NEWS ROUNDUP
Column - Going left isn’t the best way to go green The midterm elections are approaching fast, and as usual the environment is considered a Democratic issue. I had no problem with that when I was fighting strip mines in Ohio in 1973; environmentalism was synonymous with leftist politics. In the early ’80s, when a friend told me someone named Dave Foreman was forming an environmental group named EarthFirst, I was among the first to become involved. Now that I’m older, I've come to believe that an automatic identification between the left and the environmental movement is neither good for the environment nor for environmentalism. The main reason for this change of mind and heart is that I've become convinced that the private sector is more effective than government at producing just about anything, healthy ecosystems included. In 30 years of activism, the most impressive environmental successes I’ve encountered were achieved by individuals operating according to principles that make up the conservative playbook. In each case, individual initiative, personal accountability, the free market and rewards for results were more effective at saving endangered species, healing damaged ecosystems in the West, and even combating global warming than the government alternative of regulation. Take just one example: In Arizona, in 1946, the Forest Service created the Drake Exclosure to protect a tract of damaged rangeland from grazing and human use under the assumption that this would restore it to ecological health. Sixty years later, 90 percent of the plant species within the exclosure have disappeared, and the distance between plants can be measured in yards. But outside the exclosure, on land that has continued to be grazed under the management of a responsible rancher, the distance between plants can be measured in inches. Leftist environmentalists have lobbied to expand the preserve to include the rest of the ranch....
A Matter of Trust Teachers, environmentalists, homebuilders, ranchers, business leaders, politicians and--of course--lawyers have been wrestling for nearly a decade over how to best handle more than 9 million acres of state trust land scattered across Arizona. Now voters have a chance to settle the disputes on Nov. 7, when they'll decide the fate of Proposition 105 and Proposition 106, a pair of dueling reform measures on the ballot. The teachers, environmentalists and business leaders have embraced Proposition 106, which would set aside almost 700,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land, create a new public board to review State Land Department decisions and provide more planning resources for trust land. On the other side are homebuilders, cattle ranchers and school board officials, who are supporting Proposition 105, which would set aside about 40,000 acres (with as much as 400,000 acres down the line--if the Legislature approves of such conservation efforts), but otherwise preserve the status quo of current trust-land management....
Reservoir Hogs Keep driving past the point where dust coats your teeth and eyes, past any sign of human habitation to the very west end of the state. There, smack on the border with Nevada and seemingly rising out of nowhere, you’ll find some of the highest peaks in Utah—the Deep Creek Mountains—and the Snake Valley stretched out below. The Deep Creeks are 12,000-foot-high collectors of water, and home to seven creeks that flow year round, giving the mountains their name. Isolated since the Pony Express stopped passing through in the 1860s, the Snake Valley is thought by some to be one of few places left to search for the liquid gold needed to satisfy the thirst of the West’s growing population. It’s also here that Las Vegas is digging for water. It’s on the Nevada side of the mountains that Las Vegas is planning hundreds of wells and a 285-mile-long pipeline that will move the Deep Creeks’ water to Las Vegas. A total of 200,000 acre-feet of water—that’s 65 billion gallons—would be shipped from rural Nevada to Las Vegas each year under the plan. Nine of the wells are planned just five miles from the Utah border in a valley straddling the Utah-Nevada line. Las Vegas’ water officials have targeted the Snake Valley to produce up to 50,000 acre-feet of water per year, pumping water into Nevada that would otherwise flow into Utah’s Great Basin. Not all of those 50,000 acre-feet would have flowed into Utah. Nevertheless, those who populate one of the sparsest corners of Utah warn that such a massive transfer of water will cause irreparable environmental damage....
Inventor helps grasslands go native Montana rancher and inventor Lee Arbuckle may soon change the nation's market for native grass seed, a tricky-to-harvest crop worth hundreds of millions and vital to restoring wildlands. With the help of the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center at Montana State University, Arbuckle and his wife Maggie have spent the last five years researching and developing a native grass seed harvester. The Arbuckle Native Seedster will be manufactured in Billings, with the first one on the market in 2007. "We're going to change the economics of the native grass seed industry," Arbuckle said. "The Seedster isn't a combine or a stripper, but a new-fangled plucker. This harvester isn't a better mousetrap; it's the first one." Native grass seed is a growing market. Federal, state and local governments purchase large amounts of native seed, as do ranchers and landscapers. Such seed produces grasses that are prized for their drought and wildfire resistance, ability to stabilize eroding soil, desirability as forage and reseeding capacity. Much of the seed market is for the restoration of lands disturbed by mining, road construction and fires....
Local Author has Critics Howling Question: How do you make a ballroom filled with 300 nicely attired adults, including the mayor of Denver, bay at the moon? Answer: You demand it of them, especially if you’re one of the editors of Comeback Wolves; Western Writers Welcome the Wolf Home and you just won the Colorado Book Award in the Anthology/Collection category. “I had the whole crowd howling to call back wolves to their home habitat in Colorado,” says Gary Wockner, a Fort Collins writer, conservationist and one of three editors for Comeback Wolves. “So every one ripped one out full-throated. “That was fun.” Comeback Wolves features the work of 51 contributors, including Wockner, each of whom have written poems, essays and short stories celebrating the reintroduction of one of the most iconic animals of the American West: the gray wolf. Wockner says he conceived the idea for the book after he was appointed to the Colorado Wolf Working Group by the Division of Wildlife. When he made the call for entries, he says he was stunned by the response....
Man Arrested Again For Unlawful S. UT Jeep Tours A man once convicted of failing to get a license to lead Jeep tours in the canyons of southern Utah was arrested for doing it again, the U.S. Forest Service said. Agents for the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and Kanab police arrested Kenneth Paul Church, 57, Tuesday for operating "Blindfold Tours" out of Kanab, guiding trips to slot canyons and other scenic vistas on public lands. Church is appealing a conviction of operating without a permit in 2004, a statement from the Forest Service said....
Search begins in N.M. for uranium in hopes of reviving industry A Nevada company is looking to drill in a uranium-rich area in western New Mexico in hopes of reviving the industry there. Urex Energy Corp. of Reno plans to drill 21 exploratory holes on 2,700 acres of La Jara Mesa at the base of Mount Taylor. Urex is one of seven companies that have mining claims in the Mount Taylor area near Grants. Canada-based Laramide Ltd. already has approval for exploratory drilling on the mesa, and Cibola National Forest officials expect more companies will apply for permits on forest land by the spring. "There's a lot of interest, so there are new companies, for the most part, (that) went and bought old existing claims," said Rod Byers, minerals project manager for the forest. "They already know from the previous stuff that there is uranium out there. They just need to confirm it." In 1978, New Mexico had 55 bustling uranium mines _ the most in the nation. But low prices forced the companies out of business. The state's last major operation, Chevron Resources Co.'s Mount Taylor Mine, closed in 1990....
$236 Million Lawsuit Filed By Cedar Fire Victims A group of residents whose properties were damaged or destroyed by the 2003 Cedar fire accidentally set three years ago Wednesday is suing the federal government for more than $236 million, arguing that officials should have stopped the blaze in its early stages. The suit, which plaintiffs' lawyers hope will be certified as a class action, also says federal officials should not have allowed hunting or other recreational uses in the Cleveland National Forest because an extreme fire hazard existed, the North County Times reported. Sergio Martinez, of West Covina, admitted setting the fire on Oct. 25, 2003, to signal for help after he became lost while hunting in the Kesslar Flats area. The suit filed Friday asserts that the federal government had a legal obligation to "eliminate known dangerous conditions" on federal land, the Times reported. The government failed to fulfill its obligations by allowing hunting at a time of known fire danger and by failing to suppress the fire when it had just begun, the lawsuit alleges, according to the North County Times....
Weight Gain Means Lower Gas Mileage Want to spend less at the pump? Lose some weight. That's the implication of a new study that says Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960 because of their expanding waistlines. Simply put, more weight in the car means lower gas mileage. Using recent gas prices of $2.20 a gallon, that translates to about $2.2 billion more spent on gas each year. "The bottom line is that our hunger for food and our hunger for oil are not independent. There is a relationship between the two," said University of Illinois researcher Sheldon Jacobson, a study co-author. "If a person reduces the weight in their car, either by removing excess baggage, carrying around less weight in their trunk, or yes, even losing weight, they will indeed see a drop in their fuel consumption." The same effect has been seen in airplanes. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that heavy fliers have contributed to higher fuel costs for airlines....
Ag Department gives $20 million in powdered milk for catfish feed The Agriculture Department was faulted Wednesday for donating $20 million in powdered milk to a Mississippi feed mill that sold it as catfish food. The department's inspector general said there was no legal authority for the department to donate the milk and urged Agriculture officials to try to recover the value of the milk and the $579,000 cost of shipping it. At issue is a stockpile of powdered milk stored in manmade caves near Kansas City, Mo., and in warehouses across the country. The government buys the milk to prop up prices paid to dairy farmers, and it has spent more than $20 million annually to store it. The department was looking for ways to get rid of the powdered milk when a Mississippi State University professor asked for some so he could study its use as a protein substitute in catfish food. In their eagerness to unload the milk, agriculture officials "did not follow prudent business practices in donating" the milk powder, the audit said. Officials offered the professor much more milk powder than he requested and also offered to pay for shipments....
Meat Labels Hope to Lure the Sensitive Carnivore Many cows, pigs and chickens will soon be living cushier lives. But in the end, they will still be headed for the dinner plate. Whole Foods Market is preparing to roll out a line of meat that will carry labels saying “animal compassionate,” indicating the animals were raised in a humane manner until they were slaughtered. The grocery chain’s decision to use the new labels comes as a growing number of retailers are making similar animal-welfare claims on meat and egg packaging, including “free farmed,” “certified humane,” “cage free” and “free range.” While the animal-welfare labels are proliferating, it remains unclear whether they appeal to anyone other than a niche market of animal lovers, particularly since the meat and eggs are as much as twice as expensive as products that do not carry the labels....
Wealthy Weekend 'Amenity' Ranchers Taking Over the West A new study suggests that in many parts of the American West, the grizzled, leathery rancher riding the range to take care of his cattle and make a buck is being replaced by wealthy "amenity" owners who fly in on weekends, fish in their private trout ponds, and often prefer roaming elk to Herefords. They don't much care whether or not the ranch turns a profit. And many of them think that wolves are neat. In a 10-year survey of ranchland ownership change on private lands around Yellowstone National Park, scientists found only 26 percent of the large ranches that changed hands went to traditional ranchers, while "amenity buyers" snapped up 39 percent of the properties, and another 26 percent went to investors, developers or part-time ranchers. The study was done by researchers from Oregon State University, the University of Colorado and the University of Otago in New Zealand, and published in Society and Natural Resources, a professional journal. It was funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Yellowstone Heritage. This phenomenon, scientists say, is a reflection of forces affecting many parts of the American West, in which ranchlands become getaway retreats for the rich, or vehicles to fulfill a childhood fantasy. Livestock production often takes a back seat to scenic enjoyment, fishing and solitude. In a number of cases, wealthy owners are experimenting with restoration of native ecosystems, large scale conservation projects, and innovative approaches to blend conventional ranching with non-lethal predator control. Traditional ranchers are finding themselves priced out of business, while a whole new cottage industry is emerging of managers who jokingly call themselves "ranch butler," "ranch ambassador," or simply "mouse trapper." They are well-trained professionals responsible for the complex operations of a modern ranch, but also are required to keep it looking nice for when the owner comes to visit....
Five inductees honored at Cowgirl Hall of Fame Two ranchers, a pair of rodeo stars and a women's rights advocate will be inducted Thursday into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The inductees are Texas resident Minnie Lou Bradley and Hawaii cowgirl Rose Cambra Freitas; rodeo stars Sharon Camarillo and the late Bonnie McCarroll; and suffrage leader Esther Hobart Morris. Ed Bass, chairman of the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo, will receive the Fern Sawyer Award, which is given periodically to a notable contributor to the hall of fame. Minnie Lou Bradley was the first woman to receive a degree in animal husbandry from Oklahoma State University. In 1952, she was the first woman to win the collegiate livestock judging title at the International Livestock Show in Chicago. She has worked with the Ranch Management Program at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth for the past half century, helping students learn about the industry. Born in 1897, Bonnie McCarroll made history in 1922 by winning the cowgirl bronc riding championship at the two most prestigious rodeos in the nation. She performed in front of kings, queens, dignitaries and an American president. After she died in a bronc riding accident in the 1929 Pendleton Round-Up in Pendleton, Ore., the key organizers of the day all but banned women's roughstock riding at rodeo performances....
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
NEWS ROUNDUP
Thriving bison? Experts get to meat of matter The best way to save the bison, reckons Tom Olson, may be to eat more of them. Olson, a Canadian bison rancher, explained that the way to get more people invested in the plight of the bison - a species that was almost extinct at the turn of the century - may be to sell the virtues of their meat. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know we're in rough shape," Olson said. "But bison is a very healthy meat; that's not lost on the general public." Olson was among the speakers at a national bison conference being held this week at the Brown Palace Hotel. Sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the conference has attracted more than 160 people with interests in bison, including private ranchers, zookeepers, wildlife officials and American Indian groups. They are all people who know the difference between a bison and a buffalo. (While the two animals are in the same family, true buffalo are native only to Africa and Asia.) Conference attendees are discussing the ecological restoration of bison - a time when large herds can once again roam across their historic ranges....
Washington landowners agree to help tiny rabbits Now all they need is the rabbits. On a sprawling central Washington wheat farm, state and federal officials signed a landmark agreement Tuesday to create a "safe harbor" for reintroduction of the tiny Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, which was listed as an endangered species in 2001 and whose impending return has raised concerns among area farmers that the bunnies could bust their business. Pygmy rabbits are the smallest rabbits in North America, weighing about 1 pound, and one of only two rabbit species that dig burrows in deep soil. They are found in shrub-steppe habitat with plenty of sagebrush. The Columbia Basin rabbit, however, has been an isolated population for thousands of years and differs genetically from other pygmy rabbits. None are believed to exist in the wild, and only three purebred rabbits remain in captivity - one male and two females who haven't always been in the mood to mate. Their fate has rested in a captive breeding program begun in 2001 with the related Idaho pygmy rabbit. There are now 115 interbred rabbits, and wildlife biologists plan to introduce between 20-40 rabbits with genetic markers that are no less than 75 percent Columbia Basin rabbit to a nearby wildlife area in early February....
Nev. developer's bid for Az water sparks opposition The tiny community of Littlefield, sandwiched in the northwestern corner of the state on Interstate 15 between Nevada and Utah, has never been much more than a pit stop for those racing to Nevada's casinos. There is a bar, a school, a convenience store and cottonwood-lined Beaver Dam Wash that slinks through the community of about 1,500 residents. But the groundwater beneath the wash is the subject of intense concern among the locals in what one state official called an unprecedented attempt by corporate interests in Nevada to take water from Arizona. Wind River Resources, a Nevada corporation, has filed an application with the Arizona Department of Water Resources to pump as much as 14,000 acre-feet annually from the Muddy Creek aquifer to quench the thirst of rapidly growing Mesquite, Nev....
BLM Announces Plans for Wild Horse Roundup in Northern Nevada The US Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to conduct an emergency roundup of about 100 wild horses around the Clan Alpine Mountains of northern Nevada. BLM officials say the roundup expected to start this week is necessary because of a 6,200 acre wildfire this summer that destroyed forage for the animals. Agency spokesman Mark Struble says the burn area will be closed to grazing to all animals, including livestock, for up to two years to allow re-establishment of native vegetation. About 550 wild horses currently roam the Clan Alpine Herd Management Area east of Fallon, with about 100 of them in the burn area....
Slade pleads guilty to bribing BLM officer While prominent Farmington businessman Norman Geoff McMahon prepared to have his fate decided by a jury as his trial began Monday, his former business partner pleaded guilty to bribing a federal officer. Curtis Slade pleaded guilty to one count of bribing Ralph Mason, a former Bureau of Land Management (BLM) geologist. According to federal court documents filed on Oct. 20, Slade admitted to giving Mason $4,000 between Jan 1, 2002, and Sept. 30, 2002. In exchange, the officer aided Slade in acquiring permits to mine sand and gravel on BLM land in the Crouch Mesa area. Slade has yet to be sentenced. However, he faces up to two years in federal prison, a fine up to $250,000, one year on supervised probation and a $100 mandatory fine. By accepting a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop an additional bribing charge....
Off-road access to be mulled The Bureau of Land Management will hold two meetings the day after the November election on back country access along the Colorado River. The BLM is developing a travel management plan to determine if back country trail and routes, mostly for all-terrain vehicles, should be designated open, limited or closed, BLM spokeswoman Diane Williams said. The public can view maps of the plan and offer input on whether a trail should be designated open or closed. The plan is expected to be completed by the end of next year. The plan area includes BLM land north of Interstate 40 on both sides of the Colorado River and to the Black Mountains to the east, Williams said....
Hunter becomes hunted near Fernan Lake An endangered species could be trying to stage a comeback not far from Coeur d' Alene where a Post Falls man says he was approached then stalked by a wolf just east of Fernan Lake. If he's right this would be the first wolf sighting in Kootenai County in decades. Tyrel Shaw, a former Idaho National Guardsman who recently started working at Buck Knives in Post Falls, now has quite a story to tell his new colleagues. On US Forest Service land east of Fernan Lake at the base of Canfield Butte Shaw says he saw one of nature's most elusive animals....
Noise still a problem with park sled use Reacting to a study released by the National Park Service, a conservation group claims that snowmobiles still emit too much noise in Yellowstone despite restrictions on numbers and engine types. The study, which monitored decibel levels of snowmobile activity in Yellowstone National Park from December 2005 to March 2006, showed that snowmobile noise was audible at Old Faithful between 60 and 80 percent of the time during daylight hours for the entire period. Further, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees said snowmobiles have exceed Yellowstone’s noise standards for three years in a row and noise from the machines passed a “major adverse effect threshold” on 75 percent of the days that the Park Service monitored. Snowmobile advocates said the sport is well-suited to the park and called into question the Coalition’s interpretation of the study....
Cougar Predation Important in Wildland Ecosystems The general disappearance of cougars from a portion of Zion National Park in the past 70 years has allowed deer populations to dramatically increase, leading to severe ecological damage, loss of cottonwood trees, eroding streambanks, and declining biodiversity. This "trophic cascade" of environmental degradation, all linked to the decline of a major predator, has been shown in a new study to affect a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic species, according to scientists from Oregon State University. The research was just published in the journal Biological Conservation - and, like recent studies outlining similar ecological ripple effects following the disappearance of wolves in the American West - may cause land managers to reconsider the importance of predatory species in how ecosystems function. The findings are consistent, researchers say, with predictions made more than half a century ago by the famed naturalist Aldo Leopold, often considered the father of wildlife ecology....
