NEWS ROUNDUP
Ranches in Western U.S. Shifting From Grazers to Greens Ten years ago, Heidi Redd feared that her ranching days were over. For 30 years she had been running cattle on the Dugout Ranch in southeastern Utah, first with her husband, Robert, and then by herself after the couple's divorce in the 1980s. By the mid-1990s, however, Redd was under pressure by family members to sell the 5,200-acre (2,100-hectare) property, which sits near Canyonlands National Park. Hoping to keep the ranch intact, Redd approached the Nature Conservancy (TNC), the environmental nonprofit, which buys ecologically significant property and preserves it. The ranch was a prime candidate for TNC ownership. The property includes rights to 250,000 acres (100,000 hectares) of federal grazing land, some of which has never been grazed. Redd was looking for more than just a buy-sell arrangement, however. "I was hoping they would purchase the land and allow me to continue ranching there," she said. TNC agreed to Redd's plan, and this year marks the tenth anniversary of the partnership between the long-time rancher and the nonprofit. TNC opted to continue with ranch operations and to use the property as a research lab, allowing scientists to work with Redd to determine the best grazing rotation for a desert climate....
Is the Endangered Species Act in Danger? Arizona's growing pains come before the Supreme Court this week in consolidated cases that pit against each other two of the country's most powerful environmental protections: the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. If the Bush administration has its way, states will have more control over how they manage their natural resources, but that will come at some expense to federal safeguards for jeopardized wildlife. Critics charge that the White House is actually trying to undercut the wide-ranging Endangered Species Act. For its part, the White House says the act is inconsistently applied and in need of reform-reform that could be brought about by a victory before the high court. Green light. The crux of the cases-National Association of Homebuilders v. Defenders of Wildlife and Defenders of Wildlife v. Environmental Protection Agency-goes back to 2002, when the federal government gave Arizona the right to issue its own water discharge permits for housing developments under the Clean Water Act-as it has done in many other states. But before handing over that power, the EPA, according to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, consulted with another agency-in this case, the Fish and Wildlife Service-on whether the action would threaten listed species. The service raised alarms but, in an unusual move, approved the transfer anyway, arguing that Arizona was entitled to the permitting power because it met all the requirements of the Clean Water Act. The final call was made by the EPA, which gave Arizona the green light on water permits, environmentalists claim, without regard to their impact on wildlife as directed by the Endangered Species Act. To some, the whole thing smelled fishy. In other instances, environmentalists say, the EPA and other agencies had worked to minimize damage to habitat while still giving states permitting power. "This time, they drew hard lines," says Patrick Parenteau, an environmental law professor at Vermont Law School. He believes "something happened behind closed doors" to limit the federal role in state and local development. Defenders of Wildlife sued. In court, the EPA argued that simply by consulting with the Fish and Wildlife Service, it had met its legal requirements under the Endangered Species Act. But the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit disagreed, arguing the EPA had shirked its duty to wildlife. Hostage. The EPA is expected to argue before the Supreme Court that Section 7 shouldn't apply at all. The EPA and the National Association of Homebuilders, a party to the suit, argue that states must be granted permitting rights under the Clean Water Act if they meet all the requirements, none of which involves measuring impacts on endangered species. Duane Desiderio, a lawyer for the association, says it's wrong to hold every federal statute hostage to the Endangered Species Act. The EPA declined to comment, but in its legal petition argues "there is no dispute" Arizona met the criteria for the Clean Water Act and therefore should get its permits....
Court hears endangered species cases that could slow Az building The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a pair of Arizona cases that could lead to tougher requirements for how federal agencies weigh the environmental effects of their policies. The specific issue before justices is whether the Environmental Protection Agency should have consulted more closely with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials when it gave Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality the power to issue permits for a housing development in the state's southern desert. Depending on how the court rules, the outcome could resonate far outside Arizona. The federal government says complying with endangered species laws before entering into agreements with states would be impossible. Housing developers say if they lose, it could mean construction delays of up to six months on new projects, and raise the cost of a new house by $5,000 to $10,000. Environmental activists say the government needs to be sure endangered species aren't at risk from policy decisions that may seem unrelated at first....
Ferrets have ranchers worried Ranchers near Wind Cave National Park are worried that the re-introduction of endangered black-footed ferrets into the park could complicate their lives, despite assurances that agriculture operations on nearby private land nearby will not be affected. Randy Schroth, who ranches near the west boundary of the 28,000-acre park, said Monday he was skeptical of assurances by park officials that the presence of ferrets wouldn’t interfere with private ranch operations — including the poisoning of prairie dogs — adjoining or near the park. “They’re claiming we’re covered,” Schroth said. “But I’m wondering. If you’re out poisoning and it might kill one of them little buggers, you’re in the harm of things. They’re still an endangered species.” Wind Cave acting superintendent Tom Farrell announced last week that the National Park Service had approved an experimental ferret re-introduction project that could release 20-25 black-footed ferrets each year for three to five years. Farrell said provisions of an experimental permit issued under the Endangered Species Act would assure that private property owners outside the park were not affected....
Wolves prey on cattle while ranchers huff and puff One day after selling his cattle, hay and farm machinery, Mike Kasten Sr. visited with his good friend, John Eischeid, in the office of Tri-County Livestock Auction Inc. Still sporting his cowboy hat and boots, Kasten pulled up a chair and explained why he decided to sell. Last June, he said he was getting his two grandsons off to summer school classes when he noticed trouble in a pasture close to his house. "The cows were up close, calving," he recalled, "and there were three timber wolves, two of them working the cow. One calf took off running toward the brush, and I ran to get my .243. "When I got back, they were by another cow that had just calved that morning, and they were trying to get her." Kasten said the adult female wolf ran off, but he managed to shoot two young males. He notified the local authorities, who in turn summoned a DNR official and trapper from the USDA office in Grand Rapids. By midwinter, Kasten said he had lost several more calves to wolves, but he had no carcasses to prove his damages. He said it is common knowledge that wolves can tear carcasses to pieces, dragging them away to their den....
Wolf delisting must protect elk, cattle While the head of a statewide sportsmen's group may not detest wolves, he's quite concerned about their impact on big game. “I'm not a wolf-hater, but I don't like what they're doing to the herds,” said Joe Tilden of Cody. He's president of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and hopes there's a big turnout for the Thursday meeting about removing wolves from Endangered Species Act protection. State Rep. Pat Childers, R-Cody, also has strong feelings about wolves. “I made myself clear with the legislation,” he said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is hosting the meeting, needs to delist the wolf and turn over their management to the state, Childers said. The agency also needs to set the wolf-zone line at the Shoshone Forest boundary west of Cody, not at WYO 120. The statute gives the governor the flexibility to move the line, “if that's what it takes to delist,” he added. After delisting, the Game and Fish Department will have that power. Both Childers and Tilden cited a G&F study about a low cow-calf ratio for elk in Sunlight Basin and the relocation of elk to Heart Mountain where the ratio is healthy. “Why's that? Generally we think it's wolves,” Childers said....
Two wolves shot near Sun Valley U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has shot two male wolves suspected of killing up to four cattle south of Sun Valley. The wolves were shot by Wildlife Services' agents from a fixed-wing aircraft Friday morning as the animals were harassing cattle at a ranch near Carey. A third wolf , a female, was killed by a rancher near Picabo about five weeks ago. Officials say this is perhaps the first time wolves have been shot by wildlife agents in south-central Idaho. "This is the first year we've had any problems in that area," said Steve Nadeau, state wolf coordinator with Wildlife Services. "It's very unusual." All three wolves are believed to be responsible for a cattle killing spree in the Wood River Valley over the past eight weeks. On March 19, a rancher near Picabo shot and killed the female wolf after it brought down at least one of his cattle. A day or two later, more wolves were spotted near the ranch. Then on April 7 and 8, at least three cattle were killed, supposedly by wolves, near a ranch about 15 miles north of Carey. Agents were dispatched to find and kill the wolves....
Wolf impasse persists Issues of timing appear to be the biggest remaining obstacle toward a wolf management deal between Wyoming and the federal government. It also appears that those timing issues may be insurmountable. That means more litigation between the parties and continued federal control of wolves in northwest Wyoming. Federal officials Monday said Wyoming must submit a new wolf management plan by May 1 to meet administrative and legal requirements to allow removal of federal protection of wolves by February 2008 -- the deadline contained in a new state law giving Gov. Dave Freudenthal authority to negotiate the boundaries of a permanent wolf management area in northwest Wyoming to meet federal approval. But the governor says that under the law approved by the Legislature during its recent session, Wyoming can't adopt a new wolf management plan until the federal government changes its rules to allow killing of wolves to protect big game animals before delisting. Federal officials have begun the process of amending the rules to allow such wolf control, but the changes aren't expected to be finalized until next year. As a result of the impasse, federal officials said Monday they're prepared to remove protection for northern Rocky Mountain wolves in all but northwest Wyoming....
Agency sets wolf plan deadline The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it's prepared to leave Wyoming behind as it drafts regulations spelling out how the wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains will be removed from federal protection under the Threatened and Endangered Species Act. Mitch King, regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wrote to Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Monday saying that if the state can't submit a new wolf management plan by May 1, the federal agency won't be able to include the state in its ongoing rulemaking aimed at removing wolves from federal protections by next February. That would leave only Montana and Idaho in the process. "Let me again stress this is not our preferred option," King wrote to Freudenthal. "However, we still intend to complete the delisting of all the significant portions of the range with adequate regulatory mechanisms by February 2008, with or without Wyoming's inclusion."....
Where will they sue? The lawyer for eight environmental groups fighting to maintain federal protection for grizzly bears said he'll carefully consider the options before deciding where to file an expected lawsuit. “I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't do that,” said Douglas Honnold, an attorney for Earthjustice in Bozeman, Mont. Gov. Dave Freudenthal last week asked Honnold in a letter to take the “honorable action” and file the lawsuit in federal court in Wyoming, where about 90 percent of the greater Yellowstone area's estimated 500-600 bears live. Freudenthal urged Honnold not to “forum shop” for a sympathetic court in another state, a practice that has been widely criticized by Westerners in past federal land and wildlife disputes. “Having a distant forum render a decision on a matter of such great import to Wyoming and its people will only foster further cynicism regarding the (Endangered Species Act) and judicial review of decisions made under the ESA,” Freudenthal wrote in the two-page letter....
Lawsuit claims gray wolf should remain on endangered species list Three animal advocacy groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday over its decision to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, says the gray wolf essentially remains endangered in the three states, and it demands that the Fish and Wildlife Service be prevented from implementing its "delisting" plan. The lawsuit was filed by The Humane Society of the United States, Help Our Wolves Live, and the Animal Protection Institute. "The agencies' decision to strip wolves of all federal protection is biologically reckless and contrary to the requirements of the Endangered Species Act," Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president of litigation for the Humane Society, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. In March, federal officials removed the gray wolves from its endangered list and handed over management of the population to state and tribal governments. In Minnesota, the state Department of Natural Resources assigned three conservation officers to managing the wolf population and planned to hire a new wolf specialist, said Mike DonCarlos, the department's wildlife research and policy manager....
States seek OK to kill sea lions So far, California sea lions have been winning their contest for survival with the Washington and Oregon salmon heading upstream to spawn. That may be about to change. Washington, Oregon and Idaho are asking Congress for permission to kill more than 80 sea lions a year to protect the salmon they feast on. Since federal rules gave sea lions greater protection in the 1970s, the population of these salmon predators has grown as more gentle efforts have failed to scare them away from their favorite meal. Sea lions on the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam have been blasted with rubber buckshot, chased by boats, harassed by firecrackers and rockets and subjected to noise from underwater speakers. Both species have potent allies. Backing the salmon are the three Northwest states, American Indian tribes and four of the region's members of Congress. Backing the sea lions is the 10 million-member Humane Society of the United States....
Russia To Make Polar Bear Hunting Legal The Russian government is set to allow residents in the town of Vankarem to legally hunt polar bears that have been moving into the region. In response to the increasing number of polar bears traveling into the eastern Russian region due to the changing climate, officials are set to permit legal hunting of the animals for the first time in more than 50 years, the New York Times said Monday. "The normal life space for the polar bears is shrinking," Pacific Scientific Research and Fisheries Center biologist Anatoly A. Kochnev said. "They come in search of food on the shore, and the main sources of food are where people live." The move comes as other nations have begun classifying polar bears as an endangered species....
Federal government defends decision not to list Oregon coho The federal government on Monday defended its decision to leave Oregon coastal coho salmon off the threatened species list and let the state of Oregon oversee voluntary efforts to restore its numbers. U.S. Justice Department lawyer Paul Lall argued in U.S. District Court that judges must defer to NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency in charge of salmon restoration, which had weighed competing scientific evidence and made a "close call." But Trout Unlimited and other conservation groups countered that NOAA Fisheries failed to use the best available science, and in the face of uncertainty should have decided to protect the fish. "If there are uncertainties, the agency cannot throw up its hands," said Patti Goldman, an attorney from Earthjustice representing the conservation groups. "It cannot refuse to act." Once a fish is listed as threatened, the government has to come down on the side of protecting the fish when there's a question about whether a given action might harm its populations, Lall said....
Grizzly Bear Trapped and Killed The Idaho Department of Fish and Game says the 400-pound bear was caught in a cable snare about 100 yards from the home of Timothy Henderson, the man who was hospitalized. Henderson has since returned home and will recover from multiple bite and claw wounds. He was attacked last week when he went outside his home looking for his dog, only to find a grizzly charging straight at him. Fish and Game says the bear was likely protecting a dead moose carcus in the area, but says killing it was the right decision. Steve Schmidt, Idaho Fish and Game: "That was a joint decision by the Teton County Sheriff's Office and Idaho Fish and Game in addition to public safety issues of officers on the scene, the bear was lunging at them at the end of a cable snare, their safety was paramount."....
Habitat Credit Trading Offers Conservation Incentives The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies are partnering to evaluate endangered species habitat credit trading. Directors from each group signed an agreement Friday agreeing to explore ways to coordinate programs and activities to assist habitat credit trading markets as way to increase the conservation of endangered or at-risk species habitat. "Habitat credit trading is a great way to restore, protect and promote conservation of lands that are home to endangered species," says NRCS Chief Arlan Lancaster. "We all benefit from healthy ecosystems. Allowing landowners to earn additional revenue for their conservation efforts is the future of sound environmental stewardship." Habitat credit banks act much like a savings account but instead of money, credits are earned for land preservation of the habitat. The credits can then be sold to land use industries or others, who are required to mitigate the loss of habitat by the Endangered Species Act and other laws that restrict or prohibit development....
Turning off the flow Millions of Californians would lose at least a portion of their water supply and 750,000 acres of productive Central Valley farmland would dry up if the state cannot satisfy an Alameda County judge. Late last month, Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch gave the California Department of Water Resources 60 days to comply with the California Endangered Species Act or shut down a pumping plant that diverts millions of acre-feet of water to thirsty Southern California. The Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant and its related facilities near Tracy push delta water through the California Aqueduct, a man-made canal that cuts a swath through western Stanislaus County. Water flowing down the aqueduct has transformed California's once dry and barren interior into an agribusiness powerhouse that pumps an estimated $300 billion into the state's economy. Shutting off the pumps would have a potentially devastating effect on the state's economy. Officials at the Department of Water Resources say they won't let that happen....
Biologists stumped by southern Oregon fish kill After more than a week of chasing tips, the Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have been unable to identify the toxic substance that killed dozens of fish here earlier this month. The dead fish that turned up in lower Griffin Creek included wild coho salmon, a species classified as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Authorities said that means the fish kill could be a federal crime. Also discovered among the fish were red-sided shiners, which are a non-native species, and juvenile wild steelhead, most of which were about 4 inches long. David Haight, a fish biologist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the gills of the dead fish were inspected to look for burning associated with chemicals. The fish, however, were too decomposed to reveal any clues, Haight said. "So far, we haven't found anything that seemed like it could have caused the fish kill," Haight said....
Vegas water-pumping plan approved A request to pump billions of gallons of groundwater to booming Las Vegas from a valley near the Nevada-Utah line was cut to less than half the amount in a plan approved Monday by the state's engineer. The pipes will be shut off if existing wells and other existing water rights in Spring Valley suffer during Southern Nevada Water Authority's pumping the next 10 years, state Engineer Tracy Taylor said. A recent drought cycle has cut heavily into southern Nevada's share of Colorado River water, prompting the city to look elsewhere for water. Utah officials, ranchers, conservationists and even the Mormon Church objected to Las Vegas' request to pump water from their areas. Susan Land of the Great Basin Water Network, which had opposed the original pumping request, termed the decision "a victory of sorts" and questioned whether the massive project to pipe water more than 200 miles south to Las Vegas remained financially feasible....
Public forum on Otero Mesa drilling later this week The Otero Mesa, a large expanse of wild lands southeast of Alamogordo, may have some oil and gas underneath it. It may also have one of the largest untapped fresh water aquifers in the state as well. Both gas drillers and municipalities are vying to tap into one or the other. Because of the issues involved, a public forum has been scheduled for later this week, noted Nathan Newcomer from the New Mexico Wildlife Association. Newcomer said the public is invited to the forum at the Elks Lodge on Hamilton Friday at 6 p.m. He said five people will speak on the possible dangers of gas drilling in the area. Tweety Blancett, a rancher from Aztec, will talk about what happened when oil and gas companies began to drill on her ranch and the consequences that resulted from that. Newcomer said Blancett's water was contaminated and some of her livestock perished....
Warming Predicted to Take Severe Toll on U.S Climate change will exact a major cost on North America's timber industry and could drive as much as 40 percent of its plant and animal species to extinction in a matter of decades, according to a new report from an international panel. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which released its summary report on global warming's overall impact earlier this month, provided a more detailed assessment yesterday of the effects on North America. The report, written and edited by dozens of scientists, looks at how global warming has begun to transform the continent and how it is likely to affect it in the future. The 67-page report, which examines everything from freshwater ecosystems to tourism, said North America has suffered severe environmental and economic damage because of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, heat waves and forest fires. Without "increased investments in countermeasures," the authors wrote that they are at least 90 percent sure that "hot temperatures and extreme weather are likely to cause increased adverse health impacts from heat-related mortality, pollution, storm-related fatalities and injuries, and infectious diseases."....
