federal, state, and academic wolf experts from all over the country added themselves to the chorus of concern about Wyoming's wolf management plan...Researchers say wolves could help curb wasting disease Researchers are looking to wolves to help control the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, a fatal brain malady some biologists fear will invade Yellowstone National Park in the next few years. Wolves' uncanny ability to spot vulnerable animals may make them the best natural control for the disease, since wolves could kill off sick animals, researchers say. Wasting disease makes its victims distracted and unwary as it eats tiny holes in their brains, the Denver Post reported...Wolf kill trust pays ranchers $68K Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, paid out more than $68,000 to 46 ranchers who lost sheep and cattle to wolves in 2003, with much of the money going to Montana and Idaho ranchers. ''There were 294 animals (lost),'' said Nina Fascione, vice president of species conservation for Defenders of Wildlife. Those figures represent wolf kills from October 2002 until October 2003. A total of $68,484 was paid to ranchers in that time. Since 1987, the group has paid out more than $335,000 to ranchers who lost sheep or cattle to wolves as part of an effort to ''put our money where our mouth is,'' Fascione said. The group supports wolf reintroduction and expansion of existing wolf range...Texas A&M Says It Has Cloned First Deer Scientists at Texas A&M University have produced what they believe is the first cloned deer, the school said on Monday. Tests have confirmed that a fawn named Dewey born to a surrogate mother in May was a genetic duplicate of a male white-tailed deer from southern Texas whose skin samples were used in the cloning process, the school said. Even though white-tailed deer are abundant in the wild, Westhusin said in a statement the creation of Dewey could prove helpful in preserving endangered species such as the Key West deer of Florida...Gays Banned From National Parks Civil Service Group Says All images of gay gatherings at national sites, including the Millennium March on the Washington Mall have been ordered removed from videotapes that have been shown at the Lincoln Memorial since 1995 according to a civil service group. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) says that the directive came from National Parks Service Deputy Director Donald Murphy. Murphy is said to have been concerned about pictures in the video that showed same-sex couples kissing and holding hands after conservative groups complained. Also ordered cut from the tape were scenes of abortion rights demonstrations at the memorial, and anti-Vietnam War demonstrations "because it implies that Lincoln would have supported homosexual and abortion rights as well as feminism."...Editorial: Yellowstone fight goes another round The decision, handed down as vacationers to the park were arriving and the tourism industry that caters to them had swung into full operation for the season, requires the Park Service to reinstate a phased ban on snowmobiles. The judge ruled that the ban, instituted by the Clinton administration, had been improperly rescinded by the Bush administration. You can expect this back-and-forth business to continue for some time to come. The issue is entirely political in nature, and it isn't going to be settled until one side or the other -- people who favor snowmobiles in the park or those who oppose them -- gain overwhelming advantage over the other. That isn't likely to happen anytime soon. There is no clear right or wrong involved here. The issue hangs entirely on personal preference. Snowmobiles are endlessly amusing to those who ride (or sell and rent) them. They're annoying to people in proximity who don't ride them -- especially people seeking a quiet moment in the winter wonderland. The vast majority of Americans, however, live out their lives without once thinking about snowmobiles, one way or the other. Relatively few people can afford to own or rent the expensive toys, and even fewer consider speeding along, exposed, in subzero temperatures an attractive avocation. Meanwhile, many of the people who oppose snowmobiles in Yellowstone have never and will never see one there. It's the idea they don't like...Snowmobile appeal could take 11 months The state of Wyoming has appealed a federal judge's ruling that snowmobiles be gradually phased out of Yellowstone National Park, but state officials don't expect a decision for nearly a year. The ruling by Judge Emmet Sullivan last week has frustrated snowmobilers, guides and businesses surrounding Yellowstone that rely on winter tourism. "It's my understanding to have pursued an appeal and gotten a decision out of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 10-to-11-months period would be about average," Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank said. "If it takes that long to proceed through the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, we're left in a quandary next winter as well."...Column: Pray to Play, Bush's Faith-Based National Parks The view from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, smogged up as it is these days, still retains the power to prompt even the most secular of visitors into transcendentalist reveries as they cast theirs eyes toward Shiva's Temple and Wotan's Throne. Now tourists at the federal park in northern Arizona will be greeted with scriptural passages affixed to park signs to help interpret the religious experience of gazing into God's mighty chasm. This autumn Donald Murphy, deputy director of the National Park Service, ordered three bronze plaques featuring quotes from Psalms 68:4, 66:4 and 104:24 placed on viewing platforms on the south rim of the Canyon. The plaques were made and donated by the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Phoenix, who live in a convent called Cannan in the Desert. The convent was founded in 1963 by Mother Basilea, who visited the Sinai where said said she conversed with the Supreme Diety about the moral decline of the western world... Dispute freezes ban on fishing in Tortugas A year and a half ago, the state and federal governments set aside the largest underwater refuge in America, an emerald expanse 70 miles west of Key West. The historic designation banned fishing in two vast zones totaling 151 square miles just outside Dry Tortugas National Park. But inside the park, sport anglers and spearfishers can still pull grouper, snapper and lobster from reefs and seagrass beds that managers had pledged would be protected. That's because a quarter of the planned Dry Tortugas Ecological Reserve -- another 46 square miles covering almost half the national park -- has quietly remained open to all but commercial fishing boats. What's holding up the closure is an arcane legal question: Who owns the bottom under all that ocean -- Florida or the federal government? The U.S. Interior Department, which manages the National Park Service, contends it does. The state argues federal rights end at the shoreline of seven small islands that make up the dry part of the Tortugas...Nevada judge reviewing grazing dispute between ranchers, feds A judge will offer an opinion early next year on whether state officials should have tried to block the federal seizure of cattle from a Nevada rancher accused of trespassing on U.S. land. At the request of Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval, Washoe District Judge Janet Berry agreed Monday to help clarify state procedures related to nearly a decade of "tension between ranchers and the Bureau of Land Management." The rare judicial confirmation hearing will not result in the cattle being returned, and Berry emphasized she will not address complicated legal questions regarding water rights, some dating to the 19th century. The judge also said she won't rule on ranchers' constitutional claims that land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada and across the West is not truly "public land" and therefore not subject to BLM's environmental regulations. Rather, the judge said she will decide whether the state Agriculture Department had the authority - as the ranchers claim - to block the confiscation by refusing to formally certify the BLM's legal possession of the cattle after it seized 62 animals from Goldfield rancher Ben Colvin in 2001...Gas treasure or green haven for wildlife? With the Roan Plateau, it's all about perspective. To energy companies and the Bush administration, it is a key plank in the drive for U.S. energy independence because it sits atop a mother lode of clean-burning natural gas. to others, the plateau is a haven for wildlife and the cornerstone of the region's $3.8-million-a-year hunting industry. They fear the plateau is being sacrificed in a mad dash to develop rather than conserve energy...Rocky Mountain drilling Oil and gas companies eager to drill in the Rocky Mountain West appear to have an ally in the Bush administration, which is approving wells at a pace well ahead of the Clinton administration and looking to get even faster. An Associated Press review of thousands of applications