Base jumping pioneer falls to his death Brian Schubert, a legend of base jumping who inspired the sport in 1966, has died during his first attempt at the sport in 40 years in Fayetteville, W.Va. Schubert, who was 66, jumped Saturday off a 876-foot bridge into the New River Gorge in front of 145,000 spectators, including his daughter and his jumping partner Mike Pelkey, who made the first jump alongside Schubert at Yosemite's El Capitan in 1966, The Los Angeles Times reported Monday. Schubert hit the water at the bottom of the gorge with his chute only partially opened and died. The National Park Service and the Fayette County (W.Va.) Sheriff's Department said they were investigating the incident....
National parties upping the ante as Pombo battles to keep seat Republican Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy, once expected to cruise to re-election after easily subduing a primary challenge, now finds his House seat threatened by the Democratic wave that seems to be building across the country. Analysts say the contest for Pombo's district, which includes much of San Joaquin County and parts of three Bay Area counties, has tightened and national Democrats announced Tuesday that they have purchased television time for their first ads opposing the seven-term Republican lawmaker, who is chairman of the House Resources Committee. "It's become clear that this race is close (and) that it's about more than just the district. It has become nationalized,'' said Robert Benedetti, a political science professor at University of the Pacific in Stockton. One of the best indicators of that, he said, is the money pouring into the contest. When the campaign ends, the race between Pombo and Democrat Jerry McNerney, 55, a Pleasanton wind energy consultant, is expected to have cost upwards of $10 million, making it one of the priciest congressional battles ever in California, say campaign strategists....
Outsiders converge on contentious race It's crowded on the Congressional District 11 campaign trail. Nearly two dozen groups are burning shoe leather, Internet time, money or all three in the contentious contest between GOP Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy and Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton. In a clear sign that both sides believe they can win, the district's 350,000 registered voters are awash in precinct walkers, rallies, radio and TV ads, e-mail solicitations, phone calls and fundraisers. Busloads of Bay Area progressives are walking precincts for McNerney in Tracy and Lodi. The National Rifle Association is producing pro-Pombo postcards. The Defenders of Wildlife opened a campaign office in Pleasanton and hired staff members. Combined, these outside groups have spent or expect to spend in excess of $1.3 million in this race, most of it in the drive to unseat Pombo....
Nearly 70 Policy Groups Warn: Beware of 'Invasive Species' Regulations The National Center for Public Policy Research has delivered a coalition letter signed by representatives of nearly 70 policy organizations to Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) urging him to protect private property rights by avoiding the creation of so-called "invasive species" regulations. Senator Inhofe's committee holds jurisdiction over such proposed initiatives. "This ill-advised brainchild of the Bill Clinton era needs to go the way of the Bill Clinton era," said Peyton Knight, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for The National Center. "Regulating the movement of plant and animal species based on whether or not the fringe of the environmental movement considers them 'native' or 'non-native' has very little to do with sound science and very much to do with controlling private property." In 1999 President Bill Clinton signed an Executive Order that created the "National Invasive Species Council" which broadly defines "alien species" as "any species...that is not native to that ecosystem." Since Clinton's Order, numerous regulatory measures have surfaced in Congress that seek to control so-called non-native species in ways that would likely harm private property rights and Americans' access to public lands. Noting that invasive species regulations are arbitrary and ignore the fact that "many non-native species are beneficial to ecosystems, the environment, human health and the economy," the letter concludes: "We have seen how endangered species and wetlands regulations can wreak havoc on Americans' constitutional right to private property. Invasive species regulations have the potential to be even more damaging to this fundamental right." A copy of the letter can be found online here....
Rooting out defiant farmers About 50 northern Colorado farmers have defied orders to turn off their groundwater pumps and now may face fines, state engineer Hal Simpson says. For the past two years, Simpson has ordered about 2,000 well shutdowns for farmers who failed to prove they could replace their withdrawals from underground aquifers linked to the South Platte River. Many farmers in Weld, Adams and Morgan Counties obeyed Simpson's order and watched as their crops withered and died. But apparently not everyone. Simpson said utility records show that several farmers turned on their groundwater pumps despite his orders. This week, the state engineer's office will begin notifying the pumping scofflaws, who will have to answer to a Greeley water court judge....
Humans living far beyond planet's means: WWF Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends, the WWF conservation group said on Tuesday. Populations of many species, from fish to mammals, had fallen by about a third from 1970 to 2003 largely because of human threats such as pollution, clearing of forests and overfishing, the group also said in a two-yearly report. "For more than 20 years we have exceeded the earth's ability to support a consumptive lifestyle that is unsustainable and we cannot afford to continue down this path," WWF Director-General James Leape said, launching the WWF's 2006 Living Planet Report. "If everyone around the world lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support us," Leape, an American, said in Beijing. People in the United Arab Emirates were placing most stress per capita on the planet ahead of those in the United States, Finland and Canada, the report said. Australia was also living well beyond its means....
Looking after the lambs: Community unites to save offspring of injured ewes It was close to their noon feeding. The three newborn lambs circled around Janet and Dewey Berry excitedly, nibbling at their clothing-and anything else they could get their mouths on. The lambs were born from three different ewes, but they are now sisters. They quickly became attached to one another after only a couple of days in the same pen. Now they play and sleep together as a family unit. They are the first of a new generation of lambs born from badly injured ewes that survived a Yolo County wildfire, which scorched more than 11,000 acres and destroyed most of the sheep caught in its path. The Slaven family, which owned some 1,200 sheep on 2,000 acres in Zamora, sustained the worst damage. Rancher Bruce Rodegerdts, who had about 300 sheep, also lost most of his herd. When Janet Berry, who has known the two families for many years, saw the devastation on her neighbors' ranches, she knew she had to do something. She is coordinating a community volunteer effort to care for any newborn lambs from the surviving ewes while the two families rebuild their ranches and get back on their feet....
Thriving bison? Experts get to meat of matter The best way to save the bison, reckons Tom Olson, may be to eat more of them. Olson, a Canadian bison rancher, explained that the way to get more people invested in the plight of the bison - a species that was almost extinct at the turn of the century - may be to sell the virtues of their meat. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know we're in rough shape," Olson said. "But bison is a very healthy meat; that's not lost on the general public." Olson was among the speakers at a national bison conference being held this week at the Brown Palace Hotel. Sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the conference has attracted more than 160 people with interests in bison, including private ranchers, zookeepers, wildlife officials and American Indian groups. They are all people who know the difference between a bison and a buffalo. (While the two animals are in the same family, true buffalo are native only to Africa and Asia.) Conference attendees are discussing the ecological restoration of bison - a time when large herds can once again roam across their historic ranges....
Washington landowners agree to help tiny rabbits Now all they need is the rabbits. On a sprawling central Washington wheat farm, state and federal officials signed a landmark agreement Tuesday to create a "safe harbor" for reintroduction of the tiny Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, which was listed as an endangered species in 2001 and whose impending return has raised concerns among area farmers that the bunnies could bust their business. Pygmy rabbits are the smallest rabbits in North America, weighing about 1 pound, and one of only two rabbit species that dig burrows in deep soil. They are found in shrub-steppe habitat with plenty of sagebrush. The Columbia Basin rabbit, however, has been an isolated population for thousands of years and differs genetically from other pygmy rabbits. None are believed to exist in the wild, and only three purebred rabbits remain in captivity - one male and two females who haven't always been in the mood to mate. Their fate has rested in a captive breeding program begun in 2001 with the related Idaho pygmy rabbit. There are now 115 interbred rabbits, and wildlife biologists plan to introduce between 20-40 rabbits with genetic markers that are no less than 75 percent Columbia Basin rabbit to a nearby wildlife area in early February....
Nev. developer's bid for Az water sparks opposition The tiny community of Littlefield, sandwiched in the northwestern corner of the state on Interstate 15 between Nevada and Utah, has never been much more than a pit stop for those racing to Nevada's casinos. There is a bar, a school, a convenience store and cottonwood-lined Beaver Dam Wash that slinks through the community of about 1,500 residents. But the groundwater beneath the wash is the subject of intense concern among the locals in what one state official called an unprecedented attempt by corporate interests in Nevada to take water from Arizona. Wind River Resources, a Nevada corporation, has filed an application with the Arizona Department of Water Resources to pump as much as 14,000 acre-feet annually from the Muddy Creek aquifer to quench the thirst of rapidly growing Mesquite, Nev....
BLM Announces Plans for Wild Horse Roundup in Northern Nevada The US Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to conduct an emergency roundup of about 100 wild horses around the Clan Alpine Mountains of northern Nevada. BLM officials say the roundup expected to start this week is necessary because of a 6,200 acre wildfire this summer that destroyed forage for the animals. Agency spokesman Mark Struble says the burn area will be closed to grazing to all animals, including livestock, for up to two years to allow re-establishment of native vegetation. About 550 wild horses currently roam the Clan Alpine Herd Management Area east of Fallon, with about 100 of them in the burn area....
Slade pleads guilty to bribing BLM officer While prominent Farmington businessman Norman Geoff McMahon prepared to have his fate decided by a jury as his trial began Monday, his former business partner pleaded guilty to bribing a federal officer. Curtis Slade pleaded guilty to one count of bribing Ralph Mason, a former Bureau of Land Management (BLM) geologist. According to federal court documents filed on Oct. 20, Slade admitted to giving Mason $4,000 between Jan 1, 2002, and Sept. 30, 2002. In exchange, the officer aided Slade in acquiring permits to mine sand and gravel on BLM land in the Crouch Mesa area. Slade has yet to be sentenced. However, he faces up to two years in federal prison, a fine up to $250,000, one year on supervised probation and a $100 mandatory fine. By accepting a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop an additional bribing charge....
Off-road access to be mulled The Bureau of Land Management will hold two meetings the day after the November election on back country access along the Colorado River. The BLM is developing a travel management plan to determine if back country trail and routes, mostly for all-terrain vehicles, should be designated open, limited or closed, BLM spokeswoman Diane Williams said. The public can view maps of the plan and offer input on whether a trail should be designated open or closed. The plan is expected to be completed by the end of next year. The plan area includes BLM land north of Interstate 40 on both sides of the Colorado River and to the Black Mountains to the east, Williams said....
Hunter becomes hunted near Fernan Lake An endangered species could be trying to stage a comeback not far from Coeur d' Alene where a Post Falls man says he was approached then stalked by a wolf just east of Fernan Lake. If he's right this would be the first wolf sighting in Kootenai County in decades. Tyrel Shaw, a former Idaho National Guardsman who recently started working at Buck Knives in Post Falls, now has quite a story to tell his new colleagues. On US Forest Service land east of Fernan Lake at the base of Canfield Butte Shaw says he saw one of nature's most elusive animals....
Noise still a problem with park sled use Reacting to a study released by the National Park Service, a conservation group claims that snowmobiles still emit too much noise in Yellowstone despite restrictions on numbers and engine types. The study, which monitored decibel levels of snowmobile activity in Yellowstone National Park from December 2005 to March 2006, showed that snowmobile noise was audible at Old Faithful between 60 and 80 percent of the time during daylight hours for the entire period. Further, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees said snowmobiles have exceed Yellowstone’s noise standards for three years in a row and noise from the machines passed a “major adverse effect threshold” on 75 percent of the days that the Park Service monitored. Snowmobile advocates said the sport is well-suited to the park and called into question the Coalition’s interpretation of the study....
Cougar Predation Important in Wildland Ecosystems The general disappearance of cougars from a portion of Zion National Park in the past 70 years has allowed deer populations to dramatically increase, leading to severe ecological damage, loss of cottonwood trees, eroding streambanks, and declining biodiversity. This "trophic cascade" of environmental degradation, all linked to the decline of a major predator, has been shown in a new study to affect a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic species, according to scientists from Oregon State University. The research was just published in the journal Biological Conservation - and, like recent studies outlining similar ecological ripple effects following the disappearance of wolves in the American West - may cause land managers to reconsider the importance of predatory species in how ecosystems function. The findings are consistent, researchers say, with predictions made more than half a century ago by the famed naturalist Aldo Leopold, often considered the father of wildlife ecology....
Base jumping pioneer falls to his death Brian Schubert, a legend of base jumping who inspired the sport in 1966, has died during his first attempt at the sport in 40 years in Fayetteville, W.Va. Schubert, who was 66, jumped Saturday off a 876-foot bridge into the New River Gorge in front of 145,000 spectators, including his daughter and his jumping partner Mike Pelkey, who made the first jump alongside Schubert at Yosemite's El Capitan in 1966, The Los Angeles Times reported Monday. Schubert hit the water at the bottom of the gorge with his chute only partially opened and died. The National Park Service and the Fayette County (W.Va.) Sheriff's Department said they were investigating the incident....
National parties upping the ante as Pombo battles to keep seat Republican Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy, once expected to cruise to re-election after easily subduing a primary challenge, now finds his House seat threatened by the Democratic wave that seems to be building across the country. Analysts say the contest for Pombo's district, which includes much of San Joaquin County and parts of three Bay Area counties, has tightened and national Democrats announced Tuesday that they have purchased television time for their first ads opposing the seven-term Republican lawmaker, who is chairman of the House Resources Committee. "It's become clear that this race is close (and) that it's about more than just the district. It has become nationalized,'' said Robert Benedetti, a political science professor at University of the Pacific in Stockton. One of the best indicators of that, he said, is the money pouring into the contest. When the campaign ends, the race between Pombo and Democrat Jerry McNerney, 55, a Pleasanton wind energy consultant, is expected to have cost upwards of $10 million, making it one of the priciest congressional battles ever in California, say campaign strategists....
Outsiders converge on contentious race It's crowded on the Congressional District 11 campaign trail. Nearly two dozen groups are burning shoe leather, Internet time, money or all three in the contentious contest between GOP Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy and Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton. In a clear sign that both sides believe they can win, the district's 350,000 registered voters are awash in precinct walkers, rallies, radio and TV ads, e-mail solicitations, phone calls and fundraisers. Busloads of Bay Area progressives are walking precincts for McNerney in Tracy and Lodi. The National Rifle Association is producing pro-Pombo postcards. The Defenders of Wildlife opened a campaign office in Pleasanton and hired staff members. Combined, these outside groups have spent or expect to spend in excess of $1.3 million in this race, most of it in the drive to unseat Pombo....
Nearly 70 Policy Groups Warn: Beware of 'Invasive Species' Regulations The National Center for Public Policy Research has delivered a coalition letter signed by representatives of nearly 70 policy organizations to Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) urging him to protect private property rights by avoiding the creation of so-called "invasive species" regulations. Senator Inhofe's committee holds jurisdiction over such proposed initiatives. "This ill-advised brainchild of the Bill Clinton era needs to go the way of the Bill Clinton era," said Peyton Knight, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for The National Center. "Regulating the movement of plant and animal species based on whether or not the fringe of the environmental movement considers them 'native' or 'non-native' has very little to do with sound science and very much to do with controlling private property." In 1999 President Bill Clinton signed an Executive Order that created the "National Invasive Species Council" which broadly defines "alien species" as "any species...that is not native to that ecosystem." Since Clinton's Order, numerous regulatory measures have surfaced in Congress that seek to control so-called non-native species in ways that would likely harm private property rights and Americans' access to public lands. Noting that invasive species regulations are arbitrary and ignore the fact that "many non-native species are beneficial to ecosystems, the environment, human health and the economy," the letter concludes: "We have seen how endangered species and wetlands regulations can wreak havoc on Americans' constitutional right to private property. Invasive species regulations have the potential to be even more damaging to this fundamental right." A copy of the letter can be found online here....
Rooting out defiant farmers About 50 northern Colorado farmers have defied orders to turn off their groundwater pumps and now may face fines, state engineer Hal Simpson says. For the past two years, Simpson has ordered about 2,000 well shutdowns for farmers who failed to prove they could replace their withdrawals from underground aquifers linked to the South Platte River. Many farmers in Weld, Adams and Morgan Counties obeyed Simpson's order and watched as their crops withered and died. But apparently not everyone. Simpson said utility records show that several farmers turned on their groundwater pumps despite his orders. This week, the state engineer's office will begin notifying the pumping scofflaws, who will have to answer to a Greeley water court judge....
Humans living far beyond planet's means: WWF Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends, the WWF conservation group said on Tuesday. Populations of many species, from fish to mammals, had fallen by about a third from 1970 to 2003 largely because of human threats such as pollution, clearing of forests and overfishing, the group also said in a two-yearly report. "For more than 20 years we have exceeded the earth's ability to support a consumptive lifestyle that is unsustainable and we cannot afford to continue down this path," WWF Director-General James Leape said, launching the WWF's 2006 Living Planet Report. "If everyone around the world lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support us," Leape, an American, said in Beijing. People in the United Arab Emirates were placing most stress per capita on the planet ahead of those in the United States, Finland and Canada, the report said. Australia was also living well beyond its means....
Looking after the lambs: Community unites to save offspring of injured ewes It was close to their noon feeding. The three newborn lambs circled around Janet and Dewey Berry excitedly, nibbling at their clothing-and anything else they could get their mouths on. The lambs were born from three different ewes, but they are now sisters. They quickly became attached to one another after only a couple of days in the same pen. Now they play and sleep together as a family unit. They are the first of a new generation of lambs born from badly injured ewes that survived a Yolo County wildfire, which scorched more than 11,000 acres and destroyed most of the sheep caught in its path. The Slaven family, which owned some 1,200 sheep on 2,000 acres in Zamora, sustained the worst damage. Rancher Bruce Rodegerdts, who had about 300 sheep, also lost most of his herd. When Janet Berry, who has known the two families for many years, saw the devastation on her neighbors' ranches, she knew she had to do something. She is coordinating a community volunteer effort to care for any newborn lambs from the surviving ewes while the two families rebuild their ranches and get back on their feet....
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
NEWS ROUNDUP
Mammoth task of reversing history The impact of extinct large mammals can still be seen in the design of living creatures. Take the pronghorn Antilocapra americana, an antelope-like animal found throughout the south-western US, as an example. Various traits were honed long ago on the North American grasslands so, by today's standards, it is "overbuilt," according to Donlan. Four million years of hunting by the now-extinct American cheetah (Micracinonyx trumani ) was probably why the pronghorn is still able to run at 60mph. Returning free-ranging African cheetah to the south-west would restore the ecological interactions with the pronghorn and, as a bonus, provide endangered cheetah with a new habitat. Owners of private land in the central and western US are already testing rewilding with a rather more ponderous creature. The Bolson tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus, known locally as Tortuga Grande), which can weigh up to 100 pounds, once thrived in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. Today, it survives only in a small area of northern Mexico. A pilot study to reintroduce the tortoise has already started on Armendaris Ranch in eastern Sierra County, New Mexico, owned by former media tycoon Ted Turner, now an environmentalist....