Map software pinpoints environment hotspots Web connoisseurs have grown accustomed to going online and getting an aerial view of their neighborhoods, or even their houses, using software like Google Earth. Now they can look at the same world and get a subterranean view. A sophisticated new breed of mapping software on the Web is allowing users to pinpoint toxic hot spots and hazardous sites beneath the ground using a wealth of new information and mashed-up existing technology. Those developments have opened up business opportunities for consulting firms and new ways for government and advocacy organizations to inform the public about hazardous, environmentally dangerous sites. Take Locus Technologies in Mountain View, which, using Google Earth's satellite imagery, has created an online program that pinpoints problem sites throughout the country, including the infamous Superfund sites designated as super-toxic by the Environmental Protection Agency....
The grass-fed is greener Inside the only boucherie in town is a meat case full of chuck roasts, flank steaks, New York strips. But what they're really selling in the rustic Burgundy Boucherie is a story. It's an old story, actually, one about a Texas ranching family that raises cattle on rolling, green hills of native grasses, never uses pesticides, hormones or grain, and sells their meat to people they know on a first-name basis. Jon and Wendy Taggart tell it best. "It's not new," Wendy Taggart said. "It's the way ranching was done years ago." A few years back, they climbed out on an agricultural limb, gambling that people would pay extra for organic, 100-percent grass-fed beef bought directly from their store in Grandview, about 35 miles south of Fort Worth. They struck at a time when many Americans were growing more interested in all-natural products and more concerned with problems in mass-produced meat. That interest keeps growing, and not just in the expected places such as New England and California. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is considered the second-strongest market in Texas for environmentally friendly foods....
Animal protections pass Colo. House Dog owners whose animals attack or kill someone's pet could face criminal charges under a proposal advanced today by the House. The legislation - aimed at putting more teeth into animal-cruelty laws - also would make bestiality a crime and force animal abusers to submit DNA samples for a criminal database. After an objection from ranchers, lawmakers struck a provision that would have banned dogs from riding unrestrained in the back of pickup trucks. They also eliminated a proposal to add rabbits and ferrets to the list of domestic animals protected under the law. "A special thank you from my dog, Buzz, who loves to chase rabbits," said House Minority Leader Mike May of Parker. "He says, 'Woof-woof.' " Rep. Debbie Stafford, R-Aurora, said district attorneys asked her to run the bill because Colorado law isn't tough enough on animal abusers....
No health threats found at Stevens County dairy farm An investigation into the deaths of as many as 60 cows at a Stevens County dairy found no health threats to people or other animals, state Veterinarian Leonard Eldridge said Monday. Eldridge and representatives of other state and federal agencies visited the farm in Addy, about 75 miles north of Spokane, in early March after receiving reports of 50-60 dead cattle. A detailed investigation found no serious animal diseases or toxic contamination of the animals' feed. But the probe did not find what caused the animals' deaths. "During this investigation, we have found no threat to the health of people or other animals," Eldridge said in a news release. "We have not been able to identify a common cause of death of these animals. Frankly, we may never know specifically what killed the animals that died before the start of this investigation." Concerns about possible heavy metals contamination of the animals' feed caused the dairy owner to stop shipping milk off the farm in December 2006....
GeneThera in Preliminary Talks for Mad Cow Testing GeneThera, Inc. (OTCBB: GTHA) announced today it has begun preliminary talks with ranchers to test their cattle for the Mad Cow disease. Commenting on the talks Dr. Tony Milici stated, "These preliminary talks are an important first step to establish our commercial platform once private companies will be allowed to test for Mad Cow disease in the US. We believe that allowing private companies to test for Mad Cow will have a very positive impact on the US beef industry domestically and internationally." The USDA has previously not allowed private companies to test their cattle for Mad Cow. However, a federal judge ruled that the federal government must allow meatpackers to test their animals for Mad Cow Disease. The judge put his order on hold until the government can appeal. If the government does not appeal by June 1, 2007, he stated the ruling would take effect....
Feed store owner, 88, still behind counter Sybil Brown has a simple ambition these days. It makes her day to get in her old pickup and drive the two blocks to work every morning in the store she has been a part of since World War II. Sybil is 88, and she has been working in Brown’s Feed Store in Honey Grove since she and her husband, Curtis, built it in the early 1940s. Curtis died more than two decades ago, but Sybil continues to run the store much as she did years ago. In fact, Sybil’s attachment to the store goes back even before she and her husband built it. The lumber was originally in an old barn on her family’s farm. She inherited the farm, and when the couple decided to go into the feed business, they tore down the barn on the old family place and built the store in Honey Grove. The feed store once was a thriving business, with farmers and ranchers coming from across the area to purchase feed ground fresh at the store every day. “Farmers brought their crops to us by the trailer loads,” she said. “We took grain and hay and ground it into feed for them.”....
It's All Trew: Airing out laundry memories Washing dirty laundry is and always has been a dreaded chore. The larger the family, the more dreaded the chore, especially if you had to build a fire under a large iron pot, whittle lye soap shavings into the pot and agitate the brew with a poke stick until the clothes were clean. Then came the wringing out and placing on the clothesline. Probably not many are alive today who helped in this effort. Once kitchens became equipped with kerosene, propane or natural gas cook stoves, most women acquired a big copper boiler with a lid, which sat over two burners for heating. In place of the poke stick, various inventions made doing laundry a little easier, though the old rub-board was still kept busy. The invention of flat irons with detachable handles improved the chore of ironing. A major improvement in washing clothes came with the introduction of the Maytag MultiMotor Swinging Wringer Washing Machine. It had a wooden tank made like an ice cream freezer bucket and owners knew to keep a little water in the tank at all times so the stakes would not dry out and leak water. Miracle of miracles, the device had a small gasoline motor for power. The direction booklet gave directions of how to mix the oil and gasoline for the motor and said to keep your oil squirt-can handy because there were 23 places to lubricate. "Always oil machine before using each time and do not use too much oil but apply often."....
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
NEWS ROUNDUP
Army Hasn't Ruled Out Pinon Canyon Condemnations Sen. Wayne Allard says the Army has told him it prefers to buy land from willing sellers to expand its Pinon Canyon training site in southeastern Colorado, but it has not ruled out condemnations. Some farmers and ranchers are opposed to the expansion and fear they will be forced to sell their land, which is located along the historic Santa Fe Trail. Steve Wymer, Allard's spokesman, said others in the area are open to selling their land. Te Legislature is debating a bill that would bar the Army from using state eminent domain law to require landowners to sell, but even its backers admit the measure would be more symbolic. Wymer said the Army has long said that forcing landowners to sell "would be a last resort." Rancher Lon Robertson, the leader of a group opposing the expansion, said there are always some ranches for sale in the area but the majority of landowners don't want to sell. He the latest Army statement is nothing new....
Public: Slow Pinedale area gas development No one who spoke during four open houses hosted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said they backed the agency's plan for energy development in the Pinedale area. The BLM's preferred alternative is to allow a mixture of oil and gas development while making some areas off limits to drilling and related activity. But those who spoke at open houses in Rock Springs, Jackson, Pinedale and Marbleton said they want the agency to slow development and do more to protect wildlife and natural resources. The biggest turnout was in Pinedale, where a crowd spent several hours speaking about the proposed development plan, which remain open for public comment until May 18....
Coal-bed methane water appeals on rise Appeals of coal-bed methane water discharge permits are on the rise, complicating gas development in the Powder River Basin. Coal-bed methane wells extract natural gas by pumping water off underground coal seams. Oftentimes the groundwater is useful for ranchers in arid northeast Wyoming, but other times the water can flood low-lying grazing areas. Terri Lorenzon, director of the state Environmental Quality Council, thinks the shifting areas of the coal-bed methane play may have something to do with the increase in permit appeals. "These discharges are where they impact people more and more," she said. The state Department of Environmental Quality also has noticed an increase in appeals. John Wagner, a water quality supervisor for the agency, said 11 appeals are pending. "We're getting appeals from both sides, environmental and industry," he said. "It's just that coal-bed methane is very controversial, and there seems to be an unwillingness to compromise on both sides."....
Cooperative range monitoring fosters trust in western Wyoming Western Wyoming ranchers who hold permits to graze livestock on federal lands say their relationship with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management has gone from contentious to cooperative. This new sense of goodwill, according to the ranchers, stems from a monitoring program spearheaded by the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service. Livestock producers and personnel from the two federal agencies voluntarily participate. "We get along better with the USFS since we started the cooperative permittee monitoring. We also have a lot more knowledge about the range resource and how to care for it," said Wayne Jensen, who raises cattle near Boulder. "That's allowing us to keep our cattle up there longer, and they are in better shape when they come out." Another Boulder-area rancher, Joel Bousman, said, "Since we started the joint monitoring programs, our working relationship with the Forest Service and BLM improved dramatically." Bousman, president of the Silver Creek Grazing Association, added, "With the help of UW CES, we got out on the grazing allotments and started monitoring based on sound science using quantitative, long-term trend data, not someone's opinion."....
Prairie chickens making comeback The lesser prairie chicken was once prolific across the shortgrass prairies of the Great Plains. The birds were often the only meat on a pioneer family’s table in hard times, which never seemed to go away for the plains sodbuster. Experts say the birds nearly met their demise, not from hunting, but from loss of habitat during the 20th century. Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes the species as eligible for listing through the Endangered Species Act. Landowners and several groups working to protect the lesser prairie chicken won a major battle in the last year when the New Mexico Game Commission recommended they not be included on the state’s endangered species list. “It would limit what we do out here because then everything we do would be federally regulated,” said Tish McDaniel, The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Shortgrass Prairie project coordinator. “We don’t want it to become listed because that’s a statement right there that we’re losing.” McDaniel said the key to saving and improving prairie chicken habitat lies with landowners, who ranch on most of the prime land for the birds. She tries to match federal and state programs and other conservation sources to a cattleman’s goals for his land. She said at the same time she’s winning valuable habitat for prairie chickens....
Ranchers get creative with wolves Barbed wire used to be the only thing keeping Emma Ellison's cows from the Baker Mountain wolf pack. This spring, there's a stiffer line of defense: electrified wire draped with red strips of flagging. "It you touch your nose on it, it'll get your attention," said Brian Finnan, Ellison's friend and neighbor who helps keep an eye on the place. The fencing went up last month around a 40-acre pasture as an experiment to see how well it works at keeping hungry wolves from cows and calves. Wolves are suspected of killing a few cows on the ranch two years ago, but it was never officially confirmed. Still, the mere presence of wolves nearby was enough to give the electrified fencing and flagging a try. The strips of red material -- called fladry -- exploit a quirk in wolves' personality that steers them away from new, unfamiliar objects. The 7,000 volts pulsing through the wires, in a souped-up version called "turbo-fladry," add a body-jarring jolt to those bold enough to test it....
Interior probe clears BLM The Department of Interior's chief investigator found no wrongdoing in private discussions Bureau of Land Management officials held with promoters of oil and gas development in Utah. "We found no evidence to substantiate that BLM officials engaged in any behavior that could be characterized as improper dealings for the purpose of promoting local economic interests at the expense of wilderness protections," said Inspector General Earl Devaney. Devaney released his finding in an April 4 letter to U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., sponsor of Utah's 9.5 million-acre Red Rock Wilderness Act, a bill held up in Congress for years. Hinchey had asked Devaney to look into an e-mail written by a lobbyist who gave an account of a private meeting in Vernal last summer when, the lobbyist said, BLM officials promised to fix bureaucratic problems holding up oil and gas development on public lands. The federal government owns 64 percent of the land in Utah. In the e-mail leaked by wilderness groups, Robert Weidner, a lobbyist for rural Utah counties, said the Bush administration was "on the same page" with oil and gas interests....
Wildlife conflicts grow After eight years working Wyoming's booming energy fields, truck driver Eric Ransom suddenly finds his future threatened by an unlikely nemesis: a chicken-sized brown bird with a penchant for colorful courtship rituals and an aversion to heavy equipment. Ransom delivers water, gravel and other materials to the sprawling coal-bed methane fields east of Buffalo. In the past, when one company hit a slow period, he jumped easily to another that needed more drivers. No longer. As the methane, or natural gas, is tapped out beneath the flat rangeland of eastern Wyoming, energy companies are migrating west and into richer habitat along the Powder River, where protected birds such as the sage grouse live. Federal rules mandate months-long prohibitions on drilling near sage grouse breeding grounds, leaving contractors like Ransom scrambling to find work. The industry slowdown goes beyond that one bird population, and reflects a broader shift taking place in the debate over domestic energy development. It comes amid new evidence that some wildlife populations are on the decline after almost a decade of intense exploration....
Company faces unusual well problem, too much water Coal bed methane development developers usually face the problem of getting enough water into the ground to get the gas out. EnCana Oil and Gas USA is facing the opposite problem, forcing it to shut 24 coal bed methane wells east of Mamm Creek. There's too much water. "It's one of the things that's going to make us not an economical venture anymore," EnCana land negotiator Greg Ryan told the Daily Sentinel last week during an energy and environment symposium at Western State College. The wells are producing between 300 and 3,000 barrels daily, compared with normal water production of up to 15 barrels. "We can't de-water the coals because we don't know what to do with the water," Ryan said. Treating the water has failed, as has evaporating it. The mineral- and saline-laden water is too dirty. Company spokesman Wendy Wiedenbeck said the company is still working on treating the water or re-injecting it below ground....
Group buys gas leases on Rocky Front Trout Unlimited has bought leases for natural-gas drilling on 4,900 acres of the Rocky Mountain Front, and the conservation group said it will seek to have the leases retired for good. Trout Unlimited announced the purchase Thursday, less than a year after the organization accepted Front leases from Questar Corp. The company donated several petroleum leases, which Trout Unlimited said would be returned to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for retirement. The latest leases were bought from Donald Epperson, a private energy investor from Helena, and are on two tracts of land. Trout Unlimited spokesman Chris Hunt said that under terms of the deal, the purchase price would not be disclosed. The lease transfer allows the land to be used for the benefit of hunters and anglers, Hunt said. "This is land that really isn't appropriate for oil and gas drilling in the first place, so to see these leases given to TU, and to know they'll be retired and never drilled is really satisfying," he said....
Tribe pulls out of water negotiations Two years of water compact negotiations between the Blackfeet Tribe and the state of Montana went into a tailspin on Thursday after tribal council members said they had been blindsided and then declared a negotiation session over. Tribal leaders were disturbed after learning the state had pushed a $140 million authorization through a U.S. Senate committee to build a water diversion project within the Blackfeet Reservation borders without the tribe's consent or knowledge. "We want this issue cleared up before we go any further," said Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person during an ardent speech in which he stood before the negotiation team members. "It's not in our favor. We were not notified. We need to be part of this. ... We need to know how this is going to affect our people." Tribal attorney Jeannie Whiteing reminded commission members that the tribe has repeatedly sought to have its federal reserved water rights quantified before money was set aside to rebuild the St. Mary water diversion project. Tribal members said they only recently learned of the $140 million authorization, which they called a betrayal....
Eberts Ranch deal to close The U.S. Forest Service plans to complete the purchase of the 5,200-acre Eberts Ranch on April 25. That will close the $5.3 million purchase and fold the ranch into the Forest Service's management on the Little Missouri National Grasslands. By April 26, the entire ranch will be available for such activities as hiking, bird watching and any seasonal hunting. The Forest Service had purchased 1,900 acres of the Eberts Ranch in September, and this month's deal will be to acquire the remaining 3,300. The Eberts family has been trying to sell the ranch for public conservation for nearly four years, first to the National Park Service and then to North Dakota as a first-ever state preserve. When the preserve failed for lack of legislative funding in 2005, the Forest Service stepped forward....
Judge allows logging dead trees A U.S. district judge has lifted an injunction on logging beetle-killed trees on 2,600 acres in and around the Basin Creek watershed south of here. 0.U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy of Missoula issued the order Tuesday, saying a U.S. Forest Service analysis showed the project would not significantly impact soils. Three environmental groups vowed to appeal the case Thursday. "The project is a bad idea," said Jeff Juel of the Wild West Institute, formerly the Ecology Center, in Missoula. "We're committed to following our legal options to bring some good management to the area." The Ecology Center, the Native Ecosystems Council and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies sued the Forest Service over its Basin Creek Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project in 2005. The groups said they oppose the project because it included clear-cutting 1,100 acres and building 14 miles of new roads. Juel said he also believes that claims that the dead trees create a fire hazard are greatly exaggerated....
Blair and Merkel lean on Bush to join battle against climate change President George Bush is coming under unprecedented pressure from Tony Blair and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to agree to tough new international measures to stop global warming accelerating out of control. The measures are contained in a strongly worded draft communiqué for June's G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany - obtained by The Independent on Sunday - which warns that "tackling climate change is an imperative, not a choice". It adds that if "resolute and concerted international action" is not "urgently" taken, global warming will become "largely unmanageable". The United States and Canada are resisting key elements of the draft, but Mrs Merkel is determined not to water it down. She is backed by the Prime Minister, who is ringing Mr Bush weekly to try to persuade him to change his position. The draft warns that "global warming caused largely by human activities is accelerating" and that it "will seriously damage our common natural environment and severely weaken [the] global economy, with implications for international security"....
Are mobile phones wiping out our bees? It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail. They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well. The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives....
Dozens of nilgai antelope killed to stop tick spread South Texas ranchers brought nilgai antelope from a California zoo decades ago, when it became fashionable to stock their sprawling acreage with exotic quarry. These days the species native to India and Pakistan are not so much a rarity in South Texas as a nuisance. For cattle ranchers they are a possible nemesis, threatening to spread a deadly tick to their herds. Federal wildlife officials say they are competing with native Rio Grande Valley species for food and trampling the brush they are trying so hard to preserve. The fast-running, 600-pound antelope have wandered all around the region, where at least one picked up a kind of fever tick from Mexico that once nearly wiped out American cattle. The ticks spread among the population and threaten the cattle. Federal officials said they had no choice but to hire a "helicopter and gunner" last week to slaughter them. Thirty-seven were killed during the two-day hunt on a portion of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge that runs along the border....