to drill on Bureau of Land Management land since 1998 shows a 34 percent increase in the number of wells approved under Bush when compared with the last three years of the Clinton administration. The vast majority of the permits, 94 percent since 2001, are clustered in five states: Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming - a key region in the administration's push to open more public land for energy development...Gas-drilling plans forced to pause The alliance between ranchers and environmentalists seeking stricter regulation of coal-bed methane drilling in the Powder River Basin has won a pair of decisions that put a hiccup into Bush administration plans to speed energy development in the West. Montana Bureau of Land Management director Marty Ott earlier this month halted progress on an 85-well Fidelity Exploration and Production Co. project near the Wyoming border. He demanded more information from the local BLM about how water pumped up during drilling will affect irrigation and ranching. In Wyoming, BLM officials have said they will take a similar action on a 20-well project near Gillette, said Jill Morrison of the Sheridan-based environmental group Powder River Basin Resource Council. The group challenged the Marathon Oil Co. project along with Gillette rancher Eric Barlow. A formal announcement is expected as early as Tuesday...Losing Ground It would be easy to assume this land, where trails routinely cross 85-degree slopes, is fit only for hikers and rock climbers. In fact, the Cleveland National Forest is a major battleground in the U.S. war on drugs - a battleground increasingly ceded to foreign drug cartels. Paradoxically, government attempts to enhance national security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have fueled this trend. Tightened border security has made it harder for traffickers to move drugs from Mexico across the southwest border, spurring producers to move their operations north of the border and closer to their market. And the Defense Department, in an effort to focus more resources on overseas military operations, has decided to reduce its counternarcotics support to civilian law enforcement agencies. The reduction in Defense's assistance comes despite the fact that it has been critical in limiting domestic drug production in recent years and the suspected connections between the Mexican cartels and Middle Eastern terrorists...Bush administration eyes new fuel standards for large SUVs, pickups The Bush administration is looking at making larger SUVs, such as the Hummer H2, Ford Excursion, and GMC Suburban, and large pickup trucks comply with federal fuel economy standards for the first time. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration also said yesterday it is seeking comments on whether to change the definitions of cars and light trucks. Most sport utility vehicles are now classified as light trucks, although they are used primarily as passenger vehicles...S.D. won't restrict Wyo. cattle yet South Dakota doesn't have any immediate plans to restrict importation of Wyoming cattle despite the discovery of brucellosis in a western Wyoming herd. Colorado and California have announced restrictions on Wyoming cattle. But South Dakota state veterinarian Dr. Sam Holland said officials here would wait to see if testing shows brucellosis in more than the one herd near Pinedale, Wyo., where it was found early this month. "When there's no more than one affected herd and no spread, and the initial herd is eliminated, we would not put any further restrictions on," Holland said in an interview Monday...US beef lobby threatens free trade agreement The powerful United States beef lobby will attempt to block the proposed free trade deal with Australia, unless US cattlemen get greater access to markets, including Japan and Korea. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association says it will use considerable political support in the US Senate to stop any trade agreement with Australia which gives exporters greater access. President Eric Davis, says not all cattlemen have been able to capitalise on record US beef prices this year, and he doesn't want to see the domestic market flooded with imported beef...Horses, other animals rescued by spray paint Spray painting the family pet might be enough to place junior in an extended time-out under normal circumstances. But horse and livestock owners used spray paint to help identify and protect their animals during the recent fires in Southern California. By spray-painting their phone numbers on the flanks of the horses and other large livestock before evacuating their properties the owners provided a measure of insurance that their pets would be reunited with them after the smoke cleared. And many of them were. Even when homes, barns, corrals, fences, tack rooms, feeder stalls and pasture shelters were swept away by the flames some of the animals escaped on their own and were eventually recovered and returned to their owners...Rancher belongs on his land and thieves belong in jail The organization, which was founded in 1877, began as a way to help deal with the problem of cattle thieves that had arisen in Texas. "So many ranchers were moving around Texas and they were losing their cattle, so that is why the TSCRA was formed," Foreman explained. In 1883, the first field inspected position was created, a position that Foreman holds today. Field inspectors are hired to chase down and arrest cattle thieves. "We work on any type of criminal act against livestock. While we still carry guns and chase down the cattle thieves, our job has become a more modernized." In 1883, field inspectors chased down the thieves with horses and paperwork was done with paper and pencil. Today, Foreman stated, horses have been replaced with trucks and paperwork is now done on a computer. "But it's the same job that it has been since the beginning."...Firm Wins Suit Over Bull Castration Device Montana business did not steal a Kansas man's ideas for a bull castration device, a jury decided. The jury unanimously agreed that St. Ignatius' Wadsworth Manufacturing Inc. did not violate patents obtained by Michael Callicrate of St. Francis, Kan. The jury said, in a Wednesday ruling, that it found that some of Callicrate's patents were not valid...Team England wins snow polo world title in Aspen England dominated the four-team tournament Saturday and Sunday at Wagner Park, beating Aspen 10-4 in the finals to take the crown. Snow polo is a modified version of traditional polo, which is played on turf. Aside from the obvious difference of surface substance, the snow polo field is also dramatically smaller -- roughly the size of Wagner Park. Polo is played on a 10-acre field, about the size of three football fields, with four members per team instead of three on snow. "Traditional polo] is faster paced and a prettier game to watch," said Melissa Potamkin-Ganzi, a member of Team Argentina and the only woman in the tournament. Her husband, Marc, grew up in Aspen and played for Glenwood Springs... A good start It could be not only a good start to the new year, but a great start. I know that I was really uplifted by the recent news that ole Sad'um Insane had been captured. Yep, he was pulled out of a rat hole blabbin' in English who he was in hopes no one would shoot him. He had with him a pistol and $750,000 in American money. All of that was in $100 bills. Ole Sad'um looked a little haggard to me when he was pulled out. Actually, he looked more like Merle Haggard than he did Sad'um Insane. See how things are starting to shape up for the new year? Ole Owl Gore has admitted that he is out of the loop, Madonna has told America that money cannot buy happiness (she can't understand why most of us don't think of her as being normal) and ole Sad'um turned out to be just what a good many of us expected him to be, a whining, sniveling coward that just happens to look like Merle Haggard when he's been hiding in a hole and not shaving for 10 months...As times get better, more of past forgotten Her statement triggered memories of sleeping at Grandma Trew's house in wintertime. My brother and I slept in long handles, socks, stocking caps and often had hot bricks or sad irons at our feet while we were crushed under a pile of homemade quilts and had to hit the floor running to reach the roaring wood stove in the living room to dress. Yes, I do appreciate a warm house and carpet. I can also relate to older men whose conscience bothers them when they sleep past sunup and sit at the breakfast table reading the paper. The lifetime habit of rising early and doing farm chores before daylight left roots extending deep into their subconscious...The Year in Country Music Books If this was a banner year in many ways for country music scholarship, it also underscored the fact that the market for serious country publications is centered in the distant past. Not even the recent past. Not that country music's history is not fascinating. But, that seems to be where audience -- and publisher -- interest is centered. With that in mind, here are several country music books from 2003 that are deserving of special attention...