Lead poisoning eyed as threat to California condor One of the great feel-good environmental stories of the past 30 years is the recovery of the majestic California condor, North America's largest bird, a scavenger-turned-billboard for the campaign to save endangered species. On the brink of extinction, saved by a captive-breeding program, the condor population has grown from just 22 birds in 1982 to 289 today; 135 are in the wild and more are released every year. Even so, condors have failed to gain a secure foothold in the hills and deserts of California and Arizona because of lead poisoning, the most often diagnosed cause of death, environmentalists say. Environmental groups say the most likely source is condors' eating of game that was shot by hunters using lead bullets. Frustrated that most hunters have not switched to substitutes, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other groups notified California officials in July that they will sue under the Endangered Species Act to force a ban. At a meeting of state fish and game staff this month to discuss potential hunting-rule changes to recommend, the groups again asked for a ban on lead ammunition. A decision is likely early next year. Lead shot used in shotguns to hunt waterfowl has been prohibited since the 1980s....
Manatee spotted in Memphis river An adventurous manatee strayed far from its usual coastal habitat to make an appearance on a Mississippi River tributary near downtown Memphis on Monday. The distance on the curvy river from near its delta in Louisiana to Memphis is more than 725 miles, according to Army Corps of Engineers charts. "I got a call about 3 p.m. about either a hippo or a manatee in the water," said Andy Tweed, an officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency. Officers from the agency and zoologists from the Memphis Zoo confirmed the sighting and observed the animal from boats. The endangered species generally prefers warm coastal waters ranging from Alabama to South Carolina, although there were sightings this August along the East Coast up to Rhode Island. "If he did swim from Florida, he's doing really well," Tweed said, estimating its size between eight and 10 feet, and its weight up to 1,000 pounds....
Channel Speaks Up for Wildlife Animal Planet has joined forces with animal and environmental activist organizations to form R.O.A.R. (Reach Out, Act, Respond), a nonprofit national campaign to protect animals. Participants include the American Humane Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the American Veterinary Medical Association, Earthwatch Institute, EcoZone, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Wildlife Federation, the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots program, Wildlife Warriors and the World Wildlife Fund. The campaign kicked off Oct. 18 with a fund-raising party in Los Angeles, hosted by Hal Sparks ( Celebrity Duets , Showtime's Queer as Folk ). The following day, Animal Planet began running R.O.A.R. campaign spots featuring Animal Planet personality Jeff Corwin, Dr. Jane Goodall, Animal Precinct 's Annemarie Lucas and Emergency Vets doctors Holly Knor and Kevin Fitzgerald....
Groups see hope for eco-issues on Nov. 7 A recent mailer to voters in a House district south of San Francisco Bay accused the incumbent Republican, Rep. Richard Pombo, of failing to act on "documented charges of child prostitution, forced abortion and sweatshop labor." The mailer ties Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, to corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who represented business interests in the North Marianas Islands, a U.S. territory where abuses have been alleged. The only mention of the environment was in the disclosure: Paid for by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. Pombo's defeat would cheer environmentalists across the country -- and affect the debate on drilling for oil and gas off the Florida coast. Though still appearing to lead his Democratic rival, a wind energy engineer named Jerry McNerney, Pombo is the No. 1 target of environmental groups determined to oust him on a wave of voter revulsion at Republican ethical problems. As chairman of the House Resources Committee, Pombo earned the enmity of environmentalists since he took the post two years ago and led efforts to rewrite the Endangered Species Act and expand offshore oil and gas drilling....
Analyst: Richard Pombo In Political Fight Of Life Political eyes across the nation are focused on a handful of races that could turn the balance of power in Congress. Democrats need to win 15 seats to take control of the House of Representatives. One of the races democrats are hoping to win is District 11 here in the Bay Area. The polls show the race is tight between Rep. Richard Pombo and his democratic opponent Jerry McNerney. District 11 covers parts of the South Bay and the Tri-valley area, but the biggest portion of the district is in San Joaquin County. Pombo is a rancher from Tracy and chairman of the powerful House Resources Committee. President George W. Bush held a fundraiser for Pombo in October. While Mcnerney has always made himself available to talk to voters and reporters, Pombo has turned down requests for interviews for the past month, according to NBC11's Damian Trujillo....
19 bears reported killed as hunt opens Sitting in his tree stand yesterday morning, Danny Fyffe barely had time to raise a decent-sized goosebump when a black form ambled into view. "Should I shoot?" he asked his friend, Greg Haberkorn, huddled next to him. Before Haberkorn could answer, a larger form came into view less than a football field away. Shouldering his rifle, Fyffe fired twice. The black bear stumbled a few yards and rolled over. He fired once more. With that, the Baltimore City police detective recorded the first bear kill of the season, a 290-pound male that had been tagged as a nuisance animal by wildlife biologists last year. The landowner, George Shifflett, was pleased. "There are way too many bears up here. I've videotaped seven different ones in an hour," he said, watching state wildlife biologists weigh and measure the kill. "There's one that makes this one look like a baby - 5 1/2 [550 to] 600 pounds - that keeps tearing our apple trees down."....
New World Wildlife Fund Report Details Global Impact on Natural Resources Following this week's news that the population of the United States has now exceeded 300 million, a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) details the strain on the world's natural resources and the declining numbers of the animal species that depend on them and offers solutions to reverse downward trends in both these areas. WWF's Living Planet Report 2006, which explores the overall impact of humankind on the planet, reports that the world's natural ecosystems are being degraded at a rate unprecedented in human history. The report confirms that humanity is using the planet's resources faster than they can be renewed and that populations of vertebrate species have declined by about one third since 1970. "The bottom line of this report could not be more clear -- for 20 years we've lived our lives in a way that far exceeds the carrying capacity of the Earth," said Carter S. Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund. "The choices we make today will shape the possibilities for the generations which follow us. The fact that live we live beyond our means in our use of natural resources will surely limit opportunities for future generations that follow."....Go here to view the report.
'Taking On Goliath' - Citizens Tackle Coal Bed Methane Development In response to the Bush administration's heightened emphasis on drilling for oil and gas in the West, Orion Magazine, "America's finest environmental magazine" (Boston Globe), today issued an on-line citizens' primer on coal bed methane development, entitled "Taking On Goliath." The primer includes the full text of feature articles in the magazine's new November/December issue and a Web site (http://www.orionmagazine.org/cbm) that includes extensive maps, 27 reports and publications, contact lists for 43 citizens' groups, audio clips featuring people most affected, and extensive video and print resources for reporters, editors, and activists. "Across the West, gas development is devastating land and people," said Orion executive editor Harlan C. Clifford. "Americans' thirst for energy is driving a wave of energy industrialization that threatens communities throughout twelve Western states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana." Last year, a record 36,827 gas drilling permits were issued in the United States, many for coal bed methane (CBM) drilling. Many of these CBM wells are being drilled on private land, even when landowners strenuously object (many Western landowners own the surface rights to the land, but not the gas buried below). The results can be tragic for the people who make these places their home, Clifford said....
The horizon recedes again on Indians' vast royalty claims Hopes were high this summer when news reports from Washington, D.C., indicated that Congress could be on the verge of settling a long-running lawsuit against the federal government over billions of dollars claimed by Native American landowners across the West. The suit also returned to the national radar when an appeals court took the highly unusual step of removing the federal judge overseeing the matter, saying he had become too biased in favor of the Indians. But Congress adjourned for the election season without taking up the $8-billion near-deal outlined by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee. And anger and frustration returned to places like the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, home of Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the complicated case. "I'm afraid this whole problem is going to be swept under the rug again," said Cobell, a banker and rancher here....
Land above proposed resort must be protected, groups say Bob Clark of the Sierra Club doesn't mince words when it comes to the Bitterroot Resort's proposal to put ski runs on Lolo Peak and the side of Carlton Ridge. “Why should the public feel pressured to give up 12,000 acres of land so a handful of people can essentially benefit from elevated real estate prices?” he asked. Ever since Lolo rancher Tom Maclay announced his intention to build a world-class resort on his property at the base of the Bitterroot Mountains, people haven't hesitated to speak out against his idea of incorporating public lands. Maclay asked the U.S. Forest Service to consider designating thousands of acres of public lands open for development above his ranch as part of the agency's most recent planning process. Both the Bitterroot and Lolo national forests are currently updating the land-use plans that will establish their management direction for the next decade or so. Their final decisions are due this spring. Clark and others hope the agency will stick to its guns and retain the semi-primitive nature of Lolo Peak and Carlton Ridge....
Forest Service OKs logging The U.S. Forest Service has dismissed an objection from an environmental group that sought to delay the salvage logging of thousands of trees uprooted by a rare tornado in central Idaho. Bidding on timber sales has already begun. This Friday, the Forest Service will award contracts for an estimated 18.5 million board feet of downed and buckled timber in the Payette National Forest near the Oregon border, said spokesman Boyd Hartwig. After the Forest Service released an environmental assessment in August, the WildWest Institute, an environmental group based in Missoula, Mont., filed an objection. Regional Forester Jack Troyer, in Ogden, Utah, denied the objection last week....
Legislators urged to ban drilling on Rocky Mountain Front Representatives from more than 30 sportsmen's and outdoors groups have signed a letter to members of Congress asking them to support legislation intended to prevent future gas, oil and mineral exploration in Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., inserted the legislation into the Interior Appropriations bill. It would withdraw federal lands along the Rocky Mountain Front from future natural gas and oil leasing and mineral exploration. In their letter, the groups said that recent actions by two energy companies to sell or donate their leases along the Front, combined with Burns' legislation, will help permanently protect the Front from speculative natural gas exploration. "This nonpartisan, homegrown solution continues a 100-year tradition of conservation on the Front, protects public access and ranching traditions, enjoys the support of a solid majority of Montanans and helps maintain this stunning landscape for future generations to enjoy," the letter states....
Man shot by U.S. Forest official clearing pot field A man was shot by a law enforcement officer for the U.S. Forest Service after a marijuana grove was discovered Sunday on public land near Sunflower in northeastern Maricopa County, authorities said Monday.
The shooting occurred while officers were attempting to destroy about 3,100 plants that were spread over about a 4-acre area, said Paige Rockett, a spokeswoman for the Tonto National Forest. They encountered four armed suspects, one of whom aimed a rifle at them, Rockett said. An officer fired three times and wounded the man, she said. The 20-year-old suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital with wounds that were not considered life-threatening, Rockett said....
USA's trees under relentless attack from bugs, blight Some of the USA's most treasured tree species, from ash and aspen to white pine and Hawaii's native wiliwili, are under attack by insects and diseases in a growing assault coast to coast. Some of the killers are foreign pests brought here in cargo or by travelers. Others are homegrown insects at epidemic levels because of drought and unusual warmth. This year has been the warmest on record. The Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service finished adopting new rules this summer barring cargo from abroad unless crates and pallets are treated with chemicals or heat to kill any bugs in the wood. "We're at one of those points in time where it's all happening at once," says Wayne Shepperd of the U.S. Forest Service. The mountain pine beetle, a native, has ravaged millions of acres of Western forests. Trees were weakened by drought or subjected to worse infestations because warmer temperatures allowed the bugs to multiply faster. The emerald ash borer from Asia is killing species that have no natural defenses....
What climate scientists have learned from Western wildfires Many wildland firefighters carry an instrument called a sling psychrometer. It consists of two encased thermometers, and is swung above the head on a short rope -- making the firefighters appear not unlike David readying to slay Goliath. The instrument gives a quick field reading of relative humidity, one of the most important factors in predicting what a wildfire is going to do. Quick drops in relative humidity are a sure signal that the air is getting drier and that a fire is about to turn ugly. Wildland firefighters know weather. They study weather reports and projections. They track fronts moving across the continent. Just like you, they watch The Weather Channel. But firefighters also have to understand the sky. They have to be aware of wind, and to understand wind they have to recognize how different cloud formations indicate coming changes. The last thing a firefighter wants is to be caught on the business end of an unforeseen wind change. So when wildland firefighters talk about climate change, it's good to listen. They have been paying attention. Toby Richards, a fire management officer for New Mexico's Gila National Forest, realized that something was changing in climate patterns when he had to check on a fire a few years back that had ignited in mid-winter above 9,000 feet. "We went up to a lookout and watched this fire burning in an area that was normally under six feet of snow," he remembers. "Every once in a while you will get a lightning strike up that high that burns a tree or two in the winter, but this fire grew to a hundred acres." Richards is not alone in observing changes in western wildfire patterns. Firefighters and fire scientists across the West have been noting for years that the fire season is getting longer, fires are growing larger, and many wildfires are starting to behave in ways that are considered unusual....
Greens miffed at governor's plan A federal judge last month tossed out a Bush administration policy that reopened more than 58 million acres of roadless forest closed off under President Clinton. Despite the ruling, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. plans to submit a roadless forest petition to the Department of Agriculture next month, as requested. And the petition will be notable, because it will, in all likelihood, lack any specific request to protect the state's roadless forest areas - which comprise roughly half of Utah's 8 million acres of national forest lands. A draft synopsis of Utah's petition, released by the state's Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, calls on the Forest Service to undertake "active" management of all Utah forest lands not under wilderness area protection to address wildfire, vegetation, wildlife, livestock, recreation and land-ownership issues. The state petition also requests that "all previous inventories of roadless, or unroaded lands in the national forests be obsolete, moot and of no further legal effect." And it calls on the Forest Service to establish advisory committees comprised of state and local government officials "to advise the Forest Supervisor on an ongoing basis about the management of these areas."....
California Ranch's $155 Million Tag May Top Oprah Buy The Cojo Ranch and neighboring Jalama Ranch don't have mansions or pools or tennis courts to feature in glossy ``exclusive'' real estate guides. They've got something more spectacular -- miles of undeveloped central California coastline, 1,200 head of Hereford cattle, mountain lions, and an asking price like few others: $155 million. Taken together, Cojo and Jalama are a ``kingdom property,'' a piece of real estate so vast and remote that the super-rich can disappear there and rule a private domain like William Randolph Hearst did until half a century ago at San Simeon, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) up Highway 1. In a state famed for pricey real estate, the proposed joint sale of the ranches -- covering 37 square miles (96 square kilometers) of open land a 90-minute drive north of Santa Barbara -- has impressed even the most jaded Californians....
Cows Come Home This summer`s drought was tough on ranchers, many of whom were forced to make some difficult decisions with their livestock. Earlier this summer, we introduced you to the VanderWals of southern Emmons County, who realized early on that the drought would force them to change their usual management practices. Without a crop and without enough stored feed, they decided to send a herd of heifers to Wyoming for the summer. If cows could talk, this herd would have quite the story to tell. The drought forced them 400 miles away from their home in North Dakota. "We just didn`t have the grass for them, didn`t have a place to put them, found some pastures out in Wyoming," says Carter VanderWal. Now, the VanderWals cows have come home, where they`ll stay for the winter. "With the CRP hay, looks like we`re gonna have plenty of hay to feed them, should turn out okay," Carter says. The cows didn`t gain as much weight in Wyoming as the VanderWals would have expected them to gain at home, if they had been able to feed them....
It's All Trew: Early trail drives went in a different direction When the words “trail drive” are mentioned, most conjure up images of Charles Goodnight or John Wayne, a chuck wagon and miles-long streams of longhorns grazing their way north to the Kansas railheads. Few know that trail drives were taking place regularly some 50 years before the railroad tracks drew herds to Dodge City or Abilene, Kan. The book “They Pointed Them East” by Jim Bob Jackson uses the diary of Capt. William B. Duncan, an early day southwest Texas cattleman, to tell the story of trail drives to New Orleans in the 1820s to 1860s long before the famous drives started to Kansas. In order to sell lots of beef, you needed lots of people eating the product. In the first half of the 1800s, the largest gathering of people in the south was at New Orleans so pioneer cattlemen began driving their beeves to that area. Like the early trail drives to Kansas, drives to New Orleans encountered storms, cattle thieves and a lot of hard work. Unlike the dry desert areas of the Kansas ventures, the southern drivers had the opposite. There were five major rivers to cross in Texas and four more in Louisiana before reaching a point where the livestock could be loaded on steamboats pulling barges and hauled to the abattoirs of Orleans....
Mammoth task of reversing history The impact of extinct large mammals can still be seen in the design of living creatures. Take the pronghorn Antilocapra americana, an antelope-like animal found throughout the south-western US, as an example. Various traits were honed long ago on the North American grasslands so, by today's standards, it is "overbuilt," according to Donlan. Four million years of hunting by the now-extinct American cheetah (Micracinonyx trumani ) was probably why the pronghorn is still able to run at 60mph. Returning free-ranging African cheetah to the south-west would restore the ecological interactions with the pronghorn and, as a bonus, provide endangered cheetah with a new habitat. Owners of private land in the central and western US are already testing rewilding with a rather more ponderous creature. The Bolson tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus, known locally as Tortuga Grande), which can weigh up to 100 pounds, once thrived in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. Today, it survives only in a small area of northern Mexico. A pilot study to reintroduce the tortoise has already started on Armendaris Ranch in eastern Sierra County, New Mexico, owned by former media tycoon Ted Turner, now an environmentalist....
Lead poisoning eyed as threat to California condor One of the great feel-good environmental stories of the past 30 years is the recovery of the majestic California condor, North America's largest bird, a scavenger-turned-billboard for the campaign to save endangered species. On the brink of extinction, saved by a captive-breeding program, the condor population has grown from just 22 birds in 1982 to 289 today; 135 are in the wild and more are released every year. Even so, condors have failed to gain a secure foothold in the hills and deserts of California and Arizona because of lead poisoning, the most often diagnosed cause of death, environmentalists say. Environmental groups say the most likely source is condors' eating of game that was shot by hunters using lead bullets. Frustrated that most hunters have not switched to substitutes, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other groups notified California officials in July that they will sue under the Endangered Species Act to force a ban. At a meeting of state fish and game staff this month to discuss potential hunting-rule changes to recommend, the groups again asked for a ban on lead ammunition. A decision is likely early next year. Lead shot used in shotguns to hunt waterfowl has been prohibited since the 1980s....
Manatee spotted in Memphis river An adventurous manatee strayed far from its usual coastal habitat to make an appearance on a Mississippi River tributary near downtown Memphis on Monday. The distance on the curvy river from near its delta in Louisiana to Memphis is more than 725 miles, according to Army Corps of Engineers charts. "I got a call about 3 p.m. about either a hippo or a manatee in the water," said Andy Tweed, an officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency. Officers from the agency and zoologists from the Memphis Zoo confirmed the sighting and observed the animal from boats. The endangered species generally prefers warm coastal waters ranging from Alabama to South Carolina, although there were sightings this August along the East Coast up to Rhode Island. "If he did swim from Florida, he's doing really well," Tweed said, estimating its size between eight and 10 feet, and its weight up to 1,000 pounds....