Rancher says pipes were radioactive A member of one of Texas' oldest ranching families has locked horns with an oil company in a bizarre dispute involving pet rhinos, steel pipe and allegations of radiation poisoning and a corporate vendetta. Rancher Jimmy McAllen, the 10th generation of his family to work the 70,000-acre ranch in South Texas, says that the old pipe he used to build a corral for two African black rhinoceroses in the mid-1990s proved to be loaded with radioactive material. He blames the radiation for the mysterious 1995 death of one of his rhinos. And he says he suspects it caused the rare form of cancer that cost him his lower right leg in 2005. Moreover, he says the Forest Oil Co. - which holds a lease to drill for gas on his property and gave him the old pipe for the corral and other projects around the ranch - deliberately poisoned his land in retaliation for a dispute the two sides had over gas payments....
Baseball flips lid, tosses out wool cap It didn’t stand a chance, utterly alone as it was, with vanquished woolen sportswear littering the playing fields all around it: football jerseys, hockey sweaters, ski jackets, golf pants and the like. Each had long ago succumbed to a tide of manmade textiles boasting superlative stretchiness, stain resistance, insulation, water repellence — innovations that spawned revolutions in sports fashion and fabric terminology alike. (Doubtful that Honus Wagner ever pondered the ‘‘breatheability’’ and ‘‘wicking’’ abilities of his famously rumpled lid.) So it shouldn’t have surprised anyone this winter when Major League Baseball quietly announced it was tossing the wool cap for good. New Era Cap Co., the Buffalo, N.Y.-based manufacturer of baseball’s signature vestment for decades, declared that a new polyester-blend model would debut on opening day. From a business perspective, the immediate impact of the change may only be felt by New Era’s wool suppliers; the larger consequence for wool producers comes in the form of perception. ‘‘It’s significant in the visibility that it’s had,’’ said Rita Samuelson, marketing director for the American Wool Council, a nonprofit association representing U.S. sheep ranchers. ‘‘It was one of the last places in sports where wool was used, and so many people are now hearing that wool is being replaced by high-performance fiber. Samuelson knows of at least one wool producer in Canada that may have to shutter its mill with the decreased demand....
Proposed Texas Body Farm Draws Criticism Plans by Texas State University to create a forensic field laboratory in San Marcos, Texas, have drawn strong opposition from area residents. San Marcos residents allege the facility, which would be used to study the decomposition of human corpses, would draw unwanted attention from area wildlife and possibly contaminate regional rivers, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman said Saturday. Area rancher Harrell Tietjen also said residents were not informed early enough by the college about the creation of the site, which would be the largest of its type in the nation. "When I went to the school up here, it was a place of higher education," he said. "But I think you've gotten so high, you've fallen off." A university spokesman said the site would likely never keep more than 10 bodies at one time and they would be screened for communicable diseases....
Ranchers find increased profits with natural beef Wyoming ranchers are increasingly marketing natural beef - meaning cattle raised on family ranches instead of corporate feedlots - and happy customers around the country are eating it up. "I'm a little guy raising 80 head," said John Sutherland, a Laramie County rancher whose family came to Wyoming in the 1860s. "We're too small to really compete with the big guys, so we need a niche market." Sutherland's family is among a growing number of Wyoming ranchers who are turning to marketing natural beef. The Sutherlands entered the natural beef market two years ago and last year sold 16 of the 74 cattle they raised as natural beef. The USDA regulates the term "natural beef," which means beef raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. The meat can't contain artificial ingredients and must be minimally processed. It took Sutherland's daughter about 40 hours to fill out the necessary federal paperwork to earn the right to use the term "natural."....
B.'s widow defends herself Already portrayed as a calculating gold digger who manipulated a man mentally crippled by years of alcohol abuse, the widow of South Texas multimillionaire B.K. Johnson took the stand Friday to defend her late husband's will from his children and grandchildren. Accusations of backstabbing and money-grubbing flew inside the packed courtroom, as lawyers asked Laura McAllister Johnson whether she had referred to her stepdaughters as "vile" and "not smart," with children who were "horrible." Yes, she said, indeed she had. Tensions ran high Friday inside Probate Court 1, where the inheritance battle over the King Ranch scion's millions finished its third week. Johnson, a descendent of King Ranch founder Richard King, died in 2001, leaving an estate estimated at more than $40 million — but not to his children. The trial is expected to last up to three months. During the daylong testimony, the lawyer representing the daughters, daughter-in-law and grandchildren of the rancher and businessman known simply as "B." painted Laura Johnson as one who began attending his estate planning meetings even before they married in 1996....
Enid had its outlaws and its tales Nelson Ellsworth Wyatt was a bad guy. He probably was the most written-about bad guy who robbed and killed in the Enid area in the days right after the greatest land run of them all on Sept. 16, 1893. Nelson Ellsworth Wyatt, also was known as Zip Wyatt and Dick Yeager. Nothing is known about Wyatt’s background. He probably made his living stealing horses and selling them, or committing a robbery now and then to support himself. But he was a brawler, too, as well as a killer. He broke out of jail twice at Guthrie; he was involved in a brawl at Mulhall; and he and some friends killed a Kansas sheriff and two settlers who got in their way en route to a hideout. So Wyatt, who might look like a John Wayne-type character with his blue eyes, auburn hair, lean appearance and his Texas drawl, was not one of the nice guys. People, who visited his cell in the Enid jail in August 1895 said he didn’t look like a bad guy, and opined he was not as bad as he was made out to be. There are plenty of stories to the contrary....
Trip to Nevada City takes you back to 1860s You've got to love the place. It has character; it has history; it has local heroes – and it had bad guys. Nevada City, Mont., offers noncommercialized, preserved Old West history at its best. At first, it's a little confusing. This Nevada City is not in the state of Nevada. It was a town of several hundred people whose homes and businesses were leveled in the quest for gold. Yet, there are more than 100 mostly preserved and some restored buildings on the town site. Nevada City was one of a series of towns built along Alder Gulch in what was then Montana Territory. The rush for gold in the 1860s created a demand for mining supplies and services, so a string of towns was mostly thrown together. Other towns along the gulch were Junction City, Adobetown, Central City, Union City, Summit and Virginia City, housing a total population of around 7,000. There was gold – and lots of it. That is where the bad guys come in. These guys were really bad. It is estimated they were responsible for 102 murders and stole $250,000 in gold. They called themselves "The Innocents." One of the bad-guy leaders, Henry Plummer, was elected sheriff. Nevada City was a stronghold for Plummer and his gang. Enter the good guys. In 1863, the townsfolk had had enough and put together a vigilante group called "The Stranglers," who took their name seriously. During 1863, they hanged 23 of the robbers and murderers and ran the rest out of town....
Army Hasn't Ruled Out Pinon Canyon Condemnations Sen. Wayne Allard says the Army has told him it prefers to buy land from willing sellers to expand its Pinon Canyon training site in southeastern Colorado, but it has not ruled out condemnations. Some farmers and ranchers are opposed to the expansion and fear they will be forced to sell their land, which is located along the historic Santa Fe Trail. Steve Wymer, Allard's spokesman, said others in the area are open to selling their land. Te Legislature is debating a bill that would bar the Army from using state eminent domain law to require landowners to sell, but even its backers admit the measure would be more symbolic. Wymer said the Army has long said that forcing landowners to sell "would be a last resort." Rancher Lon Robertson, the leader of a group opposing the expansion, said there are always some ranches for sale in the area but the majority of landowners don't want to sell. He the latest Army statement is nothing new....
Public: Slow Pinedale area gas development No one who spoke during four open houses hosted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said they backed the agency's plan for energy development in the Pinedale area. The BLM's preferred alternative is to allow a mixture of oil and gas development while making some areas off limits to drilling and related activity. But those who spoke at open houses in Rock Springs, Jackson, Pinedale and Marbleton said they want the agency to slow development and do more to protect wildlife and natural resources. The biggest turnout was in Pinedale, where a crowd spent several hours speaking about the proposed development plan, which remain open for public comment until May 18....
Coal-bed methane water appeals on rise Appeals of coal-bed methane water discharge permits are on the rise, complicating gas development in the Powder River Basin. Coal-bed methane wells extract natural gas by pumping water off underground coal seams. Oftentimes the groundwater is useful for ranchers in arid northeast Wyoming, but other times the water can flood low-lying grazing areas. Terri Lorenzon, director of the state Environmental Quality Council, thinks the shifting areas of the coal-bed methane play may have something to do with the increase in permit appeals. "These discharges are where they impact people more and more," she said. The state Department of Environmental Quality also has noticed an increase in appeals. John Wagner, a water quality supervisor for the agency, said 11 appeals are pending. "We're getting appeals from both sides, environmental and industry," he said. "It's just that coal-bed methane is very controversial, and there seems to be an unwillingness to compromise on both sides."....
Cooperative range monitoring fosters trust in western Wyoming Western Wyoming ranchers who hold permits to graze livestock on federal lands say their relationship with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management has gone from contentious to cooperative. This new sense of goodwill, according to the ranchers, stems from a monitoring program spearheaded by the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service. Livestock producers and personnel from the two federal agencies voluntarily participate. "We get along better with the USFS since we started the cooperative permittee monitoring. We also have a lot more knowledge about the range resource and how to care for it," said Wayne Jensen, who raises cattle near Boulder. "That's allowing us to keep our cattle up there longer, and they are in better shape when they come out." Another Boulder-area rancher, Joel Bousman, said, "Since we started the joint monitoring programs, our working relationship with the Forest Service and BLM improved dramatically." Bousman, president of the Silver Creek Grazing Association, added, "With the help of UW CES, we got out on the grazing allotments and started monitoring based on sound science using quantitative, long-term trend data, not someone's opinion."....
Prairie chickens making comeback The lesser prairie chicken was once prolific across the shortgrass prairies of the Great Plains. The birds were often the only meat on a pioneer family’s table in hard times, which never seemed to go away for the plains sodbuster. Experts say the birds nearly met their demise, not from hunting, but from loss of habitat during the 20th century. Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes the species as eligible for listing through the Endangered Species Act. Landowners and several groups working to protect the lesser prairie chicken won a major battle in the last year when the New Mexico Game Commission recommended they not be included on the state’s endangered species list. “It would limit what we do out here because then everything we do would be federally regulated,” said Tish McDaniel, The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Shortgrass Prairie project coordinator. “We don’t want it to become listed because that’s a statement right there that we’re losing.” McDaniel said the key to saving and improving prairie chicken habitat lies with landowners, who ranch on most of the prime land for the birds. She tries to match federal and state programs and other conservation sources to a cattleman’s goals for his land. She said at the same time she’s winning valuable habitat for prairie chickens....
Ranchers get creative with wolves Barbed wire used to be the only thing keeping Emma Ellison's cows from the Baker Mountain wolf pack. This spring, there's a stiffer line of defense: electrified wire draped with red strips of flagging. "It you touch your nose on it, it'll get your attention," said Brian Finnan, Ellison's friend and neighbor who helps keep an eye on the place. The fencing went up last month around a 40-acre pasture as an experiment to see how well it works at keeping hungry wolves from cows and calves. Wolves are suspected of killing a few cows on the ranch two years ago, but it was never officially confirmed. Still, the mere presence of wolves nearby was enough to give the electrified fencing and flagging a try. The strips of red material -- called fladry -- exploit a quirk in wolves' personality that steers them away from new, unfamiliar objects. The 7,000 volts pulsing through the wires, in a souped-up version called "turbo-fladry," add a body-jarring jolt to those bold enough to test it....
Interior probe clears BLM The Department of Interior's chief investigator found no wrongdoing in private discussions Bureau of Land Management officials held with promoters of oil and gas development in Utah. "We found no evidence to substantiate that BLM officials engaged in any behavior that could be characterized as improper dealings for the purpose of promoting local economic interests at the expense of wilderness protections," said Inspector General Earl Devaney. Devaney released his finding in an April 4 letter to U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., sponsor of Utah's 9.5 million-acre Red Rock Wilderness Act, a bill held up in Congress for years. Hinchey had asked Devaney to look into an e-mail written by a lobbyist who gave an account of a private meeting in Vernal last summer when, the lobbyist said, BLM officials promised to fix bureaucratic problems holding up oil and gas development on public lands. The federal government owns 64 percent of the land in Utah. In the e-mail leaked by wilderness groups, Robert Weidner, a lobbyist for rural Utah counties, said the Bush administration was "on the same page" with oil and gas interests....
Wildlife conflicts grow After eight years working Wyoming's booming energy fields, truck driver Eric Ransom suddenly finds his future threatened by an unlikely nemesis: a chicken-sized brown bird with a penchant for colorful courtship rituals and an aversion to heavy equipment. Ransom delivers water, gravel and other materials to the sprawling coal-bed methane fields east of Buffalo. In the past, when one company hit a slow period, he jumped easily to another that needed more drivers. No longer. As the methane, or natural gas, is tapped out beneath the flat rangeland of eastern Wyoming, energy companies are migrating west and into richer habitat along the Powder River, where protected birds such as the sage grouse live. Federal rules mandate months-long prohibitions on drilling near sage grouse breeding grounds, leaving contractors like Ransom scrambling to find work. The industry slowdown goes beyond that one bird population, and reflects a broader shift taking place in the debate over domestic energy development. It comes amid new evidence that some wildlife populations are on the decline after almost a decade of intense exploration....
Company faces unusual well problem, too much water Coal bed methane development developers usually face the problem of getting enough water into the ground to get the gas out. EnCana Oil and Gas USA is facing the opposite problem, forcing it to shut 24 coal bed methane wells east of Mamm Creek. There's too much water. "It's one of the things that's going to make us not an economical venture anymore," EnCana land negotiator Greg Ryan told the Daily Sentinel last week during an energy and environment symposium at Western State College. The wells are producing between 300 and 3,000 barrels daily, compared with normal water production of up to 15 barrels. "We can't de-water the coals because we don't know what to do with the water," Ryan said. Treating the water has failed, as has evaporating it. The mineral- and saline-laden water is too dirty. Company spokesman Wendy Wiedenbeck said the company is still working on treating the water or re-injecting it below ground....
Group buys gas leases on Rocky Front Trout Unlimited has bought leases for natural-gas drilling on 4,900 acres of the Rocky Mountain Front, and the conservation group said it will seek to have the leases retired for good. Trout Unlimited announced the purchase Thursday, less than a year after the organization accepted Front leases from Questar Corp. The company donated several petroleum leases, which Trout Unlimited said would be returned to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for retirement. The latest leases were bought from Donald Epperson, a private energy investor from Helena, and are on two tracts of land. Trout Unlimited spokesman Chris Hunt said that under terms of the deal, the purchase price would not be disclosed. The lease transfer allows the land to be used for the benefit of hunters and anglers, Hunt said. "This is land that really isn't appropriate for oil and gas drilling in the first place, so to see these leases given to TU, and to know they'll be retired and never drilled is really satisfying," he said....
Tribe pulls out of water negotiations Two years of water compact negotiations between the Blackfeet Tribe and the state of Montana went into a tailspin on Thursday after tribal council members said they had been blindsided and then declared a negotiation session over. Tribal leaders were disturbed after learning the state had pushed a $140 million authorization through a U.S. Senate committee to build a water diversion project within the Blackfeet Reservation borders without the tribe's consent or knowledge. "We want this issue cleared up before we go any further," said Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person during an ardent speech in which he stood before the negotiation team members. "It's not in our favor. We were not notified. We need to be part of this. ... We need to know how this is going to affect our people." Tribal attorney Jeannie Whiteing reminded commission members that the tribe has repeatedly sought to have its federal reserved water rights quantified before money was set aside to rebuild the St. Mary water diversion project. Tribal members said they only recently learned of the $140 million authorization, which they called a betrayal....
Eberts Ranch deal to close The U.S. Forest Service plans to complete the purchase of the 5,200-acre Eberts Ranch on April 25. That will close the $5.3 million purchase and fold the ranch into the Forest Service's management on the Little Missouri National Grasslands. By April 26, the entire ranch will be available for such activities as hiking, bird watching and any seasonal hunting. The Forest Service had purchased 1,900 acres of the Eberts Ranch in September, and this month's deal will be to acquire the remaining 3,300. The Eberts family has been trying to sell the ranch for public conservation for nearly four years, first to the National Park Service and then to North Dakota as a first-ever state preserve. When the preserve failed for lack of legislative funding in 2005, the Forest Service stepped forward....
Judge allows logging dead trees A U.S. district judge has lifted an injunction on logging beetle-killed trees on 2,600 acres in and around the Basin Creek watershed south of here. 0.U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy of Missoula issued the order Tuesday, saying a U.S. Forest Service analysis showed the project would not significantly impact soils. Three environmental groups vowed to appeal the case Thursday. "The project is a bad idea," said Jeff Juel of the Wild West Institute, formerly the Ecology Center, in Missoula. "We're committed to following our legal options to bring some good management to the area." The Ecology Center, the Native Ecosystems Council and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies sued the Forest Service over its Basin Creek Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project in 2005. The groups said they oppose the project because it included clear-cutting 1,100 acres and building 14 miles of new roads. Juel said he also believes that claims that the dead trees create a fire hazard are greatly exaggerated....
Blair and Merkel lean on Bush to join battle against climate change President George Bush is coming under unprecedented pressure from Tony Blair and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to agree to tough new international measures to stop global warming accelerating out of control. The measures are contained in a strongly worded draft communiqué for June's G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany - obtained by The Independent on Sunday - which warns that "tackling climate change is an imperative, not a choice". It adds that if "resolute and concerted international action" is not "urgently" taken, global warming will become "largely unmanageable". The United States and Canada are resisting key elements of the draft, but Mrs Merkel is determined not to water it down. She is backed by the Prime Minister, who is ringing Mr Bush weekly to try to persuade him to change his position. The draft warns that "global warming caused largely by human activities is accelerating" and that it "will seriously damage our common natural environment and severely weaken [the] global economy, with implications for international security"....
Are mobile phones wiping out our bees? It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail. They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well. The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives....