Conservation groups seek protection for sage grouse Twenty conservation organizations submitted a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday to list the greater sage grouse as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The species has suffered declines of 45 percent to 80 percent over the past 20 years due to habitat loss, the groups said. "The sage grouse is clearly in trouble," said Erik Molvar, wildlife biologist for Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. "And yet the deterioration in land stewardship on federal public lands is driving this bird even faster towards extinction...Forest funding declines A federal reduction of about $150,000 in one year's funding for updating the Shoshone Forest Plan could slow the project. Forest planner Bryan Armel said cuts in revising forest plans are being experienced throughout the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Region, and likely across the nation. That's because the agency at the national level has shifted emphasis - and funding - away from planning toward action, namely thinning stands of timber adjacent to developed property...Roads, vehicles points to ponder Although many environmental groups support the goals of the Klamath Tribes' forest management plan, some are leery of how the Tribes would go about reaching them. Many who live next to the national forestland in northern Klamath County say they haven't yet been able to read to plan. But before the plan's public release the Tribes met with a number of environmental group leaders in Eugene on Dec. 4, where the co-authors of the plan outlined what the Tribes would do if 690,000 acres of national forest land became a re-established reservation. The meeting hosts were the Wilderness Society and Ecotrust. It was the first time many of the environmental groups got to see the nuts and bolts of the plan that has gotten divided response from conservation groups on the question of who should control the land...State loses mountain-biking status Colorado has fallen from first to fifth in an annual report card for mountain biking, with the authors complaining of restrictive policies around the state. The International Mountain Biking Association, a Boulder-based advocacy group, stripped Colorado of its most-favored status and gave it to Arizona because of restrictive Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management policies...Bike-clinic leader faults BLM for permit problem Gene Hamilton had hoped to lead mountain-biking clinics this past summer and fall in the Grand Valley, but he ran into the federal government. Now, he said, his business plans are a year behind, and the delay has cost him at least $400, not counting lost business. He said the federal Bureau of Land Management, which administers most of the public lands around Grand Junction where mountain biking is popular, failed to tell him that getting a permit would take so long he would miss all of his 2003 business opportunities. The BLM said it could have done a better job of communicating time requirements to Hamilton, but said it was ultimately Hamilton's responsibility to ask the agency pertinent questions and to make sure he had a permit before starting operations on public lands...Endangered Species Listings May Backfire New research confirms that Endangered Species Act listings do not necessarily help--and may even harm--rare species on private lands. "Private landowners' responses suggested that the current regulatory approach to rare species conservation is insufficient to protect the Preble's mouse," write Amara Brook, Michaela Zint, and Raymond De Young of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in the December issue of Conservation Biology. More than 90 percent of federally listed species live at least partly on lands not owned by the federal government, and as many as half live entirely on nonfederal land, much of which is private. Anecdotal evidence suggests listing endangered species may not help protect them on private property because landowners may destroy species habitat to avoid land-use restrictions. Brook and her colleagues set out to test how widespread that practice might be...Condors take wing finally What a bunch of chickens. Friday's release of endangered California condors at Pinnacles National Monument was delayed a day because the birds stayed put. Going in, biologists knew that was a possibility. "It's nerve-racking because of the unknown," said Joe Burnett, a condor specialist for the Ventana Wilderness Society, before the scheduled release. Finally, two of the condors flew out Saturday afternoon - but without a spectacle and hundreds of bird watchers who waited 2 1/2 hours Friday before handlers closed the double-door trap. The two soared through the canyon Saturday and Sunday but stayed near the pen, according to ranger Brant Porter...Column: Wyoming's wolf plan needs fixing Before the ink even dried on Wyoming's wolf management plan, it was greeted by a chorus of howls. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service voiced strong concerns that the plan would not provide adequate assurances to prevent wolves from becoming threatened again. Neighboring political leaders, such as Montana Gov. Judy Martz, admonished Wyoming to create a more balanced plan so as not to delay the transition of wolf management to all three Northern Rocky states. Conservationists also believed that the Wyoming plan was too aggressive by allowing the immediate shooting of wolves. And this past week, in a process called "peer review" (a step in the wolf delisting process), a group of federal, state, and academic wolf experts from all over the country added themselves to the chorus of concern about Wyoming's wolf management plan...Researchers say wolves could help curb wasting disease Researchers are looking to wolves to help control the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, a fatal brain malady some biologists fear will invade Yellowstone National Park in the next few years. Wolves' uncanny ability to spot vulnerable animals may make them the best natural control for the disease, since wolves could kill off sick animals, researchers say. Wasting disease makes its victims distracted and unwary as it eats tiny holes in their brains, the Denver Post reported...Wolf kill trust pays ranchers $68K Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, paid out more than $68,000 to 46 ranchers who lost sheep and cattle to wolves in 2003, with much of the money going to Montana and Idaho ranchers. ''There were 294 animals (lost),'' said Nina Fascione, vice president of species conservation for Defenders of Wildlife. Those figures represent wolf kills from October 2002 until October 2003. A total of $68,484 was paid to ranchers in that time. Since 1987, the group has paid out more than $335,000 to ranchers who lost sheep or cattle to wolves as part of an effort to ''put our money where our mouth is,'' Fascione said. The group supports wolf reintroduction and expansion of existing wolf range...Texas A&M Says It Has Cloned First Deer Scientists at Texas A&M University have produced what they believe is the first cloned deer, the school said on Monday. Tests have confirmed that a fawn named Dewey born to a surrogate mother in May was a genetic duplicate of a male white-tailed deer from southern Texas whose skin samples were used in the cloning process, the school said. Even though white-tailed deer are abundant in the wild, Westhusin said in a statement the creation of Dewey could prove helpful in preserving endangered species such as the Key West deer of Florida...Gays Banned From National Parks Civil Service Group Says All images of gay gatherings at national sites, including the Millennium March on the Washington Mall have been ordered removed from videotapes that have been shown at the Lincoln Memorial since 1995 according to a civil service group. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) says that the directive came from National Parks Service Deputy Director Donald Murphy. Murphy is said to have been concerned about pictures in the video that showed same-sex couples kissing and holding hands after conservative groups complained. Also ordered cut from the tape were scenes of abortion rights demonstrations at the memorial, and anti-Vietnam War demonstrations "because it implies that Lincoln would have supported homosexual and abortion rights as well as feminism."...Editorial: Yellowstone fight goes another round The decision, handed down as vacationers to the park were arriving and the tourism industry that caters to them had swung into full operation for the season, requires the Park Service to reinstate a phased ban on snowmobiles. The judge ruled that the ban, instituted by the Clinton administration, had been improperly rescinded by the Bush administration. You can expect this back-and-forth business to continue for some time to come. The issue is entirely political in nature, and it isn't going to be settled until one side or the other -- people who favor snowmobiles in the park or those who oppose them -- gain overwhelming advantage over the other. That isn't likely to happen anytime soon. There is no clear right or wrong involved here. The issue hangs entirely on personal preference. Snowmobiles are endlessly amusing to those who ride (or sell and rent) them. They're annoying to people in proximity who don't ride them -- especially people seeking a quiet moment in the winter wonderland. The vast majority of Americans, however, live out their lives without once thinking about snowmobiles, one way or the other. Relatively few people can afford to own or rent the expensive toys, and even fewer consider speeding along, exposed, in subzero temperatures an attractive avocation. Meanwhile, many of the people who oppose snowmobiles in Yellowstone have never and will never see one there. It's the idea they don't like...Snowmobile appeal could take 11 months The state of Wyoming has appealed a federal judge's ruling that snowmobiles be gradually phased out of Yellowstone National Park, but state officials don't expect a decision for nearly a year. The ruling by Judge Emmet Sullivan last week has frustrated snowmobilers, guides and businesses surrounding Yellowstone that rely on winter tourism. "It's my understanding to have pursued an appeal and gotten a decision out of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 10-to-11-months period would be about average," Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank said. "If it takes that long to proceed through the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, we're left in a quandary next winter as well."