Channel Speaks Up for Wildlife Animal Planet has joined forces with animal and environmental activist organizations to form R.O.A.R. (Reach Out, Act, Respond), a nonprofit national campaign to protect animals. Participants include the American Humane Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the American Veterinary Medical Association, Earthwatch Institute, EcoZone, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Wildlife Federation, the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots program, Wildlife Warriors and the World Wildlife Fund. The campaign kicked off Oct. 18 with a fund-raising party in Los Angeles, hosted by Hal Sparks ( Celebrity Duets , Showtime's Queer as Folk ). The following day, Animal Planet began running R.O.A.R. campaign spots featuring Animal Planet personality Jeff Corwin, Dr. Jane Goodall, Animal Precinct 's Annemarie Lucas and Emergency Vets doctors Holly Knor and Kevin Fitzgerald....
Groups see hope for eco-issues on Nov. 7 A recent mailer to voters in a House district south of San Francisco Bay accused the incumbent Republican, Rep. Richard Pombo, of failing to act on "documented charges of child prostitution, forced abortion and sweatshop labor." The mailer ties Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, to corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who represented business interests in the North Marianas Islands, a U.S. territory where abuses have been alleged. The only mention of the environment was in the disclosure: Paid for by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. Pombo's defeat would cheer environmentalists across the country -- and affect the debate on drilling for oil and gas off the Florida coast. Though still appearing to lead his Democratic rival, a wind energy engineer named Jerry McNerney, Pombo is the No. 1 target of environmental groups determined to oust him on a wave of voter revulsion at Republican ethical problems. As chairman of the House Resources Committee, Pombo earned the enmity of environmentalists since he took the post two years ago and led efforts to rewrite the Endangered Species Act and expand offshore oil and gas drilling....
Analyst: Richard Pombo In Political Fight Of Life Political eyes across the nation are focused on a handful of races that could turn the balance of power in Congress. Democrats need to win 15 seats to take control of the House of Representatives. One of the races democrats are hoping to win is District 11 here in the Bay Area. The polls show the race is tight between Rep. Richard Pombo and his democratic opponent Jerry McNerney. District 11 covers parts of the South Bay and the Tri-valley area, but the biggest portion of the district is in San Joaquin County. Pombo is a rancher from Tracy and chairman of the powerful House Resources Committee. President George W. Bush held a fundraiser for Pombo in October. While Mcnerney has always made himself available to talk to voters and reporters, Pombo has turned down requests for interviews for the past month, according to NBC11's Damian Trujillo....
19 bears reported killed as hunt opens Sitting in his tree stand yesterday morning, Danny Fyffe barely had time to raise a decent-sized goosebump when a black form ambled into view. "Should I shoot?" he asked his friend, Greg Haberkorn, huddled next to him. Before Haberkorn could answer, a larger form came into view less than a football field away. Shouldering his rifle, Fyffe fired twice. The black bear stumbled a few yards and rolled over. He fired once more. With that, the Baltimore City police detective recorded the first bear kill of the season, a 290-pound male that had been tagged as a nuisance animal by wildlife biologists last year. The landowner, George Shifflett, was pleased. "There are way too many bears up here. I've videotaped seven different ones in an hour," he said, watching state wildlife biologists weigh and measure the kill. "There's one that makes this one look like a baby - 5 1/2 [550 to] 600 pounds - that keeps tearing our apple trees down."....
New World Wildlife Fund Report Details Global Impact on Natural Resources Following this week's news that the population of the United States has now exceeded 300 million, a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) details the strain on the world's natural resources and the declining numbers of the animal species that depend on them and offers solutions to reverse downward trends in both these areas. WWF's Living Planet Report 2006, which explores the overall impact of humankind on the planet, reports that the world's natural ecosystems are being degraded at a rate unprecedented in human history. The report confirms that humanity is using the planet's resources faster than they can be renewed and that populations of vertebrate species have declined by about one third since 1970. "The bottom line of this report could not be more clear -- for 20 years we've lived our lives in a way that far exceeds the carrying capacity of the Earth," said Carter S. Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund. "The choices we make today will shape the possibilities for the generations which follow us. The fact that live we live beyond our means in our use of natural resources will surely limit opportunities for future generations that follow."....Go here to view the report.
'Taking On Goliath' - Citizens Tackle Coal Bed Methane Development In response to the Bush administration's heightened emphasis on drilling for oil and gas in the West, Orion Magazine, "America's finest environmental magazine" (Boston Globe), today issued an on-line citizens' primer on coal bed methane development, entitled "Taking On Goliath." The primer includes the full text of feature articles in the magazine's new November/December issue and a Web site (http://www.orionmagazine.org/cbm) that includes extensive maps, 27 reports and publications, contact lists for 43 citizens' groups, audio clips featuring people most affected, and extensive video and print resources for reporters, editors, and activists. "Across the West, gas development is devastating land and people," said Orion executive editor Harlan C. Clifford. "Americans' thirst for energy is driving a wave of energy industrialization that threatens communities throughout twelve Western states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana." Last year, a record 36,827 gas drilling permits were issued in the United States, many for coal bed methane (CBM) drilling. Many of these CBM wells are being drilled on private land, even when landowners strenuously object (many Western landowners own the surface rights to the land, but not the gas buried below). The results can be tragic for the people who make these places their home, Clifford said....
The horizon recedes again on Indians' vast royalty claims Hopes were high this summer when news reports from Washington, D.C., indicated that Congress could be on the verge of settling a long-running lawsuit against the federal government over billions of dollars claimed by Native American landowners across the West. The suit also returned to the national radar when an appeals court took the highly unusual step of removing the federal judge overseeing the matter, saying he had become too biased in favor of the Indians. But Congress adjourned for the election season without taking up the $8-billion near-deal outlined by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee. And anger and frustration returned to places like the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, home of Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the complicated case. "I'm afraid this whole problem is going to be swept under the rug again," said Cobell, a banker and rancher here....
Land above proposed resort must be protected, groups say Bob Clark of the Sierra Club doesn't mince words when it comes to the Bitterroot Resort's proposal to put ski runs on Lolo Peak and the side of Carlton Ridge. “Why should the public feel pressured to give up 12,000 acres of land so a handful of people can essentially benefit from elevated real estate prices?” he asked. Ever since Lolo rancher Tom Maclay announced his intention to build a world-class resort on his property at the base of the Bitterroot Mountains, people haven't hesitated to speak out against his idea of incorporating public lands. Maclay asked the U.S. Forest Service to consider designating thousands of acres of public lands open for development above his ranch as part of the agency's most recent planning process. Both the Bitterroot and Lolo national forests are currently updating the land-use plans that will establish their management direction for the next decade or so. Their final decisions are due this spring. Clark and others hope the agency will stick to its guns and retain the semi-primitive nature of Lolo Peak and Carlton Ridge....
Forest Service OKs logging The U.S. Forest Service has dismissed an objection from an environmental group that sought to delay the salvage logging of thousands of trees uprooted by a rare tornado in central Idaho. Bidding on timber sales has already begun. This Friday, the Forest Service will award contracts for an estimated 18.5 million board feet of downed and buckled timber in the Payette National Forest near the Oregon border, said spokesman Boyd Hartwig. After the Forest Service released an environmental assessment in August, the WildWest Institute, an environmental group based in Missoula, Mont., filed an objection. Regional Forester Jack Troyer, in Ogden, Utah, denied the objection last week....
Legislators urged to ban drilling on Rocky Mountain Front Representatives from more than 30 sportsmen's and outdoors groups have signed a letter to members of Congress asking them to support legislation intended to prevent future gas, oil and mineral exploration in Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., inserted the legislation into the Interior Appropriations bill. It would withdraw federal lands along the Rocky Mountain Front from future natural gas and oil leasing and mineral exploration. In their letter, the groups said that recent actions by two energy companies to sell or donate their leases along the Front, combined with Burns' legislation, will help permanently protect the Front from speculative natural gas exploration. "This nonpartisan, homegrown solution continues a 100-year tradition of conservation on the Front, protects public access and ranching traditions, enjoys the support of a solid majority of Montanans and helps maintain this stunning landscape for future generations to enjoy," the letter states....
Man shot by U.S. Forest official clearing pot field A man was shot by a law enforcement officer for the U.S. Forest Service after a marijuana grove was discovered Sunday on public land near Sunflower in northeastern Maricopa County, authorities said Monday.
The shooting occurred while officers were attempting to destroy about 3,100 plants that were spread over about a 4-acre area, said Paige Rockett, a spokeswoman for the Tonto National Forest. They encountered four armed suspects, one of whom aimed a rifle at them, Rockett said. An officer fired three times and wounded the man, she said. The 20-year-old suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital with wounds that were not considered life-threatening, Rockett said....
USA's trees under relentless attack from bugs, blight Some of the USA's most treasured tree species, from ash and aspen to white pine and Hawaii's native wiliwili, are under attack by insects and diseases in a growing assault coast to coast. Some of the killers are foreign pests brought here in cargo or by travelers. Others are homegrown insects at epidemic levels because of drought and unusual warmth. This year has been the warmest on record. The Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service finished adopting new rules this summer barring cargo from abroad unless crates and pallets are treated with chemicals or heat to kill any bugs in the wood. "We're at one of those points in time where it's all happening at once," says Wayne Shepperd of the U.S. Forest Service. The mountain pine beetle, a native, has ravaged millions of acres of Western forests. Trees were weakened by drought or subjected to worse infestations because warmer temperatures allowed the bugs to multiply faster. The emerald ash borer from Asia is killing species that have no natural defenses....
What climate scientists have learned from Western wildfires Many wildland firefighters carry an instrument called a sling psychrometer. It consists of two encased thermometers, and is swung above the head on a short rope -- making the firefighters appear not unlike David readying to slay Goliath. The instrument gives a quick field reading of relative humidity, one of the most important factors in predicting what a wildfire is going to do. Quick drops in relative humidity are a sure signal that the air is getting drier and that a fire is about to turn ugly. Wildland firefighters know weather. They study weather reports and projections. They track fronts moving across the continent. Just like you, they watch The Weather Channel. But firefighters also have to understand the sky. They have to be aware of wind, and to understand wind they have to recognize how different cloud formations indicate coming changes. The last thing a firefighter wants is to be caught on the business end of an unforeseen wind change. So when wildland firefighters talk about climate change, it's good to listen. They have been paying attention. Toby Richards, a fire management officer for New Mexico's Gila National Forest, realized that something was changing in climate patterns when he had to check on a fire a few years back that had ignited in mid-winter above 9,000 feet. "We went up to a lookout and watched this fire burning in an area that was normally under six feet of snow," he remembers. "Every once in a while you will get a lightning strike up that high that burns a tree or two in the winter, but this fire grew to a hundred acres." Richards is not alone in observing changes in western wildfire patterns. Firefighters and fire scientists across the West have been noting for years that the fire season is getting longer, fires are growing larger, and many wildfires are starting to behave in ways that are considered unusual....
Greens miffed at governor's plan A federal judge last month tossed out a Bush administration policy that reopened more than 58 million acres of roadless forest closed off under President Clinton. Despite the ruling, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. plans to submit a roadless forest petition to the Department of Agriculture next month, as requested. And the petition will be notable, because it will, in all likelihood, lack any specific request to protect the state's roadless forest areas - which comprise roughly half of Utah's 8 million acres of national forest lands. A draft synopsis of Utah's petition, released by the state's Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, calls on the Forest Service to undertake "active" management of all Utah forest lands not under wilderness area protection to address wildfire, vegetation, wildlife, livestock, recreation and land-ownership issues. The state petition also requests that "all previous inventories of roadless, or unroaded lands in the national forests be obsolete, moot and of no further legal effect." And it calls on the Forest Service to establish advisory committees comprised of state and local government officials "to advise the Forest Supervisor on an ongoing basis about the management of these areas."....
California Ranch's $155 Million Tag May Top Oprah Buy The Cojo Ranch and neighboring Jalama Ranch don't have mansions or pools or tennis courts to feature in glossy ``exclusive'' real estate guides. They've got something more spectacular -- miles of undeveloped central California coastline, 1,200 head of Hereford cattle, mountain lions, and an asking price like few others: $155 million. Taken together, Cojo and Jalama are a ``kingdom property,'' a piece of real estate so vast and remote that the super-rich can disappear there and rule a private domain like William Randolph Hearst did until half a century ago at San Simeon, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) up Highway 1. In a state famed for pricey real estate, the proposed joint sale of the ranches -- covering 37 square miles (96 square kilometers) of open land a 90-minute drive north of Santa Barbara -- has impressed even the most jaded Californians....
Cows Come Home This summer`s drought was tough on ranchers, many of whom were forced to make some difficult decisions with their livestock. Earlier this summer, we introduced you to the VanderWals of southern Emmons County, who realized early on that the drought would force them to change their usual management practices. Without a crop and without enough stored feed, they decided to send a herd of heifers to Wyoming for the summer. If cows could talk, this herd would have quite the story to tell. The drought forced them 400 miles away from their home in North Dakota. "We just didn`t have the grass for them, didn`t have a place to put them, found some pastures out in Wyoming," says Carter VanderWal. Now, the VanderWals cows have come home, where they`ll stay for the winter. "With the CRP hay, looks like we`re gonna have plenty of hay to feed them, should turn out okay," Carter says. The cows didn`t gain as much weight in Wyoming as the VanderWals would have expected them to gain at home, if they had been able to feed them....
It's All Trew: Early trail drives went in a different direction When the words “trail drive” are mentioned, most conjure up images of Charles Goodnight or John Wayne, a chuck wagon and miles-long streams of longhorns grazing their way north to the Kansas railheads. Few know that trail drives were taking place regularly some 50 years before the railroad tracks drew herds to Dodge City or Abilene, Kan. The book “They Pointed Them East” by Jim Bob Jackson uses the diary of Capt. William B. Duncan, an early day southwest Texas cattleman, to tell the story of trail drives to New Orleans in the 1820s to 1860s long before the famous drives started to Kansas. In order to sell lots of beef, you needed lots of people eating the product. In the first half of the 1800s, the largest gathering of people in the south was at New Orleans so pioneer cattlemen began driving their beeves to that area. Like the early trail drives to Kansas, drives to New Orleans encountered storms, cattle thieves and a lot of hard work. Unlike the dry desert areas of the Kansas ventures, the southern drivers had the opposite. There were five major rivers to cross in Texas and four more in Louisiana before reaching a point where the livestock could be loaded on steamboats pulling barges and hauled to the abattoirs of Orleans....
Monday, October 23, 2006
NEWS ROUNDUP
Are homes in the future for Steens? Just past a busted "Private Property" sign beside the wide washboard road that climbs the western slope of Steens Mountain is a shallow blue lake ringed by rocky hills and white bark aspens shaking loose the last leaves of fall. For 40 years Dan Jordan has owned these 640 acres in the middle of one of the most popular recreation areas on the 9,700-foot southeastern Oregon mountain, letting the public camp there and grazing sheep on the bunchgrasses during summer. But now he's asked Harney County for the right to build up to 640 homes on his land -- one per acre -- or to have the county pay him $6.4 million under Measure 37, the property rights law passed by Oregon voters two years ago. Jordan's land is next to the popular Fish Lake campground as well as wilderness study areas and some private land, all within the 425,500-acre Steens Cooperative Management and Protective Area. Congress created the patchwork district of public and private land in 2000, overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management with input from a citizen advisory council....
Oregon ranchers fear return of the wild wolf Wild wolves have not roamed eastern Oregon since the 1930's, but already some unconfirmed sighting have ranchers and environmentalists ready for a fight. Longtime rancher Rod Childers is bracing for change. “The wife and I moved here in 1977,” said Childers. Originally from southern Idaho, Childers now owns and operates family style ranches in Wallowa County. “You know in the ranching deal, you do it because you love it, because you don't make a lot of money at it." While Childers has faced challenges before there is an enemy this generation of ranchers has never seen. “Do wolves scare me? Absolutely," said Childers. For more than 70 years herds roamed Wallowa County without fear of the wolves." While wolves may restore the environment, many ranchers fear the consequences. "If we go with what the federal government agencies or the environmentalists, you're looking at the last generation that will be out here on the land," said Childers....
Nature taking a toll on El Morro In the next few years El Morro National Monument Superintendent Kayci Collins said she will be facing a difficult decision. Part of the ancient and historical inscriptions on the sandstone cliff are on the northeast face of the site on the 1,278 acres of the monument. It is from this direction that the elements heat, cold, wind, rain, sleet, hail and snow batter the cliffs year round. "Erosion is the biggest enemy," she said, about preserving the inscriptions for future generations. "I may have to decide, or some future superintendent at some point whether to remove the inscriptions and put them in a museum, or allow them to erode," she said. "Putting the inscriptions in a museum does not give the public the impact it does in the natural setting," Collins said. Some of the inscriptions and petroglyphs date back to between 1100-1200 A.D., Collins said. And, there are the historical inscriptions of the Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oate, in 1620, who eventually reconquered New Mexico....
Lansford lion surprises hunter Kent Ferguson and his pair of yellow labradors were hot on the trail of some rooster pheasants Wednesday evening. However, rather than have a rooster cackle skyward, the hunt turned into a close encounter with a snarling mountain lion. The Mohall man was hunting about three miles west of Lansford when he was taken by complete surprise. “We saw some pheasants run into the cattails so we started working them,” recalled Ferguson. “My 1 1/2- year-old yellow lab went into the cattails and I heard a growl and a yelp. She came flying back with blood on her nose. About that time I saw the cat walking through the cattails and threw three shots at it right away.” ince Ferguson was hunting pheasants, his 12-gauge shotgun was loaded with 2 3/4-inch 4-shot. That’s a pretty efficient load for pheasants but not at all what you’d consider using if you were hunting mountain lions. However, at close range, it was enough to stop the big female lion that measured 6 1/2 feet from nose to tail....
Collaborative Appoaches to Western Problems Marianne Roose, a county commissioner in Lincoln County in Northwest Montana, has no small set of problems to cope with. The county is reeling from the decline of the lumber industry - as well as the asbestos crisis in Libby - and there is a lot of bitterness towards environmentalists who are perceived by many to be the source of the woes. Almost 80% of the county is National Forest land, and the locals don't like that much either. Growth and development is coming in some areas, namely Eureka, but a future as a bedroom community to Whitefish doesn't seem to appealing. It's not exactly an environment given to healthy, collaborative decision-making. But Roose, the daughter of a logger and a self-described Pollyanna who gave a talk at the Placematters06 conference here in Denver, thought the depth of the problems actually represented an opportunity: continued confrontation wasn't getting anyone anywhere, and maybe the time was ripe for some bridge-building. So she spear-headed a collaborative process to bring together the natural resource industry, envrionmentalists, economic development folks, hunters, hikers and indeed anyone in the community who wanted to take part. She sat them all down at a very small table in her office - small tables make it harder to people to be nasty, she noted - and the result was a non-profit community group devoted to collaborative solutions to the issues facing the county, and especially its national forest lands....
