NEWS ROUNDUP

Google and Intel pledge to go green Google and Intel are leading an initiative backed by several big technology companies to reduce the amount of power wasted by personal computers. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative aims to make computers 50 per cent more power efficient by 2010. The companies say that achieving this goal would save an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to that released by 11 million cars in a year. The commitment, which is supported by Dell, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft, is part of a larger campaign to educate consumers about technology industry-related carbon dioxide emissions, which according to Gartner, the technology analysts, account for 2 per cent of the global total – a percentage on par with aviation. "We aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equal to shutting down 20 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants," Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group, said. Urs Holzle, senior vice president of operations at Google, said: "Today, the average desktop PC wastes nearly half of its power and the average server wastes one-third of its power." The plan would save an estimated $5.5 billion in energy costs and would, its proponents say, increase the cost of a computer by only about $30 per unit. Reduced running costs would pay for the extra outlay within a couple of years, they say....
Forest Service to sell land only to select group of ranchers In a deal to appease up to 40 western North Dakota ranchers, the U.S. Forest Service quietly agreed to sell them 5,200 acres to offset the amount of land the agency gained from its purchase of a historic Badlands ranch. Real estate agents question whether it's legal, saying the sale should be open to everyone. The decision to sell federal land in Billings County - and only to ranchers there - is not the same pitch the Forest Service made when it sought to buy the 5,200-acre site adjacent to Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch site, where the former president ranched more than a century ago. The Forest Service had said it would balance the $5.3 million acquisition of the historic Blacktail Creek Ranch by selling 5,200 acres of the 1.2 million acres it owns throughout the state. erry Clement, owner of West Plains Realty in Dickinson, said selling just to Billings County ranchers could be illegal. "It doesn't sound like legally they can do that - I would think that they would have to open it up for everybody because it is public land," he said....
Army mum on how many people are willing to sell for training site The Army says it has been contacted by several people willing to sell land for a controversial expansion of a southeastern Colorado training site, but officials won't say how many have stepped up or how much land they offered. The Army wants to nearly triple the size of the Pinon Canyon maneuver site, from 368 square miles to more than 1,000 square miles, saying the land is needed to accommodate expected growth at Fort Carson and changing training needs. Opponents, including some ranchers, worry the Army will use eminent domain to force landowners to sell. The Army told Sen. Wayne Allard last week it had found at least some willing sellers and did not expect it would have to force any transactions. Army spokeswoman Mary Ann Hodges declined to release any details about the willing sellers. The Army "has been informally contacted by several potential willing sellers; however, it is too early in the acquisition process to discuss specific land owners or acreage," she said in an e-mail to The Associated Press this week. Hodges said the Army Corps of Engineers will formally identify and contact willing sellers as the process unfolds, but she said those sellers would not be publicly identified....
Editorial - Pinon Canyon details? THE ARMY has been its own worst enemy from a public relations standpoint in the delays and incompleteness of information released so far about Fort Carson expansion plans for Pinon Canyon. We are keeping an open mind on the actual merits of whether the Army should or should not proceed with the plan to enlarge the existing 238,000-acre Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site northeast of Trinidad. On the one hand, we recognize the importance for our national security of training troops who put their lives on the line in defense of the United States around the world. On the other hand, we empathize with the residents of Southeastern Colorado who could be adversely affected by the expansion. Until just recently, we've known only in broad terms that the Army intends to add more than 400,000 acres that eventually would expand the Pinon Canyon site to a total of more than 650,000 acres. Only now, 18 months into the process, has the Army released what purports to be an official map of the proposed boundaries. In relation to the existing site, the three expansion areas involve 103,000 acres to the south, 305,000 acres to the west and 5,400 acres on the northern tip of the current training site. The ranchers involved and the public in and around Trinidad and other affected communities have a right to know even more details. This is especially true of private property owners, some of whose families homesteaded the area generations ago. They deserve to know if their farms, ranches and homes are targeted for expansion and how many years it might take....
Landowners miffed about Army's Pinon Canyon plan If there are ranchers in southeast Colorado ready and willing to sell their land to the Army for its expanded Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, they aren’t mentioning it to their neighbors. More than 100 landowners or their representatives met tonight to show their opposition to the Army’s plan to acquire 408,000 acres straddling U.S. 350 between Trinidad and La Junta. Many area ranchers were told last week there are enough "willing sellers" to expand the Army training site without forcing involuntary sales. That was news to Tony Hass. "I’ve contacted about 70 people in the last week and I haven’t run into one of these willing sellers yet," said Hass, owner of the 14,000-acre Walkin’ Y Ranch near Thatcher. "The Army hasn’t contacted anyone I know or made any offers." Hass organized toinght's meeting at the peach-colored Hoehne Community Center following a boisterous and often uncivil public hearing in nearby Trinidad on June 7. ...