Dozens of nilgai antelope killed to stop tick spread South Texas ranchers brought nilgai antelope from a California zoo decades ago, when it became fashionable to stock their sprawling acreage with exotic quarry. These days the species native to India and Pakistan are not so much a rarity in South Texas as a nuisance. For cattle ranchers they are a possible nemesis, threatening to spread a deadly tick to their herds. Federal wildlife officials say they are competing with native Rio Grande Valley species for food and trampling the brush they are trying so hard to preserve. The fast-running, 600-pound antelope have wandered all around the region, where at least one picked up a kind of fever tick from Mexico that once nearly wiped out American cattle. The ticks spread among the population and threaten the cattle. Federal officials said they had no choice but to hire a "helicopter and gunner" last week to slaughter them. Thirty-seven were killed during the two-day hunt on a portion of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge that runs along the border....
Rancher says pipes were radioactive A member of one of Texas' oldest ranching families has locked horns with an oil company in a bizarre dispute involving pet rhinos, steel pipe and allegations of radiation poisoning and a corporate vendetta. Rancher Jimmy McAllen, the 10th generation of his family to work the 70,000-acre ranch in South Texas, says that the old pipe he used to build a corral for two African black rhinoceroses in the mid-1990s proved to be loaded with radioactive material. He blames the radiation for the mysterious 1995 death of one of his rhinos. And he says he suspects it caused the rare form of cancer that cost him his lower right leg in 2005. Moreover, he says the Forest Oil Co. - which holds a lease to drill for gas on his property and gave him the old pipe for the corral and other projects around the ranch - deliberately poisoned his land in retaliation for a dispute the two sides had over gas payments....
Baseball flips lid, tosses out wool cap It didn’t stand a chance, utterly alone as it was, with vanquished woolen sportswear littering the playing fields all around it: football jerseys, hockey sweaters, ski jackets, golf pants and the like. Each had long ago succumbed to a tide of manmade textiles boasting superlative stretchiness, stain resistance, insulation, water repellence — innovations that spawned revolutions in sports fashion and fabric terminology alike. (Doubtful that Honus Wagner ever pondered the ‘‘breatheability’’ and ‘‘wicking’’ abilities of his famously rumpled lid.) So it shouldn’t have surprised anyone this winter when Major League Baseball quietly announced it was tossing the wool cap for good. New Era Cap Co., the Buffalo, N.Y.-based manufacturer of baseball’s signature vestment for decades, declared that a new polyester-blend model would debut on opening day. From a business perspective, the immediate impact of the change may only be felt by New Era’s wool suppliers; the larger consequence for wool producers comes in the form of perception. ‘‘It’s significant in the visibility that it’s had,’’ said Rita Samuelson, marketing director for the American Wool Council, a nonprofit association representing U.S. sheep ranchers. ‘‘It was one of the last places in sports where wool was used, and so many people are now hearing that wool is being replaced by high-performance fiber. Samuelson knows of at least one wool producer in Canada that may have to shutter its mill with the decreased demand....
Proposed Texas Body Farm Draws Criticism Plans by Texas State University to create a forensic field laboratory in San Marcos, Texas, have drawn strong opposition from area residents. San Marcos residents allege the facility, which would be used to study the decomposition of human corpses, would draw unwanted attention from area wildlife and possibly contaminate regional rivers, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman said Saturday. Area rancher Harrell Tietjen also said residents were not informed early enough by the college about the creation of the site, which would be the largest of its type in the nation. "When I went to the school up here, it was a place of higher education," he said. "But I think you've gotten so high, you've fallen off." A university spokesman said the site would likely never keep more than 10 bodies at one time and they would be screened for communicable diseases....
Ranchers find increased profits with natural beef Wyoming ranchers are increasingly marketing natural beef - meaning cattle raised on family ranches instead of corporate feedlots - and happy customers around the country are eating it up. "I'm a little guy raising 80 head," said John Sutherland, a Laramie County rancher whose family came to Wyoming in the 1860s. "We're too small to really compete with the big guys, so we need a niche market." Sutherland's family is among a growing number of Wyoming ranchers who are turning to marketing natural beef. The Sutherlands entered the natural beef market two years ago and last year sold 16 of the 74 cattle they raised as natural beef. The USDA regulates the term "natural beef," which means beef raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. The meat can't contain artificial ingredients and must be minimally processed. It took Sutherland's daughter about 40 hours to fill out the necessary federal paperwork to earn the right to use the term "natural."....
B.'s widow defends herself Already portrayed as a calculating gold digger who manipulated a man mentally crippled by years of alcohol abuse, the widow of South Texas multimillionaire B.K. Johnson took the stand Friday to defend her late husband's will from his children and grandchildren. Accusations of backstabbing and money-grubbing flew inside the packed courtroom, as lawyers asked Laura McAllister Johnson whether she had referred to her stepdaughters as "vile" and "not smart," with children who were "horrible." Yes, she said, indeed she had. Tensions ran high Friday inside Probate Court 1, where the inheritance battle over the King Ranch scion's millions finished its third week. Johnson, a descendent of King Ranch founder Richard King, died in 2001, leaving an estate estimated at more than $40 million — but not to his children. The trial is expected to last up to three months. During the daylong testimony, the lawyer representing the daughters, daughter-in-law and grandchildren of the rancher and businessman known simply as "B." painted Laura Johnson as one who began attending his estate planning meetings even before they married in 1996....
Enid had its outlaws and its tales Nelson Ellsworth Wyatt was a bad guy. He probably was the most written-about bad guy who robbed and killed in the Enid area in the days right after the greatest land run of them all on Sept. 16, 1893. Nelson Ellsworth Wyatt, also was known as Zip Wyatt and Dick Yeager. Nothing is known about Wyatt’s background. He probably made his living stealing horses and selling them, or committing a robbery now and then to support himself. But he was a brawler, too, as well as a killer. He broke out of jail twice at Guthrie; he was involved in a brawl at Mulhall; and he and some friends killed a Kansas sheriff and two settlers who got in their way en route to a hideout. So Wyatt, who might look like a John Wayne-type character with his blue eyes, auburn hair, lean appearance and his Texas drawl, was not one of the nice guys. People, who visited his cell in the Enid jail in August 1895 said he didn’t look like a bad guy, and opined he was not as bad as he was made out to be. There are plenty of stories to the contrary....
Trip to Nevada City takes you back to 1860s You've got to love the place. It has character; it has history; it has local heroes – and it had bad guys. Nevada City, Mont., offers noncommercialized, preserved Old West history at its best. At first, it's a little confusing. This Nevada City is not in the state of Nevada. It was a town of several hundred people whose homes and businesses were leveled in the quest for gold. Yet, there are more than 100 mostly preserved and some restored buildings on the town site. Nevada City was one of a series of towns built along Alder Gulch in what was then Montana Territory. The rush for gold in the 1860s created a demand for mining supplies and services, so a string of towns was mostly thrown together. Other towns along the gulch were Junction City, Adobetown, Central City, Union City, Summit and Virginia City, housing a total population of around 7,000. There was gold – and lots of it. That is where the bad guys come in. These guys were really bad. It is estimated they were responsible for 102 murders and stole $250,000 in gold. They called themselves "The Innocents." One of the bad-guy leaders, Henry Plummer, was elected sheriff. Nevada City was a stronghold for Plummer and his gang. Enter the good guys. In 1863, the townsfolk had had enough and put together a vigilante group called "The Stranglers," who took their name seriously. During 1863, they hanged 23 of the robbers and murderers and ran the rest out of town....
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Pigs, kids and how to meet girls
By Julie Carter
The cell phone rang and when answered, the phrase "I'm on my way to a pig sale," could be heard over the roar of the F-350 flatbed pickup as it rolled down the highway.
The digital hi-fi wireless age has allowed people a glimpse into our personal lives and let them find us in places it never occurred to them we would be.
This particular mother was headed out with her husband and son to get new livestock for this year's county fair projects. The guy calling was her computer networking tech.
He was someone from her other life. The one where she is a business owner in skirts demanding efficiency, order and perfection.
None of which she would find at the pig sale.
He politely tried to reason why in the world would she be going to a pig sale?
It is sometimes a little hard for "regular" people to grasp the concept of livestock projects for FFA and 4-H youth headed to the county and state fair.
Their deductive reasoning finds no logic in driving long distances to buy just the right pig or three, spending the next three months buying feed and dispensing it to said animals knowing full well the highest odds are for losing money in the end.
The value of this effort year after year is not tangible because it really isn't about the pig. It isn't about how much he ate, how well he showed or how many cents per pound he'll bring in August. It is all about the kid.
It is about an investment in responsibility. From now until fair time, the kid will be required to daily feed, groom, exercise and clean-up after a pig. (Or other show animals but for the purpose of the lesson, we'll stick with the pig.)
And the most surprising part to those same amazed regular people is that the kid really does like it and so does the pig.
Something happens within the youngster when that animal becomes part of his daily life and dependent upon him.
Psycho-babblers would call it bonding. The pig has no idea about that but he knows that the short person that shows up every day is bringing chow and some attention. That's good enough for a pig.
Just about the time the pig and the kid are into a steady routine and summer seems endless, it is fair time. Again, although it's the pig that gets the kid to the fair, it's still really not about the pig.
Pig pens are cleaned, assigned and move-in day is a flurry of squeals and snorts and some of those from the pigs.
Kids are running, jumping, climbing, laughing and joking. You'd think they'd just arrived in Disneyland instead of the pig barn at the fair grounds.
The teen kids stand in segregated groups with mirrored sunglasses, cool ball caps, bling-bling jewelry and perfect lip-gloss trying to pretend they don't notice each other. Many a long-term marriage's courtship began in such a place - a week in the county fair pig barn.
All the kids, large and small, are giddy with anticipation of the fun they'll have for this one week. Any doubts they may have had in April about whether they wanted to show livestock this year has vaporized into sights and sounds of the pig barn.
My 13-year-old son had some of those momentary doubts. But they quickly vanished when his reasoning skills kicked in.
I was assured of that when he said, "Mom, the fair is a good place to meet girls."
© Julie Carter 2007
See my new website at www.julie-carter.com
Cowgirl Sass&Savvy book on pre-sale discount for a limited time!
By Julie Carter
The cell phone rang and when answered, the phrase "I'm on my way to a pig sale," could be heard over the roar of the F-350 flatbed pickup as it rolled down the highway.
The digital hi-fi wireless age has allowed people a glimpse into our personal lives and let them find us in places it never occurred to them we would be.
This particular mother was headed out with her husband and son to get new livestock for this year's county fair projects. The guy calling was her computer networking tech.
He was someone from her other life. The one where she is a business owner in skirts demanding efficiency, order and perfection.
None of which she would find at the pig sale.
He politely tried to reason why in the world would she be going to a pig sale?
It is sometimes a little hard for "regular" people to grasp the concept of livestock projects for FFA and 4-H youth headed to the county and state fair.
Their deductive reasoning finds no logic in driving long distances to buy just the right pig or three, spending the next three months buying feed and dispensing it to said animals knowing full well the highest odds are for losing money in the end.
The value of this effort year after year is not tangible because it really isn't about the pig. It isn't about how much he ate, how well he showed or how many cents per pound he'll bring in August. It is all about the kid.
It is about an investment in responsibility. From now until fair time, the kid will be required to daily feed, groom, exercise and clean-up after a pig. (Or other show animals but for the purpose of the lesson, we'll stick with the pig.)
And the most surprising part to those same amazed regular people is that the kid really does like it and so does the pig.
Something happens within the youngster when that animal becomes part of his daily life and dependent upon him.
Psycho-babblers would call it bonding. The pig has no idea about that but he knows that the short person that shows up every day is bringing chow and some attention. That's good enough for a pig.
Just about the time the pig and the kid are into a steady routine and summer seems endless, it is fair time. Again, although it's the pig that gets the kid to the fair, it's still really not about the pig.
Pig pens are cleaned, assigned and move-in day is a flurry of squeals and snorts and some of those from the pigs.
Kids are running, jumping, climbing, laughing and joking. You'd think they'd just arrived in Disneyland instead of the pig barn at the fair grounds.
The teen kids stand in segregated groups with mirrored sunglasses, cool ball caps, bling-bling jewelry and perfect lip-gloss trying to pretend they don't notice each other. Many a long-term marriage's courtship began in such a place - a week in the county fair pig barn.
All the kids, large and small, are giddy with anticipation of the fun they'll have for this one week. Any doubts they may have had in April about whether they wanted to show livestock this year has vaporized into sights and sounds of the pig barn.
My 13-year-old son had some of those momentary doubts. But they quickly vanished when his reasoning skills kicked in.
I was assured of that when he said, "Mom, the fair is a good place to meet girls."
© Julie Carter 2007
See my new website at www.julie-carter.com
Cowgirl Sass&Savvy book on pre-sale discount for a limited time!
OPINION/COMMENTARY
SCOTUS Emits Scare Pollution The Supreme Court of the United States has arrogantly ruled that the second most vital gas to sustaining life on Earth is a “pollutant.” In doing so, five of nine Justices did the same dirt to climate science last week that twelve OJ jurors did to forensic science in 1995. At issue was the Environmental Protection Agency’s position that it had no power to regulate “greenhouse gases,” such as carbon dioxide, as EPA scientists believed they fail to meet the Clean Air Act’s definition of airborne pollutants. Astoundingly, a majority of non-scientists in robes ruled that they did. In an all-too-obviously politically motivated decision, the Court found [1] that the EPA not only had the authority to regulate “greenhouse gas” (GHG) emissions but actually carried the legal responsibility to do so. And right on cue, judicial ignorance of both the scientific and fiscal pitfalls of the Massachusetts v. EPA ruling incited similar media nescience. Alarmists repeated their erroneous mantra that man’s role in global warming had been “settled,” while the press loudly proclaimed that President Bush’s environmental policies had been properly “rebuked.” But the dire portent of this case far-exceeds the photo-ops it provided gloating greenies. Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens opined that “air pollutants” include “all airborne compounds of any stripe” and concluded that: "Because greenhouse gases fit well within the Clean Air Act's capacious definition of 'air pollutant' we hold that EPA has the statutory authority to regulate the emission of such gases from new motor vehicles.” Capacious? That would seem considerably understated, given that the list [2] includes everything from Asbestos to Radon to Hydrochloric Acid, but fails to mention any gases essential to life – until now that is. Nonetheless, the word is so broadly tossed about that the EPA felt it wise to provide “The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act” [3] for clarification. There, air “pollutants” are defined as (emphasis added): “UNWANTED CHEMICALS or other materials found in the air. Pollutants can harm health, the environment and property. Many air pollutants occur as gases or vapors, but some are very tiny solid particles: dust, smoke or soot.” In his opinion, Stevens cavalierly declared CO2 to be the “most important species” of greenhouse gases. This, itself, is pure enviro-friendly trash -- most scientists award that honor to water vapor. Nevertheless, as he considers GHGs to be “well within” the CAA’s definition of pollutants, it would follow that CO2 must be “unwanted” in the air. I suspect, however, that huggers of every tree, every blade of grass, and every other form of vegetation on the planet would heartily disagree, as its presence in the air is as essential to the flora as O2 is to us fauna....
Supreme Court Split Decision Opens Door to EPA Power Grab The Supreme Court today, in a 5-4 decision, overturned EPA’s decision not to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new vehicles. EPA must now reconsider its original ruling. The Court’s decision has broad implications, ranging from the judicial standing of environmental plaintiffs to America’s economic future. “The decision implies that Congress ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 1977 when it enacted the Clean Air Act’s Section 202 regulating auto emissions, but somehow forgot to tell anybody. The same groups that sued EPA to regulate CO2 auto emissions under Section 202 will now sue EPA to set national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for CO2,” said CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis. “However, in previous rulings, the Court has forbidden EPA to consider cost when setting NAAQS. As a result, the potential for economic harm is vast.” “The Court's decision empowers EPA to take control of America's global warming policy. This should certainly be a surprise to Congress, which has been vigorously debating the issue for years,” noted CEI Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy Myron Ebell. “For an agency as unaccountable as EPA to be deputized in this way is bad news for the future of our country.”....
Newt Gingrich on the Environment The Washington Post makes what it calls a Newt Gingrich-John Kerry "debate on the environment" sound like a clash of ideological opposites, but Newt Gingrich aspired to be a handmaiden of the environmentalists while Gingrich was Speaker of the House. The love was unrequited. The environmentalists attacked Gingrich anyway. (They raise money demonizing Republicans.) In private, though, the environmentalists had more luck getting meetings with Speaker Gingrich than conservatives working on environmental issues ever did. The Gingrich-Kerry "debate" event's announcement itself says the two men will explore "the ways in which Congress might be able to resolve its differences on this long-range issue through institutional change, new analytic techniques, and legislative innovation." I expect a conversation in which Gingrich and Kerry discuss ways of getting around people in Congress who support the Fifth Amendment, sound science, and a government at least a smidgeon smaller than the Earth the gaians worship....
Forget Kyoto Then again, Kerry might want to read up on those environmental records before he starts shaming us all. As guilty as we like to feel in this country, we can hold our head up when it comes to greenhouse-gas pollution. It isn’t just that Europe is failing to meet its Kyoto obligations, having increased emissions since 1993. It’s much better than that. The fact is that, in the years after we elected George W. Bush — a man who would presumably knock his own grandmother into a vat of toxic sludge if it allowed him to contaminate another pristine wilderness area — we have soundly beaten the European Union in curbing emissions growth. This despite our having much more population growth and a much stronger economy. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that U.S. carbon-equivalent emissions rose by 1.3 percent between 2000 and 2004. During the same period, the U.S. population grew by 4 percent, and our economy grew by 19.5 percent. In the 25 European nations reporting under the Kyoto Protocol, carbon equivalent emissions rose by 2.2 percent during the same period (and by 2.4 percent in the 15 Western European nations). The EU-25 population, meanwhile, grew by 1.6 percent and their collective economy grew by just under 7 percent. Between 2000 and 2004, America had more than twice the population and economic growth of Europe and a little more than half of Europe’s growth in carbon emissions. That’s not so bad, is it? Should we really be looking up to Europe? One would hope that environmental consciousness is not about signing treaties or setting bold goals, but rather about decreasing emissions. That is where we beat everyone....