Don't just blame the bugs The link between fire risk and the pine beetle epidemic sweeping through Colorado forests may not be as conclusive as generally assumed, according to Forest Service research. Based on a recent review of relevant studies, Forest Service scientists said there is no large amount of evidence suggesting that insect outbreaks significantly increase the fire risk in a given area. Other factors, including the presence of ladder fuels, are equally important. However, large areas of recently dead trees still carrying red needles can result in a more intense fire and enable such a blaze to spread more rapidly. The biggest risk to long-term forest health may come from super-hot, earth-baking fires 20 to 30 years after a bug infestation, when the trees are dead on the ground. And even then, it's important to remember that lodgepole forest ecology is marked by episodes of destruction and renewal....
Preserving pristine ecology But their excitement really begins when they hit the bottom of the rock pile about two-thirds of the way up the ridge. Standing near a 400-year old larch - with its unusual mix of western and alpine larch characteristics - the scientists are filled with wonder. "I'm in awe every time I come in here," Carlson said. "It's such a different piece of real estate than anywhere else. It's very, very unique." From this viewpoint, the men can pick out alpine larch already turning brilliant gold growing in amongst the pale green, heavily barked western larch. But there's more. Scattered here and there are trees that carry the characteristics of both species. While there are a few other places in the world where the two species of larch crossed traits over centuries, Carlson said this place marks perhaps the only spot where the hybridization occurred in well developed soils. Unlike most of the other rock-capped peaks in the Bitterroot Range, Carlton Ridge escaped being scraped clean during the era of glaciers. As a result, the ridge is covered in a relatively deep soil. "This hybridization appears to have occurred over thousands of years," Carlson said. "This isn't something that happened overnight once you get this crossover, the genetics get really complex. It's fascinating."....
2 men, 1 mountain, and endless determination It was an adventure four years in the making. Many day hikes, aerial reconnaissance and hours of research finally led Doug Shepherd of Anacortes and Dave Hess of Bow around Washington's Mount Baker. The two began what turned into a 71-mile, 11-day ordeal around the mountain on Aug. 22. They may have been the first to ever make such a trip. "We want to make sure and state that as far as we know nobody has ever hiked around Mount Baker," Shepherd said, "The Forest Service doesn't have any record, nor is it aware of anybody who has done this. I really want to stress that people should not try it, however." And for good reason. The trek was brutal. Both men pushed themselves to the edge of their mental and physical limits as they gained and lost about 60,000 feet in elevation over the 11 days. To say they were tested is an understatement. "This is no walk in the park," Shepherd said. "There were several places where we came out of the woods and were above sheer cliff faces. We got lucky. Most of the time, we came out perfect when it came to route finding."....
Eyeing Uranium With the price of uranium on the rise, Urex Energy wants to take a closer look at exactly what lies beneath the 2,740 acres it recently acquired full rights to on the La Jara Mesa of Cibola National Forest. The Reno, Nev., company has a request to explore the site before the U.S. Forest Service, which will be accepting written comments on the proposal until Nov. 6. Today's technology and tougher government regulations, Urex officials say, would spare the area from the widely acknowledged environmental fallout of uranium mining operations past. Unconvinced, American Indian groups opposed to the company's designs fear that renewed mining will only further contaminate their land and people and desecrate a sacred site. What Urex proposes to do, exactly, is drill 21 "exploratory holes," each one six inches in diameter and 1,200 feet deep, on the site, which lies a dozen or so miles northeast of Grants....
An argument for logging On the third, full weekend of June Encampment Wyoming hosts the annual Rocky Mountain Champion Lumberjack Completion where loggers come from all over the country to compete for the coveted title. Chips fly during this competition using chain saws, axes and hand saws, the men and women competitors cut down trees competing in events that include: Tree Felling, two-man handsaw tree felling, two-man handsaw, two-woman handsaw, power saw log bucking, one-man handsaw, man & woman handsaw team, choker setting, axe chopping, pole throw, axe throw, power saw log bucking, power saw log bucking, and the mad loggers chainsaw throw. It is refreshing to hear that this proud profession is still celebrated despite its vilification by America’s tree huggers who have turned a blind eye to their need for timber products in their crusade to reserve our forests for the Bark Beetle and fire. Proof that Patrick Moore’s approach is bearing fruit is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), a comprehensive system of principles, objectives and performance measures developed by foresters, conservationists, and scientists that combine the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the long-term protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality. There are currently over 150 million acres of forestland (equaling 24 Yellowstones) in North America enrolled in the SFI program, making it among the world's largest sustainable forestry programs. Here in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming it is a shame that logging has come to a screeching halt. Due to our overabundance of squeaky wheels here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem our forests are being managed for recreation only. This has triggered the death of our forest products industry which dates back to the time of our settlers....
Elk warning system first in United States On the Town of Star Valley's logo, a picture of an elk is prominently displayed because the animal is a common sighting within the town. Unfortunately, elk are also a common sighting on the highway that runs through Star Valley as well, creating a hazard for motorists. The Arizona Department of Transportation knew of the elk population in Star Valley well before that logo was created. ADOT has been working on a system to warn motorists traveling on Highway 260 when elk or other large animals are present on the outskirts of Star Valley. The alarm system will be placed about one mile east from the Diamond Points Shadow restaurant. Tom Goodman of ADOT is in charge of this project, and believes it will be completed sometime in November. The project includes two large, infrared cameras, a video grid system and other controls. The project will cost about $700,000 and is being funded by the Federal Highway Administration....
Wild Horse and Burro Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service are charged with managing wild horses and burros as an integral part of the natural ecosystem of public lands. The BLM has custodial responsibility for approximately 45,000 wild horses and burros living on more than 35 million acres throughout the western U.S. The BLM is presented with both the opportunities of managing a national symbol that holds a special place in the public's heart and ideals, and the challenges of maintaining those ideals in a manner that achieves and maintains a thriving natural ecological balance on public lands.2 The management of wild horses and burros also presents the equine practitioner with opportunities and challenges. Veterinarians can partner with adopters during the transition of wild horses and burros to domesticated life by sharing their knowledge of equines and providing quality veterinary care. The challenges--and there are many--involve working with a wild animal still unsure of its relationship with humans, and adopters whose experiences with horses and burros might be limited. This article will help horse owners understand how those equids came to be in wild horse herds--and thus in adoption programs--and the requirements imposed on an adopter for their care....
Shell is going to the wall for oil In an arid, sage-dotted valley here, Shell Exploration & Production Co. has begun work on what could be the final technological challenge to large-scale production of oil from shale. Shell already has figured out how to melt kerogen - the oil-like substance - from underground shale deposits with electric heaters to produce oil from one of the world's largest potential petroleum sources. Oil-shale deposits in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming have technically recoverable reserves of 500 billion to 1.1 trillion barrels of oil, according to a study last year by the Rand Corp. for the Department of Energy. The midpoint of the Rand estimate - 800 billion barrels - is three times the size of Saudi Arabia's reserves and enough to meet 25 percent of current U.S. oil demand for 400 years. Eager to tap into that possibility, Shell is spending $30 million to create and test a massive "freeze wall" that would extend from the surface to 1,700 feet below the ground. The walls would be 30 feet thick in a shape 300 feet wide by 350 feet long. It is designed for a dual purpose: to keep groundwater from infiltrating Shell's oil-shale wells, and to prevent produced oil from contaminating nearby groundwater....
What's good for Wyoming is great for the Michiganders Two families who squeezed into an apartment here waited months for permanent housing. Day-care centers are so packed that expectant mothers must put their names on waiting lists for their unborn child. A Quiznos sandwich shop can't keep workers at $9.50 an hour because of a labor shortage that sometimes shuts down the store. Ed Lambert couldn't be happier. He watched his homebuilding business in Flint, Mich., die as downsizing in the auto industry sucked the life from the local economy. Lambert and three of his employees drove 1,300 miles west in June, trading Michigan's shimmering lakes and dismal prospects for Wyoming's dry plains and sizzling economy. "We got in on a Sunday, and we were framing a house on Monday. It has been nonstop," said Lambert, 33, his sandy hair topped by a dusty Detroit Tigers baseball cap. "This building boom won't stop here for a good five years." With energy demand soaring, resource-rich Wyoming is struggling to find employees to work its mines and natural-gas and oil fields - and to staff a service industry scrambling to keep up with a booming population. The Bureau of Land Management estimates that by 2020, as many as 15,000 new jobs will be created in the coal-rich Powder River Basin that includes Campbell County and Gillette. The city's population last year of 22,685 is expected to reach nearly 30,000 by 2010....
The future Front Chuck Blixrud insists he’s not an activist. He’s an outfitter, a man who has made a living for almost 50 years taking tourists and hunters into his back yard, which just happens to be the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. But the gentle smile tightens on the lanky, soft-spoken man’s well-weathered face as he considers the future of the long, narrow strip of national forest between his home and the Bob: the 390,000-acre Rocky Mountain Front. Blixrud and others are worried that temporary measures in place to limit gas and oil exploration and hard-rock mining on the Front may be too easily erased. So he’s stepped forward as one of the local advocates in this small community, hoping to convince others of the need to create the first new wilderness designation in Montana in more than 20 years for small portions of the Front. “We need to carve out our destiny,” Blixrud said, relaxing for a brief moment recently on a couch in his guest lodge. “We’re the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. Look at the sign as you pull into town (Choteau). You don’t see oil rigs on any signs. That just doesn’t go with the Montana mystique.” Blixrud’s stance on expanding the wilderness area is by no means universal here in Choteau, where “wilderness” is a dirty word to many. Blixrud has angered some in Choteau who believe additional wilderness would limit such activities as grazing or oil and gas drilling....
Groups say leave Otero Mesa alone Once upon a time the Butterfield Stage provided public transportation across a lonely and wild west, the aplomado falcon winged its way across grassland skies and ancient people left messages on the rocks for those who followed them. Today, long after those living presences are gone, the setting remains much the same. It's called Otero Mesa and is the focus of ongoing controversy in southern New Mexico. Now, the Wilderness Alliance has reviewed the impact of potential oil and gas wells on Otero Mesa in a new study they have done dubbed "Too Wild to Drill." Meanwhile, a coalition of business owners brought together by the Southwest Environmental Center is calling on the federal government to take action and protect Otero Mesa. In a related development, 50 business owners in southern New Mexico have written to Sen. Jeff Bingaman last week, calling on the senator to ensure the area is protected. Half of those businesses are located in Las Cruces, with another six in Mesilla. The remainder are in Truth or Consequences or Silver City. None of the 50 are in Otero County. The letter takes BLM to task for allegedly disregarding the historical and environmental importance of the area when it decided to open Otero Mesa to drilling....
BLM plan calls for land sales Following a federal trend of selling small, isolated tracts of difficult-to-manage public lands, the Bureau of Land Management wants to mark for sale or trade about 200,000 acres it manages in Platte, Converse and Goshen counties. But in this case, many of those tracts are accessible by public roads, state lands and national forest lands, although the BLM contends they offer little or no public access or recreational value. The BLM released a draft resource management plan and environmental impact statement for the Casper Field Office, which takes care of holdings in Natrona, Converse, Platte and Goshen counties, in July. That document, once approved, will guide management for the next 15 to 20 years on 1.4 million acres of BLM land. In draft form, the plan describes five alternative ways the BLM could manage lands and resources. The agency’s preferred alternative calls for making eligible for disposal all BLM holdings in Goshen and Platte counties, and most of its land in Converse County. The BLM manages 25,180 acres in Goshen County, 81,965 acres in Platte County, and 129,947 acres in Converse County....
Burning Man attracts record crowd to desert This year's Burning Man set a number of records, starting with the population of Black Rock City: 39,100 in the Black Rock Desert north of Gerlach at midnight on Sept. 1. "This year's population grew by about 3,360, or 9.4 percent, over last year's maximum of about 35,740," said Rodger Bryan, associate field manager for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Winnemucca Field Office. In addition, as daytime incident commander for this year's Burning Man, Bryan added, "Everyone involved in the administration of the event agrees that this was the smoothest running Burning Man so far." The 17th consecutive festival of art and self-expression operated under terms of a permit issued by BLM's Winnemucca Field Office. It began Aug. 28 and ran through Sept. 4....
On Ted Turner's ranch, preservation and profits comfortably coexist There are no Ted's Montana Grill restaurants in Montana. Fifty of them have opened nationwide, but you won't find one in Montana. Partly that's because the word "Montana" has less marketing mystique for Montanans, who don't need the manufactured atmospherics. Partly, one suspects, it's because the owner of the chain, media mogul Ted Turner, remains a polarizing figure there even years after becoming one of the state's biggest landowners and most famous celebrity transplants. Montanans wouldn't necessarily boycott a chain with Turner's name on it, but they might shun it, given the lingering suspicion many old-timers have not just of the left-leaning, green-hugging Turner, but of the army of wealthy invaders that threatens to Aspenize the state. Turner runs bison on his ranches and embraces the re-wilding of the land with wolves, neither of which sit well with traditional cattlemen. Turner politically leans left, styles himself an environmentalist and pumps money into causes many Montanans, outside the college town of Missoula, see as radical. So imagine my surprise, during a recent visit to one of Turner's ranches, the 113,000-acre Flying D, to find that he's striking a sensible balance there between preservation and profit-making - proving the two can comfortably coexist. The Flying D provides lessons from which all sides in the public land wars might learn something, if they would put down their battle axes and pay attention....
The last Sierra shepherds Yips and yells pierce the air as a flock of 1,400 sheep trample their way through a talcum-colored haze near Prosser Reservoir, west of Truckee, Calif. Silhouetted by the rising sun, two shepherds wielding long staffs emerge from the dusty din stirred up by a cloud of agitated sheep and darting sheep dogs. Each of the shepherds' cries drive the herd closer to its destination - a white livestock trailer. The woolly throng slowly resigns itself to the direction of Piolin, Oso and Apache - three pointy-eared border collies. Soon four shepherds are working the flock, darting into clumps of wool and bucking legs to snare pregnant sheep identified by a streak of red paint between their eyes. It's an unlikely spot to happen upon a bustling sheep rodeo. Less than a minute away from where backhoes, dozers and dump trucks are busy molding 750 acres of forest into Truckee's latest golf course and luxury home development, the 150-year-old tradition of Sierra Nevada shepherding carries on in full force....
1881 book influenced cattlemen to overgraze Those of us who write for the public need to be aware of the impact of our words. (Take note, New York Times!) James S. Brisbin wrote a book in 1881 that had a tremendous effect on the U.S. cattle industry during the following decade. His book was The Beef Bonanza; or, How to Get Rich on the Plains. Readers have heard of “get rich quick” schemes today. Well, folks followed them a century and more ago as well. What is unusual about Brisbin and his book, however, is that I believe that he was sincere. He didn’t realize that overstocked ranges and an extremely cold winter would coincide. Who would have, back then? Brisbin, a general in the U.S. Army, served for many years in the West. He saw ranchers purchase young steers for $8 to $10 each, fatten them up for a year or two, and then sell them for $25 to $30. Often the cattlemen sold beef to the military posts or even provided the animals as part of the annuity payments that the government delivered to Indians. Government contracts proved lucrative then as they often do now. The reason Brisbin made a big splash with this book, and changed history even, was that many British upper-class folks read it as well. The eldest son of a titled lord inherited everything, so all of the younger sons had to look for careers. Some went into the army or the church; others worked for the British East India Tea Company and returned to England as wealthy nabobs. Brisbin’s book opened a door for the young Britishers in the American West. What Brisbin realized was that many a rancher who went up the trail from Texas could make thousands of dollars of profits in a season of trailing longhorns. One did not have to be a rancher, either. He could just buy the cattle in Texas cheaply (borrow the money if he had to) and sell for a lot more at the end of the trail. Let me cite the money that Texan C.C. Slaughter and his father G.W. made over several years: 1868, 800 head, $32,000; 1869, 2,000 head, $90,000; 1870, 3,000 head $105,000....
Story of bloody feud still told in Young Marie and Jim Petroff, members of the Pleasant Valley Historical Society gave a tour to Gila County Cooperative Extension agents that included a visit to Boot Hill, the old Tewksbury cabin in Young and the historic home of Ola Young, the town's first postmaster. These places are generally only open to the public on Pleasant Valley Day, the second Saturday in July. The first two sites are important because they are the part of Arizona's history known as The Pleasant Valley War. "Twenty-eight people died and another 50 associated people died or disappeared in the war," Jim Petroff told the extension agents. "The story starts in 1879 when James Tewksbury and his four sons moved to Pleasant Valley with the idea of starting a horse breeding ranch." But they actually made more money from selling pigs and cattle rustling than breeding horses. In 1882, the Tewksburys met Tom Graham and his three brothers and convinced them that Pleasant Valley was a good place to start a cattle ranch. The Grahams were not prepared for winter and the Tewksburys cared enough to see them through it. Also located in Pleasant Valley was the large Stinson Ranch. When summer came, the Grahams contracted with Stinson, the absentee owner, to stop area cattle rustlers. "Of course, the Grahams were some of the major rustlers," Jim said. "They brought charges against their competitors the Tewksburys."....
Torn over Tombstone You can't get Wyatt Earp to say anything bad about Terry "Ike" Clanton. One hundred and twenty-five years after animosity between the Clantons and the Earps sparked the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, their descendants are friends. But that doesn't mean they agree about who is to blame for the 30-second gunfight that left three men dead and changed the lives of the survivors and their descendants. "I've always said it was the first form of police brutality in America," says Clanton, a cousin of the infamous Clanton clan. "It's amusing," says Earp, a nephew of the storied lawman. "(Clanton) talks about the Clantons and McLaurys as not being bad guys. Oh, boy. I know better." Thursday will mark the 125th anniversary of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. On Oct. 26, 1881, building tension between the Earps, who represented law and order in Tombstone, and the Clantons and McLaurys, cattle rustlers and outlaws, erupted into a bloody confrontation. The legacy of the men who fought that day has become the economic backbone of modern Tombstone and an integral part of the lives of Clanton and Earp....
The Franklins: The Family and The Legacy Urbane yet impulsive, a smooth-talker with a penchant for making deals and taking calculated risks, Harris Franklin was a born capitalist. A Jewish immigrant who grew up in central Europe before coming to the U.S. as a teenager, Franklin was born a Finkelstein, but like many naturalized citizens, he remarketed himself with a new family name. He parlayed his skills into a multi-million-dollar personal empire that would come to dominate Deadwood’s business world. The Franklin family fortune may have started with a vibrant cigar and liquor business, but it didn’t end there. Franklin amassed holdings in the mining, banking and cattle ranching industries, and rubbed elbows with powerful families in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. As their influence grew, the Franklin family began to use their power to shape Deadwood, both politically and economically, as it entered the 20th century. Though the last of the Franklins left Deadwood in 1920, their legacy remains. Traces of their once-proud empire still flavor almost every corner of the city today, from its Victorian neighborhoods to the now-restored business district. With little wonder, then, the Franklins remain one of Deadwood’s most celebrated founding families....