...Column: Pray to Play, Bush's Faith-Based National Parks The view from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, smogged up as it is these days, still retains the power to prompt even the most secular of visitors into transcendentalist reveries as they cast theirs eyes toward Shiva's Temple and Wotan's Throne. Now tourists at the federal park in northern Arizona will be greeted with scriptural passages affixed to park signs to help interpret the religious experience of gazing into God's mighty chasm. This autumn Donald Murphy, deputy director of the National Park Service, ordered three bronze plaques featuring quotes from Psalms 68:4, 66:4 and 104:24 placed on viewing platforms on the south rim of the Canyon. The plaques were made and donated by the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Phoenix, who live in a convent called Cannan in the Desert. The convent was founded in 1963 by Mother Basilea, who visited the Sinai where said said she conversed with the Supreme Diety about the moral decline of the western world... Dispute freezes ban on fishing in Tortugas A year and a half ago, the state and federal governments set aside the largest underwater refuge in America, an emerald expanse 70 miles west of Key West. The historic designation banned fishing in two vast zones totaling 151 square miles just outside Dry Tortugas National Park. But inside the park, sport anglers and spearfishers can still pull grouper, snapper and lobster from reefs and seagrass beds that managers had pledged would be protected. That's because a quarter of the planned Dry Tortugas Ecological Reserve -- another 46 square miles covering almost half the national park -- has quietly remained open to all but commercial fishing boats. What's holding up the closure is an arcane legal question: Who owns the bottom under all that ocean -- Florida or the federal government? The U.S. Interior Department, which manages the National Park Service, contends it does. The state argues federal rights end at the shoreline of seven small islands that make up the dry part of the Tortugas...Nevada judge reviewing grazing dispute between ranchers, feds A judge will offer an opinion early next year on whether state officials should have tried to block the federal seizure of cattle from a Nevada rancher accused of trespassing on U.S. land. At the request of Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval, Washoe District Judge Janet Berry agreed Monday to help clarify state procedures related to nearly a decade of "tension between ranchers and the Bureau of Land Management." The rare judicial confirmation hearing will not result in the cattle being returned, and Berry emphasized she will not address complicated legal questions regarding water rights, some dating to the 19th century. The judge also said she won't rule on ranchers' constitutional claims that land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada and across the West is not truly "public land" and therefore not subject to BLM's environmental regulations. Rather, the judge said she will decide whether the state Agriculture Department had the authority - as the ranchers claim - to block the confiscation by refusing to formally certify the BLM's legal possession of the cattle after it seized 62 animals from Goldfield rancher Ben Colvin in 2001...Gas treasure or green haven for wildlife? With the Roan Plateau, it's all about perspective. To energy companies and the Bush administration, it is a key plank in the drive for U.S. energy independence because it sits atop a mother lode of clean-burning natural gas. to others, the plateau is a haven for wildlife and the cornerstone of the region's $3.8-million-a-year hunting industry. They fear the plateau is being sacrificed in a mad dash to develop rather than conserve energy...Rocky Mountain drilling Oil and gas companies eager to drill in the Rocky Mountain West appear to have an ally in the Bush administration, which is approving wells at a pace well ahead of the Clinton administration and looking to get even faster. An Associated Press review of thousands of applications to drill on Bureau of Land Management land since 1998 shows a 34 percent increase in the number of wells approved under Bush when compared with the last three years of the Clinton administration. The vast majority of the permits, 94 percent since 2001, are clustered in five states: Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming - a key region in the administration's push to open more public land for energy development...Gas-drilling plans forced to pause The alliance between ranchers and environmentalists seeking stricter regulation of coal-bed methane drilling in the Powder River Basin has won a pair of decisions that put a hiccup into Bush administration plans to speed energy development in the West. Montana Bureau of Land Management director Marty Ott earlier this month halted progress on an 85-well Fidelity Exploration and Production Co. project near the Wyoming border. He demanded more information from the local BLM about how water pumped up during drilling will affect irrigation and ranching. In Wyoming, BLM officials have said they will take a similar action on a 20-well project near Gillette, said Jill Morrison of the Sheridan-based environmental group Powder River Basin Resource Council. The group challenged the Marathon Oil Co. project along with Gillette rancher Eric Barlow. A formal announcement is expected as early as Tuesday...Losing Ground It would be easy to assume this land, where trails routinely cross 85-degree slopes, is fit only for hikers and rock climbers. In fact, the Cleveland National Forest is a major battleground in the U.S. war on drugs - a battleground increasingly ceded to foreign drug cartels. Paradoxically, government attempts to enhance national security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have fueled this trend. Tightened border security has made it harder for traffickers to move drugs from Mexico across the southwest border, spurring producers to move their operations north of the border and closer to their market. And the Defense Department, in an effort to focus more resources on overseas military operations, has decided to reduce its counternarcotics support to civilian law enforcement agencies. The reduction in Defense's assistance comes despite the fact that it has been critical in limiting domestic drug production in recent years and the suspected connections between the Mexican cartels and Middle Eastern terrorists...Bush administration eyes new fuel standards for large SUVs, pickups The Bush administration is looking at making larger SUVs, such as the Hummer H2, Ford Excursion, and GMC Suburban, and large pickup trucks comply with federal fuel economy standards for the first time. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration also said yesterday it is seeking comments on whether to change the definitions of cars and light trucks. Most sport utility vehicles are now classified as light trucks, although they are used primarily as passenger vehicles...S.D. won't restrict Wyo. cattle yet South Dakota doesn't have any immediate plans to restrict importation of Wyoming cattle despite the discovery of brucellosis in a western Wyoming herd. Colorado and California have announced restrictions on Wyoming cattle. But South Dakota state veterinarian Dr. Sam Holland said officials here would wait to see if testing shows brucellosis in more than the one herd near Pinedale, Wyo., where it was found early this month. "When there's no more than one affected herd and no spread, and the initial herd is eliminated, we would not put any further restrictions on," Holland said in an interview Monday...US beef lobby threatens free trade agreement The powerful United States beef lobby will attempt to block the proposed free trade deal with Australia, unless US cattlemen get greater access to markets, including Japan and Korea. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association says it will use considerable political support in the US Senate to stop any trade agreement with Australia which gives exporters greater access. President Eric Davis, says not all cattlemen have been able to capitalise on record US beef prices this year, and he doesn't want to see the domestic market flooded with imported beef...Horses, other animals rescued by spray paint Spray painting the family pet might be enough to place junior in an extended time-out under normal circumstances. But horse and livestock owners used spray paint to help identify and protect their animals during the recent fires in Southern California. By spray-painting their phone numbers on the flanks of the horses and other large livestock before evacuating their properties the owners provided a measure of insurance that their pets would be reunited with them after the smoke cleared. And many of them were. Even when homes, barns, corrals, fences, tack rooms, feeder stalls and pasture shelters were swept away by the flames some of the animals escaped on their own and were eventually recovered and returned to their owners...Rancher belongs on his land and thieves belong in jail The organization, which was founded in 1877, began as a way to help deal with the problem of cattle thieves that had arisen in Texas. "So many ranchers were moving around Texas and they were losing their cattle, so that is why the TSCRA was formed," Foreman explained. In 1883, the first field inspected position was created, a position that Foreman holds today. Field inspectors are hired to chase down and arrest cattle thieves. "We work on any type of criminal act against livestock. While we still carry guns and chase down the cattle thieves, our job has become a more modernized." In 1883, field inspectors chased down the thieves with horses and paperwork was done with paper and pencil. Today, Foreman stated, horses have been replaced with trucks and paperwork is now done on a computer. "But it's the same job that it has been since the beginning."...Firm Wins Suit Over Bull Castration Device Montana business did not steal a Kansas man's ideas for a bull castration device, a jury decided. The jury unanimously agreed that St. Ignatius' Wadsworth Manufacturing Inc. did not violate patents obtained by Michael Callicrate of St. Francis, Kan. The jury said, in a Wednesday ruling, that it found that some of Callicrate's patents were not valid...Team England wins snow polo world title in Aspen England dominated the four-team tournament Saturday and Sunday at Wagner Park, beating Aspen 10-4 in the finals to take the crown. Snow polo is a modified version of traditional polo, which is played on turf. Aside from the obvious difference of surface substance, the snow polo field is also dramatically smaller -- roughly the size of Wagner Park. Polo is played on a 10-acre field, about the size of three football fields, with four members per team instead of three on snow. "Traditional polo] is faster paced and a prettier game to watch," said Melissa Potamkin-Ganzi, a member of Team Argentina and the only woman in the tournament. Her husband, Marc, grew up in Aspen and played for Glenwood Springs... A good start It could be not only a good start to the new year, but a great start. I know that I was really uplifted by the recent news that ole Sad'um Insane had been captured. Yep, he was pulled out of a rat hole blabbin' in English who he was in hopes no one would shoot him. He had with him a pistol and $750,000 in American money. All of that was in $100 bills. Ole Sad'um looked a little haggard to me when he was pulled out. Actually, he looked more like Merle Haggard than he did Sad'um Insane. See how things are starting to shape up for the new year? Ole Owl Gore has admitted that he is out of the loop, Madonna has told America that money cannot buy happiness (she can't understand why most of us don't think of her as being normal) and ole Sad'um turned out to be just what a good many of us expected him to be, a whining, sniveling coward that just happens to look like Merle Haggard when he's been hiding in a hole and not shaving for 10 months...As times get better, more of past forgotten Her statement triggered memories of sleeping at Grandma Trew's house in wintertime. My brother and I slept in long handles, socks, stocking caps and often had hot bricks or sad irons at our feet while we were crushed under a pile of homemade quilts and had to hit the floor running to reach the roaring wood stove in the living room to dress. Yes, I do appreciate a warm house and carpet. I can also relate to older men whose conscience bothers them when they sleep past sunup and sit at the breakfast table reading the paper. The lifetime habit of rising early and doing farm chores before daylight left roots extending deep into their subconscious...The Year in Country Music Books If this was a banner year in many ways for country music scholarship, it also underscored the fact that the market for serious country publications is centered in the distant past. Not even the recent past. Not that country music's history is not fascinating. But, that seems to be where audience -- and publisher -- interest is centered. With that in mind, here are several country music books from 2003 that are deserving of special attention...
OPINION/COMMENTARY
Science behind the times?
Everyone who reads Science "the journal of the lobbying organization the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)" knows it only accepts one side of the global warming story in its "Compass" and "Perspectives" sections, and in its more opinionated, mainline articles. Anyone who writes otherwise for those sections gets a quick rejection. That's understandable because global warming is scheduled to pay U.S. scientists about $4.2 billion next year, and the AAAS is just doing its job keeping the customers happy.
But sometimes they go a little overboard in their one-sided zeal, particularly when they schedule so-called bombshell articles to coincide with the periodic meetings of the signatories to the United Nations' Climate Change treaty, discussing implementation of the (dead?) Kyoto Protocol. The most recent case of this funereal dance just ended in Milan, Italy...
Skeptical Environmentalist Vindicated!
