NEWS ROUNDUP
Indian ranchers battling over grazing rates American Indian ranchers are involved in a long legal battle over reservation grazing rates. The disputes usually have centered on whether the Bureau of Indian Affairs illegally tried to increase rates in the middle of contracts. the BIA sent out a notice of a rate increase to members of the Fort Berthold Land and Livestock Association in 1999. Solly Danks said the BIA proposed raising the $4.30 per animal unit lease rate to $6.92 per animal unit. Attorney Sarah Vogel calls it "torture of the Native American rancher by the BIA.'" "They don't know what their rates will be, don't know if they have a half-million dollars liability for prior years, don't know whether to sell their cows or whether they should breed. It's outrageous mismanagement by the federal government," she said....
Critics say new BLM rules won't save wild horses from slaughter Safeguards adopted by the Bureau of Land Management last week to protect wild horses removed from federal lands in the West are not strict enough to keep the mustangs out of slaughterhouses, critics said Tuesday. "The protections are very weak, surprisingly weak," said Nancy Perry, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States. "They will not stop horses from being sold for slaughter." Advocacy groups want the Senate to approve a measure passed by the House last week to reinstate full protection for the horses under a 1971 law - prohibiting sales outside the BLM's adoption program....
Tiller huckleberries get special status American Indians once spent late summer and fall gathering huckleberries near Tiller. They'd camp until the first frost, drying the berries on a flat, hot rock to provide food for winter. Over the years, fire repression has allowed conifers to begin encroaching in the open old growth forests and around the perimeter of meadows where the berries thrive. Left alone, young trees could eventually shade out native plants. To preserve the "Huckleberry Patch" area, the U.S. Forest Service is in the process of designating as a special interest area a 9,500-acre swath of land that straddles the Tiller Ranger District and Prospect Ranger District, part of the Rogue River National Forest. The designation will allow land managers to conduct projects that benefit huckleberries, such as prescribed burning or thinning to create meadows, which would also benefit wildlife that need open areas, such as deer, elk and songbirds. The agency could also install interpretive signs to inform visitors of the huckleberry tradition in the area....
BLM report calls for restoring marbled murrelet population An effort to revamp the bird's population is the mainstay of a report released today by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Coos Bay office. The draft outlines a multi-million-dollar proposal aimed at restoring natural resources to levels existing before more than 70,000 gallons of oil spewed from the 660-foot cargo ship. With about $4 million in funds reaped from a lawsuit settlement with the New Carissa owners, Green Atlas Shipping S.A., and its insurance company, along with an as-yet undetermined sum of federal money earmarked for oil spill recovery, the plan calls for acquisition of almost 1,300 acres of private timberland from willing sellers. But the acreage figure is likely to end up being three to five times greater, Mangan said, because the plan calls for purchase land surrounding murrelet habitat. He said that's a measure to avoid the creation of island parcels, which are likely to be surrounded by access roads....
Riders hosting lecture on land access, forest trails Horse trail riders plan to hold an informational lecture tonight in Goreville about the controversy over private land access to public trails in the Shawnee National Forest. Scott said many private lots in Southern Illinois border the Shawnee National Forest, and a good portion of them are used by horse riders, who pay top dollar in property taxes to have that proximity. Riders fear the forest service is considering a policy that restricts private-path access to the public trails and would have some horse riders hauling their trailers and trucks miles to the starting point of the trails, even though forest land may sit adjacent to their back yards. Scott said the U.S. Forest Service has been particularly heavy-handed in addressing trail riders' concerns, which he plans to address in his lecture....
Western Coalition Defeats Another Major Endangered Species Listing A Western coalition of agriculture, small business, industry, recreation, local government and property right advocates are applauding Friday's decision by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service not to add the Pygmy Rabbit to the federal Endangered Species list. The pygmy rabbit decision is the second major defeat for environmental activists on endangered species listings this year, following the refusal by federal officials in January to place the Greater Sage-grouse on the endangered list. The Partnership for the West spearheaded campaigns in both cases to convince federal officials that the listings would be harmful to the species because they would chill state and local conservation efforts. "This is first and foremost a victory for the pygmy rabbit," said Diane Hoppe, Chair of the Partnership for the West grassroots alliance and a Colorado State legislator. "Given that less than one percent of all species that get placed on the federal Endangered Species list actually recover to biological health, a listing for pygmy rabbit would probably have spelled doom for this species....
Western governors to meet in Breckenridge Governors from 18 western states and three Pacific territories will descend on Breckenridge June 12-14 for the annual Western Governors Association conference. Colorado is host because Gov. Bill Owens' is chairman of the group. The conference focus is on the Western economy and the role it plays in the U. S. economy, energy and the West's role in international trade, according to the Western Governors Web site. Mexico President Vincente Fox is invited, but the keynote speaker is unconfirmed, according to a preliminary agenda posted on the Web site. The agenda also lists U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, who oversees the National Forest Service, as a speaker....
Water, anger rise as a result of flow test The Bureau of Reclamation has begun a flow test experiment at Flaming Gorge Dam to assess endangered fish species in conditions designed to mimic the natural flow of the Green River downstream from the dam. But the high-water conditions are also creating something else downstream: anger. With flows increased to a maximum 4,600 cubic feet per second out of the dam and as high as 19,500 cfs at Jensen, Uintah County officials say farms along the Green River are being flooded, and crops are being ruined, and that their pleas to reduce the higher flows have gone unheeded....
Column: $30-Million & Counting The Stupidity The US Bureau of Reclamation now estimates that removal of Savage Rapids Dam, located on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon, will cost an astonishing $30-Million. With BoR's foreknowledge that this dam does not kill the very salmon and steelhead its removal is supposedly going to protect, this dam removal project is a testimonial to the corruption of environmentalism. This dam removal project is also a testimonial to the infinite stupidity of the US Government, and to the environmental complicity of the media. Removing Savage Rapids Dam was the brainchild of Bob Hunter, founder and former executive director of WaterWatch of Oregon. Hunter is now just a staff attorney for this environmental law firm that he founded. Hunter personally led the efforts of radical enviros who wanted to remove Savage Rapids Dam. I know Hunter personally, and I have complete contempt for him and his "environmental" organization....
Feds reject Utah appeal The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board on Tuesday rejected Utah's appeal to thwart the stockpiling of spent nuclear fuel rods at an American Indian reservation 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The ruling comes after an appeals hearing in April, when the state argued that radiation could escape from waste casks if an outer protective shield was breached -- even if the interior lead-lined canister holding the fuel rods remained fully intact. The Goshute tribe is trying to build a waste station for spent rods at the tribe's reservation in Skull Valley....
GAO finds room for improvement in FWS science The US Fish and Wildlife Service must do more to integrate new research into ongoing species management decisions, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report. Despite its conclusion, the congressional watchdog office found that the agency generally used the best available information in making such decisions. The GAO cites an instance when the Bureau of Land Management eliminated sheep grazing on tortoise habitat in California, but neither the bureau nor FWS ensured that necessary research was conducted to assess if this action actually benefited the tortoise. “Unless managers link research findings to recovery actions, they cannot develop a scientific basis to make decisions about whether land use restrictions—such as limiting grazing or other activities in tortoise habitat—should remain unchanged, be strengthened, or whether alternative actions are more appropriate,” the report states....
Editorial: High court errs on beef checkoff But the ruling in our view makes it all too easy for government to compel support for a type of advertising, and drown out any dissent. Is it any wonder dairy farmers who object to the "Got Milk?" promotion, also paid with fees, filed a brief in the case? The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled in favor of the ranchers, following a 2001 Supreme Court case that invalidated a very similar promotional plan for mushroom growers. But the beef checkoff is different, the high court said, because the beef promotion program was created by Congress, and its content is entirely under the control of the Department of Agriculture. Therefore, whatever is being said to promote generic beef is government speech, and thus immune to the First Amendment argument. Why, who knew? The ads don't say they're brought to you by the U.S. government. And as Justice David Souter said in his dissent, why would anyone even think to look? "No one hearing a commercial for Pepsi or Levi's thinks Uncle Sam is the man talking behind the curtain," Justice David Souter wrote. As long as the government's role is so obscured, Souter said, the ranchers should not be compelled to pay for spreading a message they don't want to be associated with. We agree....
Japan Gov't Asks Food Commission to Rule on U.S. Beef Trade Japan's agriculture and health ministries have asked the country's Food Safety Commission to rule whether it is safe to import and consume U.S. beef, a decision that could lead to the end of Japan's 17-monthlong ban on the meat. ``We have asked the Food Safety Commission to determine if resuming U.S. beef imports under certain conditions can endanger Japan's food safety,'' Kazuhiro Yoshida, a food safety official at the agriculture ministry, said today in Tokyo. The commission's agreement that U.S. beef poses no health risk to Japanese consumers is one of the steps necessary before Japan will resume imports of beef from the U.S....
Vampire bats plague cattle, cheer scientists Cattleman Francisco Oliva was on a roundup - of vampire bats. After a swarm of the blood-slurping creatures dive-bombed his herd and drank their fill one recent night, he corralled several dozen of them in special contraptions that look like giant badminton nets. He put each bat in a cage and then applied a poison called vampirin to their backs with a brush before releasing them. Back in the bat roost, the animals would be groomed by as many as 20 other bats, causing their deaths. (Or so Oliva hoped.) "We have to look for answers, because this little animal is very stubborn," Oliva said days after the capture, surveying his 300-head herd, most of them bearing bat-fang markings and red stains from the nightly bloodletting. Oliva said he would exterminate every single bat if he could....
Rare white bison born in B.C. A buffalo rancher near Fort St. John in northeastern B.C. is bracing for scores of visitors following the recent birth of a rare white calf. It's only been a few days since the birth was announced, but rancher Karen Blatz says people are already dropping by to take a look. And Blatz says she expects those numbers will grow as word gets out. "This is the first white calf that was born in Canada. I know there was a few in the States but not too many." When a white bison was born in Wisconsin in 1994, half a million people turned out to see it. Aboriginal legend holds that the white bison is a harbinger of peace and unity. And in that spirit, Blatz says she has named the male calf Spirit of Peace. "To them a white buffalo is a symbol of hope, rebirth or unity and also peace. And because he was born north of Peace River, we thought Peace would be a good name."....
Hyde to sign his new book Dayton O. Hyde will kick-off his book signing tour of his new novel from Arcade Publishing, "The Pastures of Beyond, An Old Cowboy Looks Back At The Old West" on Saturday, May 28 from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the Black Hills Books & Treasures in Hot Springs. The Old West lives in Dayton Hyde, an authentic American original whose colorful tales of cowboys, Indians, and the horses they rode have the grace of poetry and the power of myth....
Rodeo fans mourn loss of cowboy Dick Hemsted, 81 The rodeo was Dick Hemsted's life. He was, simply put, a cowboy's cowboy. And he came from good stock. The 81-year-old Hemsted died Friday at his Anderson ranch. He was a Redding native and a well-known rodeo stock contractor. Hemsted was a longtime central figure in the annual Redding Rodeo and the Red Bluff Round-Up, among other rodeos. "He was a real legend around these parts," said Jan Mikkelson, Hemsted's niece. A touching tribute was paid to Hemsted during this weekend's Redding Rodeo as a riderless horse was escorted around the arena. More tributes are planned during rodeos throughout the West....
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Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
GAO REPORTS
Natural Resources: Federal Agencies Are Engaged in Various Efforts to Promote the Utilization of Woody Biomass, but Significant Obstacles to Its Use Remain. GAO-05-373, May 13. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-373
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05373high.pdf
Motor Fuels: Understanding the Factors That Influence the Retail Price of Gasoline. GAO-05-525SP, May 2005. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-525SP
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Natural Resources: Federal Agencies Are Engaged in Various Efforts to Promote the Utilization of Woody Biomass, but Significant Obstacles to Its Use Remain. GAO-05-373, May 13. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-373
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05373high.pdf
Motor Fuels: Understanding the Factors That Influence the Retail Price of Gasoline. GAO-05-525SP, May 2005. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-525SP
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NEWS ROUNDUP
New Rule on Endangered Species in the Southwest The southwestern regional director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has instructed members of his staff to limit their use of the latest scientific studies on the genetics of endangered plants and animals when deciding how best to preserve and recover them. At issue is what happens once a fish, animal, plant or bird is included on the federal endangered species list as being in danger of extinction and needing protection. Dale Hall, the director of the southwestern region, in a memorandum dated Jan. 27, said that all decisions about how to return a species to robust viability must use only the genetic science in place at the time it was put on the endangered species list - in some cases the 1970's or earlier - even if there have been scientific advances in understanding the genetic makeup of a species and its subgroups in the ensuing years. His instructions can spare states in his region the expense of extensive recovery efforts. Mr. Hall's ruling fits squarely into the theory advanced by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a property-rights group in California, that endangered species be considered as one genetic unit for purposes of being put on the endangered species list and in subsequent management plans....
Experts tout wolf breeding breakthrough Two artificially inseminated Mexican gray wolves recently birthed a combined eight living pups at a research site founded by late naturalist Marlin Perkins, marking perhaps the first time the non-surgical technique has worked with endangered wolves. Wildlife officials cheered word of the newcomers to the St. Louis-area Wild Canid Survival and Research Center - the world's largest holder and breeder of Mexican gray wolves - as proof of the technology's usefulness in rebuilding the population of the animals. Among other things, the "phenomenal" breakthrough someday may enable noninvasive fertilization of female wolves in the wild, no longer requiring them to be caged or disruptively brought in for insemination, said Kim Scott, the center's assistant director....
Geese damage fields; bill aims to reduce populations Approached from hundreds of feet away, the skein takes heed, rolling its winged percussion as the evening sky turns black with flapping silhouettes over the New River. A cannon sounds in the distance. The time-released propane blasts are all ranchers can use to haze the geese and reduce the massive grazing. But if legislation passed unanimously by the House last month in Salem becomes law, these stewards of the land could have a few more tools next year to control the population. They say sections of the fields can be transformed from lush green to brown muck in a matter of hours. To the Aleutian Canada geese, the grassland is effectively a massive lunch, providing the energy they need to make the journey back to breeding grounds in their namesake Alaskan islands, some 3,000 miles away....
Groups challenge refusal to protect trout Environmental groups are back in court seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the westslope cutthroat trout, a fish the groups say inhabits only a fraction of its historic range in the Northern Rockies. A lawsuit delivered Monday to U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., says the fish is at greater risk than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledges. The lawsuit, expected to be officially filed later this week, asks the court to scrap the agency's finding that protection under the act is not warranted, and order further study....
Predators in Yellowstone Decade of the Wolf Douglas W. Smith and Gary Ferguson Lyons Press, $23.95 Their names are lifeless numbers: 10, 42, 21. But their stories are full of the drama of survival in the wild. Authors Douglas Smith and Gary Ferguson capture that spirit in this book detailing the 10-year effort to reintroduce the fierce canines to Yellowstone National Park after a 70-year absence. Smith, the park's Wolf Project leader, and nature writer Ferguson recount the highs and lows of the controversial program, which began in 1995 with the release of 31 Canadian gray wolves. Along with the historical account is a close look at individual wolves that excelled in bravery, boldness or cunning. It was their adaptability, along with help from conservationists, that made the program a success: Nearly 200 wolves now roam the park and its environs. Smith and Ferguson recount the duties that make a wolf biologist's job extraordinary — looking into the eyes of a wolf just darted with a tranquilizer gun, soaring over the park in a spotter plane, dodging the slings and arrows of the anti-wolf segment of the population, many of whom are hunters and ranchers who long opposed the project....
Grand Canyon tests check sounds of nature Standing about ear high on tripods, microphones attached to sound level meters and computers are trying to capture the sound of quiet at the Grand Canyon. When the chatter of hikers, the rumble of idling cars and the buzz of air traffic are removed, what does nature sound like around the landmark? Grand Canyon National Park officials hope to help answer that question with data now being collected. The information will be used in computer models that will help determine how noisy the park would be without human intrusion and whether current regulations on tour flights adequately limit noise....
Kane-BLM feud still simmers; some flexibility emerges The contentious argument between Kane County and the federal government over ownership of roads that spider web across Bureau of Land Management land took on some new signs of trouble and some of flexibility Monday. Commissioner Mark Habbeshaw said during a County Commission meeting that he and county work crews have voluntarily removed 52 signs erected by the county from the BLM-administered Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. He also said someone has been covering county stickers encouraging ATV use that are posted on road markers with stickers prohibiting ATVs on those roads. The new stickers resemble official BLM stickers. Eight other county signs have been pulled up on the monument....
Column: America's Self-Imposed Energy Shortage Many think America is suffering from an unavoidable energy shortage. In truth, we’re failing to harness the energy we have. Standing between this energy and the public are brigades of environmental lawyers using federal statutes to block projects they dislike. These lawyers, and the laws that make their efforts possible, pose a serious challenge to a secure energy future, a challenge that Washington has yet to address. Examples can be found nationwide: One environmental group recently announced a lawsuit to stop construction of a power plant in southern Illinois that would have used abundant local coal. Other groups are suing to block natural gas production throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Still others lost a case trying to restrict new oil wells in Alaska but have just launched a separate lawsuit to do the same. Such lawsuits have become the norm. Almost every major energy project in the U.S. can expect a court battle before moving forward....