Cuero hoping to take cowboy legacy to bank For more than 100 years, South Texas cattle ranchers have taken an extra measure of pride in their heritage, knowing that their 19th-century predecessors helped make the Chisholm Trail the stuff of cowboy legend. The cattle-drive route stretching north to Kansas was used by an estimated 6 million head of Texas livestock from 1866-84 in the rough-and-tumble era after the Civil War but before the proliferation of barbed wire and railroads. Until recently, however, Cuero, whose very name means "rawhide" in Spanish, hasn't fully explored — or exploited — its part of that legacy. But that's about to change. Backed by dozens of benefactors throughout Texas, area ranching families and others have launched an ambitious $3.75-million campaign to secure Cuero's place in history by establishing a Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum in early 2009....
HAWAII'S COWGIRL The notion of an American cowgirl is specific. They must be able-bodied and strong-willed. It helps if they can rope and ride. They must stand toe-to-toe with the men in the face of bad weather, smelly stock and economic hard times. Rose Cambra Freitas, one of this year's inductees into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, has done all of that. And she has done it in an unusual setting. Freitas is from Hawaii, where sprawling sugar-cane fields were her frontier. She doesn't remember the first time she rode a horse, but she does know she has been around them ever since. She was born to be a horse lover -- her grandparents were horse people who moved to the islands to find a better life working on the plantations. Her father, Louis DeCambra, was a cane-harvesting boss at the Puunene sugar plantation, and his daily work was done entirely on horseback. Freitas will be inducted into the Cowgirl Hall on Thursday, along with rancher Minnie Lou Bradley, women's suffrage leader Esther Hobart Morris, barrel racing champion Sharon Camarillo and legendary bronc rider Bonnie McCarroll....
On the Edge of Common Sense: Animal survivors: Next reality TV fad? In our effort to plumb the depths of humiliation and bad taste, television producers have now invented a reality show based on pitting races against each other. They have chosen whites vs. blacks vs. Asians vs. Latinos, leaving out the obvious: cowboys vs. Indians vs. French vs. cows. I can see spinoffs in the agricultural world: HEREFORD BREEDERS VS. ANGUS BREEDERS: It would be billed as "Cancer eye vs. Prolapsed sheath!" Contestants would be forced to mouth, preg check and cull purebred look-alikes from the Nacogdoches sale barn, and the audience would pick the winner! HORSE PEOPLE VS. MULE PEOPLE: The overconfident vs. the true believers! This reality show would force mule people to beat horse people in every possible contest. Then the horse people would have to try and explain why the horse really won. STOCK DOG BORDER COLLIES VS. CITY PARK BORDER COLLIES: Sheep police vs. Frisbee catchers! Sheepmen would order their border collies to herd ducks, old ewes, baby calves, kindergarten classes, or intransigent Pomeranians through an intricate obstacle course to display their natural ability and intelligence. City border collies would respond by jumping hurdles, catching balls and running through culverts, displaying their usefulness in case of a Presidentially Declared State of Hurdle, Ball and Culvert emergency! HOUSE CATS VS. BARN CATS....
Are homes in the future for Steens? Just past a busted "Private Property" sign beside the wide washboard road that climbs the western slope of Steens Mountain is a shallow blue lake ringed by rocky hills and white bark aspens shaking loose the last leaves of fall. For 40 years Dan Jordan has owned these 640 acres in the middle of one of the most popular recreation areas on the 9,700-foot southeastern Oregon mountain, letting the public camp there and grazing sheep on the bunchgrasses during summer. But now he's asked Harney County for the right to build up to 640 homes on his land -- one per acre -- or to have the county pay him $6.4 million under Measure 37, the property rights law passed by Oregon voters two years ago. Jordan's land is next to the popular Fish Lake campground as well as wilderness study areas and some private land, all within the 425,500-acre Steens Cooperative Management and Protective Area. Congress created the patchwork district of public and private land in 2000, overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management with input from a citizen advisory council....
Oregon ranchers fear return of the wild wolf Wild wolves have not roamed eastern Oregon since the 1930's, but already some unconfirmed sighting have ranchers and environmentalists ready for a fight. Longtime rancher Rod Childers is bracing for change. “The wife and I moved here in 1977,” said Childers. Originally from southern Idaho, Childers now owns and operates family style ranches in Wallowa County. “You know in the ranching deal, you do it because you love it, because you don't make a lot of money at it." While Childers has faced challenges before there is an enemy this generation of ranchers has never seen. “Do wolves scare me? Absolutely," said Childers. For more than 70 years herds roamed Wallowa County without fear of the wolves." While wolves may restore the environment, many ranchers fear the consequences. "If we go with what the federal government agencies or the environmentalists, you're looking at the last generation that will be out here on the land," said Childers....
Nature taking a toll on El Morro In the next few years El Morro National Monument Superintendent Kayci Collins said she will be facing a difficult decision. Part of the ancient and historical inscriptions on the sandstone cliff are on the northeast face of the site on the 1,278 acres of the monument. It is from this direction that the elements heat, cold, wind, rain, sleet, hail and snow batter the cliffs year round. "Erosion is the biggest enemy," she said, about preserving the inscriptions for future generations. "I may have to decide, or some future superintendent at some point whether to remove the inscriptions and put them in a museum, or allow them to erode," she said. "Putting the inscriptions in a museum does not give the public the impact it does in the natural setting," Collins said. Some of the inscriptions and petroglyphs date back to between 1100-1200 A.D., Collins said. And, there are the historical inscriptions of the Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oate, in 1620, who eventually reconquered New Mexico....
Lansford lion surprises hunter Kent Ferguson and his pair of yellow labradors were hot on the trail of some rooster pheasants Wednesday evening. However, rather than have a rooster cackle skyward, the hunt turned into a close encounter with a snarling mountain lion. The Mohall man was hunting about three miles west of Lansford when he was taken by complete surprise. “We saw some pheasants run into the cattails so we started working them,” recalled Ferguson. “My 1 1/2- year-old yellow lab went into the cattails and I heard a growl and a yelp. She came flying back with blood on her nose. About that time I saw the cat walking through the cattails and threw three shots at it right away.” ince Ferguson was hunting pheasants, his 12-gauge shotgun was loaded with 2 3/4-inch 4-shot. That’s a pretty efficient load for pheasants but not at all what you’d consider using if you were hunting mountain lions. However, at close range, it was enough to stop the big female lion that measured 6 1/2 feet from nose to tail....
Collaborative Appoaches to Western Problems Marianne Roose, a county commissioner in Lincoln County in Northwest Montana, has no small set of problems to cope with. The county is reeling from the decline of the lumber industry - as well as the asbestos crisis in Libby - and there is a lot of bitterness towards environmentalists who are perceived by many to be the source of the woes. Almost 80% of the county is National Forest land, and the locals don't like that much either. Growth and development is coming in some areas, namely Eureka, but a future as a bedroom community to Whitefish doesn't seem to appealing. It's not exactly an environment given to healthy, collaborative decision-making. But Roose, the daughter of a logger and a self-described Pollyanna who gave a talk at the Placematters06 conference here in Denver, thought the depth of the problems actually represented an opportunity: continued confrontation wasn't getting anyone anywhere, and maybe the time was ripe for some bridge-building. So she spear-headed a collaborative process to bring together the natural resource industry, envrionmentalists, economic development folks, hunters, hikers and indeed anyone in the community who wanted to take part. She sat them all down at a very small table in her office - small tables make it harder to people to be nasty, she noted - and the result was a non-profit community group devoted to collaborative solutions to the issues facing the county, and especially its national forest lands....
Don't just blame the bugs The link between fire risk and the pine beetle epidemic sweeping through Colorado forests may not be as conclusive as generally assumed, according to Forest Service research. Based on a recent review of relevant studies, Forest Service scientists said there is no large amount of evidence suggesting that insect outbreaks significantly increase the fire risk in a given area. Other factors, including the presence of ladder fuels, are equally important. However, large areas of recently dead trees still carrying red needles can result in a more intense fire and enable such a blaze to spread more rapidly. The biggest risk to long-term forest health may come from super-hot, earth-baking fires 20 to 30 years after a bug infestation, when the trees are dead on the ground. And even then, it's important to remember that lodgepole forest ecology is marked by episodes of destruction and renewal....
Preserving pristine ecology But their excitement really begins when they hit the bottom of the rock pile about two-thirds of the way up the ridge. Standing near a 400-year old larch - with its unusual mix of western and alpine larch characteristics - the scientists are filled with wonder. "I'm in awe every time I come in here," Carlson said. "It's such a different piece of real estate than anywhere else. It's very, very unique." From this viewpoint, the men can pick out alpine larch already turning brilliant gold growing in amongst the pale green, heavily barked western larch. But there's more. Scattered here and there are trees that carry the characteristics of both species. While there are a few other places in the world where the two species of larch crossed traits over centuries, Carlson said this place marks perhaps the only spot where the hybridization occurred in well developed soils. Unlike most of the other rock-capped peaks in the Bitterroot Range, Carlton Ridge escaped being scraped clean during the era of glaciers. As a result, the ridge is covered in a relatively deep soil. "This hybridization appears to have occurred over thousands of years," Carlson said. "This isn't something that happened overnight once you get this crossover, the genetics get really complex. It's fascinating."....
2 men, 1 mountain, and endless determination It was an adventure four years in the making. Many day hikes, aerial reconnaissance and hours of research finally led Doug Shepherd of Anacortes and Dave Hess of Bow around Washington's Mount Baker. The two began what turned into a 71-mile, 11-day ordeal around the mountain on Aug. 22. They may have been the first to ever make such a trip. "We want to make sure and state that as far as we know nobody has ever hiked around Mount Baker," Shepherd said, "The Forest Service doesn't have any record, nor is it aware of anybody who has done this. I really want to stress that people should not try it, however." And for good reason. The trek was brutal. Both men pushed themselves to the edge of their mental and physical limits as they gained and lost about 60,000 feet in elevation over the 11 days. To say they were tested is an understatement. "This is no walk in the park," Shepherd said. "There were several places where we came out of the woods and were above sheer cliff faces. We got lucky. Most of the time, we came out perfect when it came to route finding."....
Eyeing Uranium With the price of uranium on the rise, Urex Energy wants to take a closer look at exactly what lies beneath the 2,740 acres it recently acquired full rights to on the La Jara Mesa of Cibola National Forest. The Reno, Nev., company has a request to explore the site before the U.S. Forest Service, which will be accepting written comments on the proposal until Nov. 6. Today's technology and tougher government regulations, Urex officials say, would spare the area from the widely acknowledged environmental fallout of uranium mining operations past. Unconvinced, American Indian groups opposed to the company's designs fear that renewed mining will only further contaminate their land and people and desecrate a sacred site. What Urex proposes to do, exactly, is drill 21 "exploratory holes," each one six inches in diameter and 1,200 feet deep, on the site, which lies a dozen or so miles northeast of Grants....
An argument for logging On the third, full weekend of June Encampment Wyoming hosts the annual Rocky Mountain Champion Lumberjack Completion where loggers come from all over the country to compete for the coveted title. Chips fly during this competition using chain saws, axes and hand saws, the men and women competitors cut down trees competing in events that include: Tree Felling, two-man handsaw tree felling, two-man handsaw, two-woman handsaw, power saw log bucking, one-man handsaw, man & woman handsaw team, choker setting, axe chopping, pole throw, axe throw, power saw log bucking, power saw log bucking, and the mad loggers chainsaw throw. It is refreshing to hear that this proud profession is still celebrated despite its vilification by America’s tree huggers who have turned a blind eye to their need for timber products in their crusade to reserve our forests for the Bark Beetle and fire. Proof that Patrick Moore’s approach is bearing fruit is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), a comprehensive system of principles, objectives and performance measures developed by foresters, conservationists, and scientists that combine the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the long-term protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality. There are currently over 150 million acres of forestland (equaling 24 Yellowstones) in North America enrolled in the SFI program, making it among the world's largest sustainable forestry programs. Here in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming it is a shame that logging has come to a screeching halt. Due to our overabundance of squeaky wheels here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem our forests are being managed for recreation only. This has triggered the death of our forest products industry which dates back to the time of our settlers....
Elk warning system first in United States On the Town of Star Valley's logo, a picture of an elk is prominently displayed because the animal is a common sighting within the town. Unfortunately, elk are also a common sighting on the highway that runs through Star Valley as well, creating a hazard for motorists. The Arizona Department of Transportation knew of the elk population in Star Valley well before that logo was created. ADOT has been working on a system to warn motorists traveling on Highway 260 when elk or other large animals are present on the outskirts of Star Valley. The alarm system will be placed about one mile east from the Diamond Points Shadow restaurant. Tom Goodman of ADOT is in charge of this project, and believes it will be completed sometime in November. The project includes two large, infrared cameras, a video grid system and other controls. The project will cost about $700,000 and is being funded by the Federal Highway Administration....
Wild Horse and Burro Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service are charged with managing wild horses and burros as an integral part of the natural ecosystem of public lands. The BLM has custodial responsibility for approximately 45,000 wild horses and burros living on more than 35 million acres throughout the western U.S. The BLM is presented with both the opportunities of managing a national symbol that holds a special place in the public's heart and ideals, and the challenges of maintaining those ideals in a manner that achieves and maintains a thriving natural ecological balance on public lands.2 The management of wild horses and burros also presents the equine practitioner with opportunities and challenges. Veterinarians can partner with adopters during the transition of wild horses and burros to domesticated life by sharing their knowledge of equines and providing quality veterinary care. The challenges--and there are many--involve working with a wild animal still unsure of its relationship with humans, and adopters whose experiences with horses and burros might be limited. This article will help horse owners understand how those equids came to be in wild horse herds--and thus in adoption programs--and the requirements imposed on an adopter for their care....
Shell is going to the wall for oil In an arid, sage-dotted valley here, Shell Exploration & Production Co. has begun work on what could be the final technological challenge to large-scale production of oil from shale. Shell already has figured out how to melt kerogen - the oil-like substance - from underground shale deposits with electric heaters to produce oil from one of the world's largest potential petroleum sources. Oil-shale deposits in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming have technically recoverable reserves of 500 billion to 1.1 trillion barrels of oil, according to a study last year by the Rand Corp. for the Department of Energy. The midpoint of the Rand estimate - 800 billion barrels - is three times the size of Saudi Arabia's reserves and enough to meet 25 percent of current U.S. oil demand for 400 years. Eager to tap into that possibility, Shell is spending $30 million to create and test a massive "freeze wall" that would extend from the surface to 1,700 feet below the ground. The walls would be 30 feet thick in a shape 300 feet wide by 350 feet long. It is designed for a dual purpose: to keep groundwater from infiltrating Shell's oil-shale wells, and to prevent produced oil from contaminating nearby groundwater....
What's good for Wyoming is great for the Michiganders Two families who squeezed into an apartment here waited months for permanent housing. Day-care centers are so packed that expectant mothers must put their names on waiting lists for their unborn child. A Quiznos sandwich shop can't keep workers at $9.50 an hour because of a labor shortage that sometimes shuts down the store. Ed Lambert couldn't be happier. He watched his homebuilding business in Flint, Mich., die as downsizing in the auto industry sucked the life from the local economy. Lambert and three of his employees drove 1,300 miles west in June, trading Michigan's shimmering lakes and dismal prospects for Wyoming's dry plains and sizzling economy. "We got in on a Sunday, and we were framing a house on Monday. It has been nonstop," said Lambert, 33, his sandy hair topped by a dusty Detroit Tigers baseball cap. "This building boom won't stop here for a good five years." With energy demand soaring, resource-rich Wyoming is struggling to find employees to work its mines and natural-gas and oil fields - and to staff a service industry scrambling to keep up with a booming population. The Bureau of Land Management estimates that by 2020, as many as 15,000 new jobs will be created in the coal-rich Powder River Basin that includes Campbell County and Gillette. The city's population last year of 22,685 is expected to reach nearly 30,000 by 2010....
The future Front Chuck Blixrud insists he’s not an activist. He’s an outfitter, a man who has made a living for almost 50 years taking tourists and hunters into his back yard, which just happens to be the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. But the gentle smile tightens on the lanky, soft-spoken man’s well-weathered face as he considers the future of the long, narrow strip of national forest between his home and the Bob: the 390,000-acre Rocky Mountain Front. Blixrud and others are worried that temporary measures in place to limit gas and oil exploration and hard-rock mining on the Front may be too easily erased. So he’s stepped forward as one of the local advocates in this small community, hoping to convince others of the need to create the first new wilderness designation in Montana in more than 20 years for small portions of the Front. “We need to carve out our destiny,” Blixrud said, relaxing for a brief moment recently on a couch in his guest lodge. “We’re the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. Look at the sign as you pull into town (Choteau). You don’t see oil rigs on any signs. That just doesn’t go with the Montana mystique.” Blixrud’s stance on expanding the wilderness area is by no means universal here in Choteau, where “wilderness” is a dirty word to many. Blixrud has angered some in Choteau who believe additional wilderness would limit such activities as grazing or oil and gas drilling....
Groups say leave Otero Mesa alone Once upon a time the Butterfield Stage provided public transportation across a lonely and wild west, the aplomado falcon winged its way across grassland skies and ancient people left messages on the rocks for those who followed them. Today, long after those living presences are gone, the setting remains much the same. It's called Otero Mesa and is the focus of ongoing controversy in southern New Mexico. Now, the Wilderness Alliance has reviewed the impact of potential oil and gas wells on Otero Mesa in a new study they have done dubbed "Too Wild to Drill." Meanwhile, a coalition of business owners brought together by the Southwest Environmental Center is calling on the federal government to take action and protect Otero Mesa. In a related development, 50 business owners in southern New Mexico have written to Sen. Jeff Bingaman last week, calling on the senator to ensure the area is protected. Half of those businesses are located in Las Cruces, with another six in Mesilla. The remainder are in Truth or Consequences or Silver City. None of the 50 are in Otero County. The letter takes BLM to task for allegedly disregarding the historical and environmental importance of the area when it decided to open Otero Mesa to drilling....
BLM plan calls for land sales Following a federal trend of selling small, isolated tracts of difficult-to-manage public lands, the Bureau of Land Management wants to mark for sale or trade about 200,000 acres it manages in Platte, Converse and Goshen counties. But in this case, many of those tracts are accessible by public roads, state lands and national forest lands, although the BLM contends they offer little or no public access or recreational value. The BLM released a draft resource management plan and environmental impact statement for the Casper Field Office, which takes care of holdings in Natrona, Converse, Platte and Goshen counties, in July. That document, once approved, will guide management for the next 15 to 20 years on 1.4 million acres of BLM land. In draft form, the plan describes five alternative ways the BLM could manage lands and resources. The agency’s preferred alternative calls for making eligible for disposal all BLM holdings in Goshen and Platte counties, and most of its land in Converse County. The BLM manages 25,180 acres in Goshen County, 81,965 acres in Platte County, and 129,947 acres in Converse County....