The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation today severely repudiated a board which, a year ago, had judged "The Skeptical Environmentalist," the best-selling book by Bjorn Lomborg, "objectively dishonest" and "clearly contrary to the standards of good scientific practice."
Lomborg's book -- with 2,930 footnotes, 1,800 bibliographical references, 173 figures and nine tables -- powerfully challenged the conventional wisdom that the world's environment was going to hell. When it was published in English in 2001, the book, published by the distinguished Cambridge University Press, was praised in The Washington Post, The Economist and elsewhere.
That reception provoked panic among radical greens. In early 2002, The Economist reported that "Mr. Lomborg is being called a liar, a fraud and worse. People are refusing to share a platform with him. He turns up in Oxford to talk about this book, and the author ... of a forthcoming study on climate change throws a pie in his face."...
EPA Seeks to Monitor GM Crops from Space
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it is considering a project that would allow it to monitor gene-spliced crops from space. Experiments will begin in Spring 2004 to determine whether satellite surveillance can distinguish conventional from gene-spliced corn.
EPA’s proposal has led many to wonder whether there is something particularly sinister or worrisome about gene-spliced crops—in particular, corn that has been engineered for improved resistance to predatory insects. Is it potentially toxic, or more invasive than conventional corn? Does it have a history of stealing lunch money from children as they pass the fields en route to school?
In fact, the gene-spliced corn is wholesome, as well-behaved as any other variety, and has eliminated the need for millions of pounds of chemical pesticides. So why the attempt to monitor it, at tremendous effort and expense? Evidence suggests this is one of those examples of government intervention creating the need for more government intervention to correct a distortion government caused in the first place...
Science behind the times?
Everyone who reads Science "the journal of the lobbying organization the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)" knows it only accepts one side of the global warming story in its "Compass" and "Perspectives" sections, and in its more opinionated, mainline articles. Anyone who writes otherwise for those sections gets a quick rejection. That's understandable because global warming is scheduled to pay U.S. scientists about $4.2 billion next year, and the AAAS is just doing its job keeping the customers happy.
But sometimes they go a little overboard in their one-sided zeal, particularly when they schedule so-called bombshell articles to coincide with the periodic meetings of the signatories to the United Nations' Climate Change treaty, discussing implementation of the (dead?) Kyoto Protocol. The most recent case of this funereal dance just ended in Milan, Italy...
Skeptical Environmentalist Vindicated!
The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation today severely repudiated a board which, a year ago, had judged "The Skeptical Environmentalist," the best-selling book by Bjorn Lomborg, "objectively dishonest" and "clearly contrary to the standards of good scientific practice."
Lomborg's book -- with 2,930 footnotes, 1,800 bibliographical references, 173 figures and nine tables -- powerfully challenged the conventional wisdom that the world's environment was going to hell. When it was published in English in 2001, the book, published by the distinguished Cambridge University Press, was praised in The Washington Post, The Economist and elsewhere.
That reception provoked panic among radical greens. In early 2002, The Economist reported that "Mr. Lomborg is being called a liar, a fraud and worse. People are refusing to share a platform with him. He turns up in Oxford to talk about this book, and the author ... of a forthcoming study on climate change throws a pie in his face."...
EPA Seeks to Monitor GM Crops from Space
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it is considering a project that would allow it to monitor gene-spliced crops from space. Experiments will begin in Spring 2004 to determine whether satellite surveillance can distinguish conventional from gene-spliced corn.
EPA’s proposal has led many to wonder whether there is something particularly sinister or worrisome about gene-spliced crops—in particular, corn that has been engineered for improved resistance to predatory insects. Is it potentially toxic, or more invasive than conventional corn? Does it have a history of stealing lunch money from children as they pass the fields en route to school?
In fact, the gene-spliced corn is wholesome, as well-behaved as any other variety, and has eliminated the need for millions of pounds of chemical pesticides. So why the attempt to monitor it, at tremendous effort and expense? Evidence suggests this is one of those examples of government intervention creating the need for more government intervention to correct a distortion government caused in the first place...
Sunday, December 21, 2003
NEWS ROUNDUP
Wolves kill calves, are sought in the Big Hole A pack of wolves recently picked the wrong place to settle down for a few days. About two weeks ago, wolves in the newly named Fox Creek Pack moved in on the Dooling Ranch near Jackson and killed four calves outright over three nights. Another calf died later from injuries. Now federal officials have decided the wolf pack will be killed. All they have to do is find the pack...Recreation top income producer in Bighorn forest Tourism dollars generated by the Bighorn National Forest far outweigh earnings from livestock grazing and timber harvesting, according to a University of Wyoming study. However, timbering is the only industry among the three that could produce more income under proposed changes to the forest's management plan, said David "Tex" Taylor, a UW professor of agricultural and applied economics...Editorial: Smart swap Rancher Fred Ruskin doesn't want to open up his high-elevation lands to development. But he says he will unless Congress authorizes a complex and controversial trade in which 35,000 acres of his land would go to the U.S. Forest Service. In return, Ruskin would receive about 27,000 acres of federal holdings on the northern boundary of his ranch and in Williams, Flagstaff, Camp Verde and Clarkdale. We believe the land exchange fosters smart development through water restrictions and enhances the environment by consolidating Forest Service lands. Congress should support it...Wolf advocates voice displeasure with MOU Wolf advocates are claiming the Memorandum of Understanding for the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project includes language that helps the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "pass the buck." Center for Biological Diversity Wildlife Biologist Michael Robinson said the MOU does not require a Mexican Wolf Recovery Specialist, which is the position that is accountable for all wolf control decisions (such as re-releasing, trapping or killing wolves). He noted that the position under the old agreement has been left unfilled since its last occupant, Brian Kelly, resigned six months ago...Environment of controversy: Endangered Species Act set to turn 30 They're slimy, with beady eyes and pinching claws. They're reclusive, hiding beneath submerged algae-covered rocks. They might scuttle no more than a dozen feet from home in their decadelong lives. So who cares about the obscure Shasta crayfish? Jeff Cook does. And so does the law...Scientists warn that extinction can work its way up food chain It's been called Earth's sixth great extinction. But this time, climate change or a titanic asteroid can't be blamed. It's all on the shoulders of mankind -- considered by some of its own scientists as an "exterminator species." The Endangered Species Act is said to be among the most comprehensive wildlife conservation laws in the world, and it has brought some success. But on a planet-wide perspective, the statistics remain chilling...Column: Protecting Wildlife It's time to abandon the misguided idea that we are helping wildlife by surrounding Durango with wildlife preserves and by restricting recreation activities in the front country that one- or two-mile interface between urban and more isolated backcountry. Deer enjoy a treat at the expense of a Durango homeowner's landscaping. By planting and maintaining lush lawns, fruit trees and gardens, we provide an attractive feast for the wildlife living in the surrounding forests and public lands. Too often, however, those animals' search for food ends in death on our streets and highways. While our intentions are noble, the results are devastating for wildlife. For the past two weeks the pages of this paper have chronicled unacceptable increases in automobile-wildlife accidents. We have seen a disgusting example of an unsuspecting buck being lured into a yard, only to become tragically entangled in Christmas lights...Sedonans seek scenic designation Members of a Sedona group are pushing for a federal scenic designation that they believe will help preserve the red-rock region. Keep Sedona Beautiful is asking the Coconino County Board of Supervisors to support its effort to get the national forest lands of the Red Rock-Sedona area named a National Scenic Area by Congress...Anglers fishing --with restrictions -- for threatened coho Encouraged by relatively bountiful returns of Oregon's coastal coho salmon -- protected under the Endangered Species Act -- wildlife authorities are letting anglers have a go at the threatened fish for the first time in a decade...Fort Irwin expansion delayed again An environmental document needed for the expansion of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin won't be ready until 2004 -- years after military officials originally hoped to expand the post. The latest delay in the release of the lengthy draft environmental impact statement follows a series of delays in 2003 that have been pushing back the 110,000-acre expansion of the post north of Barstow. Key challenges in the environmental document are how to deal with two sensitive species -- one, a small reptile; the other, a small flowering plant. The desert tortoise and the Lane Mountain milkvetch are listed as "threatened" and "endangered," respectively, under the Endangered Species Act...Bush's environmental policies touch off national debate Standing before a group of schoolchildren, President Bush repeated an oft-stated promise that his environmental policies would stand on hard scientific research. "We'll base decisions on sound science," he said in 2001. "We'll call upon the best minds of America to help us achieve an objective, which is: cleaner air, cleaner water and a better use of our land." But the role of science in forging environmental policy has grown into a central controversy of Bush's presidency. Critics say that although Bush vowed to "rely on the best of evidence before deciding," many of his policies dismiss the scientific recommendations of federal agencies...New Snowmobile Rules Roil Yellowstone J. C. Sumner, a retired sheriff's deputy from Jacksonville, Fla., was one of the visitors trying to salvage his trip. Mr. Sumner came here for a snowmobiling vacation with eight family members. They planned months ago to rent snowmobiles and drive on their own to watch Old Faithful erupt. But when they arrived in Bozeman, Mont., on Thursday they found out about the judge's order and had to scurry to hire a guide, who offered more expensive snowmobiles, at an additional cost of $60 per person per day, for two days. "I think it stinks," Mr. Sumner said. "It's bad for business, it's bad for tourists, and it borders on being unethical."