Rancher shoots wolf in cattle herd A Bitterroot Valley rancher who lost several calves to wolves spent the night in his car to guard his herd and shot a wolf as it moved among his cattle. "There were all these black shapes, cows running everywhere," said Ed Cummings, who was awakened at 4:30 a.m. on June 5 by his dog's growling. "And right in the middle of them, just sort of trotting around, is this wolf." Cummings lost his shoe while trying to get out of the car, keep an eye on the wolf and grab the rifle he'd borrowed. "I didn't make a very good shot, but I hit it," he said Monday. Federal officials shot another wolf the next day. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued Cummings a permit to kill two more wolves, although he does not need permission to shoot those attacking, chasing or harassing his livestock. Vivaca Crowser, information officer for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said other cows on Cummings' property were killed June 6 and 7. Officials with the federal Wildlife Services agency attributed the deaths to wolves. Meanwhile, about 30 miles southwest of Dillon, Wildlife Services officials have confirmed wolves killed six sheep Friday and Saturday....
Wolves hot topic at Draper The number of wolves in Wyoming has grown 20 percent annually since wolf reintroduction 12 years ago. “This year it (wolf numbers) grew a little more rapidly,” wolf project leader Mike Jimenez of Jackson said June 5 during a talk at the Draper Museum of Natural History. The impact of wolves on big game and livestock is a major issue. They are “hunters of opportunity” and tend to key in on one group. “They kill what's available and then what's vulnerable,” Jimenez said. Wolves follow elk herds to low elevations in the winter. As the elk move back to higher elevations in the spring ranchers move in their livestock. But rather than follow the elk herds back to the high country, wolves stay low and hunt the livestock, he explained. If a wolf pack is threatening or killing cows, Game and Fish agents are authorized to kill wolves. “If you look at what's really responsible for wolf mortality, it's us as an agency,” Jimenez said. “We do kill wolves that cause problems.” Every year G&F officials kill 15 percent of Wyoming's wolf population, most of which are problem animals. The only time a civilian can legally kill a wolf is when the observe a wolf “in the act” of killing livestock. “Wolves do kill livestock,” Jimenez said. “It's a serious concern.”....
The Big Timber Race: A New Approach to Paddling As Big Timber Creek crashes down the eastern flank of the Crazy Mountains, water spurts through narrow slots and sprays across shallow, steep rock chutes before gushing over lofty waterfalls into roiling, foamy pools. The quintessential mountain creek provides challenging and unique kayaking, and a recent race there drew in 40 boaters from locales as far away as Colorado and Canada. With an average elevation drop of 720 feet per mile, the Big Timber Race — according to organizers — is the steepest kayaking race in the world. The Headwaters Paddling Association (HPA) organized the inaugural race and took a new grassroots approach to the event. Much of the perimeter of the Crazy Mountains is characterized by a checkerboard ownership of private and National Forest land. Concerned about kayakers’ reputations and access to the creek, the HPA opened a dialogue with the landowners and modeled the Big Timber Race as both a celebration of the creek and an awareness raiser to build a respectful relationship between the landowners and the kayaking community....
Family Forestry There is a crisis brewing in America’s vast forest lands, but it has little to do with the health of the woods: the acreage is essentially the same as it was a century ago, and there is over 30 percent more wood volume per acre than in 1952. At stake are large tracts of private forest that are at risk of falling into mismanagement, subdivision or being sold for development. “It’s a ticking time bomb” said Brett J. Butler, a research forester with the United States Forest Service Family Forest Research Center in Amherst, Mass. He says the situation could jeopardize things like the wood used to build homes, jobs, and clean water and fresh air. Nearly 60 percent of the nation’s forests are privately owned, the majority by families and individuals and most of these owners are 55 or older. A huge swath of forest land is about to change hands as aging landowners pass the land to heirs or buyers. “Without a doubt, it is the largest intergenerational transfer of forest land in our nation’s history,” said Al Sample, president of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, a nonprofit environmental policy research organization, “and we are not ready for it.”....
Major increase in fuel standards in the works The Senate is weighing the first major increase in federal fuel economy standards since Congress first responded to the oil crisis of the 1970s, part of a new energy bill that Democratic leaders hope to pass in the next few weeks. The measure would raise fleetwide fuel economy standards by 35 miles per gallon by 2020, up from the 25 miles per gallon average now for cars and trucks. The standards would rise an additional 4 percent every year until 2030. But lawmakers must first overcome stiff resistance from U.S. automakers, who claim the new standards are impossible to meet and could cripple an already ailing industry. Michigan lawmakers plan to offer amendments to weaken or kill the new fuel efficiency standards. The bill also would require U.S. drivers to use more than five times as much renewable biofuels as they do today -- 36 billion gallons annually by 2022. The bill would be a boon to Midwest corn farmers, but it also requires that 60 percent of the new biofuels be made from cellulosic materials like switchgrass and agricultural waste. The measure would increase energy efficiency standards for dishwashers, refrigerators and other appliances, and set "green building" standards for all new federal buildings. Lawmakers also plan to make price-gouging by oil companies a federal offense. The Senate will consider a plan by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, that would require utilities to get at least 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources....