Mistakes to Avoid in the Global Warming Fight You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and the wind is blowing hard in favor of action on climate change. The Bush administration now agrees that human activities are warming the planet, the Supreme Court says the Environmental Protection Agency has violated the law by not regulating auto emissions, and Democrats in Congress are demanding new measures to cut greenhouse gases. How will we address this new challenge? The most plausible answer is: with a lot of command-and-control programs that micromanage various industries on the assumption that the government knows best. In a word, badly. Reducing the output of carbon dioxide and other substances that trap the Earth's heat is not cheap. But there are expensive solutions, and there are astronomical ones. Any new policy should aim at getting the greatest reductions for the least money. That may sound like a hugely complex task for the government, but it's not. The free market is the best system ever created for providing what we want at the lowest possible cost. The way to get affordable amelioration of climate change is to put the market to work finding solutions. To achieve that, we merely need to make energy prices reflect the potential harm done by greenhouse gases....
Why So Gloomy? Judging from the media in recent months, the debate over global warming is now over. There has been a net warming of the earth over the last century and a half, and our greenhouse gas emissions are contributing at some level. Both of these statements are almost certainly true. What of it? Recently many people have said that the earth is facing a crisis requiring urgent action. This statement has nothing to do with science. There is no compelling evidence that the warming trend we've seen will amount to anything close to catastrophe. What most commentators—and many scientists—seem to miss is that the only thing we can say with certainly about climate is that it changes. The earth is always warming or cooling by as much as a few tenths of a degree a year; periods of constant average temperatures are rare. Looking back on the earth's climate history, it's apparent that there's no such thing as an optimal temperature—a climate at which everything is just right. The current alarm rests on the false assumption not only that we live in a perfect world, temperaturewise, but also that our warming forecasts for the year 2040 are somehow more reliable than the weatherman's forecast for next week....
The Global Warming Jihad I am a strong defender of the processes of scientific inquiry. And yet, I am aware that most scientists cling to a faith in conclusions that have been widely accepted within their respective communities, and angrily react against any heresies – however well-documented and reasoned – that arise from skeptical minds. When British biologist Rupert Sheldrake’s book, A New Science of Life, was published, the science journal, Nature, editorially described it as “a book for burning?” Nor did most members of the scientific world openly embrace the views of the brilliant science philosopher, Paul Feyerabend, who challenged the idea that there was “a” scientific method. He was of the view that a variety of strategies – including luck, accidents, dream interpretation, fraud, mistakes, and intuition – had played major roles in scientific discoveries. He advocated a theoretical anarchism in the search for truth, believing that such an approach was more consistent with human nature than was adherence to rigid rules of inquiry. I am equally a defender of speculative thinking, wherein emotions, intuitive insights, and an awareness of the need for inner, spiritual expression, inform our empirically-based searches for “truth” about ourselves and the world in which we live. We spend far too little time examining the epistemological basis for our thinking. The question “how do we know what we know” is rarely taken up even by the more intelligent among us. Most of us prefer the leisurely approach to understanding; relying upon self-styled “experts,” or the outcome of public opinion polls, to advise us of the opinions we are to embrace. Nowhere is this tendency more evident than in the current secular faith in the causes of, and cures for, global warming. Many who eagerly attack the theistically-based religious views of others, have erected their own temporal icons and composed an alternative set of catechisms in furtherance of their creed. The rest of us are expected to accept, without any heretical doubts, that the prophesies of some scientists reflect a core of certainty within the scientific community as firmly grounded as the heliocentric cosmology. Those scientists who doubt the revealed faith, we are told, are but a handful of ignoramuses at such places as Backwater College or Boll Weevil State....
GASOLINE AT $6 VS. WARMING? A recent European Environment Agency (EEA) study reported greenhouse-gas emissions from motor vehicles continue rising due to increased driving, despite heavy fuel taxes that boost prices there above $6 per gallon. Even with gas prices more than twofold that in the United States, Europe falls short of its global-warming goals, says Ben Lieberman, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. Consider: * Gasoline taxes were higher in Europe than the United States even before Kyoto (the 1997 multilateral treaty to combat global warming) and average nearly $4 per gallon, pushing the pump price well above $6. * In comparison, gasoline in the United States is subject to federal taxes of 18.4 cents per gallon and varying state and local taxes, for a total of 42 cents per gallon on average -- putting the price for regular gas in the United States around $2.58 per gallon. * The British, Germans, French, Belgians, Dutch and Italians now shell out $6.55, $6.45, $6.21, $6.44, $7.09 and $6.24 per gallon, respectively, for premium gas; yet they are driving more, not less. Joel Schwartz of the American Enterprise Institute believes that despite the costs of owning and operating an automobile, people choose automobiles the world over because no other form of transportation comes anywhere close to providing comparable speed, flexibility, privacy and convenience. Even at $6 per gallon, many Europeans -- whose per capita incomes are lower than those in the United States -- are willing to cut back on other things rather than cut back on driving. Most European Union nations aren't on track to meet their Kyoto targets because of increasing CO2 emissions, and "the main reason for increases between 1990 and 2004 was growing road transport demand," notes the EEA. It expects the upward trend in driving to continue. Source: Ben Lieberman, "Gasoline at $6 vs. warming?" Washington Times, April 9, 2007. For text:http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20070408-103831-5019r.htm
SCOTUS Emits Scare Pollution The Supreme Court of the United States has arrogantly ruled that the second most vital gas to sustaining life on Earth is a “pollutant.” In doing so, five of nine Justices did the same dirt to climate science last week that twelve OJ jurors did to forensic science in 1995. At issue was the Environmental Protection Agency’s position that it had no power to regulate “greenhouse gases,” such as carbon dioxide, as EPA scientists believed they fail to meet the Clean Air Act’s definition of airborne pollutants. Astoundingly, a majority of non-scientists in robes ruled that they did. In an all-too-obviously politically motivated decision, the Court found [1] that the EPA not only had the authority to regulate “greenhouse gas” (GHG) emissions but actually carried the legal responsibility to do so. And right on cue, judicial ignorance of both the scientific and fiscal pitfalls of the Massachusetts v. EPA ruling incited similar media nescience. Alarmists repeated their erroneous mantra that man’s role in global warming had been “settled,” while the press loudly proclaimed that President Bush’s environmental policies had been properly “rebuked.” But the dire portent of this case far-exceeds the photo-ops it provided gloating greenies. Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens opined that “air pollutants” include “all airborne compounds of any stripe” and concluded that: "Because greenhouse gases fit well within the Clean Air Act's capacious definition of 'air pollutant' we hold that EPA has the statutory authority to regulate the emission of such gases from new motor vehicles.” Capacious? That would seem considerably understated, given that the list [2] includes everything from Asbestos to Radon to Hydrochloric Acid, but fails to mention any gases essential to life – until now that is. Nonetheless, the word is so broadly tossed about that the EPA felt it wise to provide “The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act” [3] for clarification. There, air “pollutants” are defined as (emphasis added): “UNWANTED CHEMICALS or other materials found in the air. Pollutants can harm health, the environment and property. Many air pollutants occur as gases or vapors, but some are very tiny solid particles: dust, smoke or soot.” In his opinion, Stevens cavalierly declared CO2 to be the “most important species” of greenhouse gases. This, itself, is pure enviro-friendly trash -- most scientists award that honor to water vapor. Nevertheless, as he considers GHGs to be “well within” the CAA’s definition of pollutants, it would follow that CO2 must be “unwanted” in the air. I suspect, however, that huggers of every tree, every blade of grass, and every other form of vegetation on the planet would heartily disagree, as its presence in the air is as essential to the flora as O2 is to us fauna....
Supreme Court Split Decision Opens Door to EPA Power Grab The Supreme Court today, in a 5-4 decision, overturned EPA’s decision not to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new vehicles. EPA must now reconsider its original ruling. The Court’s decision has broad implications, ranging from the judicial standing of environmental plaintiffs to America’s economic future. “The decision implies that Congress ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 1977 when it enacted the Clean Air Act’s Section 202 regulating auto emissions, but somehow forgot to tell anybody. The same groups that sued EPA to regulate CO2 auto emissions under Section 202 will now sue EPA to set national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for CO2,” said CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis. “However, in previous rulings, the Court has forbidden EPA to consider cost when setting NAAQS. As a result, the potential for economic harm is vast.” “The Court's decision empowers EPA to take control of America's global warming policy. This should certainly be a surprise to Congress, which has been vigorously debating the issue for years,” noted CEI Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy Myron Ebell. “For an agency as unaccountable as EPA to be deputized in this way is bad news for the future of our country.”....
Newt Gingrich on the Environment The Washington Post makes what it calls a Newt Gingrich-John Kerry "debate on the environment" sound like a clash of ideological opposites, but Newt Gingrich aspired to be a handmaiden of the environmentalists while Gingrich was Speaker of the House. The love was unrequited. The environmentalists attacked Gingrich anyway. (They raise money demonizing Republicans.) In private, though, the environmentalists had more luck getting meetings with Speaker Gingrich than conservatives working on environmental issues ever did. The Gingrich-Kerry "debate" event's announcement itself says the two men will explore "the ways in which Congress might be able to resolve its differences on this long-range issue through institutional change, new analytic techniques, and legislative innovation." I expect a conversation in which Gingrich and Kerry discuss ways of getting around people in Congress who support the Fifth Amendment, sound science, and a government at least a smidgeon smaller than the Earth the gaians worship....
Forget Kyoto Then again, Kerry might want to read up on those environmental records before he starts shaming us all. As guilty as we like to feel in this country, we can hold our head up when it comes to greenhouse-gas pollution. It isn’t just that Europe is failing to meet its Kyoto obligations, having increased emissions since 1993. It’s much better than that. The fact is that, in the years after we elected George W. Bush — a man who would presumably knock his own grandmother into a vat of toxic sludge if it allowed him to contaminate another pristine wilderness area — we have soundly beaten the European Union in curbing emissions growth. This despite our having much more population growth and a much stronger economy. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that U.S. carbon-equivalent emissions rose by 1.3 percent between 2000 and 2004. During the same period, the U.S. population grew by 4 percent, and our economy grew by 19.5 percent. In the 25 European nations reporting under the Kyoto Protocol, carbon equivalent emissions rose by 2.2 percent during the same period (and by 2.4 percent in the 15 Western European nations). The EU-25 population, meanwhile, grew by 1.6 percent and their collective economy grew by just under 7 percent. Between 2000 and 2004, America had more than twice the population and economic growth of Europe and a little more than half of Europe’s growth in carbon emissions. That’s not so bad, is it? Should we really be looking up to Europe? One would hope that environmental consciousness is not about signing treaties or setting bold goals, but rather about decreasing emissions. That is where we beat everyone....
Mistakes to Avoid in the Global Warming Fight You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and the wind is blowing hard in favor of action on climate change. The Bush administration now agrees that human activities are warming the planet, the Supreme Court says the Environmental Protection Agency has violated the law by not regulating auto emissions, and Democrats in Congress are demanding new measures to cut greenhouse gases. How will we address this new challenge? The most plausible answer is: with a lot of command-and-control programs that micromanage various industries on the assumption that the government knows best. In a word, badly. Reducing the output of carbon dioxide and other substances that trap the Earth's heat is not cheap. But there are expensive solutions, and there are astronomical ones. Any new policy should aim at getting the greatest reductions for the least money. That may sound like a hugely complex task for the government, but it's not. The free market is the best system ever created for providing what we want at the lowest possible cost. The way to get affordable amelioration of climate change is to put the market to work finding solutions. To achieve that, we merely need to make energy prices reflect the potential harm done by greenhouse gases....
Why So Gloomy? Judging from the media in recent months, the debate over global warming is now over. There has been a net warming of the earth over the last century and a half, and our greenhouse gas emissions are contributing at some level. Both of these statements are almost certainly true. What of it? Recently many people have said that the earth is facing a crisis requiring urgent action. This statement has nothing to do with science. There is no compelling evidence that the warming trend we've seen will amount to anything close to catastrophe. What most commentators—and many scientists—seem to miss is that the only thing we can say with certainly about climate is that it changes. The earth is always warming or cooling by as much as a few tenths of a degree a year; periods of constant average temperatures are rare. Looking back on the earth's climate history, it's apparent that there's no such thing as an optimal temperature—a climate at which everything is just right. The current alarm rests on the false assumption not only that we live in a perfect world, temperaturewise, but also that our warming forecasts for the year 2040 are somehow more reliable than the weatherman's forecast for next week....
The Global Warming Jihad I am a strong defender of the processes of scientific inquiry. And yet, I am aware that most scientists cling to a faith in conclusions that have been widely accepted within their respective communities, and angrily react against any heresies – however well-documented and reasoned – that arise from skeptical minds. When British biologist Rupert Sheldrake’s book, A New Science of Life, was published, the science journal, Nature, editorially described it as “a book for burning?” Nor did most members of the scientific world openly embrace the views of the brilliant science philosopher, Paul Feyerabend, who challenged the idea that there was “a” scientific method. He was of the view that a variety of strategies – including luck, accidents, dream interpretation, fraud, mistakes, and intuition – had played major roles in scientific discoveries. He advocated a theoretical anarchism in the search for truth, believing that such an approach was more consistent with human nature than was adherence to rigid rules of inquiry. I am equally a defender of speculative thinking, wherein emotions, intuitive insights, and an awareness of the need for inner, spiritual expression, inform our empirically-based searches for “truth” about ourselves and the world in which we live. We spend far too little time examining the epistemological basis for our thinking. The question “how do we know what we know” is rarely taken up even by the more intelligent among us. Most of us prefer the leisurely approach to understanding; relying upon self-styled “experts,” or the outcome of public opinion polls, to advise us of the opinions we are to embrace. Nowhere is this tendency more evident than in the current secular faith in the causes of, and cures for, global warming. Many who eagerly attack the theistically-based religious views of others, have erected their own temporal icons and composed an alternative set of catechisms in furtherance of their creed. The rest of us are expected to accept, without any heretical doubts, that the prophesies of some scientists reflect a core of certainty within the scientific community as firmly grounded as the heliocentric cosmology. Those scientists who doubt the revealed faith, we are told, are but a handful of ignoramuses at such places as Backwater College or Boll Weevil State....
GASOLINE AT $6 VS. WARMING? A recent European Environment Agency (EEA) study reported greenhouse-gas emissions from motor vehicles continue rising due to increased driving, despite heavy fuel taxes that boost prices there above $6 per gallon. Even with gas prices more than twofold that in the United States, Europe falls short of its global-warming goals, says Ben Lieberman, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. Consider: * Gasoline taxes were higher in Europe than the United States even before Kyoto (the 1997 multilateral treaty to combat global warming) and average nearly $4 per gallon, pushing the pump price well above $6. * In comparison, gasoline in the United States is subject to federal taxes of 18.4 cents per gallon and varying state and local taxes, for a total of 42 cents per gallon on average -- putting the price for regular gas in the United States around $2.58 per gallon. * The British, Germans, French, Belgians, Dutch and Italians now shell out $6.55, $6.45, $6.21, $6.44, $7.09 and $6.24 per gallon, respectively, for premium gas; yet they are driving more, not less. Joel Schwartz of the American Enterprise Institute believes that despite the costs of owning and operating an automobile, people choose automobiles the world over because no other form of transportation comes anywhere close to providing comparable speed, flexibility, privacy and convenience. Even at $6 per gallon, many Europeans -- whose per capita incomes are lower than those in the United States -- are willing to cut back on other things rather than cut back on driving. Most European Union nations aren't on track to meet their Kyoto targets because of increasing CO2 emissions, and "the main reason for increases between 1990 and 2004 was growing road transport demand," notes the EEA. It expects the upward trend in driving to continue. Source: Ben Lieberman, "Gasoline at $6 vs. warming?" Washington Times, April 9, 2007. For text:http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20070408-103831-5019r.htm
Friday, April 13, 2007
GAO
Oil and Gas Royalties: Royalty Relief Will Cost the Government Billions of Dollars but Uncertainty Over Future Energy Prices and Production Levels Make Precise Estimates Impossible at this Time. GAO-07-590R, April 12.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-590R
Oil and Gas Royalties: Royalty Relief Will Cost the Government Billions of Dollars but Uncertainty Over Future Energy Prices and Production Levels Make Precise Estimates Impossible at this Time. GAO-07-590R, April 12.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-590R
NEWS ROUNDUP
Endangered rabbits in US state are being eaten by predators; only 6 remain alive Most of a group of 20 endangered rabbits that were reintroduced to the wild with great fanfare last month have been killed by predators, state officials said. Only four of the rabbits released on March 13 remained at the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area in this northwestern state as of Tuesday, said David Hays, pygmy rabbit coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hays said two males were removed earlier this month and will be returned at the end of April. The other 14 rabbits are believed to have fallen victim to predators, mainly coyotes, but also hawks and owls, Hays said. The rabbits, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, eat sagebrush and are the only rabbits in the United States that dig their own burrows....
Commentary: Land base is wealth to be used wisely The first principle of regional land planning is that our land base is our wealth! Fifty-eight percent of our land base is owned by the United States and managed, by the U.S. Forest Service. We, as citizens must not walk away from the responsibility of that management, we must hold the feet of our national leadership to the fire and demand that we be given the opportunity to manage for the health of these watersheds. Our national forests, and rangelands, which provided for the very life and vitality of people for over 10,000 years now, sit mostly unavailable and uncared for all around us. The fuels in our forests are growing beyond the historic norms as suppressed unhealthy stands compete for sunlight, water and nutrients; growing on slopes so steep that, in the event of fire, the intensity would sterilize the soils and destroy all forms of life that hold the mountain in place. For generations, our people and the native tribes have survived by our human energy and time to eek life from these lands. We now sit impotent to the ability to survive from productivity on these lands. We go to planning meetings, and workshops and trainings to try to find the way. Now, we must do so much more than talk the talk. We must begin to walk the walk needed to provide for the continuation of the custom and culture of our people and the symbiotic relationship to these incredible lands....
USGS Launches Land Cover Data Web Tool Today the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced the launch of the new USGS Land Cover Visualization and Analysis Tool, which allows users to analyze, in specific detail, how land cover has changed over time. Designed for both novice and expert users, the web-based system provides an intuitive interface able to selectively view and analyze land cover data from any web browser. The USGS is soliciting users to evaluate the preview release of the application. For more information, go to http://emmma.usgs.gov/landcover. "Land cover data has been a largely untapped information resource. With increasing population and the challenging prospect of climate change, comprehensive information about the condition of our land, and how it is changing, becomes more and more vital," said Barbara Ryan, USGS Associate Director for Geography. "An easy-to-use Web-based application that delivers national land information assets to a wider audience and clearly demonstrates how our environment is changing broadens opportunities to incorporate land cover data in decision making." Land cover, the pattern of natural vegetation, agriculture, and urban areas, is shaped by both natural processes and human influences. Information about land cover is needed by managers of public and private lands, urban planners, agricultural experts, and scientists for studying such issues as climate change or invasive species....