...New Grand Canyon train urged Grand Canyon Railway has proposed creating a $186 million high-speed light rail line aimed at easing traffic congestion along the South Rim. The railway currently runs daily tours from Williams to Grand Canyon Village in Arizona. Railway leaders said that under the proposal, high-speed rail service could begin in 2005 from Williams to the canyon and reduce the South Rim's vehicle traffic by 50 percent...Editorial: A snowmobile compromise? We favor a compromise. Limit machines to the cleaner new models. Set some reasonable cap on the number allowed each day. Limit riding to groomed roads, and require guides so nobody goes chasing after the animals or tries to shoot across a boiling pool. But don't completely ban the experience. The legal story is not over. Lawyers will dream up as many arguments as they can, and throw them at judges by the handful in the hope that at least one of them will stick. Opponents will fight it out to the bitter end. That's the way it works. A sensible compromise, returning a measure of peace to Yellowstone in winter, would be too easy...BLM proposes new grazing rule Center for Biological Diversity Ecologist and former BLM employee Daniel Patterson said, "It's a rip off in every single way." He predicted that if the rule is set into law, it will be challenged by many groups. What concerns Patterson the most is the detail that allows a permittee to share a title with the BLM for contributing to rangeland improvements, such as a fencing, water troughs, wells and pipelines. "It's a complete ripoff to the taxpayer," he said. "Not only is the taxpayer being fleeced to pay for wells, then a public lands permittee ends up owning it." Patterson said ranchers are heavily subsidized already, which is why he thinks they do not need the ability to share titles. "It's essentially a welfare system," he said. "It's at great cost to the environment and the taxpayer."...State attorney hopeful for water settlement The litigation is between the Gila Valley Irrigation District and the San Carlos Apache Irrigation and Drainage District, he said, but includes hundreds of parties who fall under both titles. The parties stretch from Kearny to Virden, N.M., he said. Both sides of the litigation have come to more agreeable numbers dictating how much water each party would be allocated, he said. The amounts of water are also compliant with the amounts dictated by Sen. John Kyl's (R-Ariz.) guidelines...Column: Public lands grazing, Poison or protection? We would welcome the opportunity to substantiate our contention that Bill Hedden, of the Grand Canyon Trust, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument managers improperly collaborated in a scheme to permanently eliminate public lands grazing in violation of federal laws and regulations. Hedden did not seek to acquire grazing permits for the legal purpose of grazing livestock. According to records of the transaction, Hedden paid ranchers, under pressure and restrictions from the monument, to "unconditionally relinquish" their grazing permits to the BLM. Prearranged BLM commitments guaranteed that monument managers would "permanently eliminate" grazing from the allotments -- regardless of actual allotment conditions...Editorial: Bush should press for elevating status of EPA As a practical matter, every president since Gerald Ford has invited his administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency into his Cabinet. But the denial of permanent Cabinet rank puts the administrator at a symbolic and psychological disadvantage against the Cabinet secretaries and foreign governments with whom he or she must negotiate. It also signals the Cabinet secretaries and foreign governments that the United States isn't fully committed to solving the world's most serious and pressing environmental problems, such as climate change and mercury pollution... Drought Has West in Chokehold After five years of distressingly low rain and snowfall, a drought is hammering the West harder than ever, causing multibillion-dollar economic losses and prompting unprecedented measures in many states to cope with less water. With the start of winter, little optimism exists that the coming months will fix the problems. Weather forecasts are equivocal. Explosive population growth, environmental lawsuits to divert water for wildlife and below-average precipitation have put a strain on the big federal reservoirs that supply the West but were designed decades ago when the outlook was far different...Railroad to increase shipping rates Domestic rates for wheat and corn will increase $100 per train car and soybeans will increase between $200 and $260 per car next month, he said. Corn will rise by another $100 per car in February, according to Melonas. Bob Way, a Mitchell grain merchant, said he hasn't seen a shipping increase that big in a long time. "We see it fluctuate up and down a little bit, but this is a big one."...Voracious cactus moth crosses Florida on way to Southwest, Mexico Native to South America, the gray-brown moth is a minor pest in the Southeast, dining on ornamentals and a few native species. But it could cause economic and environmental havoc in the American Southwest and in Mexico, which is where it is headed. And infestations discovered across the Florida Panhandle show that it is gaining speed...Sugar Farmers Seeking Allies Against CAFTA Finding Little Help Red River Valley sugar beet growers who are seeking allies in their battle against the Central American Free Trade Agreement aren't getting much help from other farmers. Producers of other commodities have largely pledged their support for CAFTA. "We're in favor of greater market access and these agreements offer that," said Wade Moser, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association. "We have to do what is right for our producers."...Editorial: Trade agreement worth fight But protectionism is bad policy in the long run. The agreement will reduce trade barriers for U.S. companies seeking to increase exports and do business in the Central American nations. And lower American trade barriers are good for consumers. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, noted that Texas farmers and ranchers expect to gain immediate benefits when the agreement is finally approved...Mad cow scare cuts into rodeo About 10% of the top bucking bulls on the rodeo circuit were absent from this year's national finals in Las Vegas due to the border closure after the mad cow case surfaced. "It's not just the producers and the packers and that run into this problem - it affects us in the rodeo business," said Calgary Exhibition and Stampede rodeo and ranch manager Robin Burwash. "It's not just the one event. We also take a number of bulls down to (Professional Bull Riders) events. Plus, we were also campaigning our top bull Outlaw - he's 63-1, right now - to try and get him to the finals and then maybe get some votes for Bucking Bull of the Year."...The Less - than - Hushed Life of a Horse Whisperer Sshhh. Keep it quiet, but a horse whisperer does not speak in hushed tones to his equine charges. Inform the New Age enthusiasts that there is no mystical connection between a horse whisperer and a horse. There are, however, a lot of common-sense interactions, perhaps the crash of a bull whip on the dirt, and the always reliable bond formed through a few gentle rubs...Mounted Police to Patrol Houston Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport officials, looking to bolster patrols of their 11,000-acre facility, have decided to hoof it. A volunteer mounted police force called the Airport Rangers will patrol the perimeter of the city's largest airport, the Houston Airport System announced Friday. "Horses can go where vehicles can't go and we can also have the ability of people riding through the woods,'' said airport director Rick Vacar, who came up with the idea...Wyoming to fight Texas group over bucking bronc logo Wyoming's famed bucking horse and rider symbol is being rustled by a Texas group, state officials claim. Wyoming officials expect a court battle with Texas Stampede, an organization that stages concerts and professional rodeos to benefit children at two Dallas hospitals. The organization has been using a bucking horse and rider since its inception in 2001. Its logo is similar to Wyoming's, but the horse faces left instead of right. Both symbols show a cowboy holding his hat overhead aboard a bronc with its back arched and rear hooves lifted...Down syndrome ride reaches Alamo Davy Crockett returned to the Alamo on Sunday, this time to fight public misperceptions rather than Santa Anna's army. Crockett descendant Phil Thomas -- dressed in buckskins and a coonskin hat -- dismounted his horse in front of the Shrine of Texas Liberty so he could wrap his arms around grandson Van Warden, a 14-year-old Austin boy who was born with Down syndrome. Thomas re-enacted Crockett's 1,100-mile trek from Tennessee to Texas in order to raise money and public respect for people with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects 350,000 Americans...Records reveal Miles City survived Depression on 'madam money' Allison has found only one register of prostitutes, covering 1915-1917, but it is full of revealing information. The register first served as a listing of impounded horses, cows and mules, and the fees their owners had to pay to get them back. Then, a little way into the volume, it switches to a monthly register of bordello owners and the women working for them. Many of the infamous madams are there - Jennie Bowman, Frankie Dwyer, Ruby Smith, Frankie Blair, Anna Wade and Belle Wade. If a new girl arrived in town, it was duly noted in the margin where she came from. If she left a particular bordello, it was noted where she had gone. One month, for instance, the register shows prostitutes arriving from Billings, Terry, Glendive, Helena, Livingston, St. Paul, Minn., Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash., and departing for Roundup, Wibaux, Billings, Jordan, Glasgow, Butte, St. Paul, Portland and Kansas City. Some of the girls left one bordello to work at another Miles City establishment, and some left to be married. The register also notes which of the people listed at each bordello were not prostitutes but were working as housekeepers or cooks. That was an important distinction, because only the madams and their working girls had to pay a monthly "nonprocess fee."... "Sleigh Bells" Ring for Applegate Mule Team For Jacksonville's "Old-Fashioned Victorian Christmas" weekends, Henderson dressed up her wagon and mules, Gypsy and Duster, giving free wagon rides to children of all ages. Her mule-drawn wagon has over the years become the highlight of Jacksonville's downtown holiday offerings. Real sleigh bells jingled as Henderson drove Gypsy and Duster across California Street and a woman in the back of the wagon led the others in the first round of a Christmas song. That would be "Jingle Bells" of course...Chasing Horses I can't have ridden far through the Christmas hills--maybe three or four miles--when I came over a rise and spotted one of the horses skittering in front of a worn farmhouse. Standing in the yard was a woman, a rope in one hand and her other hand held up empty toward the horse. She was hatless and tiny, hardly bigger than I was, with a man's heavy riding coat hanging down below her knees, and she seemed very old to me. Yellow light streamed out on the cold ground from the one lit window of the house...