Column: Environmental Progress, Despite the Greens Recent opinion surveys have found sharp changes in attitudes about environmental issues. A recent Harris Poll reported that 56 percent of Americans are now optimistic about our environmental future, and other polls show the public is tuning out environmentalists. Public perception is finally starting to catch up to reality, as the data show that most -- most, though not all -- environmental problems in the United States have been getting better for a long while now. The gloom-and-doom messages of environmental activist groups and the bad-news inclinations of the news media have obscured these trends, but eventually the public has started to notice the massive improvements in air quality and the rebirth of America's forestlands....
Bush: EPA Chief Will Emphasize Science President Bush, in a rare visit to the Environmental Protection Agency, pledged Monday that science would be at the heart of the nation's air, water and land policies. Bush attended a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Stephen Johnson, the first career employee to take over the agency's reins. Johnson, a 24-year EPA veteran, also is the first administrator with a science background. "With this background, Steve will help us continue to place sound scientific analysis at the heart of all major environmental decisions," Bush said at a 15-minute ceremony in which White House chief of staff Andy Card administered the oath of office....
Banks Go for Green It's every corporation's nightmare: a throng of rowdy activists gathers outside company buildings to demonstrate against alleged environmental and human-rights abuses. That was the scene in New York City and Chicago last month as dozens of people in white haz-mat suits converged on the offices of JPMorgan Chase to protest what they claimed was the bank's underwriting of illegal logging in Indonesia and human-rights abuses tied to a Chase-funded mining operation in Peru. Oil companies and industrial giants may be accustomed to such treatment, but not JPMorgan Chase, the second largest bank in the U.S. Two weeks later, the company announced that it would introduce policies to promote sustainable forestry and indigenous people's rights and would block funding that could be used for illegal logging. It also promised to reduce its carbon emissions and those of its clients. Chalk up another victory for environmentally and socially responsible finance. Ten years ago, big private banks were not featured on environmentalists' hit lists. Activists focused on large corporate polluters in the oil and timber industries. Over time, though, green groups have realized that one effective way to halt destructive practices is to take on the institutions that bankroll them....
Judicial pick may be fall guy in political fight In backroom negotiations to defuse the looming showdown over the Senate filibuster rule, a group of centrist Republicans and Democrats has singled out Myers as an expendable nominee whose hopes for a lifetime appointment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals may be crushed for the sake of a deal, along with Michigan nominee Henry Saad. As a longtime Western lobbyist for grazing and energy interests, and a conservative advocate with a self-confessed knack for "bombastic" rhetorical warfare, the former Interior Department solicitor has won the enmity of a formidable roster of environmental, American Indian and civil-rights organizations....
Column: The Courthouse Effect: How to win a global-warming suit In his recent novel State of Fear, Michael Crichton centers his plot on a global-warming lawsuit that has been threatened by a leading environmental group on behalf of a small Pacific island nation allegedly menaced by rising sea levels. In Crichton's fictional universe, the science of global warming is a big joke, and the suit turns out to be a publicity stunt. In real life, though, environmentalists and their allies aren't bluffing. Frustrated by the Bush administration's seeming indifference to climate change, they've plotted their legal strategy carefully and have so far filed three test cases. Federal courts in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco heard arguments in two cases last month that challenge the failure of federal agencies to address global warming. One of the suits takes on the Environmental Protection Agency for not regulating carbon dioxide emissions; the other targets the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation for funding fossil-fuel projects without assessing the environmental impact. A third case, brought by eight states last summer against five major electric utilities, argues that the companies' carbon dioxide emissions are a public nuisance because they trigger global warming and attendant effects like heat waves and beach erosion. Finally, the Arctic Inuit have announced plans to challenge the United States over global warming before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an action that could lay the groundwork for a future trip to court....
Rural Western towns face grim choice: Grow or die Take a turn off the main road here, where the constant Wyoming wind blows, and it's almost like entering a faded postcard of Americana. A lonely town hall, a glistening white library and a one-counter post office where no one waits in line. But Chugwater's main street, with its shuttered businesses and boarded windows, is empty, and the cattle easily outnumber the town's 244 people. Even the River Rocks Steakhouse, once billed as "the most rocking place in Chugwater" is closed. No grocery store. No traffic. No doctor. Some worry whether that all adds up to something else: No future. Here and across the rural West, little towns like Chugwater face big choices: Grow or die....
Jimmy Martin, 1928–2005 Jimmy Martin, the self-styled "King of Bluegrass," died at a hospice near his home in Hermitage, TN on May 14. Martin had been diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2003, but the progress of the disease was slow, and the first of two hospice stays was cut short by an apparent recovery. Significantly, Martin never gave up his plans to perform at this year's Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, IN. Born in rural Sneedville, TN in 1928, Jimmy Martin showed a talent for singing early in life, and as a child he and his brothers and friends used homemade instruments to imitate the sounds of the string bands they heard on the radio. Martin's desire to pursue a music career only grew as the years went by, and in 1949, newly fired from a paint crew in Morristown, TN, he traveled to the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville, talked his way backstage, and launched into an impromptu audition for bandleader Bill Monroe—who hired Martin on the spot as a singer and rhythm guitar player. A coda to that story, possibly apocryphal, has Jimmy driving all the way back to Morristown, finding his old boss, and telling him, "Thanks for firing me, you horse's ass—and if you want to hear about my new job, tune your radio to WSM next Saturday night!"....
Lawmakers unhappy with bootmaker Authorities have heeled a San Antonio man who they say conned more than 30 members of the 2003 Legislature and dozens of staff members and lobbyists into paying thousands of dollars for custom-made cowboy boots that in many cases were never delivered. Harry Henze Jr., 45, was picked up Wednesday by Department of Public Safety troopers at a shoe repair shop he'd opened in the Alamo City. He's being held in lieu of $100,000 bail in the Travis County Correctional Complex on two felony charges of aggravated theft. Indictments list more than 80 alleged instances of theft from January through September 2003....
24th Annual “End of Trail” Shooting Festival In the late 1800s, a gathering of 2,000 cowboys, cowgirls, gamblers, gentleman shootists, saloon girls, and Civil War veterans — each one packing pistols, rifles, and/or double-barrel shotguns — would have been a location for respectable citizens to avoid at all costs. Nowadays, people purchase tickets and use vacation time to witness the spectacle. The 24th annual End of Trail Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting & Wild West Jubilee took place east of Albuquerque, N.M., during the last weekend of April. Though 2005 marked the first time the Single Action Shooting Society’s (SASS) yearly festival was held outside the state of California, the change is a permanent one, with SASS purchasing a more central location of almost 500 picturesque acres in rugged New Mexico. Along with the above-mentioned 2,000 shooters/vendors/sponsors, another 5,000 visitors bought tickets over the spring weekend for the chance absorb sights and sounds (and shopping!) of all things Old West. Rubbing elbows with dusty hombres bearing names like Judge Roy Bean, General U.S. Grant, Johnnie Concho, Latigo Lady, Buckskin Doc, and Wildcat Kate helped to make the overall experience larger than life....
Code of the West teaches youngsters solid values Mention the West, and images of noble cowboys, clearly identified good guys versus baddies, and agreements sealed with a handshake instead of a formal contract all come to mind. What is often called the Code of the West – those same core values – is being used by Cowboys and Kids in a character-building program designed with elementary students in mind. “We use cowboys and rodeoing as an attention-getter to teach children honesty, respect for others, responsibility and having a good attitude. In the process, we also teach them something about what cowboys really do,” said Janet Lemmons, West Coast representative for the nonprofit organization. The organization’s stated mission: “To reach youth with a message of character-branding truths for today and tomorrow.”....
"Good Medicine" “Laffin’” is always better when there is more than one of you enjoying that good medicine. “Good Medicine” is also the title of a book just released by Cowboy Magazine. The foreword is by Baxter Black and I have a small part in the book by having one story and several illustrations for some of the other funny, funny stories. “Good Medicine” is a collection of really cute, funny stories written by cowboys themselves about situations they have found themselves or someone they know in. I think it would make a really great Father’s Day gift for the head wrangler. In all the years that I punched cows, I found myself in situations that were certainly not funny at the time, however, reflecting back on them, I had to “laff.” There was the time a horse tried his best to drown both of us and one of my cowboys rode up and roped the hoss and pulled him out of the water before he tossed me a line....
It's All Trew: Autograph book reveals mother's girlhood On December 25, 1916, my mother Naoma Simmons received an autograph book for Christmas. Measuring only 4x7 inches, it contained blank pages edged in gold for autographs of her family and friends. Naoma was only 8 years old and the first entry was by her father who wrote, "Love many and trust few, but always paddle your own canoe. Respectfully, your Papa." The second entry was by her mother who penned: "Dear Naoma, Keep a watch on your words my dear for words are a wonderful thing. They are sweet like the bee's honey, or like bees they have a terrible sting. Lovingly, your Mama." I can see my mother now as a cute little girl progressing from sister to sister and on to anyone who came, handing her new book and pencil and begging for autographs. At that age, I doubt if she could read well enough to see what each verse said....
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DARLIN'
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New Rule on Endangered Species in the Southwest The southwestern regional director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has instructed members of his staff to limit their use of the latest scientific studies on the genetics of endangered plants and animals when deciding how best to preserve and recover them. At issue is what happens once a fish, animal, plant or bird is included on the federal endangered species list as being in danger of extinction and needing protection. Dale Hall, the director of the southwestern region, in a memorandum dated Jan. 27, said that all decisions about how to return a species to robust viability must use only the genetic science in place at the time it was put on the endangered species list - in some cases the 1970's or earlier - even if there have been scientific advances in understanding the genetic makeup of a species and its subgroups in the ensuing years. His instructions can spare states in his region the expense of extensive recovery efforts. Mr. Hall's ruling fits squarely into the theory advanced by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a property-rights group in California, that endangered species be considered as one genetic unit for purposes of being put on the endangered species list and in subsequent management plans....
Experts tout wolf breeding breakthrough Two artificially inseminated Mexican gray wolves recently birthed a combined eight living pups at a research site founded by late naturalist Marlin Perkins, marking perhaps the first time the non-surgical technique has worked with endangered wolves. Wildlife officials cheered word of the newcomers to the St. Louis-area Wild Canid Survival and Research Center - the world's largest holder and breeder of Mexican gray wolves - as proof of the technology's usefulness in rebuilding the population of the animals. Among other things, the "phenomenal" breakthrough someday may enable noninvasive fertilization of female wolves in the wild, no longer requiring them to be caged or disruptively brought in for insemination, said Kim Scott, the center's assistant director....
Geese damage fields; bill aims to reduce populations Approached from hundreds of feet away, the skein takes heed, rolling its winged percussion as the evening sky turns black with flapping silhouettes over the New River. A cannon sounds in the distance. The time-released propane blasts are all ranchers can use to haze the geese and reduce the massive grazing. But if legislation passed unanimously by the House last month in Salem becomes law, these stewards of the land could have a few more tools next year to control the population. They say sections of the fields can be transformed from lush green to brown muck in a matter of hours. To the Aleutian Canada geese, the grassland is effectively a massive lunch, providing the energy they need to make the journey back to breeding grounds in their namesake Alaskan islands, some 3,000 miles away....
Groups challenge refusal to protect trout Environmental groups are back in court seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the westslope cutthroat trout, a fish the groups say inhabits only a fraction of its historic range in the Northern Rockies. A lawsuit delivered Monday to U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., says the fish is at greater risk than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledges. The lawsuit, expected to be officially filed later this week, asks the court to scrap the agency's finding that protection under the act is not warranted, and order further study....
Predators in Yellowstone Decade of the Wolf Douglas W. Smith and Gary Ferguson Lyons Press, $23.95 Their names are lifeless numbers: 10, 42, 21. But their stories are full of the drama of survival in the wild. Authors Douglas Smith and Gary Ferguson capture that spirit in this book detailing the 10-year effort to reintroduce the fierce canines to Yellowstone National Park after a 70-year absence. Smith, the park's Wolf Project leader, and nature writer Ferguson recount the highs and lows of the controversial program, which began in 1995 with the release of 31 Canadian gray wolves. Along with the historical account is a close look at individual wolves that excelled in bravery, boldness or cunning. It was their adaptability, along with help from conservationists, that made the program a success: Nearly 200 wolves now roam the park and its environs. Smith and Ferguson recount the duties that make a wolf biologist's job extraordinary — looking into the eyes of a wolf just darted with a tranquilizer gun, soaring over the park in a spotter plane, dodging the slings and arrows of the anti-wolf segment of the population, many of whom are hunters and ranchers who long opposed the project....
Grand Canyon tests check sounds of nature Standing about ear high on tripods, microphones attached to sound level meters and computers are trying to capture the sound of quiet at the Grand Canyon. When the chatter of hikers, the rumble of idling cars and the buzz of air traffic are removed, what does nature sound like around the landmark? Grand Canyon National Park officials hope to help answer that question with data now being collected. The information will be used in computer models that will help determine how noisy the park would be without human intrusion and whether current regulations on tour flights adequately limit noise....
Kane-BLM feud still simmers; some flexibility emerges The contentious argument between Kane County and the federal government over ownership of roads that spider web across Bureau of Land Management land took on some new signs of trouble and some of flexibility Monday. Commissioner Mark Habbeshaw said during a County Commission meeting that he and county work crews have voluntarily removed 52 signs erected by the county from the BLM-administered Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. He also said someone has been covering county stickers encouraging ATV use that are posted on road markers with stickers prohibiting ATVs on those roads. The new stickers resemble official BLM stickers. Eight other county signs have been pulled up on the monument....
Column: America's Self-Imposed Energy Shortage Many think America is suffering from an unavoidable energy shortage. In truth, we’re failing to harness the energy we have. Standing between this energy and the public are brigades of environmental lawyers using federal statutes to block projects they dislike. These lawyers, and the laws that make their efforts possible, pose a serious challenge to a secure energy future, a challenge that Washington has yet to address. Examples can be found nationwide: One environmental group recently announced a lawsuit to stop construction of a power plant in southern Illinois that would have used abundant local coal. Other groups are suing to block natural gas production throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Still others lost a case trying to restrict new oil wells in Alaska but have just launched a separate lawsuit to do the same. Such lawsuits have become the norm. Almost every major energy project in the U.S. can expect a court battle before moving forward....
Column: Environmental Progress, Despite the Greens Recent opinion surveys have found sharp changes in attitudes about environmental issues. A recent Harris Poll reported that 56 percent of Americans are now optimistic about our environmental future, and other polls show the public is tuning out environmentalists. Public perception is finally starting to catch up to reality, as the data show that most -- most, though not all -- environmental problems in the United States have been getting better for a long while now. The gloom-and-doom messages of environmental activist groups and the bad-news inclinations of the news media have obscured these trends, but eventually the public has started to notice the massive improvements in air quality and the rebirth of America's forestlands....
Bush: EPA Chief Will Emphasize Science President Bush, in a rare visit to the Environmental Protection Agency, pledged Monday that science would be at the heart of the nation's air, water and land policies. Bush attended a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Stephen Johnson, the first career employee to take over the agency's reins. Johnson, a 24-year EPA veteran, also is the first administrator with a science background. "With this background, Steve will help us continue to place sound scientific analysis at the heart of all major environmental decisions," Bush said at a 15-minute ceremony in which White House chief of staff Andy Card administered the oath of office....
Banks Go for Green It's every corporation's nightmare: a throng of rowdy activists gathers outside company buildings to demonstrate against alleged environmental and human-rights abuses. That was the scene in New York City and Chicago last month as dozens of people in white haz-mat suits converged on the offices of JPMorgan Chase to protest what they claimed was the bank's underwriting of illegal logging in Indonesia and human-rights abuses tied to a Chase-funded mining operation in Peru. Oil companies and industrial giants may be accustomed to such treatment, but not JPMorgan Chase, the second largest bank in the U.S. Two weeks later, the company announced that it would introduce policies to promote sustainable forestry and indigenous people's rights and would block funding that could be used for illegal logging. It also promised to reduce its carbon emissions and those of its clients. Chalk up another victory for environmentally and socially responsible finance. Ten years ago, big private banks were not featured on environmentalists' hit lists. Activists focused on large corporate polluters in the oil and timber industries. Over time, though, green groups have realized that one effective way to halt destructive practices is to take on the institutions that bankroll them....
Judicial pick may be fall guy in political fight In backroom negotiations to defuse the looming showdown over the Senate filibuster rule, a group of centrist Republicans and Democrats has singled out Myers as an expendable nominee whose hopes for a lifetime appointment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals may be crushed for the sake of a deal, along with Michigan nominee Henry Saad. As a longtime Western lobbyist for grazing and energy interests, and a conservative advocate with a self-confessed knack for "bombastic" rhetorical warfare, the former Interior Department solicitor has won the enmity of a formidable roster of environmental, American Indian and civil-rights organizations....
Column: The Courthouse Effect: How to win a global-warming suit In his recent novel State of Fear, Michael Crichton centers his plot on a global-warming lawsuit that has been threatened by a leading environmental group on behalf of a small Pacific island nation allegedly menaced by rising sea levels. In Crichton's fictional universe, the science of global warming is a big joke, and the suit turns out to be a publicity stunt. In real life, though, environmentalists and their allies aren't bluffing. Frustrated by the Bush administration's seeming indifference to climate change, they've plotted their legal strategy carefully and have so far filed three test cases. Federal courts in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco heard arguments in two cases last month that challenge the failure of federal agencies to address global warming. One of the suits takes on the Environmental Protection Agency for not regulating carbon dioxide emissions; the other targets the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation for funding fossil-fuel projects without assessing the environmental impact. A third case, brought by eight states last summer against five major electric utilities, argues that the companies' carbon dioxide emissions are a public nuisance because they trigger global warming and attendant effects like heat waves and beach erosion. Finally, the Arctic Inuit have announced plans to challenge the United States over global warming before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an action that could lay the groundwork for a future trip to court....