Burning Man attracts record crowd to desert This year's Burning Man set a number of records, starting with the population of Black Rock City: 39,100 in the Black Rock Desert north of Gerlach at midnight on Sept. 1. "This year's population grew by about 3,360, or 9.4 percent, over last year's maximum of about 35,740," said Rodger Bryan, associate field manager for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Winnemucca Field Office. In addition, as daytime incident commander for this year's Burning Man, Bryan added, "Everyone involved in the administration of the event agrees that this was the smoothest running Burning Man so far." The 17th consecutive festival of art and self-expression operated under terms of a permit issued by BLM's Winnemucca Field Office. It began Aug. 28 and ran through Sept. 4....
On Ted Turner's ranch, preservation and profits comfortably coexist There are no Ted's Montana Grill restaurants in Montana. Fifty of them have opened nationwide, but you won't find one in Montana. Partly that's because the word "Montana" has less marketing mystique for Montanans, who don't need the manufactured atmospherics. Partly, one suspects, it's because the owner of the chain, media mogul Ted Turner, remains a polarizing figure there even years after becoming one of the state's biggest landowners and most famous celebrity transplants. Montanans wouldn't necessarily boycott a chain with Turner's name on it, but they might shun it, given the lingering suspicion many old-timers have not just of the left-leaning, green-hugging Turner, but of the army of wealthy invaders that threatens to Aspenize the state. Turner runs bison on his ranches and embraces the re-wilding of the land with wolves, neither of which sit well with traditional cattlemen. Turner politically leans left, styles himself an environmentalist and pumps money into causes many Montanans, outside the college town of Missoula, see as radical. So imagine my surprise, during a recent visit to one of Turner's ranches, the 113,000-acre Flying D, to find that he's striking a sensible balance there between preservation and profit-making - proving the two can comfortably coexist. The Flying D provides lessons from which all sides in the public land wars might learn something, if they would put down their battle axes and pay attention....
The last Sierra shepherds Yips and yells pierce the air as a flock of 1,400 sheep trample their way through a talcum-colored haze near Prosser Reservoir, west of Truckee, Calif. Silhouetted by the rising sun, two shepherds wielding long staffs emerge from the dusty din stirred up by a cloud of agitated sheep and darting sheep dogs. Each of the shepherds' cries drive the herd closer to its destination - a white livestock trailer. The woolly throng slowly resigns itself to the direction of Piolin, Oso and Apache - three pointy-eared border collies. Soon four shepherds are working the flock, darting into clumps of wool and bucking legs to snare pregnant sheep identified by a streak of red paint between their eyes. It's an unlikely spot to happen upon a bustling sheep rodeo. Less than a minute away from where backhoes, dozers and dump trucks are busy molding 750 acres of forest into Truckee's latest golf course and luxury home development, the 150-year-old tradition of Sierra Nevada shepherding carries on in full force....
1881 book influenced cattlemen to overgraze Those of us who write for the public need to be aware of the impact of our words. (Take note, New York Times!) James S. Brisbin wrote a book in 1881 that had a tremendous effect on the U.S. cattle industry during the following decade. His book was The Beef Bonanza; or, How to Get Rich on the Plains. Readers have heard of “get rich quick” schemes today. Well, folks followed them a century and more ago as well. What is unusual about Brisbin and his book, however, is that I believe that he was sincere. He didn’t realize that overstocked ranges and an extremely cold winter would coincide. Who would have, back then? Brisbin, a general in the U.S. Army, served for many years in the West. He saw ranchers purchase young steers for $8 to $10 each, fatten them up for a year or two, and then sell them for $25 to $30. Often the cattlemen sold beef to the military posts or even provided the animals as part of the annuity payments that the government delivered to Indians. Government contracts proved lucrative then as they often do now. The reason Brisbin made a big splash with this book, and changed history even, was that many British upper-class folks read it as well. The eldest son of a titled lord inherited everything, so all of the younger sons had to look for careers. Some went into the army or the church; others worked for the British East India Tea Company and returned to England as wealthy nabobs. Brisbin’s book opened a door for the young Britishers in the American West. What Brisbin realized was that many a rancher who went up the trail from Texas could make thousands of dollars of profits in a season of trailing longhorns. One did not have to be a rancher, either. He could just buy the cattle in Texas cheaply (borrow the money if he had to) and sell for a lot more at the end of the trail. Let me cite the money that Texan C.C. Slaughter and his father G.W. made over several years: 1868, 800 head, $32,000; 1869, 2,000 head, $90,000; 1870, 3,000 head $105,000....
Story of bloody feud still told in Young Marie and Jim Petroff, members of the Pleasant Valley Historical Society gave a tour to Gila County Cooperative Extension agents that included a visit to Boot Hill, the old Tewksbury cabin in Young and the historic home of Ola Young, the town's first postmaster. These places are generally only open to the public on Pleasant Valley Day, the second Saturday in July. The first two sites are important because they are the part of Arizona's history known as The Pleasant Valley War. "Twenty-eight people died and another 50 associated people died or disappeared in the war," Jim Petroff told the extension agents. "The story starts in 1879 when James Tewksbury and his four sons moved to Pleasant Valley with the idea of starting a horse breeding ranch." But they actually made more money from selling pigs and cattle rustling than breeding horses. In 1882, the Tewksburys met Tom Graham and his three brothers and convinced them that Pleasant Valley was a good place to start a cattle ranch. The Grahams were not prepared for winter and the Tewksburys cared enough to see them through it. Also located in Pleasant Valley was the large Stinson Ranch. When summer came, the Grahams contracted with Stinson, the absentee owner, to stop area cattle rustlers. "Of course, the Grahams were some of the major rustlers," Jim said. "They brought charges against their competitors the Tewksburys."....
Torn over Tombstone You can't get Wyatt Earp to say anything bad about Terry "Ike" Clanton. One hundred and twenty-five years after animosity between the Clantons and the Earps sparked the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, their descendants are friends. But that doesn't mean they agree about who is to blame for the 30-second gunfight that left three men dead and changed the lives of the survivors and their descendants. "I've always said it was the first form of police brutality in America," says Clanton, a cousin of the infamous Clanton clan. "It's amusing," says Earp, a nephew of the storied lawman. "(Clanton) talks about the Clantons and McLaurys as not being bad guys. Oh, boy. I know better." Thursday will mark the 125th anniversary of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. On Oct. 26, 1881, building tension between the Earps, who represented law and order in Tombstone, and the Clantons and McLaurys, cattle rustlers and outlaws, erupted into a bloody confrontation. The legacy of the men who fought that day has become the economic backbone of modern Tombstone and an integral part of the lives of Clanton and Earp....
The Franklins: The Family and The Legacy Urbane yet impulsive, a smooth-talker with a penchant for making deals and taking calculated risks, Harris Franklin was a born capitalist. A Jewish immigrant who grew up in central Europe before coming to the U.S. as a teenager, Franklin was born a Finkelstein, but like many naturalized citizens, he remarketed himself with a new family name. He parlayed his skills into a multi-million-dollar personal empire that would come to dominate Deadwood’s business world. The Franklin family fortune may have started with a vibrant cigar and liquor business, but it didn’t end there. Franklin amassed holdings in the mining, banking and cattle ranching industries, and rubbed elbows with powerful families in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. As their influence grew, the Franklin family began to use their power to shape Deadwood, both politically and economically, as it entered the 20th century. Though the last of the Franklins left Deadwood in 1920, their legacy remains. Traces of their once-proud empire still flavor almost every corner of the city today, from its Victorian neighborhoods to the now-restored business district. With little wonder, then, the Franklins remain one of Deadwood’s most celebrated founding families....
Cuero hoping to take cowboy legacy to bank For more than 100 years, South Texas cattle ranchers have taken an extra measure of pride in their heritage, knowing that their 19th-century predecessors helped make the Chisholm Trail the stuff of cowboy legend. The cattle-drive route stretching north to Kansas was used by an estimated 6 million head of Texas livestock from 1866-84 in the rough-and-tumble era after the Civil War but before the proliferation of barbed wire and railroads. Until recently, however, Cuero, whose very name means "rawhide" in Spanish, hasn't fully explored — or exploited — its part of that legacy. But that's about to change. Backed by dozens of benefactors throughout Texas, area ranching families and others have launched an ambitious $3.75-million campaign to secure Cuero's place in history by establishing a Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum in early 2009....
HAWAII'S COWGIRL The notion of an American cowgirl is specific. They must be able-bodied and strong-willed. It helps if they can rope and ride. They must stand toe-to-toe with the men in the face of bad weather, smelly stock and economic hard times. Rose Cambra Freitas, one of this year's inductees into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, has done all of that. And she has done it in an unusual setting. Freitas is from Hawaii, where sprawling sugar-cane fields were her frontier. She doesn't remember the first time she rode a horse, but she does know she has been around them ever since. She was born to be a horse lover -- her grandparents were horse people who moved to the islands to find a better life working on the plantations. Her father, Louis DeCambra, was a cane-harvesting boss at the Puunene sugar plantation, and his daily work was done entirely on horseback. Freitas will be inducted into the Cowgirl Hall on Thursday, along with rancher Minnie Lou Bradley, women's suffrage leader Esther Hobart Morris, barrel racing champion Sharon Camarillo and legendary bronc rider Bonnie McCarroll....
On the Edge of Common Sense: Animal survivors: Next reality TV fad? In our effort to plumb the depths of humiliation and bad taste, television producers have now invented a reality show based on pitting races against each other. They have chosen whites vs. blacks vs. Asians vs. Latinos, leaving out the obvious: cowboys vs. Indians vs. French vs. cows. I can see spinoffs in the agricultural world: HEREFORD BREEDERS VS. ANGUS BREEDERS: It would be billed as "Cancer eye vs. Prolapsed sheath!" Contestants would be forced to mouth, preg check and cull purebred look-alikes from the Nacogdoches sale barn, and the audience would pick the winner! HORSE PEOPLE VS. MULE PEOPLE: The overconfident vs. the true believers! This reality show would force mule people to beat horse people in every possible contest. Then the horse people would have to try and explain why the horse really won. STOCK DOG BORDER COLLIES VS. CITY PARK BORDER COLLIES: Sheep police vs. Frisbee catchers! Sheepmen would order their border collies to herd ducks, old ewes, baby calves, kindergarten classes, or intransigent Pomeranians through an intricate obstacle course to display their natural ability and intelligence. City border collies would respond by jumping hurdles, catching balls and running through culverts, displaying their usefulness in case of a Presidentially Declared State of Hurdle, Ball and Culvert emergency! HOUSE CATS VS. BARN CATS....
Wolf #806 on mainstreet, Luna N.M.
From: Jess Carey
Hi all, I responded to a complaint of a wolf sighting (at 0910) in the center of Luna today. I took statements from two of the eye witnesses, there were five people who saw it and probably more that drove by. Wolf #806 showed up on the north side of US 180, just east of the gas station, it then walked across the road south in between the houses, then went southeast towards the bridge by Phil Swapps house, then it turned back traveling south of US 180 below all the houses, then crossed US180 again and went up over the mountain. I went with USFWS John Oakleaf to track and locate the wolf, it went into Dillman reek..northwest of Luna. A hunter on Dillman creek saw the wolf. There was a wolf pup, about six months old (about 30 pounds) with wolf #806, but now it appears it is no longer with #806, its location is unknown. When I arrived, I talked to one of the USFWS volunteers, she told me she had been monitoring wolf #806, also someone else monitored this wolf a day or so before just north of Luna. One of the locale people in Luna told me "If the USFWS knew this wolf was in Luna, around the homes, why didn't they tell the residents, why did they fail to warn us". Also who could we complain to. I told them, I don't know why they did not let people know and for them to contact our congressional representatives, they are the only ones that can do anything about these problems. The USFWS will be monitoring the location of wolf #806 to try to keep it out of Luna by hazing. Wolf #806 is part of the Meridian pack that was released in Arizona. The Meridian female was shot by a bow hunter in Arizona, one of the pups died also, it is suspect that the second Meridian pup (that was with #806) is also deceased. All you Luna folks please call your neighbors and let them know #806 is in the Luna Area, watch your children, keep your pets up and watch your cattle and farm animals.
From: Jess Carey
Hi all, I responded to a complaint of a wolf sighting (at 0910) in the center of Luna today. I took statements from two of the eye witnesses, there were five people who saw it and probably more that drove by. Wolf #806 showed up on the north side of US 180, just east of the gas station, it then walked across the road south in between the houses, then went southeast towards the bridge by Phil Swapps house, then it turned back traveling south of US 180 below all the houses, then crossed US180 again and went up over the mountain. I went with USFWS John Oakleaf to track and locate the wolf, it went into Dillman reek..northwest of Luna. A hunter on Dillman creek saw the wolf. There was a wolf pup, about six months old (about 30 pounds) with wolf #806, but now it appears it is no longer with #806, its location is unknown. When I arrived, I talked to one of the USFWS volunteers, she told me she had been monitoring wolf #806, also someone else monitored this wolf a day or so before just north of Luna. One of the locale people in Luna told me "If the USFWS knew this wolf was in Luna, around the homes, why didn't they tell the residents, why did they fail to warn us". Also who could we complain to. I told them, I don't know why they did not let people know and for them to contact our congressional representatives, they are the only ones that can do anything about these problems. The USFWS will be monitoring the location of wolf #806 to try to keep it out of Luna by hazing. Wolf #806 is part of the Meridian pack that was released in Arizona. The Meridian female was shot by a bow hunter in Arizona, one of the pups died also, it is suspect that the second Meridian pup (that was with #806) is also deceased. All you Luna folks please call your neighbors and let them know #806 is in the Luna Area, watch your children, keep your pets up and watch your cattle and farm animals.
FINDLAW CASE SUMMARIES
U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
KY Res. Council, Inc. v. Envt'l Prot. Agency (10/20/06 - No. 05-4349)
The EPA's final rulemaking action approving revisions to Kentucky's State Implementation Plan (SIP) involving air quality standards, under which the state was allowed to move its vehicle inspection and maintenance program for certain counties from the active or “regulatory” portion of its SIP under the Clean Air Act to the contingency measures portion of the Kentucky SIP, is affirmed as the EPA’s action was entitled to deference.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/6th/054349p.pdf
U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. Kempthorne (10/18/06 - No. 04-16563)
Summary judgment in favor of defendants, agency officials, in a suit under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is reversed where defendants' challenged decision, regarding listing the Sierra Nevada Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog as an endangered species, standing alone, failed to make the determinations required by 16 U.S.C. section 1533(b)(3)(B) for a “warranted but precluded” finding.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/9th/0416563p.pdf
U.S. District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals
Env. Def. Fund v. Env. Protection Agency (10/20/06 - No. 04-1291a)
Petition for review brought by environmental groups challenging three sets of regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) governing how states are to bring their transportation plans into conformity with the requirements of the Clean Air Act is: 1) denied for one set of regulations where the court does not have jurisdiction since the period for review has passed; 2) granted for one set where it is inconsistent with the Act’s requirement that activities that emit pollutants comply with an approved transportation implementation plan; and 3) denied for the final set where the Act does not require that activities involving transportation actually reduce pollutants, but merely that they not frustrate an implementation plan’s purpose to reduce overall emissions.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/dc/041291a.pdf
U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
KY Res. Council, Inc. v. Envt'l Prot. Agency (10/20/06 - No. 05-4349)
The EPA's final rulemaking action approving revisions to Kentucky's State Implementation Plan (SIP) involving air quality standards, under which the state was allowed to move its vehicle inspection and maintenance program for certain counties from the active or “regulatory” portion of its SIP under the Clean Air Act to the contingency measures portion of the Kentucky SIP, is affirmed as the EPA’s action was entitled to deference.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/6th/054349p.pdf
U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. Kempthorne (10/18/06 - No. 04-16563)
Summary judgment in favor of defendants, agency officials, in a suit under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is reversed where defendants' challenged decision, regarding listing the Sierra Nevada Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog as an endangered species, standing alone, failed to make the determinations required by 16 U.S.C. section 1533(b)(3)(B) for a “warranted but precluded” finding.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/9th/0416563p.pdf
U.S. District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals
Env. Def. Fund v. Env. Protection Agency (10/20/06 - No. 04-1291a)
Petition for review brought by environmental groups challenging three sets of regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) governing how states are to bring their transportation plans into conformity with the requirements of the Clean Air Act is: 1) denied for one set of regulations where the court does not have jurisdiction since the period for review has passed; 2) granted for one set where it is inconsistent with the Act’s requirement that activities that emit pollutants comply with an approved transportation implementation plan; and 3) denied for the final set where the Act does not require that activities involving transportation actually reduce pollutants, but merely that they not frustrate an implementation plan’s purpose to reduce overall emissions.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/dc/041291a.pdf
Sunday, October 22, 2006
SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE WESTERNER
Good neighbor Don
By Julie Carter
The old saying that "good fences make good neighbors" should have another list attached that outlines some of those neighboring attributes.
In ranch country, "neighbor" is a relative term that does not necessarily mean "next-door dweller." Next door is likely many miles down a dirt road, but the concept is the same. Bein' neighborly developed out of necessity for social and economical reasons.
Helping with farming, ranching or birthing babies, the neighbor's role is important in the western culture. And it's a two-way dirt road for rural dwellers. The opportunity for life-long friendships is cultivated through trust and simple "good people" attributes. The sure-fire chance of unlimited entertainment is also readily available.
Don is one of those neighbors that provides a lifetime of stories that, you've heard me say it before, you just can't make this stuff up. Don lives in the far north part of Montana where, come fall, the hills are gold with ripened grain. According to Ernie, his friend and neighbor, Don is a walking testimonial to creative thinking leading to disastrous results.
Don's most recent story was about the slab they poured last week for a new hopper bottom bin. The small 12 foot by 12-foot slab needed a proper trowel to get a proper finish. This would be with a large engine-powered trowelling machine, not a hand trowel.
After the trowelling was complete, Don and his carbon-copy son decided the easiest way to clean the trowel was the "cowboy way" which was to set it off on the grass and let the trowel run, expecting the grass to wipe the blades clean of concrete.
With this good idea sparkling in their eyes, the son opened the throttle and away the trowel went, made about two revolutions and hooked a big clump of grass pulling the handle out of the lad's hands.
Undaunted the machine continued unmanned. Round and round it went, blades frozen still but the engine racing and the handles rotating around faster and faster.
After a few futile attempts to grab the fast-moving handles and getting beat up a bit for their trouble, they decided to let the machine run out gas but when son said to dad, "it might take a couple hours," Don came up with another plan.
Being a quick thinker, good neighbor Don walked over to his pickup to get his rope. After a few well-aimed throws, his loop catches the handles, which are somewhat "horn-like." Immediately upon the "connect" the rope pulled tight and pulled right out of Don's hands as it wound down the handle of the spinning machine.