Wolves kill calves, are sought in the Big Hole A pack of wolves recently picked the wrong place to settle down for a few days. About two weeks ago, wolves in the newly named Fox Creek Pack moved in on the Dooling Ranch near Jackson and killed four calves outright over three nights. Another calf died later from injuries. Now federal officials have decided the wolf pack will be killed. All they have to do is find the pack...Recreation top income producer in Bighorn forest Tourism dollars generated by the Bighorn National Forest far outweigh earnings from livestock grazing and timber harvesting, according to a University of Wyoming study. However, timbering is the only industry among the three that could produce more income under proposed changes to the forest's management plan, said David "Tex" Taylor, a UW professor of agricultural and applied economics...Editorial: Smart swap Rancher Fred Ruskin doesn't want to open up his high-elevation lands to development. But he says he will unless Congress authorizes a complex and controversial trade in which 35,000 acres of his land would go to the U.S. Forest Service. In return, Ruskin would receive about 27,000 acres of federal holdings on the northern boundary of his ranch and in Williams, Flagstaff, Camp Verde and Clarkdale. We believe the land exchange fosters smart development through water restrictions and enhances the environment by consolidating Forest Service lands. Congress should support it...Wolf advocates voice displeasure with MOU Wolf advocates are claiming the Memorandum of Understanding for the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project includes language that helps the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "pass the buck." Center for Biological Diversity Wildlife Biologist Michael Robinson said the MOU does not require a Mexican Wolf Recovery Specialist, which is the position that is accountable for all wolf control decisions (such as re-releasing, trapping or killing wolves). He noted that the position under the old agreement has been left unfilled since its last occupant, Brian Kelly, resigned six months ago...Environment of controversy: Endangered Species Act set to turn 30 They're slimy, with beady eyes and pinching claws. They're reclusive, hiding beneath submerged algae-covered rocks. They might scuttle no more than a dozen feet from home in their decadelong lives. So who cares about the obscure Shasta crayfish? Jeff Cook does. And so does the law...Scientists warn that extinction can work its way up food chain It's been called Earth's sixth great extinction. But this time, climate change or a titanic asteroid can't be blamed. It's all on the shoulders of mankind -- considered by some of its own scientists as an "exterminator species." The Endangered Species Act is said to be among the most comprehensive wildlife conservation laws in the world, and it has brought some success. But on a planet-wide perspective, the statistics remain chilling...Column: Protecting Wildlife It's time to abandon the misguided idea that we are helping wildlife by surrounding Durango with wildlife preserves and by restricting recreation activities in the front country that one- or two-mile interface between urban and more isolated backcountry. Deer enjoy a treat at the expense of a Durango homeowner's landscaping. By planting and maintaining lush lawns, fruit trees and gardens, we provide an attractive feast for the wildlife living in the surrounding forests and public lands. Too often, however, those animals' search for food ends in death on our streets and highways. While our intentions are noble, the results are devastating for wildlife. For the past two weeks the pages of this paper have chronicled unacceptable increases in automobile-wildlife accidents. We have seen a disgusting example of an unsuspecting buck being lured into a yard, only to become tragically entangled in Christmas lights...Sedonans seek scenic designation Members of a Sedona group are pushing for a federal scenic designation that they believe will help preserve the red-rock region. Keep Sedona Beautiful is asking the Coconino County Board of Supervisors to support its effort to get the national forest lands of the Red Rock-Sedona area named a National Scenic Area by Congress...Anglers fishing --with restrictions -- for threatened coho Encouraged by relatively bountiful returns of Oregon's coastal coho salmon -- protected under the Endangered Species Act -- wildlife authorities are letting anglers have a go at the threatened fish for the first time in a decade...Fort Irwin expansion delayed again An environmental document needed for the expansion of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin won't be ready until 2004 -- years after military officials originally hoped to expand the post. The latest delay in the release of the lengthy draft environmental impact statement follows a series of delays in 2003 that have been pushing back the 110,000-acre expansion of the post north of Barstow. Key challenges in the environmental document are how to deal with two sensitive species -- one, a small reptile; the other, a small flowering plant. The desert tortoise and the Lane Mountain milkvetch are listed as "threatened" and "endangered," respectively, under the Endangered Species Act...Bush's environmental policies touch off national debate Standing before a group of schoolchildren, President Bush repeated an oft-stated promise that his environmental policies would stand on hard scientific research. "We'll base decisions on sound science," he said in 2001. "We'll call upon the best minds of America to help us achieve an objective, which is: cleaner air, cleaner water and a better use of our land." But the role of science in forging environmental policy has grown into a central controversy of Bush's presidency. Critics say that although Bush vowed to "rely on the best of evidence before deciding," many of his policies dismiss the scientific recommendations of federal agencies...New Snowmobile Rules Roil Yellowstone J. C. Sumner, a retired sheriff's deputy from Jacksonville, Fla., was one of the visitors trying to salvage his trip. Mr. Sumner came here for a snowmobiling vacation with eight family members. They planned months ago to rent snowmobiles and drive on their own to watch Old Faithful erupt. But when they arrived in Bozeman, Mont., on Thursday they found out about the judge's order and had to scurry to hire a guide, who offered more expensive snowmobiles, at an additional cost of $60 per person per day, for two days. "I think it stinks," Mr. Sumner said. "It's bad for business, it's bad for tourists, and it borders on being unethical."...New Grand Canyon train urged Grand Canyon Railway has proposed creating a $186 million high-speed light rail line aimed at easing traffic congestion along the South Rim. The railway currently runs daily tours from Williams to Grand Canyon Village in Arizona. Railway leaders said that under the proposal, high-speed rail service could begin in 2005 from Williams to the canyon and reduce the South Rim's vehicle traffic by 50 percent...Editorial: A snowmobile compromise? We favor a compromise. Limit machines to the cleaner new models. Set some reasonable cap on the number allowed each day. Limit riding to groomed roads, and require guides so nobody goes chasing after the animals or tries to shoot across a boiling pool. But don't completely ban the experience. The legal story is not over. Lawyers will dream up as many arguments as they can, and throw them at judges by the handful in the hope that at least one of them will stick. Opponents will fight it out to the bitter end. That's the way it works. A sensible compromise, returning a measure of peace to Yellowstone in winter, would be too easy...BLM proposes new grazing rule Center for Biological Diversity Ecologist and former BLM employee Daniel Patterson said, "It's a rip off in every single way." He predicted that if the rule is set into law, it will be challenged by many groups. What concerns Patterson the most is the detail that allows a permittee to share a title with the BLM for contributing to rangeland improvements, such as a fencing, water troughs, wells and pipelines. "It's a complete ripoff to the taxpayer," he said. "Not only is the taxpayer being fleeced to pay for wells, then a public lands permittee ends up owning it." Patterson said ranchers are heavily subsidized already, which is why he thinks they do not need the ability to share titles. "It's essentially a welfare system," he said. "It's at great cost to the environment and the taxpayer."