Rural Western towns face grim choice: Grow or die Take a turn off the main road here, where the constant Wyoming wind blows, and it's almost like entering a faded postcard of Americana. A lonely town hall, a glistening white library and a one-counter post office where no one waits in line. But Chugwater's main street, with its shuttered businesses and boarded windows, is empty, and the cattle easily outnumber the town's 244 people. Even the River Rocks Steakhouse, once billed as "the most rocking place in Chugwater" is closed. No grocery store. No traffic. No doctor. Some worry whether that all adds up to something else: No future. Here and across the rural West, little towns like Chugwater face big choices: Grow or die....
Jimmy Martin, 1928–2005 Jimmy Martin, the self-styled "King of Bluegrass," died at a hospice near his home in Hermitage, TN on May 14. Martin had been diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2003, but the progress of the disease was slow, and the first of two hospice stays was cut short by an apparent recovery. Significantly, Martin never gave up his plans to perform at this year's Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, IN. Born in rural Sneedville, TN in 1928, Jimmy Martin showed a talent for singing early in life, and as a child he and his brothers and friends used homemade instruments to imitate the sounds of the string bands they heard on the radio. Martin's desire to pursue a music career only grew as the years went by, and in 1949, newly fired from a paint crew in Morristown, TN, he traveled to the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville, talked his way backstage, and launched into an impromptu audition for bandleader Bill Monroe—who hired Martin on the spot as a singer and rhythm guitar player. A coda to that story, possibly apocryphal, has Jimmy driving all the way back to Morristown, finding his old boss, and telling him, "Thanks for firing me, you horse's ass—and if you want to hear about my new job, tune your radio to WSM next Saturday night!"....
Lawmakers unhappy with bootmaker Authorities have heeled a San Antonio man who they say conned more than 30 members of the 2003 Legislature and dozens of staff members and lobbyists into paying thousands of dollars for custom-made cowboy boots that in many cases were never delivered. Harry Henze Jr., 45, was picked up Wednesday by Department of Public Safety troopers at a shoe repair shop he'd opened in the Alamo City. He's being held in lieu of $100,000 bail in the Travis County Correctional Complex on two felony charges of aggravated theft. Indictments list more than 80 alleged instances of theft from January through September 2003....
24th Annual “End of Trail” Shooting Festival In the late 1800s, a gathering of 2,000 cowboys, cowgirls, gamblers, gentleman shootists, saloon girls, and Civil War veterans — each one packing pistols, rifles, and/or double-barrel shotguns — would have been a location for respectable citizens to avoid at all costs. Nowadays, people purchase tickets and use vacation time to witness the spectacle. The 24th annual End of Trail Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting & Wild West Jubilee took place east of Albuquerque, N.M., during the last weekend of April. Though 2005 marked the first time the Single Action Shooting Society’s (SASS) yearly festival was held outside the state of California, the change is a permanent one, with SASS purchasing a more central location of almost 500 picturesque acres in rugged New Mexico. Along with the above-mentioned 2,000 shooters/vendors/sponsors, another 5,000 visitors bought tickets over the spring weekend for the chance absorb sights and sounds (and shopping!) of all things Old West. Rubbing elbows with dusty hombres bearing names like Judge Roy Bean, General U.S. Grant, Johnnie Concho, Latigo Lady, Buckskin Doc, and Wildcat Kate helped to make the overall experience larger than life....
Code of the West teaches youngsters solid values Mention the West, and images of noble cowboys, clearly identified good guys versus baddies, and agreements sealed with a handshake instead of a formal contract all come to mind. What is often called the Code of the West – those same core values – is being used by Cowboys and Kids in a character-building program designed with elementary students in mind. “We use cowboys and rodeoing as an attention-getter to teach children honesty, respect for others, responsibility and having a good attitude. In the process, we also teach them something about what cowboys really do,” said Janet Lemmons, West Coast representative for the nonprofit organization. The organization’s stated mission: “To reach youth with a message of character-branding truths for today and tomorrow.”....
"Good Medicine" “Laffin’” is always better when there is more than one of you enjoying that good medicine. “Good Medicine” is also the title of a book just released by Cowboy Magazine. The foreword is by Baxter Black and I have a small part in the book by having one story and several illustrations for some of the other funny, funny stories. “Good Medicine” is a collection of really cute, funny stories written by cowboys themselves about situations they have found themselves or someone they know in. I think it would make a really great Father’s Day gift for the head wrangler. In all the years that I punched cows, I found myself in situations that were certainly not funny at the time, however, reflecting back on them, I had to “laff.” There was the time a horse tried his best to drown both of us and one of my cowboys rode up and roped the hoss and pulled him out of the water before he tossed me a line....
It's All Trew: Autograph book reveals mother's girlhood On December 25, 1916, my mother Naoma Simmons received an autograph book for Christmas. Measuring only 4x7 inches, it contained blank pages edged in gold for autographs of her family and friends. Naoma was only 8 years old and the first entry was by her father who wrote, "Love many and trust few, but always paddle your own canoe. Respectfully, your Papa." The second entry was by her mother who penned: "Dear Naoma, Keep a watch on your words my dear for words are a wonderful thing. They are sweet like the bee's honey, or like bees they have a terrible sting. Lovingly, your Mama." I can see my mother now as a cute little girl progressing from sister to sister and on to anyone who came, handing her new book and pencil and begging for autographs. At that age, I doubt if she could read well enough to see what each verse said....
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DARLIN'
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Monday, May 23, 2005
BEEF CHECKOFF
Beef Ad Fees Are Upheld The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the cattle industry fees that fund the ``Beef: It's What's for Dinner'' advertising campaign, rejecting arguments the program violates constitutionally protected speech rights. The justices today said the mandatory $1-per-head assessments on cattle pay for a valid program of ``government speech,'' directed by the Agriculture Department. The 6-3 ruling set aside an appeals court decision, returning the case to the lower court to consider other arguments against the fees. The decision bolsters the legal case for a similar pork- industry program, which a lower court had declared unconstitutional, as well as promotion fees assessed on milk, eggs, cotton and soybeans. Altogether, producers in 17 industries paid $693.2 million in mandatory fees in 2003. In the $170 billion beef business alone, producers and importers paid $83.6 million in ``checkoff'' fees during fiscal 2003. The money goes toward research and education in addition to promotion....
NCBA says decision in favor of checkoff was expected Jim McAdams, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) says the group is "elated" that the US Supreme Court has ruled the Beef Checkoff Program constitutional, overturning an appeals court ruling that found the federal Beef Promotion and Research Act in violation of the First Amendment. "Throughout the lengthy litigation process, we believed in the merits of our case and the merits of the Beef Checkoff. We anticipated a positive decision. This is a victory for all producers who want demand-building efforts in beef safety, nutrition and promotion continued. "It is time now for industry groups to put aside their differences and move forward together," McAdams said. After the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, Veneman v. Livestock Marketing Association, 113 state and national beef industry and general agriculture organizations signed a friend-of-the-court amicus brief in support of the checkoff....
NFU: Supreme Court Beef Checkoff Decision Surprising and Disappointing National Farmers Union President Dave Frederickson made the following statement regarding today's Supreme Court Ruling: "Monday's U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling by a 6 to 3 vote to uphold the beef checkoff program is both surprising and disappointing. The ruling is surprising because the Court ruled the mandatory beef checkoff program is a U.S. government program and the Constitution’s First Amendment free speech rights of producers funding the program do not apply. This contradicts mandatory checkoff proponents’ arguments that the program is run and controlled by the producers....
OCM: Checkoff Decision Violates Democracy – Funding Meat Packer/NCBA Lobby The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) expressed its disappointment with the Supreme Court’s ruling the beef checkoff is a mandatory tax which does not violate the U.S. Constitution. Justice Antonin Scalia’s opinion rejected the argument the mandatory checkoff is forced speech compelling all producers to support to the meat packer/NCBA message. Rather, he found the program a “compelled subsidy.” “This is a sad day for liberty and democracy,” said Keith Mudd, OCM president. “U.S. cattle producers were told to vote for checkoff implementation because it was a self help program with no government control. When the program was taken over by the meat packer/importer interests, USDA denied producers a vote in a petition drive. Now the Supreme Court says the program is no different than any other tax, or any other government program.”....
AFBF Statement “We are happy the Supreme Court supported the beef checkoff and that the checkoff will continue to play a vital role in promoting beef consumption, as well as defending the beef industry from food safety and nutrition challenges. It was a six-to-three decision handed down by the Supreme Court that affirmed the federal beef checkoff program will remain in effect. We will be analyzing the ruling further, but we see it as a win for farmers and ranchers. “Farm Bureau policy supports commodity checkoff programs, and the beef checkoff court ruling strengthens other commodity checkoff programs endorsed by Farm Bureau members....
LMA Statement “We are deeply disappointed in the Court’s decision. Given the two strong decisions supporting our position, from the federal district court and the court of appeals, we had high hopes the Supreme Court would have decided otherwise. “However, we respect the legal system and the Court’s deliberations in this case, and we reluctantly accept their decision and will move on from here. “LMA started this effort to give America’s producers greater say over how their checkoff dollars would be spent, and by whom. We hope that message will not be lost with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and other beef industry leaders. We hope they try and become more inclusive of differing views, and make sure that producers large and small, and from every sector, have a greater voice in checkoff affairs....
USDA "I am extremely pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the lower courts' decisions and ruled in favor of the Beef Checkoff Program," said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "This is certainly a win for the many producers who recognize the power of pooled resources. As this administration has always contended, USDA regards such programs, when properly administered, as effective tools for market enhancement." As a result of this decision, the Beef Checkoff Program will continue without interruption. USDA is reviewing this decision to determine its implications for other first amendment challenges to checkoff programs....
Go here to read the decision.
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Beef Ad Fees Are Upheld The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the cattle industry fees that fund the ``Beef: It's What's for Dinner'' advertising campaign, rejecting arguments the program violates constitutionally protected speech rights. The justices today said the mandatory $1-per-head assessments on cattle pay for a valid program of ``government speech,'' directed by the Agriculture Department. The 6-3 ruling set aside an appeals court decision, returning the case to the lower court to consider other arguments against the fees. The decision bolsters the legal case for a similar pork- industry program, which a lower court had declared unconstitutional, as well as promotion fees assessed on milk, eggs, cotton and soybeans. Altogether, producers in 17 industries paid $693.2 million in mandatory fees in 2003. In the $170 billion beef business alone, producers and importers paid $83.6 million in ``checkoff'' fees during fiscal 2003. The money goes toward research and education in addition to promotion....
NCBA says decision in favor of checkoff was expected Jim McAdams, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) says the group is "elated" that the US Supreme Court has ruled the Beef Checkoff Program constitutional, overturning an appeals court ruling that found the federal Beef Promotion and Research Act in violation of the First Amendment. "Throughout the lengthy litigation process, we believed in the merits of our case and the merits of the Beef Checkoff. We anticipated a positive decision. This is a victory for all producers who want demand-building efforts in beef safety, nutrition and promotion continued. "It is time now for industry groups to put aside their differences and move forward together," McAdams said. After the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, Veneman v. Livestock Marketing Association, 113 state and national beef industry and general agriculture organizations signed a friend-of-the-court amicus brief in support of the checkoff....
NFU: Supreme Court Beef Checkoff Decision Surprising and Disappointing National Farmers Union President Dave Frederickson made the following statement regarding today's Supreme Court Ruling: "Monday's U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling by a 6 to 3 vote to uphold the beef checkoff program is both surprising and disappointing. The ruling is surprising because the Court ruled the mandatory beef checkoff program is a U.S. government program and the Constitution’s First Amendment free speech rights of producers funding the program do not apply. This contradicts mandatory checkoff proponents’ arguments that the program is run and controlled by the producers....
OCM: Checkoff Decision Violates Democracy – Funding Meat Packer/NCBA Lobby The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) expressed its disappointment with the Supreme Court’s ruling the beef checkoff is a mandatory tax which does not violate the U.S. Constitution. Justice Antonin Scalia’s opinion rejected the argument the mandatory checkoff is forced speech compelling all producers to support to the meat packer/NCBA message. Rather, he found the program a “compelled subsidy.” “This is a sad day for liberty and democracy,” said Keith Mudd, OCM president. “U.S. cattle producers were told to vote for checkoff implementation because it was a self help program with no government control. When the program was taken over by the meat packer/importer interests, USDA denied producers a vote in a petition drive. Now the Supreme Court says the program is no different than any other tax, or any other government program.”....
AFBF Statement “We are happy the Supreme Court supported the beef checkoff and that the checkoff will continue to play a vital role in promoting beef consumption, as well as defending the beef industry from food safety and nutrition challenges. It was a six-to-three decision handed down by the Supreme Court that affirmed the federal beef checkoff program will remain in effect. We will be analyzing the ruling further, but we see it as a win for farmers and ranchers. “Farm Bureau policy supports commodity checkoff programs, and the beef checkoff court ruling strengthens other commodity checkoff programs endorsed by Farm Bureau members....
LMA Statement “We are deeply disappointed in the Court’s decision. Given the two strong decisions supporting our position, from the federal district court and the court of appeals, we had high hopes the Supreme Court would have decided otherwise. “However, we respect the legal system and the Court’s deliberations in this case, and we reluctantly accept their decision and will move on from here. “LMA started this effort to give America’s producers greater say over how their checkoff dollars would be spent, and by whom. We hope that message will not be lost with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and other beef industry leaders. We hope they try and become more inclusive of differing views, and make sure that producers large and small, and from every sector, have a greater voice in checkoff affairs....
USDA "I am extremely pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the lower courts' decisions and ruled in favor of the Beef Checkoff Program," said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "This is certainly a win for the many producers who recognize the power of pooled resources. As this administration has always contended, USDA regards such programs, when properly administered, as effective tools for market enhancement." As a result of this decision, the Beef Checkoff Program will continue without interruption. USDA is reviewing this decision to determine its implications for other first amendment challenges to checkoff programs....
Go here to read the decision.
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NEWS ROUNDUP
Worlds apart on use of wilderness areas Sen. Bob Bennett is in the process of crafting a plan that will shape the future of recreation, growth, transportation and conservation in Washington County, but stumbling blocks may remain over thorny issues like wilderness protection and off-road trail designation. The Washington County bill is envisioned as a comprehensive land-use bill, resolving squabbles over water, roads, wilderness, hunting, grazing and off-roading, while ensuring the necessary resources for the county's exploding population. Wish lists submitted to the senator by those trying to shape the legislation reflect common goals and agreement on many issues. But they also show core disagreements, even after early efforts to reach consensus on the issues. Bennett could unveil his bill as early as next month. Rather than an end, however, the release of his proposal will mark the start of efforts to bring diverging interests together to agree on a plan....
Top court ponders environmental rights of Montana residents A mountain spring that once provided drinking water to the tiny town of Superior is contaminated with mine wastes. So, too, is the fill dirt in the high school running track. Cleaning up the track and the water will cost many millions of dollars. So the town of Superior decided to sue. Superior alleged Asarco Inc., which owns the mine site, violated the townspeople's constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. No one had brought a lawsuit like that before, and judges around the state disagree over whether such a suit is even possible under Montana's Constitution. Around the same time, two other outfits sued companies, complaining of similar violations of their constitutional environmental rights. The public schools in Sunburst sued Texaco Inc., and ranching families near Hobson sued Canyon Resources Corp. Now all three cases are pending before the Montana Supreme Court. All ask essentially the same question: Can Montanans sue private companies or people for violating their right to a "clean and healthful environment," a unique provision twice guaranteed in the state's 1972 constitution?....
Fire In The Hole: Author reconstructs the story of 1972 Idaho mine disaster When fire broke out in northern Idaho's Sunshine Mine in 1972, there was little panic. Miners knew there wasn't much to burn a mile down in a wet mine. But deadly carbon monoxide killed 91 men. It turned out to be one of the nation's worst mining accidents. A new book, ``The Deep Dark,'' provides a gruesome moment-by-moment account of the disaster that began on May 2, 1972, when unexplained smoke began pouring out of the mine near Kellogg, in Idaho's Silver Valley....
Feds turn down request to list pygmy rabbit Federal officials have turned down a request from conservationists to put North America's smallest rabbit under federal protection. Organizations, including the Oregon Natural Desert Association, had petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare the pygmy rabbit a threatened or endangered species in eight western states. The agency said their petition lacked enough biological information to warrant a study, but that they would continue to monitor the rabbit. "We're clearly disappointed," said Bill Marlett, executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association....
Preaching the gospel of green One of Calvin DeWitt's favorite Bible verses is Revelation 11:18: "... The time has come for judging the dead... and for destroying those who destroy the Earth." DeWitt, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin, is a leader in a growing evangelical Christian movement to protect the environment in the name of God. One such expression came yesterday, when President Bush gave the commencement address at Calvin College, a small school in the Reformed tradition in Grand Rapids, Mich. A third of the faculty of the college signed an open letter to Bush, citing "conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration."....