Some serious creative thinking was in order. It was a borrowed trowel, so he said, "I couldn't shoot the damn thing," but did finally manage to get a hold of the spark plug wire with the cement rake and get it shut down.
The entire event was described as just another "mundane day for good neighbor Don." A man you just can't help but think the world of but know that he is pure creative hell on borrowed equipment.
© Julie Carter 2006
Of the People
By Larry Gabriel
It is about time for the people to have their voice in the affairs of government in two ways--one voice is the regular vote to elect leaders, the other is a limited power to make law directly.
Despite President Lincoln's famous words "of the people, by the people, for the people" spoken so eloquently by him at Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863, not all people are free to participate in our system of self government. Only registered voters can vote and not all people are allowed to register. Minors and felons are "of the people", but not allowed to vote. In 1863, women were not voters.
The second voice, commonly called rights of referendum and referral, are even more restricted. That power arose from the early farm movements such as the Grange Society which laid the foundation for the farmer-led populist movement of the late 1800s. The Populist Party national convention in Omaha is said to have come up with the name "populist".
In 1896, the movement gained enough influence in the Democratic Party to nominate William Jennings Bryan for president. In 1897, South Dakota put the power of initiative and referendum into the South Dakota Constitution, reserving that power to "qualified electors".
Not everyone was happy about that. Eight times since 1897, the electors of South Dakota were asked to change that section of the South Dakota Constitution. Eight times the voters refused to do so. Finally in 1988, one small amendment was made which deleted a provision requiring the legislature to enact proposed measures.
South Dakota constitutional power of initiative and referendum applies to only two kinds of law, state law and municipal government. The power to make law is not the same as the power to reverse administrative decisions.
The executive branch makes administrative decisions. The legislative branch makes law.
Our legislature later extended a limited version of initiative and referendum to county voters, where the distinction between administrative functions and legislative functions seem to be lost on many. The granting of power to voters of a county is not a "right", but a mere privilege created by statute. It can disappear with a statutory revision.
The initiative and referendum process became popular about the time western states were created. It is largely unheard of in the east. Proponents call it "direct democracy".
Thanks in part to this direct democracy, South Dakota voters face the challenge of deciding eleven different ballot issues this November.
There is another limiting factor in this system--you have to show up. Only those who show up get a voice, and a majority of them will make law for the rest of us.
If you did not register to vote by Oct. 23rd or fail to show up on Election Day, you’re stuck with the decisions of others.
That's the system we have, at least until "the people" change it.
Larry is the South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture
Good neighbor Don
By Julie Carter
The old saying that "good fences make good neighbors" should have another list attached that outlines some of those neighboring attributes.
In ranch country, "neighbor" is a relative term that does not necessarily mean "next-door dweller." Next door is likely many miles down a dirt road, but the concept is the same. Bein' neighborly developed out of necessity for social and economical reasons.
Helping with farming, ranching or birthing babies, the neighbor's role is important in the western culture. And it's a two-way dirt road for rural dwellers. The opportunity for life-long friendships is cultivated through trust and simple "good people" attributes. The sure-fire chance of unlimited entertainment is also readily available.
Don is one of those neighbors that provides a lifetime of stories that, you've heard me say it before, you just can't make this stuff up. Don lives in the far north part of Montana where, come fall, the hills are gold with ripened grain. According to Ernie, his friend and neighbor, Don is a walking testimonial to creative thinking leading to disastrous results.
Don's most recent story was about the slab they poured last week for a new hopper bottom bin. The small 12 foot by 12-foot slab needed a proper trowel to get a proper finish. This would be with a large engine-powered trowelling machine, not a hand trowel.
After the trowelling was complete, Don and his carbon-copy son decided the easiest way to clean the trowel was the "cowboy way" which was to set it off on the grass and let the trowel run, expecting the grass to wipe the blades clean of concrete.
With this good idea sparkling in their eyes, the son opened the throttle and away the trowel went, made about two revolutions and hooked a big clump of grass pulling the handle out of the lad's hands.
Undaunted the machine continued unmanned. Round and round it went, blades frozen still but the engine racing and the handles rotating around faster and faster.
After a few futile attempts to grab the fast-moving handles and getting beat up a bit for their trouble, they decided to let the machine run out gas but when son said to dad, "it might take a couple hours," Don came up with another plan.
Being a quick thinker, good neighbor Don walked over to his pickup to get his rope. After a few well-aimed throws, his loop catches the handles, which are somewhat "horn-like." Immediately upon the "connect" the rope pulled tight and pulled right out of Don's hands as it wound down the handle of the spinning machine.
Some serious creative thinking was in order. It was a borrowed trowel, so he said, "I couldn't shoot the damn thing," but did finally manage to get a hold of the spark plug wire with the cement rake and get it shut down.
The entire event was described as just another "mundane day for good neighbor Don." A man you just can't help but think the world of but know that he is pure creative hell on borrowed equipment.
© Julie Carter 2006
Of the People
By Larry Gabriel
It is about time for the people to have their voice in the affairs of government in two ways--one voice is the regular vote to elect leaders, the other is a limited power to make law directly.
Despite President Lincoln's famous words "of the people, by the people, for the people" spoken so eloquently by him at Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863, not all people are free to participate in our system of self government. Only registered voters can vote and not all people are allowed to register. Minors and felons are "of the people", but not allowed to vote. In 1863, women were not voters.
The second voice, commonly called rights of referendum and referral, are even more restricted. That power arose from the early farm movements such as the Grange Society which laid the foundation for the farmer-led populist movement of the late 1800s. The Populist Party national convention in Omaha is said to have come up with the name "populist".
In 1896, the movement gained enough influence in the Democratic Party to nominate William Jennings Bryan for president. In 1897, South Dakota put the power of initiative and referendum into the South Dakota Constitution, reserving that power to "qualified electors".
Not everyone was happy about that. Eight times since 1897, the electors of South Dakota were asked to change that section of the South Dakota Constitution. Eight times the voters refused to do so. Finally in 1988, one small amendment was made which deleted a provision requiring the legislature to enact proposed measures.
South Dakota constitutional power of initiative and referendum applies to only two kinds of law, state law and municipal government. The power to make law is not the same as the power to reverse administrative decisions.
The executive branch makes administrative decisions. The legislative branch makes law.
Our legislature later extended a limited version of initiative and referendum to county voters, where the distinction between administrative functions and legislative functions seem to be lost on many. The granting of power to voters of a county is not a "right", but a mere privilege created by statute. It can disappear with a statutory revision.
The initiative and referendum process became popular about the time western states were created. It is largely unheard of in the east. Proponents call it "direct democracy".
Thanks in part to this direct democracy, South Dakota voters face the challenge of deciding eleven different ballot issues this November.
There is another limiting factor in this system--you have to show up. Only those who show up get a voice, and a majority of them will make law for the rest of us.
If you did not register to vote by Oct. 23rd or fail to show up on Election Day, you’re stuck with the decisions of others.
That's the system we have, at least until "the people" change it.
Larry is the South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture
OPINION/COMMENTARY
Edgy Arizona Ad Campaign Exposes Deceptive Animal Activists
As animal rights extremists descend on the Grand Canyon State to promote the equality of rats and pigs with human beings, a new advertising campaign from the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is giving Arizonans the tools to fight back. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are spending enormous amounts of money in Arizona. CCF, an animal-rights watchdog, is exposing their dangerous agenda with a series of newspaper, television, and outdoor placements. The campaign began with full-page ads in The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper. Some highlights from those ads: * PETA president Ingrid Newkirk has admitted her group would oppose medical research using animals "even if it resulted in a cure for AIDS." * Despite the deceptive "Physicians Committee" name, less than 4 percent of the group's members have gone to medical school. * HSUS raises over $100 million every year. Although this is enough to run successful pet shelters in every state, HSUS doesn't run a single one anywhere. And it is not affiliated with any local "humane society."....
THE WAR ON OIL
Proposition 87 is in some ways a murky proposal -- it's not clear exactly how its tax formula would be applied and how much it would raise -- but there's no mystery about its potential impact, says Investor's Business Daily (IBD).
By slapping a substantial new levy on oil being pumped in California, it would reduce the state's oil output. This is just basic economics: If you want less of something, raise the tax on it.
Applied to California crude, Proposition 87 would have the further effect of increasing demand for imported oil -- exactly what it claims not to be doing.
* Virtually all the crude extracted in California is refined and consumed in that state, but it's not enough to meet demand.
* California relies on foreign suppliers, such as Saudi Arabia, for more than 40 percent of its oil.
And what happens when the price of in-state crude suddenly gets kicked up a notch? The imported crude will get relatively cheaper, and refiners in the state will switch to it. Result: Imports up, domestic production down, says IBD.
That may be fine for those who don't care about further enriching oil states in the Mideast -- and whoever else in that part of the world gets a hold of our petrodollars. But then they shouldn't talk about energy security, which (among many other things) requires robust production of oil in the United States for the foreseeable future, says IBD.
Source: "The War On Oil," Investor's Business Daily, October 18, 2006.
For text (subscription required):
http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&
Inhofe correct on warming
Sen. James Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican, has been taking a lot of heat lately for his skeptical stance on global warming. He's been called a "social dinosaur" for his failure to accept the politically correct view. Yet Mr. Inhofe is absolutely correct to be skeptical. As the Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot said, "Skepticism is the first step toward truth." I'm a geophysicist who has conducted and published climate studies in top-rank scientific journals. My perspective on Mr. Inhofe and the issue of global warming is informed not only by my knowledge of climate science but also by my studies of the history and philosophy of science. The media hysteria on global warming has been generated by journalists who don't understand the provisional and uncertain nature of scientific knowledge. Science changes. For years we were told drinking coffee was bad for our health and would increase our risk for heart disease. But more recent studies have shown that not only is coffee safe for our hearts, it can decrease the risk of liver cancer and is chock full of healthy antioxidants. It is frequently reported that temperatures are now higher than at any time in the last 12,000 years. The fact that the thermometer wasn't invented until the year 1714 ought to give us pause when evaluating this remarkable claim. Reconstructions of past temperatures are not measurements, but estimates based on innumerable interpretations and uncertain assumptions, all invisible to someone who only reads the headline. Better studies -- completely ignored by the major media -- have shown that late-20th-century temperatures are not anomalous or unusually warm....
Putting the "con" in consensus
Celebrities, politicians, and media pundits often speak of the scientific consensus on the issue of global warming. But this presumed consensus is not what some might have us believe. Most of the climate-science community is indeed united on one particular component of the issue: there is global climate change. There has always been climate change, which is what makes this issue simple to agree on. But there is far from unanimous agreement on whether modern climate change is more extreme than normal - or even on how best to define "normal" given the uncertainty in measuring long-past climate from secondary measures such as ice cores and tree rings. There is even less agreement on the extent to which current and projected climate change is human-induced. Still, the scientific "consensus" is often presented as indisputable fact. In support of the consensus theory, many in the public spotlight point to a study by science history professor Naomi Oreskes, in which she reviewed the abstracts of 928 scientific papers published since 1993 with the keywords "global climate change" and found that none of them disagreed with the "consensus position" that the earth's climate is being affected by human activities. Less frequently reported are the problems with Oreskes' study. An independent review by British social scientist Benny Peiser repeated Oreskes' process but found that only 13 of 905 articles expressly supported the "consensus" view, and several actually opposed it. Further, 23 articles had no available abstract, meaning that the findings of those papers could not be concluded from this procedure....
EPA’s Power Mower Power Grab
Nine years ago, I predicted that lawn mowers would one day fall victim to onerous and unnecessary EPA air pollution standards, despite Clinton EPA administrator Carol Browner having stated in sworn testimony to Congress in 1997 that such regulations are "not about outdoor barbecues and lawn mowers." Frank O'Donnell, then-executive director of the Clean Air Trust, called talk of regulating lawn mowers "crazed propaganda." Today, however, EPA openly seeks implementation of pollution standards for lawn mowers that would supposedly cut smog-causing emissions by 35 percent. As for O'Donnell, he's now president of Clean Air Watch where he's working hard to implement that "crazed propaganda." So what else is new? The EPA and green groups lie because they're on a mission: Where you might see a freshly-mowed lawn, they see an opportunity to extend another regulatory tentacle. But the EPA's clean air standards are based on false claims and shaky science. Lawn-mower emissions comprise perhaps 3 percent of all EPA-monitored air pollutants, according to the agency's National Emissions Inventory. Meanwhile those overall emissions are less than half of what they were in 1970. Thirty-five percent of 3 percent of 50 percent of what we breathed a generation ago is essentially equivalent to a hair on a flea's leg. A small flea. But the EPA and greens persist in making spectacular-sounding but misleading claims, including that lawn mowers produce 93 times more smog-forming emissions than automobiles. They derive this figure by using an absurd per-hour comparison – without noting that the average car is driven 11,000 miles a year while the average lawn mower is used perhaps an hour a week during the growing season....
Edgy Arizona Ad Campaign Exposes Deceptive Animal Activists
As animal rights extremists descend on the Grand Canyon State to promote the equality of rats and pigs with human beings, a new advertising campaign from the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is giving Arizonans the tools to fight back. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are spending enormous amounts of money in Arizona. CCF, an animal-rights watchdog, is exposing their dangerous agenda with a series of newspaper, television, and outdoor placements. The campaign began with full-page ads in The Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper. Some highlights from those ads: * PETA president Ingrid Newkirk has admitted her group would oppose medical research using animals "even if it resulted in a cure for AIDS." * Despite the deceptive "Physicians Committee" name, less than 4 percent of the group's members have gone to medical school. * HSUS raises over $100 million every year. Although this is enough to run successful pet shelters in every state, HSUS doesn't run a single one anywhere. And it is not affiliated with any local "humane society."....
THE WAR ON OIL
Proposition 87 is in some ways a murky proposal -- it's not clear exactly how its tax formula would be applied and how much it would raise -- but there's no mystery about its potential impact, says Investor's Business Daily (IBD).
By slapping a substantial new levy on oil being pumped in California, it would reduce the state's oil output. This is just basic economics: If you want less of something, raise the tax on it.
Applied to California crude, Proposition 87 would have the further effect of increasing demand for imported oil -- exactly what it claims not to be doing.
* Virtually all the crude extracted in California is refined and consumed in that state, but it's not enough to meet demand.
* California relies on foreign suppliers, such as Saudi Arabia, for more than 40 percent of its oil.
And what happens when the price of in-state crude suddenly gets kicked up a notch? The imported crude will get relatively cheaper, and refiners in the state will switch to it. Result: Imports up, domestic production down, says IBD.
That may be fine for those who don't care about further enriching oil states in the Mideast -- and whoever else in that part of the world gets a hold of our petrodollars. But then they shouldn't talk about energy security, which (among many other things) requires robust production of oil in the United States for the foreseeable future, says IBD.
Source: "The War On Oil," Investor's Business Daily, October 18, 2006.
For text (subscription required):
http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&
Inhofe correct on warming
Sen. James Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican, has been taking a lot of heat lately for his skeptical stance on global warming. He's been called a "social dinosaur" for his failure to accept the politically correct view. Yet Mr. Inhofe is absolutely correct to be skeptical. As the Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot said, "Skepticism is the first step toward truth." I'm a geophysicist who has conducted and published climate studies in top-rank scientific journals. My perspective on Mr. Inhofe and the issue of global warming is informed not only by my knowledge of climate science but also by my studies of the history and philosophy of science. The media hysteria on global warming has been generated by journalists who don't understand the provisional and uncertain nature of scientific knowledge. Science changes. For years we were told drinking coffee was bad for our health and would increase our risk for heart disease. But more recent studies have shown that not only is coffee safe for our hearts, it can decrease the risk of liver cancer and is chock full of healthy antioxidants. It is frequently reported that temperatures are now higher than at any time in the last 12,000 years. The fact that the thermometer wasn't invented until the year 1714 ought to give us pause when evaluating this remarkable claim. Reconstructions of past temperatures are not measurements, but estimates based on innumerable interpretations and uncertain assumptions, all invisible to someone who only reads the headline. Better studies -- completely ignored by the major media -- have shown that late-20th-century temperatures are not anomalous or unusually warm....
Putting the "con" in consensus
Celebrities, politicians, and media pundits often speak of the scientific consensus on the issue of global warming. But this presumed consensus is not what some might have us believe. Most of the climate-science community is indeed united on one particular component of the issue: there is global climate change. There has always been climate change, which is what makes this issue simple to agree on. But there is far from unanimous agreement on whether modern climate change is more extreme than normal - or even on how best to define "normal" given the uncertainty in measuring long-past climate from secondary measures such as ice cores and tree rings. There is even less agreement on the extent to which current and projected climate change is human-induced. Still, the scientific "consensus" is often presented as indisputable fact. In support of the consensus theory, many in the public spotlight point to a study by science history professor Naomi Oreskes, in which she reviewed the abstracts of 928 scientific papers published since 1993 with the keywords "global climate change" and found that none of them disagreed with the "consensus position" that the earth's climate is being affected by human activities. Less frequently reported are the problems with Oreskes' study. An independent review by British social scientist Benny Peiser repeated Oreskes' process but found that only 13 of 905 articles expressly supported the "consensus" view, and several actually opposed it. Further, 23 articles had no available abstract, meaning that the findings of those papers could not be concluded from this procedure....
EPA’s Power Mower Power Grab
Nine years ago, I predicted that lawn mowers would one day fall victim to onerous and unnecessary EPA air pollution standards, despite Clinton EPA administrator Carol Browner having stated in sworn testimony to Congress in 1997 that such regulations are "not about outdoor barbecues and lawn mowers." Frank O'Donnell, then-executive director of the Clean Air Trust, called talk of regulating lawn mowers "crazed propaganda." Today, however, EPA openly seeks implementation of pollution standards for lawn mowers that would supposedly cut smog-causing emissions by 35 percent. As for O'Donnell, he's now president of Clean Air Watch where he's working hard to implement that "crazed propaganda." So what else is new? The EPA and green groups lie because they're on a mission: Where you might see a freshly-mowed lawn, they see an opportunity to extend another regulatory tentacle. But the EPA's clean air standards are based on false claims and shaky science. Lawn-mower emissions comprise perhaps 3 percent of all EPA-monitored air pollutants, according to the agency's National Emissions Inventory. Meanwhile those overall emissions are less than half of what they were in 1970. Thirty-five percent of 3 percent of 50 percent of what we breathed a generation ago is essentially equivalent to a hair on a flea's leg. A small flea. But the EPA and greens persist in making spectacular-sounding but misleading claims, including that lawn mowers produce 93 times more smog-forming emissions than automobiles. They derive this figure by using an absurd per-hour comparison – without noting that the average car is driven 11,000 miles a year while the average lawn mower is used perhaps an hour a week during the growing season....
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