Spotted owl lands targeted The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to shrink critical habitat for the northern spotted owl by 1.6 million acres across its range in Washington, Oregon and California. The service says the proposed rule change, announced Tuesday, reflects a "more current assessment" of the owl's habitat needs across the three states and an ability to map more precisely than in the past the areas where the best owl habitat is located. The rule drops critical habitat designation for some high-elevation forests and for land at Fort Lewis, where no owls have been found. It reduces protection for owls on Bureau of Land Management forests in western Oregon. It adds land elsewhere, reducing the total acreage protected from 6.9 million acres to 5.3 million acres. The proposal comes six weeks after the agency released a draft recovery plan for the owl that downplays the impact of logging on the species' continued survival. The recovery plan identifies competition from the larger and more aggressive barred owl as the greatest threat to the spotted owl's recovery....
Wyoming man injured by Grand Teton grizzly A grizzly bear attacked a man today, causing moderate injuries, after the man apparently surprised a female bear and three cubs feeding on an elk carcass. Dennis VanDenbos, 54, of Lander, was walking alone near the Jackson Lake Lodge at about 6 a.m. when he noticed the sow and her cubs within 10 feet of him, according to park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs. After yelling at the bears in an attempt to frighten them off, VanDenbos dropped down on his stomach as one of the bears attacked him. Shouts from a nearby witness drove the bear away. VanDenbos suffered puncture wounds and lacerations on his backside and was taken to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for treatment, according to the park service. Skaggs said the injuries "were not life-threatening." Park officials said they planned to take no action against the bear. Skaggs said VanDenbos "just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and startled a bear that was on a kill."....
A world without oil Scientists have criticised a major review of the world's remaining oil reserves, warning that the end of oil is coming sooner than governments and oil companies are prepared to admit. BP's Statistical Review of World Energy, published yesterday, appears to show that the world still has enough "proven" reserves to provide 40 years of consumption at current rates. The assessment, based on officially reported figures, has once again pushed back the estimate of when the world will run dry. However, scientists led by the London-based Oil Depletion Analysis Centre, say that global production of oil is set to peak in the next four years before entering a steepening decline which will have massive consequences for the world economy and the way that we live our lives. According to "peak oil" theory our consumption of oil will catch, then outstrip our discovery of new reserves and we will begin to deplete known reserves. Colin Campbell, the head of the depletion centre, said: "It's quite a simple theory and one that any beer drinker understands. The glass starts full and ends empty and the faster you drink it the quicker it's gone."....
Burros are reinvading Big Bear Wild burros have been spotted in Big Bear’s residential neighborhoods and along roads and highways. Several burros have been injured and killed along Highway 38. Burros returning to urban areas is dangerous for the animals and people. Burros were rounded up and adopted out in the late 1990s for their protection. Drought conditions are suspected for bringing the animals back to town. How burros originally made their way to Big Bear Valley isn’t exactly known. Some say the animals escaped from movie shoots in the 1900s. The burros could have escaped from mining operations or been released from the fox farms. However, folks who grew up in the fox farm era in the Valley say that burro meat was a diet staple for foxes and humans....
Judge tosses '81 law protecting right to farm A Panhandle judge has thrown out a 1981 state law designed to protect agricultural interests, from giant cattle feedyards to chicken coops, against nuisance lawsuits from neighbors upset about dust, smell or other unpleasantness. The Texas Right to Farm Act was among several similar measures enacted across the country to prevent lawsuits being brought by suburban newcomers against existing facilities. It has remained in place for more than a quarter-century, and the Texas Supreme Court enforced it in a lawsuit out of McCulloch County in 2003. The act went into limbo a week ago when state District Judge David Gleason in Randall County ruled in favor of a northern Panhandle family who claim dust and fecal matter from a nearby feedlot have rendered their century-old homestead in Hansford County uninhabitable. The owners of the feedlot are considering an appeal. "This has the potential of being a huge issue for agriculture," said Joe Maley, director of organization for the Texas Farm Bureau. Maley said he learned only Wednesday of the two-page summary judgment by Gleason....
New EWG Web site lists 'shielded' payment recipients The Environmental Working Group has unveiled a new Web site that purports to reveal the names of at least 350,000 persons who previously have not been identified as recipients of federal farm subsidies. The EWG, which has listed the names of thousands of other farmers and landowners and their payments on the Internet in recent years, says it hopes the new site will lead Congress to enact “broad reforms” of federal farm programs as it begins to write the 2007 farm bill. It says the 350,000 names have been the recipients of almost a third of the $34.75 billion in farm program benefits paid to farmers between 2003 and 2005. The EWG first went public with its lists of farm payment recipients in November 2001. In a press release distributed on the new Web site, EWG indicated it will continue its propaganda campaign against payments to the 20 percent of U.S. farmers who produce 70 to 80 percent of the nation’s row crop commodities. Until now, Cook said, the 350,000 new names have benefited from layers of partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability corporations, cooperatives and other business structures. The new site was developed from previously unpublished USDA records that were compiled under a provision of the 2002 farm bill....