Editorial: After 32 years, what's endangered? Wouldn't you think after 32 years your house might need new tiles on the roof, a fresh coat of paint inside and out, new carpeting or a remodeled bathroom? The nation's Endangered Species Act is that same age, but reactionary environmental groups go ballistic every time a politician suggests their holy grail of protectionism for plants and creatures should be updated as an efficient 21st century policy. Back in 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act after Congress had acted on the threat of the extinction of one of America 's wildlife symbols, the bald eagle. Thirty-two years later, the proud bird is back in large numbers. Don't give the Endangered Species Act all the credit; scientists believe most of it should go to the federal ban on the pesticide DDT. Between then and now, we have learned a lot about our environment — it's precious and must be preserved. But at all costs?....
Editorial: It's a win-win approach to conservation An awful lot of people throughout Montana and beyond have called for protection of Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Small wonder: The area between Montana Highway 200 and U.S. Highway 2, where the Rocky Mountains spill out onto the prairie, is a spectacularly scenic expanse, rich in wildlife. Many people would like to see it stay that way. It's one thing for the public to demand protection of the public lands along the Front. All of us own a piece of that public land, and we're all entitled to have a say in its management. But private holdings contribute greatly to the quality of the area's wildlife habitat and open space. The public shouldn't simply demand that private landowners dedicate their property to the public good. That's the wrong approach. What the agency proposes to do is to acquire development rights to 170,000 acres of private land within a 918,000 area stretching from the South Fork of the Dearborn north to Birch Creek. The land would remain in private ownership, but the agency would acquire on behalf of the public conservation easements. Landowners would continue to enjoy the traditional, productive uses of their lands. They'd continue paying taxes on the land. There would be no limitations on livestock grazing, for example. Landowners would continue their war against weeds - a good example of something private landowners do far better than the public. Landowners would still control access to the lands they own....
Court battle over sheepherders' plight highlights fading vocation Three years have passed since Fernandez's legal fight began, but time hasn't blunted his obsession. To the 64-year-old sheep rancher from Chile, this is an epic battle — one that threatens age-old traditions, the rules of fair play, and perhaps most important, his reputation. Fernandez pays his sheepherders $650 a month plus room and board. It's the legal prevailing wage for a job that requires herders, most of them South Americans working under federal H-2A visas, to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Labor advocates want to change that. Columbia Legal Services is suing Fernandez and The Western Range Association, a California-based labor broker and co-employer, on behalf of two sheepherders who fled Fernandez's ranch in 2000, claiming they were underpaid....
Two-headed calf draws attention News of a two-headed calf born here this spring has sparked the attention of local people. The black Angus calf, delivered by Cesarean section March 16 at the clinic of veterinarian Dwayne Christensen, was euthanized about an hour after it was born, bleating from two sets of lungs. "I thought it was the most humane thing to do," Christensen said. Unable to stand, the calf -- twins conjoined behind the ears -- could not have thrived, he said. "There were multiple other problems," Christensen said....
Tough turn on road to NFL From the time they were old enough to take to a horse for a full day (about 5 years old, their mother estimates), Logan and Morgan Mankins tagged along with their father as he baled hay, repaired fences, rounded up cattle, and performed other assorted jobs on his and other nearby ranches. Catheys Valley is home to fewer than 1,000 people. When Jill Mankins says, ''Meet me at the gas station at 12:30," she assumes you'll know what she means. If not, you'll likely figure it out when you arrive in town and there's the Oasis, which according to its sign offers a market, feed store, propane, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on one side of the highway, and a ''76" gas station on the other....
A man with a message For 90 days and nights, as the 2004 presidential race intensified, David Barton crisscrossed the nation like a 21st-century apostle. He moved from fellowship hall to hotel ballroom, from one swing state to another -- Florida, Ohio, Michigan -- rallying the faithful to the polls. Barton looks like a rancher cleaned up for church -- polyester slacks, long-sleeve snap-up shirt and boots. He scoots around the office in leather moccasins and keeps handy a cowboy hat, which looks oversized on his 145-pound frame. He is a cowboy at heart, never far from the boy who showed steers and lambs in the Aledo chapter of the Future Farmers of America. Barton rode a horse to his office at WallBuilders until a few years ago, when the streets of Aledo grew too unwelcoming for a man and his horse....
Bush returns from Michigan with new saddle Michigan is hardly the Old West, but after President Bush gave a commencement speech here Saturday an aide was spotted carrying a fancy brown leather saddle up the rear stairs of Air Force One. Bush went to Grand Rapids to give a graduation speech and came home with a saddle emblazoned with the presidential seal and decorated with floral patterns and the president's initials, G.W.B. The White House said it was a gift from two artisans but didn't disclose their names. "It has big Texas skirts, a Montana tapadero - the hood over the stirrups - a California stretch seat, a Nebraska horn, made in Boise, Idaho; and the tree, or base, is made in Texas," Rice told the newspaper....
On The Edge Of Common Sense: Attention grads: Science, liberal arts differ We, particularly in agriculture, have the obligation to our customers (people who eat) to understand what we are doing, to make decisions based on factual knowledge and to act responsibly. The urban consumer is beset everyday by a blizzard of half-cocked, brightly wrapped, well-advertised, slick, disingenuous, sometimes well-meaning cow pucky. Many of these consumers do not have the background to separate the veterinarian from the pet psychic, the magic mineral peddler from the nutritionist, or the physician from the celebrity who plays one on TV. These consumers, our customers, are as susceptible to the snake oil "health food" salesman as I would be to the con man selling original Rembrandts for $20....
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Worlds apart on use of wilderness areas Sen. Bob Bennett is in the process of crafting a plan that will shape the future of recreation, growth, transportation and conservation in Washington County, but stumbling blocks may remain over thorny issues like wilderness protection and off-road trail designation. The Washington County bill is envisioned as a comprehensive land-use bill, resolving squabbles over water, roads, wilderness, hunting, grazing and off-roading, while ensuring the necessary resources for the county's exploding population. Wish lists submitted to the senator by those trying to shape the legislation reflect common goals and agreement on many issues. But they also show core disagreements, even after early efforts to reach consensus on the issues. Bennett could unveil his bill as early as next month. Rather than an end, however, the release of his proposal will mark the start of efforts to bring diverging interests together to agree on a plan....
Top court ponders environmental rights of Montana residents A mountain spring that once provided drinking water to the tiny town of Superior is contaminated with mine wastes. So, too, is the fill dirt in the high school running track. Cleaning up the track and the water will cost many millions of dollars. So the town of Superior decided to sue. Superior alleged Asarco Inc., which owns the mine site, violated the townspeople's constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. No one had brought a lawsuit like that before, and judges around the state disagree over whether such a suit is even possible under Montana's Constitution. Around the same time, two other outfits sued companies, complaining of similar violations of their constitutional environmental rights. The public schools in Sunburst sued Texaco Inc., and ranching families near Hobson sued Canyon Resources Corp. Now all three cases are pending before the Montana Supreme Court. All ask essentially the same question: Can Montanans sue private companies or people for violating their right to a "clean and healthful environment," a unique provision twice guaranteed in the state's 1972 constitution?....
Fire In The Hole: Author reconstructs the story of 1972 Idaho mine disaster When fire broke out in northern Idaho's Sunshine Mine in 1972, there was little panic. Miners knew there wasn't much to burn a mile down in a wet mine. But deadly carbon monoxide killed 91 men. It turned out to be one of the nation's worst mining accidents. A new book, ``The Deep Dark,'' provides a gruesome moment-by-moment account of the disaster that began on May 2, 1972, when unexplained smoke began pouring out of the mine near Kellogg, in Idaho's Silver Valley....
Feds turn down request to list pygmy rabbit Federal officials have turned down a request from conservationists to put North America's smallest rabbit under federal protection. Organizations, including the Oregon Natural Desert Association, had petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare the pygmy rabbit a threatened or endangered species in eight western states. The agency said their petition lacked enough biological information to warrant a study, but that they would continue to monitor the rabbit. "We're clearly disappointed," said Bill Marlett, executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association....
Preaching the gospel of green One of Calvin DeWitt's favorite Bible verses is Revelation 11:18: "... The time has come for judging the dead... and for destroying those who destroy the Earth." DeWitt, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin, is a leader in a growing evangelical Christian movement to protect the environment in the name of God. One such expression came yesterday, when President Bush gave the commencement address at Calvin College, a small school in the Reformed tradition in Grand Rapids, Mich. A third of the faculty of the college signed an open letter to Bush, citing "conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration."....
Editorial: After 32 years, what's endangered? Wouldn't you think after 32 years your house might need new tiles on the roof, a fresh coat of paint inside and out, new carpeting or a remodeled bathroom? The nation's Endangered Species Act is that same age, but reactionary environmental groups go ballistic every time a politician suggests their holy grail of protectionism for plants and creatures should be updated as an efficient 21st century policy. Back in 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act after Congress had acted on the threat of the extinction of one of America 's wildlife symbols, the bald eagle. Thirty-two years later, the proud bird is back in large numbers. Don't give the Endangered Species Act all the credit; scientists believe most of it should go to the federal ban on the pesticide DDT. Between then and now, we have learned a lot about our environment — it's precious and must be preserved. But at all costs?....
Editorial: It's a win-win approach to conservation An awful lot of people throughout Montana and beyond have called for protection of Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Small wonder: The area between Montana Highway 200 and U.S. Highway 2, where the Rocky Mountains spill out onto the prairie, is a spectacularly scenic expanse, rich in wildlife. Many people would like to see it stay that way. It's one thing for the public to demand protection of the public lands along the Front. All of us own a piece of that public land, and we're all entitled to have a say in its management. But private holdings contribute greatly to the quality of the area's wildlife habitat and open space. The public shouldn't simply demand that private landowners dedicate their property to the public good. That's the wrong approach. What the agency proposes to do is to acquire development rights to 170,000 acres of private land within a 918,000 area stretching from the South Fork of the Dearborn north to Birch Creek. The land would remain in private ownership, but the agency would acquire on behalf of the public conservation easements. Landowners would continue to enjoy the traditional, productive uses of their lands. They'd continue paying taxes on the land. There would be no limitations on livestock grazing, for example. Landowners would continue their war against weeds - a good example of something private landowners do far better than the public. Landowners would still control access to the lands they own....
Court battle over sheepherders' plight highlights fading vocation Three years have passed since Fernandez's legal fight began, but time hasn't blunted his obsession. To the 64-year-old sheep rancher from Chile, this is an epic battle — one that threatens age-old traditions, the rules of fair play, and perhaps most important, his reputation. Fernandez pays his sheepherders $650 a month plus room and board. It's the legal prevailing wage for a job that requires herders, most of them South Americans working under federal H-2A visas, to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Labor advocates want to change that. Columbia Legal Services is suing Fernandez and The Western Range Association, a California-based labor broker and co-employer, on behalf of two sheepherders who fled Fernandez's ranch in 2000, claiming they were underpaid....
Two-headed calf draws attention News of a two-headed calf born here this spring has sparked the attention of local people. The black Angus calf, delivered by Cesarean section March 16 at the clinic of veterinarian Dwayne Christensen, was euthanized about an hour after it was born, bleating from two sets of lungs. "I thought it was the most humane thing to do," Christensen said. Unable to stand, the calf -- twins conjoined behind the ears -- could not have thrived, he said. "There were multiple other problems," Christensen said....
Tough turn on road to NFL From the time they were old enough to take to a horse for a full day (about 5 years old, their mother estimates), Logan and Morgan Mankins tagged along with their father as he baled hay, repaired fences, rounded up cattle, and performed other assorted jobs on his and other nearby ranches. Catheys Valley is home to fewer than 1,000 people. When Jill Mankins says, ''Meet me at the gas station at 12:30," she assumes you'll know what she means. If not, you'll likely figure it out when you arrive in town and there's the Oasis, which according to its sign offers a market, feed store, propane, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on one side of the highway, and a ''76" gas station on the other....
A man with a message For 90 days and nights, as the 2004 presidential race intensified, David Barton crisscrossed the nation like a 21st-century apostle. He moved from fellowship hall to hotel ballroom, from one swing state to another -- Florida, Ohio, Michigan -- rallying the faithful to the polls. Barton looks like a rancher cleaned up for church -- polyester slacks, long-sleeve snap-up shirt and boots. He scoots around the office in leather moccasins and keeps handy a cowboy hat, which looks oversized on his 145-pound frame. He is a cowboy at heart, never far from the boy who showed steers and lambs in the Aledo chapter of the Future Farmers of America. Barton rode a horse to his office at WallBuilders until a few years ago, when the streets of Aledo grew too unwelcoming for a man and his horse....
Bush returns from Michigan with new saddle Michigan is hardly the Old West, but after President Bush gave a commencement speech here Saturday an aide was spotted carrying a fancy brown leather saddle up the rear stairs of Air Force One. Bush went to Grand Rapids to give a graduation speech and came home with a saddle emblazoned with the presidential seal and decorated with floral patterns and the president's initials, G.W.B. The White House said it was a gift from two artisans but didn't disclose their names. "It has big Texas skirts, a Montana tapadero - the hood over the stirrups - a California stretch seat, a Nebraska horn, made in Boise, Idaho; and the tree, or base, is made in Texas," Rice told the newspaper....
On The Edge Of Common Sense: Attention grads: Science, liberal arts differ We, particularly in agriculture, have the obligation to our customers (people who eat) to understand what we are doing, to make decisions based on factual knowledge and to act responsibly. The urban consumer is beset everyday by a blizzard of half-cocked, brightly wrapped, well-advertised, slick, disingenuous, sometimes well-meaning cow pucky. Many of these consumers do not have the background to separate the veterinarian from the pet psychic, the magic mineral peddler from the nutritionist, or the physician from the celebrity who plays one on TV. These consumers, our customers, are as susceptible to the snake oil "health food" salesman as I would be to the con man selling original Rembrandts for $20....
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Sunday, May 22, 2005
SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE WESTERNER
If he had no hat would he still be a cowboy?
By Larry Gabriel
Maybe we can't judge a book by its cover, but we can tell quite bit about a cowboy by his hat.
Knowing proper manners in the use of a hat is still important in this part of the country.
It might be that "hat etiquette" is becoming lost where people view a hat as just another piece of attire like a necktie or a coat. But, a hat on the head or in the hand of a person who knows how to use it is far more than that.
The hat is as much a part of the cowboy as his hand or his foot. It’s a part of who he is, and how he wears it is an expression of his values and character.
Generally, a cowboy does not wear his hat indoors. There are some exceptions, but the general rule is when you get inside the hat comes off (unless you were "born in a barn" as our mothers used to say).
We can say a lot of things with a hat. If you see a cowboy sitting in a meeting wearing his hat, you know he's ready for a fight. If you grab his hat, you might get more than you bargained for.
Hat etiquette is largely a matter of local custom. For example, in some parts of the world one does not enter a holy place without a hat. Out here we remove our hats in such places.
A cowboy with proper upbringing never fails to remove his hat when: he hears the national anthem, views the flag, enters a room full of people, is being introduced, is waiting for a funeral to pass, enters your home, or is meeting a person worthy of his respect.
A cowboy's removal of his hat is a sign of respect or admiration, whether he is greeting a person worthy of respect or entering a place that deserves respect.
Removing the hat from the head is a custom dating back to the days of chivalry when knights raised their helmet shields as a sign of respect. By the way, "cowboy" has no gender in this story.
A tip of the hat is a sign of respect for strangers but the hat comes off the head for elders, friends and dignitaries or in admiration of almost anything.
I see people walking around in our capitol building wearing their hats. I see people sitting at public meetings doing the same thing. Some view that as bad manners.
Some people think wearing a cowboy hat makes the wearer a cowboy. That's not how it works. Only real cowboys know how to properly wear a cowboy hat.
Some of our Asian friends have been told that standing with "hat in hand" is a form of begging and is something that no proud or independent person would do if he had a choice.
That's not true around here. We are proud of being respectful.
If you are properly wearing a cowboy hat, my hat is off to you.
Larry Gabriel is the South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture, and he damn sure knows how to wear a hat.
The first liar doesn’t stand a chance
By Julie Carter
All cowboys are familiar with the “first liar” precept. It is a solid truth that the first liar doesn’t stand a chance.
While holding a horse for the horseshoer, a cowgirl was conversationally filling in a gap in the ongoing visiting with a story about her bay horse who was a wheat pasture mount by trade.
Her husband had used the horse one day to doctor some yearlings. Somewhere in the pursuit of roping a sick one, the bay decided to buck the husband off. By the time the cowboy got up and dusted his britches off, the bay had run the steer down and was standing next too him waiting.
Then it was Jimmy the horseshoers’ turn. With a look of pity at the cowgirl, Jimmy told his story.
As a kid, he had owned a horse that could, he claimed, sort cattle by brand with no help from a rider. His family had been on a ranch that joined a pasture where bucking bulls were kept with the regular ranch bulls. The owner would regularly put all the bulls up in a corner, sort off the rodeo stock and take the bucking bulls to the rodeo.
Jimmy said when he turned his horse in with those bulls; he would sort them all by himself. That was the end of the lesson. The cowgirl never again told the first story.
Cowboys have a knack for taking any story and making it their own. If this one sounds familiar it likely is but it was told to me with all the sincerity of true story.
Jerry, Wayne and Tommy were all headed to the big roping on a Saturday morning. Since Wayne’s truck was the one that was running that particular week, they all loaded up with him.
Jerry and Wayne are big cowboys by most standards. Both were broad shouldered and stout enough to work hard and not take any guff from anyone. But Tommy, on the same scale was a giant compared to his buddies.