Forestry Panel Addresses Fire Policy and Partnerships In the West, water is the wonky issue, urbanism is the sexy issue and energy is that cyclical issue that rears its big head every few decades. Meanwhile, forestry just seems to plod along through our history, never forgotten, but only in the spotlight when big fires erupt. But forest issues are now more important than ever, according to researchers at Colorado College and a panel at the State of the Rockies Conference, which just ended in Colorado Springs. Student and faculty researchers at the school presented their baseline date for the health of the region’s forests, noting the increasing problems with insects and fires. You can read about that report here on NewWest.net. At the conference’s panel on forestry, a divers group lead a discussion about fire policy and the increasing importance of partnerships and collaboration in addressing forest issues. Legal scholar Phillip Kannan critiqued the federal Healthy Forests Initiative, and said it reduces public input and weakens environmental laws, rather than discouraging development in at-risk areas. But James Hubbard, Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry with the U.S. Forest Service, defended the legislation, saying it is used by communities to protect themselves. Yes, it does lessen some environmental reviews, he admitted, but it has only been used to treat 1 million acres of the 24 million acres treated for fires since the National Fire Plan came out a year prior to the Healthy Forests Initiative....
In Colorado, a Skirmish Between Ranchers and Army Some ranchers in southeastern Colorado are doing battle with the Army over controversial plans to expand a military base, and state legislators are taking steps to protect the threatened ranchlands. “You have the military fighting for the freedom of other people overseas, and we’re losing our own back home. It makes no sense,” rancher Lon Robertson told the New York Times. He’s the president of the Piñon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition, a group of 1,100 opponents of the Army’s plan to expand the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site at Fort Carson. The Army is eyeing condemnation on nearly a half-million acres around the site in southeastern Colorado. That prompted the state House of Representatives to pass a bill to block the move. The state Senate is considering a similar bill, which passed a subcommittee on Monday. However, cautions the Times, it’s not clear if the federal government would be bound by state law. Ranchers worry the expansion could threaten 40 to 80 ranches. And they’re not the only ones concerned. The expansion includes hundreds of dinosaur tracks preserved in Picketwire Canyonlands, and a chunk of Comanche National Grasslands. Not everyone opposes the move, though. Fort Carson is the state’s second-largest employer, writes the Denver Post, and an El Paso County commissioner and the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce feared the legislature’s meaure would sent(sic) a “harmful message.”....
New study sheds light on long-term effects of logging after wildfire A new study on the effects of timber harvest following wildfire shows that the potential for a recently burned forest to reburn can be high with or without logging. Recently published in the journal, Forest Ecology and Management, the study demonstrates that the likelihood of a severe reburn is affected by the timing – not just the amount – of fuel accumulation after fire. The study examines fuel accumulation with and without logging after a large wildfire in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon. Three treatments were examined: commercial logging that removed only dead trees with value for wood products, commercial logging plus thinning that removed all dead trees larger than 4 inches in diameter, and unlogged sites. The year after logging (3 years after the fire), sites that were logged and thinned had four times more fine fuels on the ground, as a result of logging residue, compared to unlogged sites. Those same sites also had fewer snags– which provide habitat for woodpeckers, owls, and other animals that nest in tree cavities – and contribute to large woody debris on the ground. However, logging activity caused no change in the litter or duff, the upper soil organic layers that also affect how a fire burns. The study was led by James McIver of Oregon State University and Roger Ottmar of the Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Forest Service....
Former owner raps plan for ranch The man who sold a 6,439-acre Converse County ranch to the state of Wyoming last year has criticized some parts of a proposed management plan for the property. Hugh Duncan, who sold the Duncan Ranch to the state in hope of protecting it from subdivision, said he wants to see more opportunities for public recreation. “My greatest disappointment in this particular plan is the lack of a coherent plan for the recreational use of the ranch,” he said, citing the potential of an area known to his family as Sawmill Canyon, near the Converse County Park, for a few picnic tables. “When my soul needs refreshing ... I go up there and walk down that canyon,” he said, telling of green meadows, wildflowers, a tumbling stream and a succession of small waterfalls. “It would be very simple to build a trail down that canyon,” he said, also suggesting a small corral for people who wish to ride horseback over the land....
Grizzlies' champion says delisting is sound conservation Chris Servheen makes an improbable eco-villain. While conservation groups prepare the lawsuit they have vowed to file to prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from removing Yellowstone's grizzly bears from the endangered species list, the 56-year-old wildlife biologist finds himself called upon again and again to defend the federal government. And all he ever wanted to do was save the bears. Servheen was chapped by my column last month about conservationists' objections to delisting the bears. He took it personally. After listening to him, I can see why. He is the first and only grizzly bear recovery coordinator for Yellowstone since the bears were designated as threatened on the endangered species list. His doctorate is in grizzly bear research. He lives in Montana, has crawled all over bear habitat and has monitored dozens of radio-collared bears for years, and his hand was on every one of the 500 pages of conservation strategy that accompanied the decision to delist. "I wouldn't support this if I didn't think it was the right thing to do," he said....
Ritter offers revisions to roadless protections Gov. Bill Ritter asked the federal government for an "insurance policy" Wednesday to protect 4.1 million acres of roadless areas in Colorado from development, modifying a petition submitted last year by former Gov. Bill Owens. Ritter told the Agriculture Department and the U.S. Forest Service that he wants interim protection for Colorado's roadless areas while the federal government reviews whether to keep wilderness-style protections for the lands. He also said he wanted the state Department of Natural Resources and Division of Wildlife to be able to work with federal land managers on any proposed activity within the roadless areas. In addition, he asked that some areas in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests be classified as roadless, with limited exceptions for temporary roads and other activities associated with coal exploration and development....
Celebrity wolf stirs up passionate debate This is a story about pets, the owners who love them and a lone, black wolf that has for the past four winters, depending on who you talk to, either harassed or entertained the community they all live in. This is also a story about life in a town on the edge of the wilderness and what some say can be the sometimes fine line between observing and interacting with nature. Four years ago, when a black wolf began roaming the snow and ice playground that is the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, wildlife watchers and photographers such as Nick Jans were thrilled. In the morning, the animal could be seen walking on frozen Mendenhall Lake, crisscrossing the ski tracks and running over to the edge of this capital city's famous attraction, the Mendenhall Glacier. Talk about the wolf's escapades spread quickly. After all, Juneau is a political town - and a small one to boot - in which gossip and chatter can seem like a sport in their own right....
Pilot in Kim family rescue posts warning sign; feds want it down The helicopter pilot who spotted three members of the stranded Kim family in the Rogue River Canyon of Southern Oregon put up an urgent warning for drivers, but a federal agency says it is in a federal right of way and must come down. “You could get stranded and die!!!” read the bright red sign, warning drivers headed for the mountain passage connecting Grants Pass and the Oregon Coast. “I've had the idea for several months,” John Rachor, a Medford restaurant owner, told the Grants Pass Daily Courier. “I thought the (Bureau of Land Management) was going to be able to do something.” Rachor, flying his own helicopter, spotted Kati Kim and her two young daughters on Dec. 4, and they were rescued. Kati's husband, online editor James Kim of San Francisco, was found dead two days later. He had left the family to seek help. The sign got an endorsement from local officials such as Sheriff Gil Gilbertson and Sara Rubrecht, Josephine County emergency services director. “I love that man,” Rubrecht told the Grants Pass paper. “He just got tired of waiting.” Jim Roper, an engineer for the Bureau of Land Management, said the government is adding signs and making them bolder. “We're doing a lot,” Roper said. “We're just not there yet.”....And there you have it: Federal rules come first and the safety of the public comes second. Just wait till BLM can get "there".
Molycorp mine: an 80-year development, controversy Since its inception as a small-scale underground mining operation 87 years ago, the Molycorp mine, located 11 miles west of Red River and four miles east of Questa, has brought forth a myriad of complex issues — from economic development to health and environmental hazards — to area residents. Molycorp began producing molybdenum — a mineral, along with sulphur, found in a soft, metallic blue mineral called molybdenite, and used in lubricant applicants and to improve properties of stainless and alloy steels — in 1920. In 1965, the company developed an open pit that allowed for waste rock to be excavated and deposited in large piles surrounding the mine. In 1983, when use of the pit was discontinued, Molycorp turned to large-scale underground mining. Today, the mine is owned by Chevron. Because of its longevity, the Molycorp mine is undoubtedly a historical facet to the area. In 1914, two prospectors known as Fahey and Johnson staked 10 claims in the mine’s Sulphur Gulch. The metallic material they discovered was initially thought to be graphite, but in 1918 when the R&S Mining Company entered the valley, molybdenum excavations began. According to historical data from Molycorp, the ore was hauled several miles by horse and mule drawn wagons to the June Bug Mill, the relocated gold mill from Elizabethtown....
Air Force cuts access to pristine Point Sal beach Public access to the pristine beach at Point Sal has been permanently restricted by the Air Force for safety reasons. The beach has actually been closed since January, but the military didn't make an announcement until Wednesday. The concerns include steep cliffs and potential landslides due to coastal erosion, the Air Force said in a statement. Santa Barbara County officials questioned the Air Force's authority to deny access. The county holds the easement that gives the public the right to pass except during missile launches. "The county is going to work diligently with the Air Force to get that restriction lifted," Supervisor Joni Gray said. Also complicating the issue is that Point Sal is a state beach. The county, Bureau of Land Management and private properties also have land in the area.
Do-over on land preservation A proposed ballot initiative aimed at preserving sensitive state land may not be the silver bullet conservationists and local leaders are searching for — but it might be the best way to protect ecologically rich areas around Tucson, officials said. Much like two ballot measures that voters shot down in November, the proposed initiative would set aside state lands that have been targeted for conservation, including areas on Tucson's Northwest and Southeast sides. House Continuing Resolution 2039 is a scaled-back version of what voters saw in Propositions 105 and 106. Gone are the complicated changes to the State Land Department. Also trimmed is the amount of land that would be preserved — 196,000 acres — compared with 690,000 acres proposed in Proposition 106. While the bill might be a compromise that could gain voter approval, its passage would push local governments to come up with huge volumes of cash quickly to pay for the land, most likely through bonds....
State sees week with no new wells No new coalbed methane wells were drilled in Wyoming over the week that ended Wednesday, the longest the state has gone without a new well since 1998, according to Don Likwartz, supervisor of the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Likwartz suspects that regulations imposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to protect breeding sage grouse are responsible for the lull. The BLM rules forbid drilling and related activity within two miles of a sage grouse lek, or strutting ground, each March 1 to June 15. The rules have hit the Powder River Basin coalbed methane fields especially hard this year while drilling progresses westward into more sage grouse habitat....
Grijalva, Giffords seeking status for Santa Cruz River Two congressional representatives agreed Tuesday that the land along the Santa Cruz River is so rich in history that it should be a nationally recognized heritage area. U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords and Raœl Grijalva, both Arizona Democrats, stood at the Tumac‡cori National Historical Park and said they’d offer a bill to Congress to create the Santa Cruz National Heritage Area. The area would stretch from the Mexican border to the Pinal County line north to south, and from the Pima County and Santa Cruz County lines on the east roughly to a line that generally parallels the Santa Cruz River and Anza Trail on the west. It’s rich in history, starting before the Spaniards came here in the 1500s. There are mountains, deserts, the lands of the Tohono O’odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and an international border. Tucson, a metropolitan area of about a million, is within the proposed area....
The Supreme Court as Umpire?: How the Global Warming Decision Illuminates the Role We Ask the Justices to Play Chief Justice John Roberts gave a memorably smooth performance during his confirmation hearings. The moment for which his testimony may be most vividly remembered, is one where he used a metaphor to describe the judicial role: Judges are like baseball umpires, Roberts said. Their job is simply to call balls and strikes, applying the strike zone defined by the Constitution and the laws the Congress enacts. At the time, many observers -- including myself -- criticized Roberts for dismissing the role that interpretation and political judgments inevitably play in judicial decision-making, where there sometimes (indeed, perhaps often) is no objectively "right" answer to the questions posed by cases. This is especially true with the kind of disputes that make their way to the Supreme Court: close and complicated cases over which lower courts are already in disagreement. However, the Court's recent decision in Massachusetts v. EPA (in which the Court rejected the EPA's claim that it had no authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases) has caused me to revisit the much-discussed umpire metaphor -- as I will explain....
NFIB escalates opposition to eminent domain The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) hosted the event, due mostly to increasing concerns from their membership. "Clearly, our members have communicated the message that eminent domain is one of their biggest concerns, and we are responding," said Andrew M. Langer, regulatory policy manager and chief property rights activist from NFIB's Washington, D.C., office. Langer was the keynote speaker at the event and stated that 80 percent of the NFIB membership voted to include eminent domain as a legislative priority. Several business owners from Long Branch, who are currently battling the city over property rights, attended the forum and expressed outrage at what is happening there. One landowner, who asked that his name be withheld, said, "Eminent domain is a terminal disease, which never goes away." He said he has spent more than $400,000 in his effort to keep his property from being taken through eminent domain for a redevelopment project. NFIB is a proponent of stronger eminent domain laws and believes that current legislation is doing little to protect the business community. "The legislation being considered now has no teeth at all," said Laurie Ehlbeck, director of NFIB's New Jersey office. "Businesses will literally lose their livelihood if they are displaced."....
A living ghost town It was the discovery of gold in 1873 that first made the town of Liberty possible. But it is the persistence of its people that allows it to exist today. They have survived the ebb and flow of gold mining, an assault on the town by a mining company and, in the 1970s, an effort by the U.S. Forest Service to force the occupants out. It took an act of Congress to allow the 19 occupants of the town to buy their property from the government, which finally happened in 1981. But it wasn’t the persistence of the inhabitants that impressed Harry Kirwin, an itinerant journalist who lived in Liberty from 1939-1941. It was the Saturday night dances at the Wildcat Dance Hall that caught his attention. The people in Liberty mostly kept to themselves, except for the Saturday night dances, when they “get cockeyed drunk and holler all night long,” he wrote friends in Seattle. “Now and then there is the occasional melee in the only street we have and the next day the boys go around with shiners and busted noses,” Kirwin wrote. “The ladies also swing haymakers side by side with their kinfolk.” Although he lived a block and a half from the dance hall, he only attended one dance. “It is too close to nature to suit us,” he wrote....
Endangered rabbits in US state are being eaten by predators; only 6 remain alive Most of a group of 20 endangered rabbits that were reintroduced to the wild with great fanfare last month have been killed by predators, state officials said. Only four of the rabbits released on March 13 remained at the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area in this northwestern state as of Tuesday, said David Hays, pygmy rabbit coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hays said two males were removed earlier this month and will be returned at the end of April. The other 14 rabbits are believed to have fallen victim to predators, mainly coyotes, but also hawks and owls, Hays said. The rabbits, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, eat sagebrush and are the only rabbits in the United States that dig their own burrows....
Commentary: Land base is wealth to be used wisely The first principle of regional land planning is that our land base is our wealth! Fifty-eight percent of our land base is owned by the United States and managed, by the U.S. Forest Service. We, as citizens must not walk away from the responsibility of that management, we must hold the feet of our national leadership to the fire and demand that we be given the opportunity to manage for the health of these watersheds. Our national forests, and rangelands, which provided for the very life and vitality of people for over 10,000 years now, sit mostly unavailable and uncared for all around us. The fuels in our forests are growing beyond the historic norms as suppressed unhealthy stands compete for sunlight, water and nutrients; growing on slopes so steep that, in the event of fire, the intensity would sterilize the soils and destroy all forms of life that hold the mountain in place. For generations, our people and the native tribes have survived by our human energy and time to eek life from these lands. We now sit impotent to the ability to survive from productivity on these lands. We go to planning meetings, and workshops and trainings to try to find the way. Now, we must do so much more than talk the talk. We must begin to walk the walk needed to provide for the continuation of the custom and culture of our people and the symbiotic relationship to these incredible lands....
USGS Launches Land Cover Data Web Tool Today the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced the launch of the new USGS Land Cover Visualization and Analysis Tool, which allows users to analyze, in specific detail, how land cover has changed over time. Designed for both novice and expert users, the web-based system provides an intuitive interface able to selectively view and analyze land cover data from any web browser. The USGS is soliciting users to evaluate the preview release of the application. For more information, go to http://emmma.usgs.gov/landcover. "Land cover data has been a largely untapped information resource. With increasing population and the challenging prospect of climate change, comprehensive information about the condition of our land, and how it is changing, becomes more and more vital," said Barbara Ryan, USGS Associate Director for Geography. "An easy-to-use Web-based application that delivers national land information assets to a wider audience and clearly demonstrates how our environment is changing broadens opportunities to incorporate land cover data in decision making." Land cover, the pattern of natural vegetation, agriculture, and urban areas, is shaped by both natural processes and human influences. Information about land cover is needed by managers of public and private lands, urban planners, agricultural experts, and scientists for studying such issues as climate change or invasive species....
Forestry Panel Addresses Fire Policy and Partnerships In the West, water is the wonky issue, urbanism is the sexy issue and energy is that cyclical issue that rears its big head every few decades. Meanwhile, forestry just seems to plod along through our history, never forgotten, but only in the spotlight when big fires erupt. But forest issues are now more important than ever, according to researchers at Colorado College and a panel at the State of the Rockies Conference, which just ended in Colorado Springs. Student and faculty researchers at the school presented their baseline date for the health of the region’s forests, noting the increasing problems with insects and fires. You can read about that report here on NewWest.net. At the conference’s panel on forestry, a divers group lead a discussion about fire policy and the increasing importance of partnerships and collaboration in addressing forest issues. Legal scholar Phillip Kannan critiqued the federal Healthy Forests Initiative, and said it reduces public input and weakens environmental laws, rather than discouraging development in at-risk areas. But James Hubbard, Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry with the U.S. Forest Service, defended the legislation, saying it is used by communities to protect themselves. Yes, it does lessen some environmental reviews, he admitted, but it has only been used to treat 1 million acres of the 24 million acres treated for fires since the National Fire Plan came out a year prior to the Healthy Forests Initiative....