College National Finals Rodeo Underway


CASPER, Wyo. --- The Casper Events Center was full of rodeo action for the beginning of the 59th annual College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).

Ted Bert, a senior at Cal Poly State University won the first round of bull riding here with an 83-point effort on Triple V Rodeo’s bull Red Deer. This is Bert’s 2nd CNFR qualification and he is hoping to leave Wyoming this year with a championship saddle. He finished 8th in the bull riding here last year and 9th in the steer wrestling. The all-around hand is focusing on bull riding this year.

Kristi Lee from Sam Houston State University won the first round of breakaway roping. Her 2.2-second run was three-tenths of a second faster than any other competitor. There were 3 2.5 second runs that followed. Kelsey Johnson from Cal Poly State University; Lainey Kyle from Western Texas College; and Samantha Miller from Vernon College all tied for second.

Saddle bronc riding and bareback riding will be completed here on Monday. Frank McKay from Treasure Valley Community College leads the saddle bronc riding with an 81-point marking. Joe Gunderson from South Dakota State University leads the bareback riding with 85 points.

Competition continues here on Monday with all slack beginning at 7 a.m. The first round of steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, goat tying and barrel racing will be completed then.

CASPER, Wyo.---The following are results from Bulls Broncs and Breakaway at the College National Finals Rodeo, June 10, 2007, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Compete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

Breakaway Roping: (first round is complete) 1, Kristi Lee, Sam Houston State University, 2.2 seconds. 2-4, Samantha Miller, Vernon College; Kelsey Johnson, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo; and Lainey Kyle, Western Texas College; 2.5. 5, Jamie Mader, Tarleton State University; 2.6. 6, Adrienne Vought, University Tennessee – Martin, 2.7. 7-9, Brook Chester, New Mexico State University, Brandi Guttormson, Panhandle State University; and Kelsy Friskup, Western Texas College, 2.8.
Bareback Riding: (first round leaders) 1, Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 85 points. 2, Matt Smith, Panola Jr. College, 84. 3, Chad Mask, West Texas A & M University, 81. 4, Bud Munns, Utah Valley State College, 80. 5-7; Todd Bledsoe, University of West Alabama; Steven Dent, Ranger College; and Ty Kenner, Eastern Wyoming College, 78. 8, Teddy Athan, West Hills College, 77.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round leaders) 1, Frank McKay, Treasure Valley Community College, 81. 2, Brandon Bates, University of Tennessee – Martin, 80. 3, Slade Hughes, Utah Valley State College, 78. 4/5, Taos Muncy, Panhandle State University, and Wyatt Smith, Central Wyoming College, 77. 6, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 76. 7/8, Marty Eakin, Western Texas A & M University, and Trey Broussard, Wharton County Junior College, 75.
Bull Riding: (first round is complete) 1, Ted Bert, Cal Poly State University, 83 points. 2, Thad Newell, Bacone College, 81. 3, Casey Sisk, West Texas A & M University, Eastern New Mexico University, 82.5. 4/5, Beau Schroeder, McNeese State University, and Cooper Link, Missouri Valley College, 76. 6-9, Harve Stewart, Tarleton State University; Sticks Muscat, Sheridan College; Taylor White, Utah Valley State College; and Bryce Brown, Cochise College; 74.