Tommy was also the wisest. When they loaded up in the pickup, Tommy got in the middle just in case there was a gate to be opened on I-40. It’s the old “the real cowboy sits in the middle to avoid opening gates” trick.
So with Wayne driving, Tommy in the middle and Jerry riding shotgun, they headed down the road. They had made room in the floorboard for the cooler and Jerry was drinking a screw-off lid Coors and tossing the cap around to entertain himself.
With the truck seating arrangement causing an uncomfortable coziness, Tommy in the middle would put his arm on the back of the seat behind Wayne to make a little extra room.
Miles passed as they gave each other pointers about roping, women, and life in general.
After a while Jerry began intermittently dropping the beer bottle lid and then bend down to pick it up off the floor of the pickup.
Wayne noticed the big rig truckers were honking and pointing at him as they passed and he finally put it together.
Every time a big rig would come up on them on the interstate, Jerry would duck down after the beer cap, leaving Wayne and Tommy all cuddled up.
All those truckers could see was Wayne behind the wheel with Tommy next to him with his around on the back of the seat behind him.
He calmly told Jerry that if he dropped that cap one more time he would stop the truck and a genuine whuppin’ would commence.
Cowboy stories are as much part of the culture as the horses they ride and spurs they wear. But the lesson to be learned is simple. The first liar doesn’t stand a chance.
Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net
© Julie Carter 2005
I welcome submissions for this feature
===
If he had no hat would he still be a cowboy?
By Larry Gabriel
Maybe we can't judge a book by its cover, but we can tell quite bit about a cowboy by his hat.
Knowing proper manners in the use of a hat is still important in this part of the country.
It might be that "hat etiquette" is becoming lost where people view a hat as just another piece of attire like a necktie or a coat. But, a hat on the head or in the hand of a person who knows how to use it is far more than that.
The hat is as much a part of the cowboy as his hand or his foot. It’s a part of who he is, and how he wears it is an expression of his values and character.
Generally, a cowboy does not wear his hat indoors. There are some exceptions, but the general rule is when you get inside the hat comes off (unless you were "born in a barn" as our mothers used to say).
We can say a lot of things with a hat. If you see a cowboy sitting in a meeting wearing his hat, you know he's ready for a fight. If you grab his hat, you might get more than you bargained for.
Hat etiquette is largely a matter of local custom. For example, in some parts of the world one does not enter a holy place without a hat. Out here we remove our hats in such places.
A cowboy with proper upbringing never fails to remove his hat when: he hears the national anthem, views the flag, enters a room full of people, is being introduced, is waiting for a funeral to pass, enters your home, or is meeting a person worthy of his respect.
A cowboy's removal of his hat is a sign of respect or admiration, whether he is greeting a person worthy of respect or entering a place that deserves respect.
Removing the hat from the head is a custom dating back to the days of chivalry when knights raised their helmet shields as a sign of respect. By the way, "cowboy" has no gender in this story.
A tip of the hat is a sign of respect for strangers but the hat comes off the head for elders, friends and dignitaries or in admiration of almost anything.
I see people walking around in our capitol building wearing their hats. I see people sitting at public meetings doing the same thing. Some view that as bad manners.
Some people think wearing a cowboy hat makes the wearer a cowboy. That's not how it works. Only real cowboys know how to properly wear a cowboy hat.
Some of our Asian friends have been told that standing with "hat in hand" is a form of begging and is something that no proud or independent person would do if he had a choice.
That's not true around here. We are proud of being respectful.
If you are properly wearing a cowboy hat, my hat is off to you.
Larry Gabriel is the South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture, and he damn sure knows how to wear a hat.
The first liar doesn’t stand a chance
By Julie Carter
All cowboys are familiar with the “first liar” precept. It is a solid truth that the first liar doesn’t stand a chance.
While holding a horse for the horseshoer, a cowgirl was conversationally filling in a gap in the ongoing visiting with a story about her bay horse who was a wheat pasture mount by trade.
Her husband had used the horse one day to doctor some yearlings. Somewhere in the pursuit of roping a sick one, the bay decided to buck the husband off. By the time the cowboy got up and dusted his britches off, the bay had run the steer down and was standing next too him waiting.
Then it was Jimmy the horseshoers’ turn. With a look of pity at the cowgirl, Jimmy told his story.
As a kid, he had owned a horse that could, he claimed, sort cattle by brand with no help from a rider. His family had been on a ranch that joined a pasture where bucking bulls were kept with the regular ranch bulls. The owner would regularly put all the bulls up in a corner, sort off the rodeo stock and take the bucking bulls to the rodeo.
Jimmy said when he turned his horse in with those bulls; he would sort them all by himself. That was the end of the lesson. The cowgirl never again told the first story.
Cowboys have a knack for taking any story and making it their own. If this one sounds familiar it likely is but it was told to me with all the sincerity of true story.
Jerry, Wayne and Tommy were all headed to the big roping on a Saturday morning. Since Wayne’s truck was the one that was running that particular week, they all loaded up with him.
Jerry and Wayne are big cowboys by most standards. Both were broad shouldered and stout enough to work hard and not take any guff from anyone. But Tommy, on the same scale was a giant compared to his buddies.
Tommy was also the wisest. When they loaded up in the pickup, Tommy got in the middle just in case there was a gate to be opened on I-40. It’s the old “the real cowboy sits in the middle to avoid opening gates” trick.
So with Wayne driving, Tommy in the middle and Jerry riding shotgun, they headed down the road. They had made room in the floorboard for the cooler and Jerry was drinking a screw-off lid Coors and tossing the cap around to entertain himself.
With the truck seating arrangement causing an uncomfortable coziness, Tommy in the middle would put his arm on the back of the seat behind Wayne to make a little extra room.
Miles passed as they gave each other pointers about roping, women, and life in general.
After a while Jerry began intermittently dropping the beer bottle lid and then bend down to pick it up off the floor of the pickup.
Wayne noticed the big rig truckers were honking and pointing at him as they passed and he finally put it together.
Every time a big rig would come up on them on the interstate, Jerry would duck down after the beer cap, leaving Wayne and Tommy all cuddled up.
All those truckers could see was Wayne behind the wheel with Tommy next to him with his around on the back of the seat behind him.
He calmly told Jerry that if he dropped that cap one more time he would stop the truck and a genuine whuppin’ would commence.
Cowboy stories are as much part of the culture as the horses they ride and spurs they wear. But the lesson to be learned is simple. The first liar doesn’t stand a chance.
Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net
© Julie Carter 2005
I welcome submissions for this feature
===
OPINION/COMMENTARY
Property Rights
When Eastern Europe began to open up in the late 1980s, one of the great shocks was the severity of its environmental problems. Journalists reported on skies full of smoke from lignite and soft coal, children kept inside for much of the winter because of unsafe air, and horses that had to be moved away from the worst areas after a few years or they would die. Many of the environmental ills reflected an abysmally low level of technology. Old, polluting factories of the kinds that are dim memories in the United States were the mainstay of socialist industry. Smelly, sluggish automobiles polluted the roads. Energy waste was tremendous. Their own statistics showed that socialist economies were using more than three times as much steel and nearly three times as much energy per unit of output than market economies. One cannot look about in Warsaw or Moscow, Budapest or Zagreb, Krakow or Sarajevo, wrote economist W. W. Rostow in 1991, without knowing that this part of the world is caught up in a technological time warp. Not everyone realized it at the time, but the state of the environment was directly connected to the absence of property rights in the Soviet system. The authorities had refused to allow most resources to be privately owned. Most market exchanges were criminal acts, and entrepreneurship of most kinds was declared to be criminal behavior. Production was centrally planned, with land and other resources owned by the state, not individuals....
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Property Rights
When Eastern Europe began to open up in the late 1980s, one of the great shocks was the severity of its environmental problems. Journalists reported on skies full of smoke from lignite and soft coal, children kept inside for much of the winter because of unsafe air, and horses that had to be moved away from the worst areas after a few years or they would die. Many of the environmental ills reflected an abysmally low level of technology. Old, polluting factories of the kinds that are dim memories in the United States were the mainstay of socialist industry. Smelly, sluggish automobiles polluted the roads. Energy waste was tremendous. Their own statistics showed that socialist economies were using more than three times as much steel and nearly three times as much energy per unit of output than market economies. One cannot look about in Warsaw or Moscow, Budapest or Zagreb, Krakow or Sarajevo, wrote economist W. W. Rostow in 1991, without knowing that this part of the world is caught up in a technological time warp. Not everyone realized it at the time, but the state of the environment was directly connected to the absence of property rights in the Soviet system. The authorities had refused to allow most resources to be privately owned. Most market exchanges were criminal acts, and entrepreneurship of most kinds was declared to be criminal behavior. Production was centrally planned, with land and other resources owned by the state, not individuals....
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OPINION/COMMENTARY
CCF Tells Senate: PETA Supports Terrorism
The Center for Consumer Freedom testified today before the Senate's Environmental and Public Works committee that highly visible tax-exempt groups including People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) have ties to violent organizations like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). Collectively, ALF and ELF have committed more than one thousand criminal acts amounting to more than $110 million in damage from arson, vandalism, and other violent tactics. The FBI has called them "our highest domestic terrorism investigative priority." Groups like ALF and ELF receive financial support from above-ground, non-profit organizations. Our testimony today detailed how mainstream animal rights organizations support much more insidious underground operations. Here is an except from our testimony:....
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CCF Tells Senate: PETA Supports Terrorism
The Center for Consumer Freedom testified today before the Senate's Environmental and Public Works committee that highly visible tax-exempt groups including People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) have ties to violent organizations like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). Collectively, ALF and ELF have committed more than one thousand criminal acts amounting to more than $110 million in damage from arson, vandalism, and other violent tactics. The FBI has called them "our highest domestic terrorism investigative priority." Groups like ALF and ELF receive financial support from above-ground, non-profit organizations. Our testimony today detailed how mainstream animal rights organizations support much more insidious underground operations. Here is an except from our testimony:....
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OPINION/COMMENTARY
Senate Panel To Explore Links Between Domestic Terrorists And Tax-Exempt Animal Rights Groups
As our nation continues to fight the international war on terror, eco-terrorism is steadily gaining prominence within the United States. Homegrown eco-terrorists and animal-rights extremists, including the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), have claimed credit for more than 1,100 terrorist crimes and $110 million in damage. These have included arson, assault, vandalism and other crimes against scores of American companies. The Department of Homeland Security recently added ALF and ELF to its list of terror groups, while the FBI has been forced to pull precious resources away from the hunt for al-Qaeda to fund the crackdown on these groups’ increasingly violent actions. Also alarming are the relationships these domestic terrorist groups have with tax-exempt organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Humane Society of the United States, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine....
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Senate Panel To Explore Links Between Domestic Terrorists And Tax-Exempt Animal Rights Groups
As our nation continues to fight the international war on terror, eco-terrorism is steadily gaining prominence within the United States. Homegrown eco-terrorists and animal-rights extremists, including the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), have claimed credit for more than 1,100 terrorist crimes and $110 million in damage. These have included arson, assault, vandalism and other crimes against scores of American companies. The Department of Homeland Security recently added ALF and ELF to its list of terror groups, while the FBI has been forced to pull precious resources away from the hunt for al-Qaeda to fund the crackdown on these groups’ increasingly violent actions. Also alarming are the relationships these domestic terrorist groups have with tax-exempt organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Humane Society of the United States, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine....
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Saturday, May 21, 2005
NEWS ROUNDUP
Experts say Forest Service needs better grasslands data A team of independent scientists that has spent two years studying a management plan for North Dakota's national grasslands says the Forest Service needs better information to guide decisions, as the agency prepares to cut grazing levels. The Forest Service and ranchers disagree over how much grazing will be cut under the agency's plan, which governs everything from wildlife habitat to mineral development on the public lands. The Forest Service projected overall grazing cuts of 9 percent and rancher groups countered with predictions as high as 69 percent. The grazing portion was put on hold while the scientific review team studied the plan. The eight scientists unveiled their recommendations Friday....
Column - Good Riddance: Clinton "Roadless Rule" Dead Finally, more than four years after its hideous birth, the Clinton “Roadless Rule” is dead. The Bush administration and the Forest Service just announced a final rule that effectively undoes Clinton’s reckless decree. Dying with the “Roadless Rule” are the following: - threats of catastrophic wildfire - threats of forest infestation and disease - lack of public access to public lands - improper resource management - unhealthy forests - top-down federal overreach. Recall that Bill Clinton, just eight days before he left office, in the dark of night, penned his infamous, unilateral, executive order that locked up over 58 million acres of public land....
Brazilians clone endangered cow Brazil's agricultural research agency says it has successfully cloned a cow belonging to a nearly extinguished breed, in an experiment that could help save other endangered species. Two calves, named Pora and Potira, were born last month in healthy condition after being cloned from a 9-year-old cow of the Junqueira breed, which is known for its prized meat and has fewer than 100 animals left in Brazil, the government agency said. "This is potentially important for programs aimed at the conservation and improvement of (endangered animals)," researcher Rodolfo Rumpf said in a statement....
Birds shot to save fish Chris Anderson is only half-joking when he offers a solution for the hungry cormorants that are eating the fish in Leech Lake — and taking money out of his pocket. "Kill them all," he says. In response, wildlife officials — prodded by resort owners and fishing guides who are convinced the cormorant is to blame — have reached a dramatic decision: Over the summer, they will kill 4,000 or more of the diving birds. Some wildlife biologists and animal-rights groups oppose the plan, saying research about the bird and its eating habits is incomplete. Though an international migratory bird treaty protects cormorants, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled two years ago that states could curb their numbers if they were harming natural resources....
Ford has plan to help save 2,000 wild mustangs The company that makes the Mustang sports car is investing in the wild horse of the same name. With the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary as a backdrop, officials from Ford Motor Co. said the company would provide money to help save 2,000 wild mustangs that face an uncertain future and help establish a fund to take public donations to maintain the horses. The Bureau of Land Management and the Take Pride in America group also are participating in setting up the fund....
Column: Love the Gas, Not the Drill I have a confession to make: I like natural gas. Every morning at five minutes before 6:00, I wake up to the gentle whumph of the gas stove kicking on in the family room. I then get out of bed, tap on my son's door and call, "Time to get up," and plant myself in front of the miraculous dancing flames that never consume the glowing fake logs. But my enjoyment of natural gas brings up a conundrum that many an oil company executive has eagerly pointed out: How can someone who uses natural gas be anything less than a hypocrite for opposing drilling in the West? Don't we have an obligation to produce as much energy as we can here at home? Hypocrisy is a dogged companion in this world, where the simple act of buying shoes brings up a moral dilemma of international dimensions. Anyone who maintains a strict don't-drill-in-my-backyard stance while warming their bottom, or firing up their vehicle, with the dregs of the Carboniferous period -- or, for that matter, while complaining about this country's political dealings in the Middle East-- keeps good company with hypocrisy. But to be opposed to drilling in the West's few remaining pristine landscapes does not make one a hypocrite. Nor does insisting that the industry tread as lightly on the land as possible....
National forest lands cost local counties Every year the federal government is supposed to pay the three counties in the Roaring Fork Valley hundreds of thousands of dollars each to make up for lost property taxes that cannot be collected on federal lands. But each year the feds actually dole out far less than the promised amount because Congress shortchanges the program. In 2004, for example, Eagle County was supposed to receive $1.24 million from the federal government in payment in lieu of taxes or PILT funds, as the program is known. The county received only about two-thirds of that amount, or $842,000. Pitkin County received about $582,000 when it should have received about $895,000....
Column: The Religious Left's Lies The religious left's political operatives have mounted a shrill attack on a significant portion of the Christian community. Four out of five evangelical Christians supported President Bush in 2004 -- a third of all ballots cast for him, according to the Pew Research Center. Factor in Catholics and members of other conservative religious communities and it's clear that the religious right is the largest voting bloc in today's Republican Party. The religious left took note. Political opportunists in its ranks sought a wedge issue to weaken the GOP's coalition of Jews, Catholics and evangelicals and shatter its electoral majority. They passed over obvious headliners and landed on a curious but cunning choice: the environment. Those leading the charge are effective advocates: LBJ alumnus Bill Moyers of PBS fame, members of the National Council of Churches USA and liberal theologians who claim a moral superiority to other people of faith. Their tactics are familiar. I encountered them more than 20 years ago as President Reagan's secretary of the interior, when I clashed with extreme environmental groups adept at taking out of context -- or in some cases creating -- statements that, once twisted, were attributed to me as if they were my religious views....
Owens Wants Database Of Protected Land Gov. Bill Owens asked state officials on Thursday to conduct an inventory of all protected lands in Colorado, including wildlife habitat, agricultural lands and watershed areas, after expressing concern that the state does not have enough information to best protect open spaces. Owens said the information would help Great Outdoors Colorado, which uses lottery proceeds to fund park, recreation, wildlife and open space projects across the state, to make better choices on investing $48 million approved in December for the preservation of large landscapes. He said it also will help land trusts, local governments and state agencies....
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Experts say Forest Service needs better grasslands data A team of independent scientists that has spent two years studying a management plan for North Dakota's national grasslands says the Forest Service needs better information to guide decisions, as the agency prepares to cut grazing levels. The Forest Service and ranchers disagree over how much grazing will be cut under the agency's plan, which governs everything from wildlife habitat to mineral development on the public lands. The Forest Service projected overall grazing cuts of 9 percent and rancher groups countered with predictions as high as 69 percent. The grazing portion was put on hold while the scientific review team studied the plan. The eight scientists unveiled their recommendations Friday....