In Colorado, a Skirmish Between Ranchers and Army Some ranchers in southeastern Colorado are doing battle with the Army over controversial plans to expand a military base, and state legislators are taking steps to protect the threatened ranchlands. “You have the military fighting for the freedom of other people overseas, and we’re losing our own back home. It makes no sense,” rancher Lon Robertson told the New York Times. He’s the president of the Piñon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition, a group of 1,100 opponents of the Army’s plan to expand the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site at Fort Carson. The Army is eyeing condemnation on nearly a half-million acres around the site in southeastern Colorado. That prompted the state House of Representatives to pass a bill to block the move. The state Senate is considering a similar bill, which passed a subcommittee on Monday. However, cautions the Times, it’s not clear if the federal government would be bound by state law. Ranchers worry the expansion could threaten 40 to 80 ranches. And they’re not the only ones concerned. The expansion includes hundreds of dinosaur tracks preserved in Picketwire Canyonlands, and a chunk of Comanche National Grasslands. Not everyone opposes the move, though. Fort Carson is the state’s second-largest employer, writes the Denver Post, and an El Paso County commissioner and the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce feared the legislature’s meaure would sent(sic) a “harmful message.”....
New study sheds light on long-term effects of logging after wildfire A new study on the effects of timber harvest following wildfire shows that the potential for a recently burned forest to reburn can be high with or without logging. Recently published in the journal, Forest Ecology and Management, the study demonstrates that the likelihood of a severe reburn is affected by the timing – not just the amount – of fuel accumulation after fire. The study examines fuel accumulation with and without logging after a large wildfire in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon. Three treatments were examined: commercial logging that removed only dead trees with value for wood products, commercial logging plus thinning that removed all dead trees larger than 4 inches in diameter, and unlogged sites. The year after logging (3 years after the fire), sites that were logged and thinned had four times more fine fuels on the ground, as a result of logging residue, compared to unlogged sites. Those same sites also had fewer snags– which provide habitat for woodpeckers, owls, and other animals that nest in tree cavities – and contribute to large woody debris on the ground. However, logging activity caused no change in the litter or duff, the upper soil organic layers that also affect how a fire burns. The study was led by James McIver of Oregon State University and Roger Ottmar of the Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Forest Service....
Former owner raps plan for ranch The man who sold a 6,439-acre Converse County ranch to the state of Wyoming last year has criticized some parts of a proposed management plan for the property. Hugh Duncan, who sold the Duncan Ranch to the state in hope of protecting it from subdivision, said he wants to see more opportunities for public recreation. “My greatest disappointment in this particular plan is the lack of a coherent plan for the recreational use of the ranch,” he said, citing the potential of an area known to his family as Sawmill Canyon, near the Converse County Park, for a few picnic tables. “When my soul needs refreshing ... I go up there and walk down that canyon,” he said, telling of green meadows, wildflowers, a tumbling stream and a succession of small waterfalls. “It would be very simple to build a trail down that canyon,” he said, also suggesting a small corral for people who wish to ride horseback over the land....
Grizzlies' champion says delisting is sound conservation Chris Servheen makes an improbable eco-villain. While conservation groups prepare the lawsuit they have vowed to file to prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from removing Yellowstone's grizzly bears from the endangered species list, the 56-year-old wildlife biologist finds himself called upon again and again to defend the federal government. And all he ever wanted to do was save the bears. Servheen was chapped by my column last month about conservationists' objections to delisting the bears. He took it personally. After listening to him, I can see why. He is the first and only grizzly bear recovery coordinator for Yellowstone since the bears were designated as threatened on the endangered species list. His doctorate is in grizzly bear research. He lives in Montana, has crawled all over bear habitat and has monitored dozens of radio-collared bears for years, and his hand was on every one of the 500 pages of conservation strategy that accompanied the decision to delist. "I wouldn't support this if I didn't think it was the right thing to do," he said....
Ritter offers revisions to roadless protections Gov. Bill Ritter asked the federal government for an "insurance policy" Wednesday to protect 4.1 million acres of roadless areas in Colorado from development, modifying a petition submitted last year by former Gov. Bill Owens. Ritter told the Agriculture Department and the U.S. Forest Service that he wants interim protection for Colorado's roadless areas while the federal government reviews whether to keep wilderness-style protections for the lands. He also said he wanted the state Department of Natural Resources and Division of Wildlife to be able to work with federal land managers on any proposed activity within the roadless areas. In addition, he asked that some areas in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests be classified as roadless, with limited exceptions for temporary roads and other activities associated with coal exploration and development....
Celebrity wolf stirs up passionate debate This is a story about pets, the owners who love them and a lone, black wolf that has for the past four winters, depending on who you talk to, either harassed or entertained the community they all live in. This is also a story about life in a town on the edge of the wilderness and what some say can be the sometimes fine line between observing and interacting with nature. Four years ago, when a black wolf began roaming the snow and ice playground that is the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, wildlife watchers and photographers such as Nick Jans were thrilled. In the morning, the animal could be seen walking on frozen Mendenhall Lake, crisscrossing the ski tracks and running over to the edge of this capital city's famous attraction, the Mendenhall Glacier. Talk about the wolf's escapades spread quickly. After all, Juneau is a political town - and a small one to boot - in which gossip and chatter can seem like a sport in their own right....
Pilot in Kim family rescue posts warning sign; feds want it down The helicopter pilot who spotted three members of the stranded Kim family in the Rogue River Canyon of Southern Oregon put up an urgent warning for drivers, but a federal agency says it is in a federal right of way and must come down. “You could get stranded and die!!!” read the bright red sign, warning drivers headed for the mountain passage connecting Grants Pass and the Oregon Coast. “I've had the idea for several months,” John Rachor, a Medford restaurant owner, told the Grants Pass Daily Courier. “I thought the (Bureau of Land Management) was going to be able to do something.” Rachor, flying his own helicopter, spotted Kati Kim and her two young daughters on Dec. 4, and they were rescued. Kati's husband, online editor James Kim of San Francisco, was found dead two days later. He had left the family to seek help. The sign got an endorsement from local officials such as Sheriff Gil Gilbertson and Sara Rubrecht, Josephine County emergency services director. “I love that man,” Rubrecht told the Grants Pass paper. “He just got tired of waiting.” Jim Roper, an engineer for the Bureau of Land Management, said the government is adding signs and making them bolder. “We're doing a lot,” Roper said. “We're just not there yet.”....And there you have it: Federal rules come first and the safety of the public comes second. Just wait till BLM can get "there".
Molycorp mine: an 80-year development, controversy Since its inception as a small-scale underground mining operation 87 years ago, the Molycorp mine, located 11 miles west of Red River and four miles east of Questa, has brought forth a myriad of complex issues — from economic development to health and environmental hazards — to area residents. Molycorp began producing molybdenum — a mineral, along with sulphur, found in a soft, metallic blue mineral called molybdenite, and used in lubricant applicants and to improve properties of stainless and alloy steels — in 1920. In 1965, the company developed an open pit that allowed for waste rock to be excavated and deposited in large piles surrounding the mine. In 1983, when use of the pit was discontinued, Molycorp turned to large-scale underground mining. Today, the mine is owned by Chevron. Because of its longevity, the Molycorp mine is undoubtedly a historical facet to the area. In 1914, two prospectors known as Fahey and Johnson staked 10 claims in the mine’s Sulphur Gulch. The metallic material they discovered was initially thought to be graphite, but in 1918 when the R&S Mining Company entered the valley, molybdenum excavations began. According to historical data from Molycorp, the ore was hauled several miles by horse and mule drawn wagons to the June Bug Mill, the relocated gold mill from Elizabethtown....
Air Force cuts access to pristine Point Sal beach Public access to the pristine beach at Point Sal has been permanently restricted by the Air Force for safety reasons. The beach has actually been closed since January, but the military didn't make an announcement until Wednesday. The concerns include steep cliffs and potential landslides due to coastal erosion, the Air Force said in a statement. Santa Barbara County officials questioned the Air Force's authority to deny access. The county holds the easement that gives the public the right to pass except during missile launches. "The county is going to work diligently with the Air Force to get that restriction lifted," Supervisor Joni Gray said. Also complicating the issue is that Point Sal is a state beach. The county, Bureau of Land Management and private properties also have land in the area.
Do-over on land preservation A proposed ballot initiative aimed at preserving sensitive state land may not be the silver bullet conservationists and local leaders are searching for — but it might be the best way to protect ecologically rich areas around Tucson, officials said. Much like two ballot measures that voters shot down in November, the proposed initiative would set aside state lands that have been targeted for conservation, including areas on Tucson's Northwest and Southeast sides. House Continuing Resolution 2039 is a scaled-back version of what voters saw in Propositions 105 and 106. Gone are the complicated changes to the State Land Department. Also trimmed is the amount of land that would be preserved — 196,000 acres — compared with 690,000 acres proposed in Proposition 106. While the bill might be a compromise that could gain voter approval, its passage would push local governments to come up with huge volumes of cash quickly to pay for the land, most likely through bonds....
State sees week with no new wells No new coalbed methane wells were drilled in Wyoming over the week that ended Wednesday, the longest the state has gone without a new well since 1998, according to Don Likwartz, supervisor of the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Likwartz suspects that regulations imposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to protect breeding sage grouse are responsible for the lull. The BLM rules forbid drilling and related activity within two miles of a sage grouse lek, or strutting ground, each March 1 to June 15. The rules have hit the Powder River Basin coalbed methane fields especially hard this year while drilling progresses westward into more sage grouse habitat....
Grijalva, Giffords seeking status for Santa Cruz River Two congressional representatives agreed Tuesday that the land along the Santa Cruz River is so rich in history that it should be a nationally recognized heritage area. U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords and Raœl Grijalva, both Arizona Democrats, stood at the Tumac‡cori National Historical Park and said they’d offer a bill to Congress to create the Santa Cruz National Heritage Area. The area would stretch from the Mexican border to the Pinal County line north to south, and from the Pima County and Santa Cruz County lines on the east roughly to a line that generally parallels the Santa Cruz River and Anza Trail on the west. It’s rich in history, starting before the Spaniards came here in the 1500s. There are mountains, deserts, the lands of the Tohono O’odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and an international border. Tucson, a metropolitan area of about a million, is within the proposed area....
The Supreme Court as Umpire?: How the Global Warming Decision Illuminates the Role We Ask the Justices to Play Chief Justice John Roberts gave a memorably smooth performance during his confirmation hearings. The moment for which his testimony may be most vividly remembered, is one where he used a metaphor to describe the judicial role: Judges are like baseball umpires, Roberts said. Their job is simply to call balls and strikes, applying the strike zone defined by the Constitution and the laws the Congress enacts. At the time, many observers -- including myself -- criticized Roberts for dismissing the role that interpretation and political judgments inevitably play in judicial decision-making, where there sometimes (indeed, perhaps often) is no objectively "right" answer to the questions posed by cases. This is especially true with the kind of disputes that make their way to the Supreme Court: close and complicated cases over which lower courts are already in disagreement. However, the Court's recent decision in Massachusetts v. EPA (in which the Court rejected the EPA's claim that it had no authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases) has caused me to revisit the much-discussed umpire metaphor -- as I will explain....
NFIB escalates opposition to eminent domain The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) hosted the event, due mostly to increasing concerns from their membership. "Clearly, our members have communicated the message that eminent domain is one of their biggest concerns, and we are responding," said Andrew M. Langer, regulatory policy manager and chief property rights activist from NFIB's Washington, D.C., office. Langer was the keynote speaker at the event and stated that 80 percent of the NFIB membership voted to include eminent domain as a legislative priority. Several business owners from Long Branch, who are currently battling the city over property rights, attended the forum and expressed outrage at what is happening there. One landowner, who asked that his name be withheld, said, "Eminent domain is a terminal disease, which never goes away." He said he has spent more than $400,000 in his effort to keep his property from being taken through eminent domain for a redevelopment project. NFIB is a proponent of stronger eminent domain laws and believes that current legislation is doing little to protect the business community. "The legislation being considered now has no teeth at all," said Laurie Ehlbeck, director of NFIB's New Jersey office. "Businesses will literally lose their livelihood if they are displaced."....
A living ghost town It was the discovery of gold in 1873 that first made the town of Liberty possible. But it is the persistence of its people that allows it to exist today. They have survived the ebb and flow of gold mining, an assault on the town by a mining company and, in the 1970s, an effort by the U.S. Forest Service to force the occupants out. It took an act of Congress to allow the 19 occupants of the town to buy their property from the government, which finally happened in 1981. But it wasn’t the persistence of the inhabitants that impressed Harry Kirwin, an itinerant journalist who lived in Liberty from 1939-1941. It was the Saturday night dances at the Wildcat Dance Hall that caught his attention. The people in Liberty mostly kept to themselves, except for the Saturday night dances, when they “get cockeyed drunk and holler all night long,” he wrote friends in Seattle. “Now and then there is the occasional melee in the only street we have and the next day the boys go around with shiners and busted noses,” Kirwin wrote. “The ladies also swing haymakers side by side with their kinfolk.” Although he lived a block and a half from the dance hall, he only attended one dance. “It is too close to nature to suit us,” he wrote....
Thursday, April 12, 2007
NEWS
New Jersey boy foils coyote attack on baby nephew Wildlife officials are investigating what could be the first coyote attack on a human in New Jersey following a backyard attack on a toddler that was foiled by an 11-year-old. Playing in the back yard of his Middletown Township home with his 22-month-old nephew over the weekend, 11-year-old Ryan Palludan first thought the animal that bolted into the yard just before dark was a deer. But when it grabbed little Liam Sadler in its jaws, Palludan instinctively sprang into action, yelling and kicking at the attacker which was later determined to be a coyote. ”It ran real fast, and in 10 seconds it was on Liam’s back, biting the back of his head and his neck,” Palludan said. ”My dad and I chased it into the woods, and my sister got Liam inside. ”My dad turned to walk away and it came running back at him. I yelled, ’Dad, it’s coming for you!’ and he chased it away again. But it didn’t go all the way into the woods,” Palludan explained. ”It was kind of staying on the edge. It wanted its food.”....
Lawmakers consider payments for wolf kills Though they have to fight to find customers in a competitive global market, most ranchers in Montana have one steady client they’d rather not do business with. “I’m not in the business of livestock to feed the wolves,” said John Helle, a third-generation Montana sheep rancher from Dillon. For the past 20 years, a private environmental organization – Defenders of Wildlife – has paid ranchers for losses they can prove are wolf-related. But that compensation may not be available after Interior Department removes wolves from the endangered species list – perhaps by the end of 2007 - and ranchers haven’t always been happy with the way Defenders distributes the awards. That’s why the Montana Legislature is considering House Bill 364, a measure that would set up a permanent state-run board to pay ranchers for the wolves’ dinners, and help them keep wolves away from livestock. The bill passed the Senate on third reading on Tuesday, 75-22. There’s only one problem: Money to run the board is scarce, and it’s hard to tell just how much it would need....
Committee urged to support lawsuit for wolf delisting Montana's Legislature should send $150,000 to a Wyoming law firm to have a say in a possible future lawsuit over delisting wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains, a Republican legislator said Tuesday. Rep. Diane Rice, R-Harrison, told the Senate Finance and Claims Committee that the animals were decimating the state's ranching and hunting industries. "This is the most serious issue before all of us," Rice said. A bill sponsored by Rice would send the money to help the Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd challenge the federal government over its failure to delist wolves. A law firm based in Cheyenne, Wyo., represents the group. Rice and supporters of the measure said Montana needs to be involved in the lawsuit, which has not yet been filed, because the delisting issue likely will be resolved in court and Montana should have a say in any decision. Ranchers, hunters and outfitters told the committee that wolves have not only killed vast amounts of game and livestock, but have also spread disease and pose a threat to humans....
Ruling blocks company's bid to ship methane water to Wyoming A Montana official issued a ruling that would block a natural gas company's bid to transport water produced during coal-bed methane development across the state line into Wyoming. In a decision, state hearing examiner David Vogler denied a permit sought by Fidelity Exploration and Production to transport out of Montana 3,000 acre feet of water annually from the company's operations in the Tongue River basin. The decision is not final, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Director Mary Sexton said a second hearing in the case is likely. If Vogler's ruling holds, Tom Richmond with the state Oil and Gas Conservation Board said it could put a damper on coal-bed methane activity along the Wyoming-Montana border. Vogler approved a second Fidelity permit allowing Fidelity to use about 3,800 acre feet of water on irrigation projects within Montana. An acre-foot of water, roughly 325,000 gallons, is enough to cover one acre of land with water one foot deep. Disposing of the vast amounts of poor-quality water that are a byproduct of coal-bed methane production has become a nagging problem for the industry....
Ranchers look to lawmakers to save their way of life Her family’s ranch could be swallowed up by the Army as it looks to expand its Pinon Canyon training site but each night Lisa Doherty said she and her two sons offer prayers for the nation’s soldiers and its leaders. Doherty said she and her family live a “blessed life” on the wide open plains of southeastern Colorado even though it means working from dawn to dusk with no vacations. She’d like to give her boys the chance to become the fifth generation to work that land but fears the Army’s plans could stop that. “I love my country but I also love my home,” Doherty told a Senate committee Monday before they voted to back a bill aimed at telling the Army that ranchers can’t be forced to sell their land to make way for the project. The full Senate will debate the measure (House Bill 1069) next even though lawmakers acknowledge they’re not sure if a state law can stop the Army from using eminent domain. Despite that, ranchers and others who oppose the expansion think it would still send a strong message to Washington that Colorado is concerned about the expansion. They think that could make it harder for the Army to win congressional should it move ahead with the plans to acquire 418,000 acres — or 653 square miles — nearly tripling the site it now has in southeastern Colorado....