College National Finals Rodeo, Slack results

The following are preliminary results from the College National Finals Rodeo, June 11, 2007, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Compete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

Breakaway Roping: (second round leaders) 1, Callie Albrecht, Sam Houston State University, 2.0 seconds. 2/3, Carly McCumber, Sam Houston State University, and Brittany Brown, Dickinson State University, 2.8. 4/5, Ashley Moreau, Sam Houston State University, Jacquelene Jacobs, Troy University, 3.1. 6, Amy Walker, University of Montana Western, 3.2. 7/8, Kristi Lee, Sam Houston State University and Cee Cee Tryan, Montana State University, 3.5.
Bareback Riding: (first round winners) 1, Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 85 points. 2, Matt Smith, Panola Jr. College, 84. 3, Tilden Hooper, Panola Jr. College, 82. 4, Chad Mask, West Texas A & M University, 81. 5, Bud Munns, Utah Valley State College, 80. 6-8; Todd Bledsoe, University of West Alabama; Steven Dent, Ranger College; and Ty Kenner, Eastern Wyoming College, 78. (second round leaders) 1, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 80. 2, Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 78. 3/4, Dusty Gracia, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and Jared Smith, Ranger College, 77. 5/6, Derik Page, Utah State University – Uintah, and Jared Keylon, Fort Scott, Community College, 74. 7/8, Colter Davis, University of Montana Western, and Lee Dunford, Missouri Valley College, 70.
Goat Tying: (first round winners) 1, Nikki Steffes, University of Wyoming, 5.9 seconds. 2, Brooke Inlow, Fort Hays State University, 6.3. 3, Kayla Nelson, University of Wyoming, 6.4. 4/5, Jaclyn Ferguson, Central Washington Univerisity, and Teddi Winfrey Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 6.5. 6-8; Shaylee French, University of Montana Western; Jonna Bizzell, New Mexico State University; and Stephanie Jacks, Hill College, 6.8.
Tie-Down Roping: (first round winners) 1, Boyd Quinely, University of Tennesse – Martin, 8.8 seconds. 2, Wacey Walraven, New Mexico State University, 9.3. 3, Ted Walker, Idaho State University, 9.6. 4, Brady Threadgill, Weatherford College, 9.7. 5, Billy Brunson, University of Arkansas – Monticello, 10.0. 6, James Johnson, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 10.1. 6, Josh Graff, Montana State University, 10.2. 8, James Mitchell, West Texas A & M University, 10.3.
Steer Wrestling: (first round winners) 1, Rogern Nonella, West Hills College, 5.0 seconds. 2-4; Jake Treat, University of Wyoming; Jake Shaw, Missouri Valley College; and Nolan Conway, Central Arizona College; 5.1. 5/6, Trevor Cox, Tarleton State University, and Wyatt Smith, Central Wyoming College, 5.3. 7, Sean Santucci, Walla Walla Community College, 5.6. 8, Blaine Konkel, Montana State University, 5.7.
Team Roping: (first round winners) 1, Dakota Shipp, and Kory Bramwell, Ranger College, 5.5 seconds. 2, Tyler Laridsen and Josh Fillmore, Lamar Community College, 6.2. 3, Eddie Hawley and Josh Graff, Montana State University, 6.3. 4, Casey Halderman, Wharton County Community College and Justin Hendrick, Sam Houston State University, 6.5. 5, JR Lund, and Alex Watson, University of Montana Western, 6.6. 6, Jamie Mader, Tarleton State University and JW Townsend, New Mexico Junior College, 6.8. 7, Wyatt Althoff and Harley Martin, Central Arizona College, 7.0. 8, John Reese and Chase Whittaker, Utah State University – Uintah, 7.6.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round winners) 1/2, Jesse Kruse, University of Montana, and Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 82. 3, Frank McKay, Treasure Valley Community College, 81. 4, Brandon Bates, University of Tennessee – Martin, 80. 5, Slade Hughes, Utah Valley State College, 78. 6/7, Taos Muncy, Panhandle State University, and Wyatt Smith, Central Wyoming College, 77. 8, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 76. (second round leaders) 1, Jesse Kruse, University of Montana, 81. 2, Rowdy Rathmell, Hill College, 79. 3, James Irish, Univerisyt of Montana Western, 76. 4, Wyatt Smith, Central Wyoming College, 75. 5/6, Nick Rydalch, Utah Valley State College and Levi Bunch, New Mexico State University, 74. 7/8, Dean Daly, New Mexico State University and Steven Dent, Ranger College, 73.
Women’s Barrel Racing: (first round winners) 1/2, Jordan Hodges, University of Wyoming, and Robin Webb, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 14.15. 3, Alicia Sandoval, New Mexico Junior College, 14.17. 4, Whitney Gibson, Vernon College, 14.28. 5, Krista Minow, National American University, 14.33. 6, Nadine Kern, Salt Lake Community College, 14.39. 7, Bailey Gow, New Mexico State University, 14.47. 8, Jaymie Leach, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 14.59.
Bull Riding: (second round leaders – only two qualified rides) 1, Beau Schroeder, McNeese State University, 78. 2, Josh Verberg, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 69.