Column - Good Riddance: Clinton "Roadless Rule" Dead Finally, more than four years after its hideous birth, the Clinton “Roadless Rule” is dead. The Bush administration and the Forest Service just announced a final rule that effectively undoes Clinton’s reckless decree. Dying with the “Roadless Rule” are the following: - threats of catastrophic wildfire - threats of forest infestation and disease - lack of public access to public lands - improper resource management - unhealthy forests - top-down federal overreach. Recall that Bill Clinton, just eight days before he left office, in the dark of night, penned his infamous, unilateral, executive order that locked up over 58 million acres of public land....
Brazilians clone endangered cow Brazil's agricultural research agency says it has successfully cloned a cow belonging to a nearly extinguished breed, in an experiment that could help save other endangered species. Two calves, named Pora and Potira, were born last month in healthy condition after being cloned from a 9-year-old cow of the Junqueira breed, which is known for its prized meat and has fewer than 100 animals left in Brazil, the government agency said. "This is potentially important for programs aimed at the conservation and improvement of (endangered animals)," researcher Rodolfo Rumpf said in a statement....
Birds shot to save fish Chris Anderson is only half-joking when he offers a solution for the hungry cormorants that are eating the fish in Leech Lake — and taking money out of his pocket. "Kill them all," he says. In response, wildlife officials — prodded by resort owners and fishing guides who are convinced the cormorant is to blame — have reached a dramatic decision: Over the summer, they will kill 4,000 or more of the diving birds. Some wildlife biologists and animal-rights groups oppose the plan, saying research about the bird and its eating habits is incomplete. Though an international migratory bird treaty protects cormorants, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled two years ago that states could curb their numbers if they were harming natural resources....
Ford has plan to help save 2,000 wild mustangs The company that makes the Mustang sports car is investing in the wild horse of the same name. With the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary as a backdrop, officials from Ford Motor Co. said the company would provide money to help save 2,000 wild mustangs that face an uncertain future and help establish a fund to take public donations to maintain the horses. The Bureau of Land Management and the Take Pride in America group also are participating in setting up the fund....
Column: Love the Gas, Not the Drill I have a confession to make: I like natural gas. Every morning at five minutes before 6:00, I wake up to the gentle whumph of the gas stove kicking on in the family room. I then get out of bed, tap on my son's door and call, "Time to get up," and plant myself in front of the miraculous dancing flames that never consume the glowing fake logs. But my enjoyment of natural gas brings up a conundrum that many an oil company executive has eagerly pointed out: How can someone who uses natural gas be anything less than a hypocrite for opposing drilling in the West? Don't we have an obligation to produce as much energy as we can here at home? Hypocrisy is a dogged companion in this world, where the simple act of buying shoes brings up a moral dilemma of international dimensions. Anyone who maintains a strict don't-drill-in-my-backyard stance while warming their bottom, or firing up their vehicle, with the dregs of the Carboniferous period -- or, for that matter, while complaining about this country's political dealings in the Middle East-- keeps good company with hypocrisy. But to be opposed to drilling in the West's few remaining pristine landscapes does not make one a hypocrite. Nor does insisting that the industry tread as lightly on the land as possible....
National forest lands cost local counties Every year the federal government is supposed to pay the three counties in the Roaring Fork Valley hundreds of thousands of dollars each to make up for lost property taxes that cannot be collected on federal lands. But each year the feds actually dole out far less than the promised amount because Congress shortchanges the program. In 2004, for example, Eagle County was supposed to receive $1.24 million from the federal government in payment in lieu of taxes or PILT funds, as the program is known. The county received only about two-thirds of that amount, or $842,000. Pitkin County received about $582,000 when it should have received about $895,000....
Column: The Religious Left's Lies The religious left's political operatives have mounted a shrill attack on a significant portion of the Christian community. Four out of five evangelical Christians supported President Bush in 2004 -- a third of all ballots cast for him, according to the Pew Research Center. Factor in Catholics and members of other conservative religious communities and it's clear that the religious right is the largest voting bloc in today's Republican Party. The religious left took note. Political opportunists in its ranks sought a wedge issue to weaken the GOP's coalition of Jews, Catholics and evangelicals and shatter its electoral majority. They passed over obvious headliners and landed on a curious but cunning choice: the environment. Those leading the charge are effective advocates: LBJ alumnus Bill Moyers of PBS fame, members of the National Council of Churches USA and liberal theologians who claim a moral superiority to other people of faith. Their tactics are familiar. I encountered them more than 20 years ago as President Reagan's secretary of the interior, when I clashed with extreme environmental groups adept at taking out of context -- or in some cases creating -- statements that, once twisted, were attributed to me as if they were my religious views....
Owens Wants Database Of Protected Land Gov. Bill Owens asked state officials on Thursday to conduct an inventory of all protected lands in Colorado, including wildlife habitat, agricultural lands and watershed areas, after expressing concern that the state does not have enough information to best protect open spaces. Owens said the information would help Great Outdoors Colorado, which uses lottery proceeds to fund park, recreation, wildlife and open space projects across the state, to make better choices on investing $48 million approved in December for the preservation of large landscapes. He said it also will help land trusts, local governments and state agencies....
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VESICULAR STOMATITIS
News Release
Texas Animal Health Commission
Box l2966 • Austin, Texas 78711 • (800) 550-8242 • FAX (512) 719-071
Bob Hillman, DVM • Executive Director
For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 710, or ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us
For Immediate Release---
And Now There are Three…
Texas Joins States with Vesicular Stomatitis in 2005
Texas, on Friday, May 20, joined New Mexico and Arizona as states with confirmed cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS) this spring. Two Travis County horses were hauled home May 10 from a trail ride in Arizona, where they apparently were exposed to the virus that can cause animals to develop blisters and sores in the mouth, on the tongue, muzzle, teats and hooves. The year’s first VS cases were confirmed April 27 in two horses in southwest New Mexico. Since then, infection has been detected in 17 horses on 11 premises in New Mexico, Arizona, and now, Texas.
“A number of states and countries impose strict testing, permitting and inspection requirements for livestock that originate from VS-affected areas or states. Check with the state or country of destination before hauling livestock from Texas,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, head of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. Phone numbers for other states’ animal health regulatory agencies can be obtained from the TAHC’s Austin headquarters at 1-800-550-8242. Staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Austin office can be reached at 512-916-5565 for international shipping rules or restrictions.
“VS rarely causes death, but an animal can suffer several weeks, while the lesions heal,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, who also serves as Texas’ state veterinarian. “To help prevent the spread of VS, an infected animal and the other livestock on a premises are quarantined until at least 30 days after the sores heal. Prior to releasing movement restrictions, a regulatory veterinarian will examine the affected animal to ensure healing is complete. Other livestock also will be checked. If infection is detected, the quarantine will begin anew.”....
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News Release
Texas Animal Health Commission
Box l2966 • Austin, Texas 78711 • (800) 550-8242 • FAX (512) 719-071
Bob Hillman, DVM • Executive Director
For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 710, or ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us
For Immediate Release---
And Now There are Three…
Texas Joins States with Vesicular Stomatitis in 2005
Texas, on Friday, May 20, joined New Mexico and Arizona as states with confirmed cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS) this spring. Two Travis County horses were hauled home May 10 from a trail ride in Arizona, where they apparently were exposed to the virus that can cause animals to develop blisters and sores in the mouth, on the tongue, muzzle, teats and hooves. The year’s first VS cases were confirmed April 27 in two horses in southwest New Mexico. Since then, infection has been detected in 17 horses on 11 premises in New Mexico, Arizona, and now, Texas.
“A number of states and countries impose strict testing, permitting and inspection requirements for livestock that originate from VS-affected areas or states. Check with the state or country of destination before hauling livestock from Texas,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, head of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. Phone numbers for other states’ animal health regulatory agencies can be obtained from the TAHC’s Austin headquarters at 1-800-550-8242. Staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Austin office can be reached at 512-916-5565 for international shipping rules or restrictions.
“VS rarely causes death, but an animal can suffer several weeks, while the lesions heal,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, who also serves as Texas’ state veterinarian. “To help prevent the spread of VS, an infected animal and the other livestock on a premises are quarantined until at least 30 days after the sores heal. Prior to releasing movement restrictions, a regulatory veterinarian will examine the affected animal to ensure healing is complete. Other livestock also will be checked. If infection is detected, the quarantine will begin anew.”....
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Friday, May 20, 2005
NEWS ROUNDUP
Idaho wilderness bill would give local governments land, money An Idaho congressman introduced legislation Thursday that would set aside more than 300,000 acres of rugged central Idaho as new wilderness while giving the state and surrounding communities millions of dollars and an estimated 3,000 acres of federally owned land as compensation. Republican Rep. Mike Simpson said his $20 million proposal would offset the economic impact of protecting the scenic Boulder and White Cloud mountains from development. Sweetening wilderness designations with land gifts and cash payments to neighboring communities is the future of wilderness legislation, he said. "In the past, it was always where the (boundary) lines would be drawn," Simpson said in a telephone briefing. "In this bill, we've expanded that debate ... We've tried to take care of the needs of the recreationists, the counties, the ranchers." Under the proposal, the state of Idaho, the counties of Custer and Blaine, and the towns of Stanley, Challis and Clayton would receive - free - a total of about 3,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management property. The land could be developed however local governments see fit, although 960 acres going to the state would be earmarked for an off-road-vehicle park near Boise....
BP wants to double wellheads Officials from gas giant BP told La Plata County commissioners Tuesday about a plan to double the number of wellheads on 65 square miles south of U.S. Highway 160 between Durango and Bayfield. Larson said BP wants to double the number of wellheads on slightly bigger pads because the current spacing - one pad per 160 acres - allows the company to extract less than half the coal-bed methane gas available in the section. An additional four wellheads per section would allow extraction of 75 percent of available gas, Larson said. BP proposes to use directional drilling to increase its production, Larson said. Directional drilling involves boring out and down at up to a 35-degree angle from an existing pad, to about 2,500 feet. The second bore would extend about one-quarter of a mile from the pad. The selling point is that there would be no new roads, no new pipelines and in some cases no new electrical lines....
11 States Challenge Break on Mercury for Coal Power Plants A coalition of 11 states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging a new federal rule that allows coal-fired power plants to buy pollution credits to avoid lowering their mercury emissions. In March, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled rules that ordered utilities to reduce mercury emissions by 70 percent by 2018. Power plants that do not exceed a nationwide cap can sell their credits to plants that do. Federal officials have likened the system of trading pollution credits to a similar system that has reduced emissions that cause acid rain. The lawsuit, however, states that the cap-and trade system would create "hot spots" around some plants that purchase the rights to emit more mercury....
Editorial: Senate should craft a saner energy bill When the U.S. Senate solves the filibuster mess and gets back to other tasks, it should craft a saner energy bill than the one that emerged last month from the House. The House measure is an industry giveaway that threatens the West's air, water and wildlife. On Tuesday, the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee began work on its version of the energy bill. Oil companies complain that environmental rules hamper energy development, so it's a sure bet they'll pressure the Senate to follow the House's lead. Democrat Ken Salazar, the only Coloradan on the Senate committee, should rally Westerners to restore balance to the legislation. At more than 1,000 pages, the 2005 energy bill is 200 pages longer than last year's and contains several environmental rollbacks. Most troubling is a vague but sweeping amendment that would end the public's say about oil and gas drilling even on public lands and national forests....
House Rebuffs Push to Soften Offshore Drilling Ban A bipartisan coalition of coastal-state lawmakers beat back an effort in the House on Thursday to weaken the decades-old ban on new oil and gas drilling offshore, but it is bracing for a potentially tougher battle ahead. The vote was 262 to 157 to defeat an effort to exempt new natural gas drilling from the federal moratorium, which covers most coastal waters except for large parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Opposition to easing the restrictions came from coastal-state delegations, including those from California, New York, Massachusetts and Florida. While environmentalists celebrated their victory, they said they were worried about other efforts in Congress to break through the federal moratorium on new offshore drilling. Bipartisan efforts are underway in the Senate, for example, to offer billions of dollars to entice financially hurting states to opt out of the moratorium. The bill's sponsors hope to include the measure in a sweeping overhaul of national energy policy now being drafted in the Senate....
Coalbed development gets support Powder River County rancher Rick Rice thinks it's time people heard from farmers and ranchers who welcome the prospect of coalbed methane development. "We want the people of the world to know that a majority of us who live here and will face the brunt of the impact are for it and want it to happen," he said. Rice, who ranches between Broadus and Ashland, said nearly 400 of Powder River County's 1,800 residents have signed petitions calling on the Northern Plains Resource Council, a regional conservation and agriculture group based in Billings, "to moderate its obstructionist inclinations." Rice said 67 people attended the first meeting he organized in Broadus. Last week, at a meeting that attracted 45 people, they adopted the name Citizens for Resource Development. The petition says the NPRC "has gone to excessive and obstructive lengths" in its "self-assumed watchdog role in the development and utilization of various natural resources in our state." It accuses Northern Plains of aligning itself with "radical environmentalists" whose goal is to wipe out agriculture with the aim of "rewilding" large areas of land....
Judge turns down tribe's bid to block Yucca nuclear dump A federal judge has denied an Indian tribe's plea to block plans for a nuclear waste dump in Nevada based on a claim that the project would violate a 19th century treaty. U.S. District Judge Philip Pro ruled Tuesday that the Western Shoshone National Council could not demonstrate ''immediate and irreparable'' harm because the Yucca Mountain repository has yet to open and a disputed rail line has yet to be built. Lawyer Robert Hager, representing the tribe, said Wednesday that no decision had been made whether to appeal. He noted that the judge's ruling left open the possibility that the tribe could seek an injunction later....
Info sought in wolf killing Federal officials are looking for anyone who may have information about the death of an endangered Mexican gray wolf whose body was found along U.S. 60 east of the eastern Arizona community of Vernon. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is particularly looking for information on any suspicious activity or any vehicles that may have been parked along the highway between about 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on May 9, when the wolf was found dead. Authorities said the wolf had been feeding on a roadkill elk on the shoulder of the road. The cause of the wolf's death is still being confirmed. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the apprehension of those responsible for the wolf's death....
House blocks wild horse law Lawmakers voted Thursday to block a six-month-old law that allows the government to sell wild horses and burros, with opponents of the law protesting that the animals were ending up in processing plants and on the tables of foreign restaurants. The 249-159 House vote would stop the Bureau of Land Management from using any money in a $26.2 billion bill funding next year’s natural resources and arts programs to sell horses that roam public lands in Western states....
Floods threaten access to Jarbidge ... Elko County declares a state of emergency Elko County commissioners declared a countywide state of emergency Wednesday because of widespread flooding that has taken out bridges in Jarbidge and washed out roads elsewhere in northern Nevada. Jarbidge is the most threatened community, with two bridges out of service and residents facing isolation if there is more flooding. Mountain City District Ranger Dan Dallas said that the north bridge at Jarbidge is "impassable. There's a 20-foot hole in the back of the bridge." And he said the south bridge over the Jarbidge River toward Charleston is totally impassable because of the flooding caused by heavy rainfall. "It's in the river," he said....
Rising rivers menace southern Utah sites Robert Newsted is keeping the visitors at his recreational vehicle park on high ground. For the past three days, he has been moving them from the rising flood waters of the Sevier River, which by Wednesday had submerged about 15 RV sites and all 18 tent sites at the Riverside Motel and RV Park just west of Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah's Garfield County. The river also washed out a section of bridge in the area of the town known as Old Hatch. Newsted used the bridge to access his house....
The Fruit of Your Coins Mark Dowie, a prizewinning investigative journalist, was talking about the need to revamp American environmentalism long before the Reapers declared it dead. His Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1996 book Losing Ground cast a critical eye on green activists' failing tactics, and his more recent work -- encapsulated in a film short below -- focuses on myopic environmental philanthropy and the struggles of local and regional groups to get a slice of the funding pie. The 25 largest environmental organizations in the U.S. get a whopping 70 percent of the $3.5 billion doled out to green groups each year, Dowie points out in the short film "Empowering the Grassroots," created by Randy Olson of Shifting Baselines. That leaves the 15,000 or so smaller environmental nonprofits in the country scrounging around for leftovers. Dowie takes big green funders and foundations to task for unduly favoring gigantic conservation groups, and challenges them to more effectively seed the grassroots and reinvigorate a moribund movement. To watch the seven-minute film short, pick your format and bandwidth....
Calf Born in New Mexico With 5 Legs One of Orlando Romero's calves has a leg up on the other 25 calves born within the last two weeks on his ranch east of Tucumcari. The calf was born with an extra leg, with two hooves, growing from its back. Ranchers in the area aren't quite sure what to make of the little Limousin heifer. That is, if they can catch her. "She moves like a damn deer. I had a heck of a time trying to catch her," said Jess Weaks, the ranch caretaker. "She's pretty ornery, that's for sure." The week-old calf's extra leg does not touch the ground. It is attached to the calf's back between the shoulder blades, and hangs to its right side....
From homesteaders to here and now He knows what it’s like to live on the same ranch for 85 years and he knows how to keep that same 740-acre ranch (located at an elevation of 7,640 feet) in operation. Bud knows about the special connection between a man and his horse and he has a special way of communicating with animals. He also knows what it’s like to be a county commissioner for 12 years and what it’s like to see an entire county grow from nothing into what it is today – much like the beets and carrots and potatoes do in his garden every spring and summer. Margie has her own treasure chest of knowledge. She knows how to survive as a rancher’s wife, how to keep her household running smoothly, even if she can only get into town for supplies once a month. She knows what it’s like to help a first-time mother with her colicky baby and also how to run county health programs....