We Ought Not Grow Cows In Dry West he West is a powerful place. Soaring mountains. Vast plains. Boisterous rivers. Huge spaces. But one attribute defines the West more than any other—aridity. Aridity imposes limitations and costs on human enterprises. Nowhere are the limitations and costs of aridity less apparent, yet reaping more degradation and destruction than the failed attempt to create a viable livestock industry in this dry region. Livestock production--which includes not only the grazing of plants, but everything it takes to raise a cow in the arid West including the dewatering of rivers for irrigation, the killing of predators to make the land safe for cattle, the fragmentation of landscapes with hay fields and other crops grown to feed livestock, combined with the pulverization of riparian areas under cattle hooves, and the displacement of native wildlife--is by far the worse environmental catastrophe to befall the West....
Gov. Ritter plans roadless petition Gov. Bill Ritter will send a petition to Washington on protecting Colorado's roadless forests. People familiar with Ritter's petition say it will be largely the same as one sent by his predecessor, Bill Owens, to the dismay of some environmentalists and sportsmen. "I'm expecting there's not going to be many changes," said Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, who sponsored a bill in 2005 that set up a roadless task force to advise Owens. Environmentalists had hoped Ritter would drop the petition entirely, because a federal court has reinstated a stronger, Clinton administration rule, and Colorado's petition would weaken the Clinton standard. "We don't see any need to go through a whole new public process to get where we are now," said Brian O'Donnell of Durango, director of Trout Unlimited's Public Lands Initiative. The federal government could take up to two years to get the Colorado rule in place. In the meantime, Ritter wants full protection for all of Colorado's roadless areas....
Lawmakers Try To Rein In Conservation Easements Lawmakers tried to rein in a multimillion-dollar program that grants tax breaks for land conservation Tuesday after state officials ran down a litany of abuses, including people getting tax credits for agreeing to preserve their back yards. State revenue officials said the program got so far out of control they had to ask the Internal Revenue Service to step in and audit people who claimed tax credits for which they didn't qualify. Under the program, property owners get federal and state tax breaks by granting conservation easements that guarantee the land will not be developed. They can write off the easement as a charitable contribution and they also get to keep the land. John Vecchiarelli, director of the taxation business group at the state Department of Revenue, said the state now gives up $85 million a year in revenue to the program, up sharply from the $2.3 million when the program started in 2000....
Dire predictions in climate report Rising global temperatures could melt Latin America's glaciers within 15 years, cause food shortages affecting 130 million people across Asia by 2050 and wipe out Africa's wheat crop, according to a U.N. report released Tuesday. The report, written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists, outlined dramatic effects of climate change including rising sea levels, the disappearance of species and intensifying natural disasters. It said 30 percent of the world's coastlines could be lost by 2080. Scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change outlined details of the report in news conferences around the world Tuesday, four days after they released a written summary of their findings. he report is the second of three being issued this year; the first dealt with the physical science of climate change, and the third will deal with responses to it....
Rural Aid Goes to Urban Areas All told, the USDA has handed out more than $70 billion in grants, loans and loan guarantees since 2001 as part of its sprawling but little-known Rural Development program. More than half of that money has gone to metropolitan regions or communities within easy commuting distance of a midsize city, including beach resorts and suburban developments, a Washington Post investigation found. More than three times as much money went to metropolitan areas with populations of 50,000 or more ($30.3 billion) as to poor or shrinking rural counties ($8.6 billion). Recreational or retirement communities alone got $8.8 billion. Among the recipients were electric companies awarded almost $1 billion in low-interest loans to serve the booming suburbs of Atlanta and Tampa. Beach towns from Cape Cod to New Jersey to Florida collected federal money for water and sewer systems, town halls, and boardwalks. An Internet provider in Houston got $23 million in loans to wire affluent subdivisions, including one that boasts million-dollar houses and an equestrian center....
Fire destroys Johnny Cash's longtime lakeside Tennessee home Johnny Cash's longtime lakeside home, a showcase where he wrote much of his famous music and entertained U.S. presidents, music royalty and visiting fans, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday. Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, lived in the 13,880-square-foot (1,289-square-meter) home from the late 1960s until their deaths in 2003. "So many prominent things and prominent people in American history took place in that house - everyone from Billy Graham to Bob Dylan went into that house," said singer Marty Stuart, who lives next door and was married to Cash's daughter, Cindy, in the 1980s. Stuart said the man who designed the house, Nashville builder Braxton Dixon, was "the closest thing this part of the country had to Frank Lloyd Wright."....
Bucking bulls reign over pro rodeo Beefy, all-American males, with a bounce in their stride, don't-mess-with-me attitudes and a challenging glint in their eyes will swagger into the arena for a king-size dose of the physical mayhem they utterly relish. Plenty of cowboys should be on hand, also. However, for many rodeo fans, the grand stars will be those bucking bulls, each more than a half-ton of grunting, snorting, dirt-kicking, drool-flinging, horn-hooking, rolling-eyed rage. These bulls, many with ratings posted on the Professional Bull Rider (PBR) association's Web page, are trailed closely in popularity by the battered men who dare to mount them. Riders speak with awe of potent critters such as Reindeer Dippin', a black bull with a white face last successfully ridden in 2005. Since then, Reindeer Dippin' has bucked all challengers to the dust well before the eight-second whistle. In fact, of 31 career "outs" from the steel-barred starting chute, this 1,550-pound, black and white Brahma cross has allowed only two cowboys to complete a full ride....
Villa Steala Ah, Villa's stolen skull. No macabre Mexican legend is more mired in intrigue, distortion and looniness — and in a country where many believe that the United States stole half of its land, that's saying something. Here are the accepted facts about Pancho's purloined pate: On February 6, 1926, someone raided Villa's tomb in Parral, Chihuahua, and scurried away with the famed general's three-years-dead head. Mexican authorities quickly arrested Emil Holmdahl, a gabacho mercenary who fought for various factions during the Mexican Revolution and had been seen around Villa's tomb. Holmdahl denied any responsibility, and the Mexican authorities released him for lack of evidence. Nevertheless, stories of Holmdahl boasting about his crime (read Haldeen Braddy's "The Head of Pancho Villa" in the January 1960 edition of Western Folklore for more details) soon spread on both sides of la frontera. Flash forward to the mid-1980s. In 1984, Arizona rancher Ben F. Williams declared in his memoir Let the Tail Go With the Hide that Holmdahl not only admitted to stealing Villa's skull but also said he received $25,000 for the deed. Williams shared this information with a friend who belonged to the Order of Skull and Bones, the Yale secret society that counts three generations of the Bush dynasty as members; the friend told Williams that Holmdahl sold he group Villa's skull. Two years after Williams published his book, Skull and Bones members (among them Jonathan Bush, Dubya's uncle) met with some Apaches and offered them a skull. Tribal leaders had recently discovered an official Skull and Bones log claiming that Dubya's granddaddy Prescott Bush and other Bonesmen stole the skull of Geronimo from his burial grounds in 1918....
I'm back and will try to catch up on the news as time allows.
Thanks for all the thoughtful and supportive emails I received from you readers of this blog. It meant alot.
New Jersey boy foils coyote attack on baby nephew Wildlife officials are investigating what could be the first coyote attack on a human in New Jersey following a backyard attack on a toddler that was foiled by an 11-year-old. Playing in the back yard of his Middletown Township home with his 22-month-old nephew over the weekend, 11-year-old Ryan Palludan first thought the animal that bolted into the yard just before dark was a deer. But when it grabbed little Liam Sadler in its jaws, Palludan instinctively sprang into action, yelling and kicking at the attacker which was later determined to be a coyote. ”It ran real fast, and in 10 seconds it was on Liam’s back, biting the back of his head and his neck,” Palludan said. ”My dad and I chased it into the woods, and my sister got Liam inside. ”My dad turned to walk away and it came running back at him. I yelled, ’Dad, it’s coming for you!’ and he chased it away again. But it didn’t go all the way into the woods,” Palludan explained. ”It was kind of staying on the edge. It wanted its food.”....
Lawmakers consider payments for wolf kills Though they have to fight to find customers in a competitive global market, most ranchers in Montana have one steady client they’d rather not do business with. “I’m not in the business of livestock to feed the wolves,” said John Helle, a third-generation Montana sheep rancher from Dillon. For the past 20 years, a private environmental organization – Defenders of Wildlife – has paid ranchers for losses they can prove are wolf-related. But that compensation may not be available after Interior Department removes wolves from the endangered species list – perhaps by the end of 2007 - and ranchers haven’t always been happy with the way Defenders distributes the awards. That’s why the Montana Legislature is considering House Bill 364, a measure that would set up a permanent state-run board to pay ranchers for the wolves’ dinners, and help them keep wolves away from livestock. The bill passed the Senate on third reading on Tuesday, 75-22. There’s only one problem: Money to run the board is scarce, and it’s hard to tell just how much it would need....
Committee urged to support lawsuit for wolf delisting Montana's Legislature should send $150,000 to a Wyoming law firm to have a say in a possible future lawsuit over delisting wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains, a Republican legislator said Tuesday. Rep. Diane Rice, R-Harrison, told the Senate Finance and Claims Committee that the animals were decimating the state's ranching and hunting industries. "This is the most serious issue before all of us," Rice said. A bill sponsored by Rice would send the money to help the Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd challenge the federal government over its failure to delist wolves. A law firm based in Cheyenne, Wyo., represents the group. Rice and supporters of the measure said Montana needs to be involved in the lawsuit, which has not yet been filed, because the delisting issue likely will be resolved in court and Montana should have a say in any decision. Ranchers, hunters and outfitters told the committee that wolves have not only killed vast amounts of game and livestock, but have also spread disease and pose a threat to humans....
Ruling blocks company's bid to ship methane water to Wyoming A Montana official issued a ruling that would block a natural gas company's bid to transport water produced during coal-bed methane development across the state line into Wyoming. In a decision, state hearing examiner David Vogler denied a permit sought by Fidelity Exploration and Production to transport out of Montana 3,000 acre feet of water annually from the company's operations in the Tongue River basin. The decision is not final, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Director Mary Sexton said a second hearing in the case is likely. If Vogler's ruling holds, Tom Richmond with the state Oil and Gas Conservation Board said it could put a damper on coal-bed methane activity along the Wyoming-Montana border. Vogler approved a second Fidelity permit allowing Fidelity to use about 3,800 acre feet of water on irrigation projects within Montana. An acre-foot of water, roughly 325,000 gallons, is enough to cover one acre of land with water one foot deep. Disposing of the vast amounts of poor-quality water that are a byproduct of coal-bed methane production has become a nagging problem for the industry....
Ranchers look to lawmakers to save their way of life Her family’s ranch could be swallowed up by the Army as it looks to expand its Pinon Canyon training site but each night Lisa Doherty said she and her two sons offer prayers for the nation’s soldiers and its leaders. Doherty said she and her family live a “blessed life” on the wide open plains of southeastern Colorado even though it means working from dawn to dusk with no vacations. She’d like to give her boys the chance to become the fifth generation to work that land but fears the Army’s plans could stop that. “I love my country but I also love my home,” Doherty told a Senate committee Monday before they voted to back a bill aimed at telling the Army that ranchers can’t be forced to sell their land to make way for the project. The full Senate will debate the measure (House Bill 1069) next even though lawmakers acknowledge they’re not sure if a state law can stop the Army from using eminent domain. Despite that, ranchers and others who oppose the expansion think it would still send a strong message to Washington that Colorado is concerned about the expansion. They think that could make it harder for the Army to win congressional should it move ahead with the plans to acquire 418,000 acres — or 653 square miles — nearly tripling the site it now has in southeastern Colorado....
We Ought Not Grow Cows In Dry West he West is a powerful place. Soaring mountains. Vast plains. Boisterous rivers. Huge spaces. But one attribute defines the West more than any other—aridity. Aridity imposes limitations and costs on human enterprises. Nowhere are the limitations and costs of aridity less apparent, yet reaping more degradation and destruction than the failed attempt to create a viable livestock industry in this dry region. Livestock production--which includes not only the grazing of plants, but everything it takes to raise a cow in the arid West including the dewatering of rivers for irrigation, the killing of predators to make the land safe for cattle, the fragmentation of landscapes with hay fields and other crops grown to feed livestock, combined with the pulverization of riparian areas under cattle hooves, and the displacement of native wildlife--is by far the worse environmental catastrophe to befall the West....
Gov. Ritter plans roadless petition Gov. Bill Ritter will send a petition to Washington on protecting Colorado's roadless forests. People familiar with Ritter's petition say it will be largely the same as one sent by his predecessor, Bill Owens, to the dismay of some environmentalists and sportsmen. "I'm expecting there's not going to be many changes," said Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, who sponsored a bill in 2005 that set up a roadless task force to advise Owens. Environmentalists had hoped Ritter would drop the petition entirely, because a federal court has reinstated a stronger, Clinton administration rule, and Colorado's petition would weaken the Clinton standard. "We don't see any need to go through a whole new public process to get where we are now," said Brian O'Donnell of Durango, director of Trout Unlimited's Public Lands Initiative. The federal government could take up to two years to get the Colorado rule in place. In the meantime, Ritter wants full protection for all of Colorado's roadless areas....
Lawmakers Try To Rein In Conservation Easements Lawmakers tried to rein in a multimillion-dollar program that grants tax breaks for land conservation Tuesday after state officials ran down a litany of abuses, including people getting tax credits for agreeing to preserve their back yards. State revenue officials said the program got so far out of control they had to ask the Internal Revenue Service to step in and audit people who claimed tax credits for which they didn't qualify. Under the program, property owners get federal and state tax breaks by granting conservation easements that guarantee the land will not be developed. They can write off the easement as a charitable contribution and they also get to keep the land. John Vecchiarelli, director of the taxation business group at the state Department of Revenue, said the state now gives up $85 million a year in revenue to the program, up sharply from the $2.3 million when the program started in 2000....
Dire predictions in climate report Rising global temperatures could melt Latin America's glaciers within 15 years, cause food shortages affecting 130 million people across Asia by 2050 and wipe out Africa's wheat crop, according to a U.N. report released Tuesday. The report, written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists, outlined dramatic effects of climate change including rising sea levels, the disappearance of species and intensifying natural disasters. It said 30 percent of the world's coastlines could be lost by 2080. Scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change outlined details of the report in news conferences around the world Tuesday, four days after they released a written summary of their findings. he report is the second of three being issued this year; the first dealt with the physical science of climate change, and the third will deal with responses to it....
Rural Aid Goes to Urban Areas All told, the USDA has handed out more than $70 billion in grants, loans and loan guarantees since 2001 as part of its sprawling but little-known Rural Development program. More than half of that money has gone to metropolitan regions or communities within easy commuting distance of a midsize city, including beach resorts and suburban developments, a Washington Post investigation found. More than three times as much money went to metropolitan areas with populations of 50,000 or more ($30.3 billion) as to poor or shrinking rural counties ($8.6 billion). Recreational or retirement communities alone got $8.8 billion. Among the recipients were electric companies awarded almost $1 billion in low-interest loans to serve the booming suburbs of Atlanta and Tampa. Beach towns from Cape Cod to New Jersey to Florida collected federal money for water and sewer systems, town halls, and boardwalks. An Internet provider in Houston got $23 million in loans to wire affluent subdivisions, including one that boasts million-dollar houses and an equestrian center....
Fire destroys Johnny Cash's longtime lakeside Tennessee home Johnny Cash's longtime lakeside home, a showcase where he wrote much of his famous music and entertained U.S. presidents, music royalty and visiting fans, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday. Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, lived in the 13,880-square-foot (1,289-square-meter) home from the late 1960s until their deaths in 2003. "So many prominent things and prominent people in American history took place in that house - everyone from Billy Graham to Bob Dylan went into that house," said singer Marty Stuart, who lives next door and was married to Cash's daughter, Cindy, in the 1980s. Stuart said the man who designed the house, Nashville builder Braxton Dixon, was "the closest thing this part of the country had to Frank Lloyd Wright."....
Bucking bulls reign over pro rodeo Beefy, all-American males, with a bounce in their stride, don't-mess-with-me attitudes and a challenging glint in their eyes will swagger into the arena for a king-size dose of the physical mayhem they utterly relish. Plenty of cowboys should be on hand, also. However, for many rodeo fans, the grand stars will be those bucking bulls, each more than a half-ton of grunting, snorting, dirt-kicking, drool-flinging, horn-hooking, rolling-eyed rage. These bulls, many with ratings posted on the Professional Bull Rider (PBR) association's Web page, are trailed closely in popularity by the battered men who dare to mount them. Riders speak with awe of potent critters such as Reindeer Dippin', a black bull with a white face last successfully ridden in 2005. Since then, Reindeer Dippin' has bucked all challengers to the dust well before the eight-second whistle. In fact, of 31 career "outs" from the steel-barred starting chute, this 1,550-pound, black and white Brahma cross has allowed only two cowboys to complete a full ride....
Villa Steala Ah, Villa's stolen skull. No macabre Mexican legend is more mired in intrigue, distortion and looniness — and in a country where many believe that the United States stole half of its land, that's saying something. Here are the accepted facts about Pancho's purloined pate: On February 6, 1926, someone raided Villa's tomb in Parral, Chihuahua, and scurried away with the famed general's three-years-dead head. Mexican authorities quickly arrested Emil Holmdahl, a gabacho mercenary who fought for various factions during the Mexican Revolution and had been seen around Villa's tomb. Holmdahl denied any responsibility, and the Mexican authorities released him for lack of evidence. Nevertheless, stories of Holmdahl boasting about his crime (read Haldeen Braddy's "The Head of Pancho Villa" in the January 1960 edition of Western Folklore for more details) soon spread on both sides of la frontera. Flash forward to the mid-1980s. In 1984, Arizona rancher Ben F. Williams declared in his memoir Let the Tail Go With the Hide that Holmdahl not only admitted to stealing Villa's skull but also said he received $25,000 for the deed. Williams shared this information with a friend who belonged to the Order of Skull and Bones, the Yale secret society that counts three generations of the Bush dynasty as members; the friend told Williams that Holmdahl sold he group Villa's skull. Two years after Williams published his book, Skull and Bones members (among them Jonathan Bush, Dubya's uncle) met with some Apaches and offered them a skull. Tribal leaders had recently discovered an official Skull and Bones log claiming that Dubya's granddaddy Prescott Bush and other Bonesmen stole the skull of Geronimo from his burial grounds in 1918....
I'm back and will try to catch up on the news as time allows.
Thanks for all the thoughtful and supportive emails I received from you readers of this blog. It meant alot.
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