CNFR second round results

CASPER, Wyo.---The following are second round results from the College National Finals Rodeo, June 12, 2007, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Compete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

Breakaway Roping: (second round winners) 1, Callie Albrecht, Sam Houston State University, 2.0. 2, Lacey Jones, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2.4. 3, Katie Jones, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 2.5. 4, Jamie Mader, Tarleton State University, 2.7. 5/6, Brittany Brown, Dickinson State University, and Carly McCumber, Sam Houston State University, 2.8. 7, Kirby Eppert, Tarleton State University, 2.9. 8, Brandi Guttormson, Panhandle State University, 3.0.
Bareback Riding: (second round winners) 1, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 80 points. 2/3, Bud Munns, Utah Valley State College, and Ty Kenner, Eastern Wyoming College, 79. 4, Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 78. 5-7, Jared Smith, Ranger College; Tilden Hooper, Panola Jr. College; and Dusty Gracia, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 77. 8/9, Morgan Wilde, Idaho State University and Chad Mask, West Texas A & M University, 75.
Goat Tying: (second round winners) 1, Stephanie Jacks, Hill College, 6.1 secodns. 2-5; Jacque Murray, South Dakota State University; Kayla Nelson, University of Wyoming; Nikke Steffes, University of Wyoming; Teddi Winfrey, Northwest Oklahoma State University, Shannon Jones, Cuesta College; and Kassi Venturacci, University of .6. 8-10; Taryn Krantz, Tarleton State University; Sarah Guenzler, Montana State University and Jonna Bizzell, New Mexico State University, 7.0.
Tie-Down Roping: (second round winners) 1, Payden Emmett, National College, 8.2. 2, Clay Turner, Arkansas State University, 8.5. 3/4, Justin Viles, University of Wyoming, and Spence Barney, Northeast Texas Community College, 9.3. 5, Brady Woodward, Weber State University, 9.4. 6, John Bankhead, Sam Houston State University, 9.5. 7, Clint Carpenter, Southeast Oklahoma State University, 9.6. 8, Sam Levine, University of Montana Western, 9.7.
Steer Wrestling: (second round winners) 1, Seth Murphy, Dickinson State University, 4.0 seconds. 2, Nolan Conway, Central Arizona College, 4.3. 3-5; Chad Edwards, Walla Walla Community College; Stan Branco, West Hills College; and David Bufkin, Northeast Texas Community College; 4.6. 6, James Dassel, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 4.8. 7, Jake Mitchell, West Texas A & M University, 5.0. 8, Nick Guy, National American University, 5.2.
Team Roping: (second round winners) 1, JR Lund and Alex Watson, University of Montana Western, 6.0. 2/3, Quincy Kueckelhan and Joe Harrison, Northeast Texas Community College; and JoDan Mirabel and Aaron Shelley, New Mexico State University; 6.5. 4, Chance Parker and Hugh Bragg, Southern Arkansas University, 6.7. 5, Cody Tew, Weatherford College and Matt Robertson, Tarleton State University, 6.9. 6, Cee Cee Tryan, Montana State University and Sam Levine, University of Montana Western, 7.5. 7, Clint Keller and Tyler Ethridge, Troy University, 7.7. 8, Devon Porter, Sam Houston State University and Kyle Beasley, McNeese State University, 7.8.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (second round winners) 1/2, Jesse Kruse, University of Montana, and Cort Scheer, Garden City Community College, 81. 3, Rowdy Rathmell, Hill College, 79. 4/5, Taos Muncy, Panhandle State University, and Matthew Oros, Cochise College, 78. 6/7, James Irish, University of Montana Western, and Chase Miller, Ranger College, 76. 8-10; Ben Londo, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo; Wyatt Smith, Central Wyoming College; and Marty Eakin, West Texas A & M University, 75.
Women’s Barrel Racing: (second round winners) 1, Annelle Williams, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 13.86. 2, Whitney Gibson, Vernon College, 13.98. 3, Alicia Sandoval, New Mexico Junior College, 14.00. 4, Tanaye Carroll, Northeastern Junior College, 14.09. 5, Jordan Hodges, University of Wyoming, 14.11. 6, Bailey Gow, New Mexico State University, 14.20. 7/8, Matea Gabiola, Treasure Valley Community College and Courtney Sokol, Texas A & M University, 14.21.
Bull Riding: (second round winners) 1/2, Beau Schroeder, McNeese State University, and Dustin Jenkins, University of Montana, 78. 3, Seth Glause, Central Wyoming College, 4, Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 75. 5, Taggert Elliott, College of Southern Idaho, 69. 6, Josh Verburg, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 69.