American cowboys gallop across the screens of Cannes American cowboys are back in the saddle - and on the big screen - here at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, which comes to a close tomorrow night. In ``Down in the Valley,'' Edward Norton is a wannabe cowboy from the L.A. suburbs and Sam Shepard stars as a fading western star coping with a nervous breakdown in ``Don't Come Knocking.'' And then there's Hollywood rough rider Tommy Lee Jones who yesterday premiered his Tex-Mex flick, ``The Three Burials of Melguiades Estrada.'' Jones not only stars in the $25 million western, he co-wrote it with Mexico's ``21 Grams'' writer Guillermo Arriaga, and co-produced and directed the film. It's a classic Old West set-up where Jones stars as a weathered old-time Texan who kidnaps a callow Border Patrol guard played by Barry Pepper to bury his murdered friend in Mexico. Unlike many films here at the festival, ``Three Burials'' is a celebration of America while still critical of the Border Patrol....
Crafts of the cowboy To hear Bill Black tell it, he’s just a guy who makes things from dead cows. The former cow boss of the MC Ranch these days stretches, scrapes and cuts the hide of dead cows into living pieces of functional art, creating hackamores, quirts and other horse tack. Likewise he hitches horsehair for belts, hatbands, headstalls and decorations on reins and pommels. Rawhide braiding and horsehair hitching transformed from a workaday hobby to a paying lifestyle about nine years ago for Black, 50. It was a change for the former buckaroo, who for several years was the MC Ranch cow boss, working out of headquarters not too far south of his present home and workshop in the Warner Valley east of Lakeview, Ore....
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Idaho wilderness bill would give local governments land, money An Idaho congressman introduced legislation Thursday that would set aside more than 300,000 acres of rugged central Idaho as new wilderness while giving the state and surrounding communities millions of dollars and an estimated 3,000 acres of federally owned land as compensation. Republican Rep. Mike Simpson said his $20 million proposal would offset the economic impact of protecting the scenic Boulder and White Cloud mountains from development. Sweetening wilderness designations with land gifts and cash payments to neighboring communities is the future of wilderness legislation, he said. "In the past, it was always where the (boundary) lines would be drawn," Simpson said in a telephone briefing. "In this bill, we've expanded that debate ... We've tried to take care of the needs of the recreationists, the counties, the ranchers." Under the proposal, the state of Idaho, the counties of Custer and Blaine, and the towns of Stanley, Challis and Clayton would receive - free - a total of about 3,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management property. The land could be developed however local governments see fit, although 960 acres going to the state would be earmarked for an off-road-vehicle park near Boise....
BP wants to double wellheads Officials from gas giant BP told La Plata County commissioners Tuesday about a plan to double the number of wellheads on 65 square miles south of U.S. Highway 160 between Durango and Bayfield. Larson said BP wants to double the number of wellheads on slightly bigger pads because the current spacing - one pad per 160 acres - allows the company to extract less than half the coal-bed methane gas available in the section. An additional four wellheads per section would allow extraction of 75 percent of available gas, Larson said. BP proposes to use directional drilling to increase its production, Larson said. Directional drilling involves boring out and down at up to a 35-degree angle from an existing pad, to about 2,500 feet. The second bore would extend about one-quarter of a mile from the pad. The selling point is that there would be no new roads, no new pipelines and in some cases no new electrical lines....
11 States Challenge Break on Mercury for Coal Power Plants A coalition of 11 states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging a new federal rule that allows coal-fired power plants to buy pollution credits to avoid lowering their mercury emissions. In March, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled rules that ordered utilities to reduce mercury emissions by 70 percent by 2018. Power plants that do not exceed a nationwide cap can sell their credits to plants that do. Federal officials have likened the system of trading pollution credits to a similar system that has reduced emissions that cause acid rain. The lawsuit, however, states that the cap-and trade system would create "hot spots" around some plants that purchase the rights to emit more mercury....
Editorial: Senate should craft a saner energy bill When the U.S. Senate solves the filibuster mess and gets back to other tasks, it should craft a saner energy bill than the one that emerged last month from the House. The House measure is an industry giveaway that threatens the West's air, water and wildlife. On Tuesday, the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee began work on its version of the energy bill. Oil companies complain that environmental rules hamper energy development, so it's a sure bet they'll pressure the Senate to follow the House's lead. Democrat Ken Salazar, the only Coloradan on the Senate committee, should rally Westerners to restore balance to the legislation. At more than 1,000 pages, the 2005 energy bill is 200 pages longer than last year's and contains several environmental rollbacks. Most troubling is a vague but sweeping amendment that would end the public's say about oil and gas drilling even on public lands and national forests....
House Rebuffs Push to Soften Offshore Drilling Ban A bipartisan coalition of coastal-state lawmakers beat back an effort in the House on Thursday to weaken the decades-old ban on new oil and gas drilling offshore, but it is bracing for a potentially tougher battle ahead. The vote was 262 to 157 to defeat an effort to exempt new natural gas drilling from the federal moratorium, which covers most coastal waters except for large parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Opposition to easing the restrictions came from coastal-state delegations, including those from California, New York, Massachusetts and Florida. While environmentalists celebrated their victory, they said they were worried about other efforts in Congress to break through the federal moratorium on new offshore drilling. Bipartisan efforts are underway in the Senate, for example, to offer billions of dollars to entice financially hurting states to opt out of the moratorium. The bill's sponsors hope to include the measure in a sweeping overhaul of national energy policy now being drafted in the Senate....
Coalbed development gets support Powder River County rancher Rick Rice thinks it's time people heard from farmers and ranchers who welcome the prospect of coalbed methane development. "We want the people of the world to know that a majority of us who live here and will face the brunt of the impact are for it and want it to happen," he said. Rice, who ranches between Broadus and Ashland, said nearly 400 of Powder River County's 1,800 residents have signed petitions calling on the Northern Plains Resource Council, a regional conservation and agriculture group based in Billings, "to moderate its obstructionist inclinations." Rice said 67 people attended the first meeting he organized in Broadus. Last week, at a meeting that attracted 45 people, they adopted the name Citizens for Resource Development. The petition says the NPRC "has gone to excessive and obstructive lengths" in its "self-assumed watchdog role in the development and utilization of various natural resources in our state." It accuses Northern Plains of aligning itself with "radical environmentalists" whose goal is to wipe out agriculture with the aim of "rewilding" large areas of land....
Judge turns down tribe's bid to block Yucca nuclear dump A federal judge has denied an Indian tribe's plea to block plans for a nuclear waste dump in Nevada based on a claim that the project would violate a 19th century treaty. U.S. District Judge Philip Pro ruled Tuesday that the Western Shoshone National Council could not demonstrate ''immediate and irreparable'' harm because the Yucca Mountain repository has yet to open and a disputed rail line has yet to be built. Lawyer Robert Hager, representing the tribe, said Wednesday that no decision had been made whether to appeal. He noted that the judge's ruling left open the possibility that the tribe could seek an injunction later....
Info sought in wolf killing Federal officials are looking for anyone who may have information about the death of an endangered Mexican gray wolf whose body was found along U.S. 60 east of the eastern Arizona community of Vernon. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is particularly looking for information on any suspicious activity or any vehicles that may have been parked along the highway between about 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on May 9, when the wolf was found dead. Authorities said the wolf had been feeding on a roadkill elk on the shoulder of the road. The cause of the wolf's death is still being confirmed. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the apprehension of those responsible for the wolf's death....
House blocks wild horse law Lawmakers voted Thursday to block a six-month-old law that allows the government to sell wild horses and burros, with opponents of the law protesting that the animals were ending up in processing plants and on the tables of foreign restaurants. The 249-159 House vote would stop the Bureau of Land Management from using any money in a $26.2 billion bill funding next year’s natural resources and arts programs to sell horses that roam public lands in Western states....
Floods threaten access to Jarbidge ... Elko County declares a state of emergency Elko County commissioners declared a countywide state of emergency Wednesday because of widespread flooding that has taken out bridges in Jarbidge and washed out roads elsewhere in northern Nevada. Jarbidge is the most threatened community, with two bridges out of service and residents facing isolation if there is more flooding. Mountain City District Ranger Dan Dallas said that the north bridge at Jarbidge is "impassable. There's a 20-foot hole in the back of the bridge." And he said the south bridge over the Jarbidge River toward Charleston is totally impassable because of the flooding caused by heavy rainfall. "It's in the river," he said....
Rising rivers menace southern Utah sites Robert Newsted is keeping the visitors at his recreational vehicle park on high ground. For the past three days, he has been moving them from the rising flood waters of the Sevier River, which by Wednesday had submerged about 15 RV sites and all 18 tent sites at the Riverside Motel and RV Park just west of Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah's Garfield County. The river also washed out a section of bridge in the area of the town known as Old Hatch. Newsted used the bridge to access his house....
The Fruit of Your Coins Mark Dowie, a prizewinning investigative journalist, was talking about the need to revamp American environmentalism long before the Reapers declared it dead. His Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1996 book Losing Ground cast a critical eye on green activists' failing tactics, and his more recent work -- encapsulated in a film short below -- focuses on myopic environmental philanthropy and the struggles of local and regional groups to get a slice of the funding pie. The 25 largest environmental organizations in the U.S. get a whopping 70 percent of the $3.5 billion doled out to green groups each year, Dowie points out in the short film "Empowering the Grassroots," created by Randy Olson of Shifting Baselines. That leaves the 15,000 or so smaller environmental nonprofits in the country scrounging around for leftovers. Dowie takes big green funders and foundations to task for unduly favoring gigantic conservation groups, and challenges them to more effectively seed the grassroots and reinvigorate a moribund movement. To watch the seven-minute film short, pick your format and bandwidth....
Calf Born in New Mexico With 5 Legs One of Orlando Romero's calves has a leg up on the other 25 calves born within the last two weeks on his ranch east of Tucumcari. The calf was born with an extra leg, with two hooves, growing from its back. Ranchers in the area aren't quite sure what to make of the little Limousin heifer. That is, if they can catch her. "She moves like a damn deer. I had a heck of a time trying to catch her," said Jess Weaks, the ranch caretaker. "She's pretty ornery, that's for sure." The week-old calf's extra leg does not touch the ground. It is attached to the calf's back between the shoulder blades, and hangs to its right side....
From homesteaders to here and now He knows what it’s like to live on the same ranch for 85 years and he knows how to keep that same 740-acre ranch (located at an elevation of 7,640 feet) in operation. Bud knows about the special connection between a man and his horse and he has a special way of communicating with animals. He also knows what it’s like to be a county commissioner for 12 years and what it’s like to see an entire county grow from nothing into what it is today – much like the beets and carrots and potatoes do in his garden every spring and summer. Margie has her own treasure chest of knowledge. She knows how to survive as a rancher’s wife, how to keep her household running smoothly, even if she can only get into town for supplies once a month. She knows what it’s like to help a first-time mother with her colicky baby and also how to run county health programs....
American cowboys gallop across the screens of Cannes American cowboys are back in the saddle - and on the big screen - here at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, which comes to a close tomorrow night. In ``Down in the Valley,'' Edward Norton is a wannabe cowboy from the L.A. suburbs and Sam Shepard stars as a fading western star coping with a nervous breakdown in ``Don't Come Knocking.'' And then there's Hollywood rough rider Tommy Lee Jones who yesterday premiered his Tex-Mex flick, ``The Three Burials of Melguiades Estrada.'' Jones not only stars in the $25 million western, he co-wrote it with Mexico's ``21 Grams'' writer Guillermo Arriaga, and co-produced and directed the film. It's a classic Old West set-up where Jones stars as a weathered old-time Texan who kidnaps a callow Border Patrol guard played by Barry Pepper to bury his murdered friend in Mexico. Unlike many films here at the festival, ``Three Burials'' is a celebration of America while still critical of the Border Patrol....
Crafts of the cowboy To hear Bill Black tell it, he’s just a guy who makes things from dead cows. The former cow boss of the MC Ranch these days stretches, scrapes and cuts the hide of dead cows into living pieces of functional art, creating hackamores, quirts and other horse tack. Likewise he hitches horsehair for belts, hatbands, headstalls and decorations on reins and pommels. Rawhide braiding and horsehair hitching transformed from a workaday hobby to a paying lifestyle about nine years ago for Black, 50. It was a change for the former buckaroo, who for several years was the MC Ranch cow boss, working out of headquarters not too far south of his present home and workshop in the Warner Valley east of Lakeview, Ore....
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Thursday, May 19, 2005
ECO-TERRORISTS
FBI, ATF address domestic terrorism
Violent animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists now pose one of the most serious terrorism threats to the nation, top federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday. Senior officials from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives told a Senate panel of their growing concern over these groups. Of particular concern are the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). John Lewis, the FBI's deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, said animal and environmental rights extremists have claimed credit for more than 1,200 criminal incidents since 1990. The FBI has 150 pending investigations associated with animal rights or eco-terrorist activities, and ATF officials say they have opened 58 investigations in the past six years related to violence attributed to the ELF and ALF. In the same period violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan and anti-abortion extremists have declined, Lewis said. The ELF has been linked to fires set at sport utility vehicle dealerships and construction sites in various states, while the ALF has been blamed for arson and bombings against animal research labs and the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry....
Go here for the FBI testimony and here for the BATF. Click here for the other presenters....
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FBI, ATF address domestic terrorism
Violent animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists now pose one of the most serious terrorism threats to the nation, top federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday. Senior officials from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives told a Senate panel of their growing concern over these groups. Of particular concern are the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). John Lewis, the FBI's deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, said animal and environmental rights extremists have claimed credit for more than 1,200 criminal incidents since 1990. The FBI has 150 pending investigations associated with animal rights or eco-terrorist activities, and ATF officials say they have opened 58 investigations in the past six years related to violence attributed to the ELF and ALF. In the same period violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan and anti-abortion extremists have declined, Lewis said. The ELF has been linked to fires set at sport utility vehicle dealerships and construction sites in various states, while the ALF has been blamed for arson and bombings against animal research labs and the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry....
Go here for the FBI testimony and here for the BATF. Click here for the other presenters....
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GAO TESTIMONY
Endangered Species Act: Successes and Challenges in Agency Collaboration and the Use of Scientific Information in the Decision Making Process, by Robin M. Nazzaro, director, natural resources and environment issues, before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. GAO-05-732T, May 19. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-732T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05732thigh.pdf
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Endangered Species Act: Successes and Challenges in Agency Collaboration and the Use of Scientific Information in the Decision Making Process, by Robin M. Nazzaro, director, natural resources and environment issues, before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. GAO-05-732T, May 19. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-732T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05732thigh.pdf
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NEWS ROUNDUP
Ranchers tell their side of Mitchell Slough dispute to Schweitzer Yes, Huey Lewis the rock 'n' roller was there, standing along the banks of the Bitterroot River. Yes, Gov. Brian Schweitzer was there, with his four-footed diplomat, Jag the border collie. The Mitchell Slough, which begins at a 60-foot-long headgate near Tucker Crossing north of Corvallis, is currently the subject of a lawsuit that should ultimately determine whether it's a public waterway and thus open to public use. The slough provides irrigation water to a host of ranchers who farm in the mid-Bitterroot. The ranchers had plenty of questions for their fellow rancher, the governor. Who will pay for damages to private property caused by recreationists? they asked. Our deeds say our property lines run to the middle of the ditch, and we pay taxes on that property, asked Ed Hebner. If the public gets access, do we lose that part of our properties? If Mitchell Slough is a public stream, will other irrigation ditches around the state be viewed similarly? The governor steered clear of questions that required a legal interpretation, but he expressed sympathy for ranchers who've found recreationists roaming around their land....
Uinta ranchers worry about drilling threat The oil and gas business is booming in the Uinta Basin, and ranchers say they are starting to take a beating because of it. Members of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee heard complaints Wednesday from a pair of eastern Utah sheep ranchers that an increasingly heavy concentrations of wells, roads and pipelines are wreaking havoc with grazing. But their biggest fear, they said, is that those grazing lands may never be returned once the energy boom ends, turning a situation of temporary losses into something permanent. "My family have been sheep ranchers for close to 80 years in eastern Utah and western Colorado, and we're seeing changes we've never seen before," said Bill Robinson. "We understand the importance of the oil and gas industry, but we are being negatively impacted . . .. They're taking 10 to 20 percent of our livelihood and are destroying it. It might not ever be reclaimed." Robinson and fellow rancher Burt Delambert asked legislators to assess impact fees or redirect severance taxes back to ranchers to help with remediation costs....
Oil boom draws fire, and so do its opponents Mathis showed photos of substantial oil and gas drilling pads and dirt roads carved through public land in the Uinta Basin. One view was of a dirt road used by the industry, a deeply rutted mass of mud because last winter was so wet. The same parcels are leased to petroleum operations and under grazing permits issued to ranchers. "There's a fair amount of (oil and gas) activity," Mathis said, showing a map of the region. It was peppered with red and black dots representing approved oil wells and places where permission to drill is pending. Bill Stringer, manager of the Bureau of Land Management's field office in Vernal, said there were about 9,000 dots on the map, more than 6,000 of them approved and the rest pending. After the meeting, at the request of the Deseret Morning News, he estimated the area involved is about 1,800 square miles, counting both state and federal land....