...State attorney hopeful for water settlement The litigation is between the Gila Valley Irrigation District and the San Carlos Apache Irrigation and Drainage District, he said, but includes hundreds of parties who fall under both titles. The parties stretch from Kearny to Virden, N.M., he said. Both sides of the litigation have come to more agreeable numbers dictating how much water each party would be allocated, he said. The amounts of water are also compliant with the amounts dictated by Sen. John Kyl's (R-Ariz.) guidelines...Column: Public lands grazing, Poison or protection? We would welcome the opportunity to substantiate our contention that Bill Hedden, of the Grand Canyon Trust, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument managers improperly collaborated in a scheme to permanently eliminate public lands grazing in violation of federal laws and regulations. Hedden did not seek to acquire grazing permits for the legal purpose of grazing livestock. According to records of the transaction, Hedden paid ranchers, under pressure and restrictions from the monument, to "unconditionally relinquish" their grazing permits to the BLM. Prearranged BLM commitments guaranteed that monument managers would "permanently eliminate" grazing from the allotments -- regardless of actual allotment conditions...Editorial: Bush should press for elevating status of EPA As a practical matter, every president since Gerald Ford has invited his administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency into his Cabinet. But the denial of permanent Cabinet rank puts the administrator at a symbolic and psychological disadvantage against the Cabinet secretaries and foreign governments with whom he or she must negotiate. It also signals the Cabinet secretaries and foreign governments that the United States isn't fully committed to solving the world's most serious and pressing environmental problems, such as climate change and mercury pollution... Drought Has West in Chokehold After five years of distressingly low rain and snowfall, a drought is hammering the West harder than ever, causing multibillion-dollar economic losses and prompting unprecedented measures in many states to cope with less water. With the start of winter, little optimism exists that the coming months will fix the problems. Weather forecasts are equivocal. Explosive population growth, environmental lawsuits to divert water for wildlife and below-average precipitation have put a strain on the big federal reservoirs that supply the West but were designed decades ago when the outlook was far different...Railroad to increase shipping rates Domestic rates for wheat and corn will increase $100 per train car and soybeans will increase between $200 and $260 per car next month, he said. Corn will rise by another $100 per car in February, according to Melonas. Bob Way, a Mitchell grain merchant, said he hasn't seen a shipping increase that big in a long time. "We see it fluctuate up and down a little bit, but this is a big one."...Voracious cactus moth crosses Florida on way to Southwest, Mexico Native to South America, the gray-brown moth is a minor pest in the Southeast, dining on ornamentals and a few native species. But it could cause economic and environmental havoc in the American Southwest and in Mexico, which is where it is headed. And infestations discovered across the Florida Panhandle show that it is gaining speed...Sugar Farmers Seeking Allies Against CAFTA Finding Little Help Red River Valley sugar beet growers who are seeking allies in their battle against the Central American Free Trade Agreement aren't getting much help from other farmers. Producers of other commodities have largely pledged their support for CAFTA. "We're in favor of greater market access and these agreements offer that," said Wade Moser, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association. "We have to do what is right for our producers."...Editorial: Trade agreement worth fight But protectionism is bad policy in the long run. The agreement will reduce trade barriers for U.S. companies seeking to increase exports and do business in the Central American nations. And lower American trade barriers are good for consumers. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, noted that Texas farmers and ranchers expect to gain immediate benefits when the agreement is finally approved...Mad cow scare cuts into rodeo About 10% of the top bucking bulls on the rodeo circuit were absent from this year's national finals in Las Vegas due to the border closure after the mad cow case surfaced. "It's not just the producers and the packers and that run into this problem - it affects us in the rodeo business," said Calgary Exhibition and Stampede rodeo and ranch manager Robin Burwash. "It's not just the one event. We also take a number of bulls down to (Professional Bull Riders) events. Plus, we were also campaigning our top bull Outlaw - he's 63-1, right now - to try and get him to the finals and then maybe get some votes for Bucking Bull of the Year."...The Less - than - Hushed Life of a Horse Whisperer Sshhh. Keep it quiet, but a horse whisperer does not speak in hushed tones to his equine charges. Inform the New Age enthusiasts that there is no mystical connection between a horse whisperer and a horse. There are, however, a lot of common-sense interactions, perhaps the crash of a bull whip on the dirt, and the always reliable bond formed through a few gentle rubs...Mounted Police to Patrol Houston Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport officials, looking to bolster patrols of their 11,000-acre facility, have decided to hoof it. A volunteer mounted police force called the Airport Rangers will patrol the perimeter of the city's largest airport, the Houston Airport System announced Friday. "Horses can go where vehicles can't go and we can also have the ability of people riding through the woods,'' said airport director Rick Vacar, who came up with the idea...Wyoming to fight Texas group over bucking bronc logo Wyoming's famed bucking horse and rider symbol is being rustled by a Texas group, state officials claim. Wyoming officials expect a court battle with Texas Stampede, an organization that stages concerts and professional rodeos to benefit children at two Dallas hospitals. The organization has been using a bucking horse and rider since its inception in 2001. Its logo is similar to Wyoming's, but the horse faces left instead of right. Both symbols show a cowboy holding his hat overhead aboard a bronc with its back arched and rear hooves lifted...Down syndrome ride reaches Alamo Davy Crockett returned to the Alamo on Sunday, this time to fight public misperceptions rather than Santa Anna's army. Crockett descendant Phil Thomas -- dressed in buckskins and a coonskin hat -- dismounted his horse in front of the Shrine of Texas Liberty so he could wrap his arms around grandson Van Warden, a 14-year-old Austin boy who was born with Down syndrome. Thomas re-enacted Crockett's 1,100-mile trek from Tennessee to Texas in order to raise money and public respect for people with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects 350,000 Americans...Records reveal Miles City survived Depression on 'madam money' Allison has found only one register of prostitutes, covering 1915-1917, but it is full of revealing information. The register first served as a listing of impounded horses, cows and mules, and the fees their owners had to pay to get them back. Then, a little way into the volume, it switches to a monthly register of bordello owners and the women working for them. Many of the infamous madams are there - Jennie Bowman, Frankie Dwyer, Ruby Smith, Frankie Blair, Anna Wade and Belle Wade. If a new girl arrived in town, it was duly noted in the margin where she came from. If she left a particular bordello, it was noted where she had gone. One month, for instance, the register shows prostitutes arriving from Billings, Terry, Glendive, Helena, Livingston, St. Paul, Minn., Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash., and departing for Roundup, Wibaux, Billings, Jordan, Glasgow, Butte, St. Paul, Portland and Kansas City. Some of the girls left one bordello to work at another Miles City establishment, and some left to be married. The register also notes which of the people listed at each bordello were not prostitutes but were working as housekeepers or cooks. That was an important distinction, because only the madams and their working girls had to pay a monthly "nonprocess fee."... "Sleigh Bells" Ring for Applegate Mule Team For Jacksonville's "Old-Fashioned Victorian Christmas" weekends, Henderson dressed up her wagon and mules, Gypsy and Duster, giving free wagon rides to children of all ages. Her mule-drawn wagon has over the years become the highlight of Jacksonville's downtown holiday offerings. Real sleigh bells jingled as Henderson drove Gypsy and Duster across California Street and a woman in the back of the wagon led the others in the first round of a Christmas song. That would be "Jingle Bells" of course...Chasing Horses I can't have ridden far through the Christmas hills--maybe three or four miles--when I came over a rise and spotted one of the horses skittering in front of a worn farmhouse. Standing in the yard was a woman, a rope in one hand and her other hand held up empty toward the horse. She was hatless and tiny, hardly bigger than I was, with a man's heavy riding coat hanging down below her knees, and she seemed very old to me. Yellow light streamed out on the cold ground from the one lit window of the house...
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