CNFR Arena Records Tested

CASPER, Wyo. --- The Casper Events Center was on fire Tuesday night at the College National Finals Rodeo. Two arena records were tied, while others were tested.

Freshman team ropers Dakota Shipp and Kory Bramwell roped their steer in a blistering 4.7 seconds to take the lead in the third round.

Shipp and Bramwell, both of Ranger College, were 5.5 seconds on their first steer and a no time on their second. They will now have to wait and see if they might qualify for Saturday night’s finals on two runs.

In the barrel racing, Robin Webb took advantage of her position at the top of the ground. Her time of 13.81 was not only the fastest of the rodeo, but also tied the arena record. Her time tonight helped propel Webb, of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, to the top of the average standings with a total time of 42.69 seconds on three runs.

Rodeo action continues on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

CNFR first performance results

CASPER, Wyo.---The following are results from the first performance at the College National Finals Rodeo, June 12, 2007, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Compete results are available at www.collegerodeo.com.

Bareback Riding: (third round leaders) 1/2, Jared Keylon, Fort Scott Community College, and Jared Smith, Ranger College, 76 points. 2, Matt Smith, Panola College, 75. 4/5, Colter Davis, University of Montana Western and Morgan Wilde, Idaho State University, 72. 6, Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 71. 7, Kyle Labrucherie, West Hills College, 65. (total on three) 1, Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 234 points. 2, Jared Smith, Ranger College, 229. 3, Jared Keylon, Fort Scott Community College, 226. 4, Colter Davis, University of Montana Western, 215. 5, Morgan Wilde, Idaho State University, 212. (on two) 6-8; Matt Smith, Panola Jr. College, Tilden Hooper, Panola Junior College and Bud Munns Utah Valley State College, 159.
Tie-Down Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Tyler Theil, National American University, 8.8 seconds. 2, Cody Prescott, Southern Arkansas University, 8.9. 3, Clay Kobza, Eastern New Mexico University, 9.8. 4/5, Chase Johnston, Colorado State University, and Adam Mueller, National American University, 12.0. 6, John Bankhead, Sam Houston State University, 12.7. 7, Brady Threadgill, Weatherford College, 19.2. (total on three) 1, Tyler Theil, National American University, 30.2. 2, Cody Prescott, Southern Arkansas University, 34.1. 3, John Bankhead, Sam Houston State University, 35.3. 4, (on two) Wacey Walraven, New Mexico State University, 18.7. 5-7; Boyd Quinley, University of Tennesee – Martin; Ben Mayworth, Troy University and Quincy Kueckelhan, Northeast Texas Community College, 20.9.
Breakaway Roping: (third round leaders) 1/2, Brittany Brown, Dickinson State University, and Chennell Brewer, Montana State University, 2.8. 3, Brook Chester, New Mexico State University, 3.2. 4, Ashley Moreau, Sam Houston State University, 3.4. 6/7, Jena Bubak, College of Southern Idaho, and Adrienne Vought, University of Tennessee – Martin, 3.8. 8, Katie Jones, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 4.0. (total on three) 1, Katie Jones, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 9.5. 2, Ashley Moreau, Sam Houston State University, 9.8. 3, Adrienne Vought, University of Tennesee – Martin, 10.7. 4, Brittany Brown, New Mexico State University, 18.3. (on two) 5, Jamie Mader, Tarleton State University, 5.3. 6, Kristi Lee, Sam Houston State University, 5.7. 7, Brandi Guttormson, Panhandle State University, 5.8.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (third round leaders) 1, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 79 points. 2, Taos Muncy, Panhandle State University, 77. 3, Marty Eakin, West Texas A & M University, 76. 4, Townsend Prince Central Wyoming College, 74. 5, Ty Atchison, University of Tennessee – Martin, 73. 6, Elliot French, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 69. 7, Nick Rydalch, Utah Valley State College, 66. (total on three) 1, Taos Muncy, Panhandle State University, 232 points. 2, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 228. 3, Marty Eakin, West Texas A & M University, 226. 4, Stephen Atchison, University of Tennesee – Martin, 211. (on two) 5, Jesse Kruse, University of Montana, 163. 6, Wyatt Smith, Central Wyoming College, 152. 7, Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 150.