Groups appeal leasing on winter range Two Wyoming conservation groups have asked a federal agency to do more to protect big came winter range from oil and gas development. The Wyoming Outdoor Council and Biodiversity Conservation Alliance filed an appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals in Washington, D.C., over nine parcels leased for oil and gas exploration on "crucial" winter range in the Red Desert. Bruce Pendery, staff attorney and public lands director with the Outdoor Council, said this is the latest step after the Bureau of Land Management -- the agency in charge of leasing the parcels -- denied the groups' formal protest on the parcels earlier this year....
Clashing cultures in the country Ohio dairy farmer Frank Sutliff was grinding cattle feed when he saw them again: all-terrain vehicles shredding his alfalfa fields. When he shouted over the engine whine that the riders were trespassing, they smashed him over the head, he said. "I went down, and they just started in on me ... hit me, kicked me, broke my leg," said Sutliff, 46. "I crawled into the truck, drove back to the house and dialed 911." Across rural America, angry skirmishes are increasingly common between property owners and off-roaders squaring off over dwindling open space. Long accustomed to battling environmentalists for access to public lands, off-roaders now find themselves at odds with farmers, ranchers and a flood of new residents moving to the country for peace and quiet....
Feds to restrict off-road vehicles in West For decades, off-road vehicle enthusiasts have been mostly free to roam federal forests and rangelands. Those freewheeling days could be numbered, though. Two government agencies, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, are developing plans to restrict the vehicles to designated routes as part of an effort to curb environmental damage and ease conflict among users of public lands. "The days of blazing new trails are coming to an end," said Leo Drumm, off-highway vehicle coordinator for the Nevada BLM. "There has to be some controls."....
Oregon Wolf plan hits rough patch Wolf supporters and opponents are both critical of a House bill that attempts put the state's strategy for dealing with wolves into law. A wolf plan was crafted last year by a citizens panel and approved in February by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. But the Legislature must change state laws for it to work. The plan approved in February calls for allowing ranchers to shoot wolves attacking livestock, but Oregon's state Endangered Species Act does not permit that. The blueprint also includes a program to compensate people who lose livestock to wolves. Lawmakers would need to establish the fund and provide money for it....
U.S. will resume selling wild horses The federal Bureau of Land Management will announce Thursday it is resuming sales of wild horses with protections to prevent the animals from being sent to slaughter, the agency's director said Wednesday. The agency suspended the sales last month after discovering that 41 animals rounded up from Western rangeland had been sold to an Illinois slaughterhouse and processed for meat. In addition, Ford Motor Co. will pay to transport up to 2,000 horses to Indian reservations and locations run by non-profit organizations. The company will also oversee a "Save the Mustangs" fundraising drive to help groups that adopt the horses pay for their care. Wild horses are "a beautiful symbol of the Wild West" and an "icon" for Ford, said Jon Harmon, a spokesman for the company whose Mustang sports car has been a flagship brand since 1964....
Editorial: Stop the slaughter Thirty-four years ago, Congress declared that wild horses and burros were "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West." With that, the practice of slaughtering them for dog food ended. Late last year, a measure dubbed the "Horsemeat Bill" permitted the commercial trade of some of these animals to resume. Wild horses, whose ancestors escaped the Spanish conquistadors, and wild burros, whose ancestors carried gear for hopeful prospectors, are part of the West's natural history. But to ranchers whose cows chew on public land leased at bargain-basement rates, they have long been perceived as competition for forage. That's why they were herded off for slaughter...."cows chew on public land"??? Is this a New Jersey paper? Nope, afraid not. It just shows you how knowledgeable the Arizona Republic is on this issue. Didn't keep them from editorializing though, did it....
Reps. Maurice Hinchey and Charles Bass Call for End to YellowstoneBuffalo Slaughter The nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association today praised Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) for their leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect America's last wild and genetically pure buffalo. The Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act of 2005 is an admirable effort to treat bison as wildlife and to produce a sensible change to the absurd policy of hazing, capturing, and killing buffalo in and around Yellowstone National Park. "The Yellowstone buffalo herd should have the freedom to roam our federal lands like any other wildlife," said Congressman Hinchey, who serves on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Forest Service. "The current policy of hazing and slaughtering these majestic animals is unnecessary and shameful. My legislation will put an end to these misguided management practices and ensure that our federal agencies act as proper stewards of this wildlife icon." In the 108th Congress, the Hinchey-Bass bill had 104 cosponsors....
Wisconsin wolf population up 14 percent A new estimate shows Wisconsin's gray wolf population may have grown to as many as 455 animals, far exceeding the goal set by state game managers and raising concerns about more conflicts between the predators and humans. The latest estimate indicates the wolf population grew 14 percent in a year and is nearly 100 over the DNR's management goal for the species. The DNR said that in 2004, wolves killed livestock on 22 farms, compared with 14 farms in 2003 and eight in 2002. Last year, 24 problem wolves were legally killed, compared with 17 in 2003. The agency has permits to kill up to 34 this year...
Norton Signs Conservation Agreement with Mexico and Canada, Announces $3.9 Million in Grants for Migratory Bird Conservation Interior Secretary Gale Norton today commemorated the 12th International Migratory Bird Day by signing a declaration of intent with Canada and Mexico to strengthen cooperation on bird conservation. She also announced $3.9 million in grants to conserve birds throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. Norton signed the North American Bird Conservation Initiative Declaration of Intent to "conserve North American birds throughout their ranges and habitats, and ultimately to collaborate with all participant nations regarding bird cooperation.” More than 340 species of birds breed in the United States and Canada, and winter in Latin America. Examples of these birds include species of plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows. The declaration will formalize the process for undertaking the initiative, which is designed to address the sharp decline of many migratory bird species in recent decades....
Measure Advances to Designate Eastern Oysters as Endangered A proposal to designate the eastern oyster -- harvested in the Chesapeake Bay and in waters from New England to Texas -- as "threatened" or "endangered" is advancing in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency said Wednesday. Either designation would likely halt or limit harvesting of the bivalves, fisheries experts say. A petition calling on the federal government to recognize Crassostrea virginica as threatened or endangered was filed in January by Dieter Busch, a consultant who formerly headed an arm of the 15-state Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a regulatory authority. The agency has reviewed the petition and determined that it warrants a review by a panel of private, federal and state fisheries experts (up to about a dozen members) that will take up to nine months to review the request further. The process allows for public hearings and public comment....
Reinjection of mine water proposed Anadarko Petroleum has announced a $50 million project to reinject coalbed methane water back into the ground. It's one way to deal with water released by drilling companies to ease the pressure holding methane in coal seams. Some conservationists and ranchers contend the water can be salty or of poor quality and can harm crops. Concerns have also been raised about potential drawdown of aquifers and water wells due to development. Anadarko officials say plans include transporting water discharged from mines in their County Line Field in Campbell and Johnson counties through a 48-mile pipeline to injection wells near Midwest....
Cowboy hall worth the wait The settling of the West didn't happen overnight. And neither has the Cowboy Hall of Fame. After years of hard work, the hall will hold a sneak preview later this month and officially open on June 15. The Medora center will honor North Dakota legends, American Indians, early ranchers, livestock and more. Planning for the hall started in the early 1990s. It's a dream that's taken longer to come true than many expected. But it's been worth the time and effort. The dream to build the center has been driven by those who know the subject: ranchers, rodeo contestants, tribal members and fans of the West -- folks who want to save a part of what they love for the future....
===
Ranchers tell their side of Mitchell Slough dispute to Schweitzer Yes, Huey Lewis the rock 'n' roller was there, standing along the banks of the Bitterroot River. Yes, Gov. Brian Schweitzer was there, with his four-footed diplomat, Jag the border collie. The Mitchell Slough, which begins at a 60-foot-long headgate near Tucker Crossing north of Corvallis, is currently the subject of a lawsuit that should ultimately determine whether it's a public waterway and thus open to public use. The slough provides irrigation water to a host of ranchers who farm in the mid-Bitterroot. The ranchers had plenty of questions for their fellow rancher, the governor. Who will pay for damages to private property caused by recreationists? they asked. Our deeds say our property lines run to the middle of the ditch, and we pay taxes on that property, asked Ed Hebner. If the public gets access, do we lose that part of our properties? If Mitchell Slough is a public stream, will other irrigation ditches around the state be viewed similarly? The governor steered clear of questions that required a legal interpretation, but he expressed sympathy for ranchers who've found recreationists roaming around their land....
Uinta ranchers worry about drilling threat The oil and gas business is booming in the Uinta Basin, and ranchers say they are starting to take a beating because of it. Members of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee heard complaints Wednesday from a pair of eastern Utah sheep ranchers that an increasingly heavy concentrations of wells, roads and pipelines are wreaking havoc with grazing. But their biggest fear, they said, is that those grazing lands may never be returned once the energy boom ends, turning a situation of temporary losses into something permanent. "My family have been sheep ranchers for close to 80 years in eastern Utah and western Colorado, and we're seeing changes we've never seen before," said Bill Robinson. "We understand the importance of the oil and gas industry, but we are being negatively impacted . . .. They're taking 10 to 20 percent of our livelihood and are destroying it. It might not ever be reclaimed." Robinson and fellow rancher Burt Delambert asked legislators to assess impact fees or redirect severance taxes back to ranchers to help with remediation costs....
Oil boom draws fire, and so do its opponents Mathis showed photos of substantial oil and gas drilling pads and dirt roads carved through public land in the Uinta Basin. One view was of a dirt road used by the industry, a deeply rutted mass of mud because last winter was so wet. The same parcels are leased to petroleum operations and under grazing permits issued to ranchers. "There's a fair amount of (oil and gas) activity," Mathis said, showing a map of the region. It was peppered with red and black dots representing approved oil wells and places where permission to drill is pending. Bill Stringer, manager of the Bureau of Land Management's field office in Vernal, said there were about 9,000 dots on the map, more than 6,000 of them approved and the rest pending. After the meeting, at the request of the Deseret Morning News, he estimated the area involved is about 1,800 square miles, counting both state and federal land....
Groups appeal leasing on winter range Two Wyoming conservation groups have asked a federal agency to do more to protect big came winter range from oil and gas development. The Wyoming Outdoor Council and Biodiversity Conservation Alliance filed an appeal with the Interior Board of Land Appeals in Washington, D.C., over nine parcels leased for oil and gas exploration on "crucial" winter range in the Red Desert. Bruce Pendery, staff attorney and public lands director with the Outdoor Council, said this is the latest step after the Bureau of Land Management -- the agency in charge of leasing the parcels -- denied the groups' formal protest on the parcels earlier this year....
Clashing cultures in the country Ohio dairy farmer Frank Sutliff was grinding cattle feed when he saw them again: all-terrain vehicles shredding his alfalfa fields. When he shouted over the engine whine that the riders were trespassing, they smashed him over the head, he said. "I went down, and they just started in on me ... hit me, kicked me, broke my leg," said Sutliff, 46. "I crawled into the truck, drove back to the house and dialed 911." Across rural America, angry skirmishes are increasingly common between property owners and off-roaders squaring off over dwindling open space. Long accustomed to battling environmentalists for access to public lands, off-roaders now find themselves at odds with farmers, ranchers and a flood of new residents moving to the country for peace and quiet....
Feds to restrict off-road vehicles in West For decades, off-road vehicle enthusiasts have been mostly free to roam federal forests and rangelands. Those freewheeling days could be numbered, though. Two government agencies, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, are developing plans to restrict the vehicles to designated routes as part of an effort to curb environmental damage and ease conflict among users of public lands. "The days of blazing new trails are coming to an end," said Leo Drumm, off-highway vehicle coordinator for the Nevada BLM. "There has to be some controls."....
Oregon Wolf plan hits rough patch Wolf supporters and opponents are both critical of a House bill that attempts put the state's strategy for dealing with wolves into law. A wolf plan was crafted last year by a citizens panel and approved in February by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. But the Legislature must change state laws for it to work. The plan approved in February calls for allowing ranchers to shoot wolves attacking livestock, but Oregon's state Endangered Species Act does not permit that. The blueprint also includes a program to compensate people who lose livestock to wolves. Lawmakers would need to establish the fund and provide money for it....
U.S. will resume selling wild horses The federal Bureau of Land Management will announce Thursday it is resuming sales of wild horses with protections to prevent the animals from being sent to slaughter, the agency's director said Wednesday. The agency suspended the sales last month after discovering that 41 animals rounded up from Western rangeland had been sold to an Illinois slaughterhouse and processed for meat. In addition, Ford Motor Co. will pay to transport up to 2,000 horses to Indian reservations and locations run by non-profit organizations. The company will also oversee a "Save the Mustangs" fundraising drive to help groups that adopt the horses pay for their care. Wild horses are "a beautiful symbol of the Wild West" and an "icon" for Ford, said Jon Harmon, a spokesman for the company whose Mustang sports car has been a flagship brand since 1964....
Editorial: Stop the slaughter Thirty-four years ago, Congress declared that wild horses and burros were "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West." With that, the practice of slaughtering them for dog food ended. Late last year, a measure dubbed the "Horsemeat Bill" permitted the commercial trade of some of these animals to resume. Wild horses, whose ancestors escaped the Spanish conquistadors, and wild burros, whose ancestors carried gear for hopeful prospectors, are part of the West's natural history. But to ranchers whose cows chew on public land leased at bargain-basement rates, they have long been perceived as competition for forage. That's why they were herded off for slaughter...."cows chew on public land"??? Is this a New Jersey paper? Nope, afraid not. It just shows you how knowledgeable the Arizona Republic is on this issue. Didn't keep them from editorializing though, did it....
Reps. Maurice Hinchey and Charles Bass Call for End to YellowstoneBuffalo Slaughter The nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association today praised Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) for their leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect America's last wild and genetically pure buffalo. The Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act of 2005 is an admirable effort to treat bison as wildlife and to produce a sensible change to the absurd policy of hazing, capturing, and killing buffalo in and around Yellowstone National Park. "The Yellowstone buffalo herd should have the freedom to roam our federal lands like any other wildlife," said Congressman Hinchey, who serves on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Forest Service. "The current policy of hazing and slaughtering these majestic animals is unnecessary and shameful. My legislation will put an end to these misguided management practices and ensure that our federal agencies act as proper stewards of this wildlife icon." In the 108th Congress, the Hinchey-Bass bill had 104 cosponsors....
Wisconsin wolf population up 14 percent A new estimate shows Wisconsin's gray wolf population may have grown to as many as 455 animals, far exceeding the goal set by state game managers and raising concerns about more conflicts between the predators and humans. The latest estimate indicates the wolf population grew 14 percent in a year and is nearly 100 over the DNR's management goal for the species. The DNR said that in 2004, wolves killed livestock on 22 farms, compared with 14 farms in 2003 and eight in 2002. Last year, 24 problem wolves were legally killed, compared with 17 in 2003. The agency has permits to kill up to 34 this year...
Norton Signs Conservation Agreement with Mexico and Canada, Announces $3.9 Million in Grants for Migratory Bird Conservation Interior Secretary Gale Norton today commemorated the 12th International Migratory Bird Day by signing a declaration of intent with Canada and Mexico to strengthen cooperation on bird conservation. She also announced $3.9 million in grants to conserve birds throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. Norton signed the North American Bird Conservation Initiative Declaration of Intent to "conserve North American birds throughout their ranges and habitats, and ultimately to collaborate with all participant nations regarding bird cooperation.” More than 340 species of birds breed in the United States and Canada, and winter in Latin America. Examples of these birds include species of plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows. The declaration will formalize the process for undertaking the initiative, which is designed to address the sharp decline of many migratory bird species in recent decades....
Measure Advances to Designate Eastern Oysters as Endangered A proposal to designate the eastern oyster -- harvested in the Chesapeake Bay and in waters from New England to Texas -- as "threatened" or "endangered" is advancing in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency said Wednesday. Either designation would likely halt or limit harvesting of the bivalves, fisheries experts say. A petition calling on the federal government to recognize Crassostrea virginica as threatened or endangered was filed in January by Dieter Busch, a consultant who formerly headed an arm of the 15-state Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a regulatory authority. The agency has reviewed the petition and determined that it warrants a review by a panel of private, federal and state fisheries experts (up to about a dozen members) that will take up to nine months to review the request further. The process allows for public hearings and public comment....
Reinjection of mine water proposed Anadarko Petroleum has announced a $50 million project to reinject coalbed methane water back into the ground. It's one way to deal with water released by drilling companies to ease the pressure holding methane in coal seams. Some conservationists and ranchers contend the water can be salty or of poor quality and can harm crops. Concerns have also been raised about potential drawdown of aquifers and water wells due to development. Anadarko officials say plans include transporting water discharged from mines in their County Line Field in Campbell and Johnson counties through a 48-mile pipeline to injection wells near Midwest....
Cowboy hall worth the wait The settling of the West didn't happen overnight. And neither has the Cowboy Hall of Fame. After years of hard work, the hall will hold a sneak preview later this month and officially open on June 15. The Medora center will honor North Dakota legends, American Indians, early ranchers, livestock and more. Planning for the hall started in the early 1990s. It's a dream that's taken longer to come true than many expected. But it's been worth the time and effort. The dream to build the center has been driven by those who know the subject: ranchers, rodeo contestants, tribal members and fans of the West -- folks who want to save a part of what they love for the future....
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