Steer Wrestling: (third round leaders – five times) 1, Chad Edwards, Walla Walla Community College, 3.8 seconds. 2, Nolan Conway, Central Arizona College, 4.6. 3, James Dassel, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 7.1. 4, John Martin, Sam Houston State University, 8.3. 5, Colt Becht, Missouri Valley College, 13.8. (total on three) 1, Nolan Conway, Central Arizona College, 14.0. 2, Chad Edwards, Walla Walla Community College, 14.6. 3, James Dassel, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 23.4. 4, Colt Becht, Missouri Valley College, 13.8. (on two) 5, Jake Shaw, Missouri Valley College, 10.5. 6, William Pearson, University of West Alabama, 11.3. 7, Taylor Nahrgang, University of Montana – Western, 12.2.
Goat Tying: (third round leaders) 1, Shannon Jones, Cuesta College, 6.4 seconds. 2, Kelly Koeppen, Panhandle State University, 6.5. 3, Martha Beagley, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 6.9. 4, Megan Sutfin, University of Idaho, 7.4. 5, Callie Albrecht, Sam Houston State University, 7.5. 6, Ashley Crowder, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 8.0. 7, Taryn Krantz, Tarleton State University, 9.4. 8, Amanda Stigall, Murray State College, 10.6. (total on three) 1, Martha Beagley, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 21.9. 2, Kelly Koeppen, Panhandle State University, 22.0. 3, Megan Sutfin, University of Idaho, 22.6. 4, Taryn Krantz, Tarleton State University, 23.9. 5, Kirsty Robinson, New Mexico Technical College, 29.0. 6, Ashley Crowder, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 29.8. 7, Bailey Gow, New Mexico State University, 36.8.
Team Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Dakota Shipp and Kory Bramwell, Ranger College, 4.7 seconds. 2, Turner Harris and Chase Carson, Dickinson State University, 7.4. 3, Garrett Boekenoogen, Fresno State University, and Joe Nash, Feather River College, 15.4. 4, Courtney Dobson, Weber State University and Clint Arave, Idaho State University, 17.0. 5, Kelsey Johnson and Lee Whitney, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 21.1. 6, Tyler Thiel, National American University, and Seth Murphy, Dickinson State University, 22.2. (total on three) 1, Kelsey Johnson and Lee Whitney, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 45.6. 2, Courtney Dobson, Weber State University and Clint Arave, Idaho State University, 48.3. 3, Tyler Thiel, National American University and Seth Murphy, Dickinson State University, 61.6. (on two) 4, Dokota Shipp and Kory Bramwell, Ranger college, 10.2. 5, Justin Lund and Alex Watson, University of Montana Western, 12.6. 6, Cee Cee Tryan, Montana State University and Sam Levine, University of Montana – Western, 15.2.7, Bradley Johnson, Eastern Wyoming College and Chase Johnston, Colorado State University, 16.4.
Women’s Barrel Racing: (third round leaders) 1, Robin Webb, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 13.81 seconds. 2, Bailey Gow, New Mexico State University, 14.08. 3, Krista Minow, National American University, 14.19. 4, Candice Foster, Oklahoma State University, 14.23. 5, Mary Owens, Troy University, 14.25. 6, Jaymie Leach, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 14.42. 7, Lindsey Loiseau, South Dakota State University, 14.46. (total on three) 1, Robin Webb, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 42.69. 2, Bailey Gow, New Mexico State University, 42.75. 3, Krista Minow, National American University, 43.00. 4, Jaymie Leach, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 43.29. 5, Candice Foster, Oklahoma State University, 43.70. 6, Mary Owens, Troy University, 43.85. 7, Lindsey Loiseau, South Dakota State University, 43.87.
Bull Riding: (third round – no qualified rides – total on two) 1, Beau Schroeder, McNeese State University, 154. 2, Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 149. 3, Taggert Elliott, College of Southern Idaho, 142. (on one) 4, Ted Bert, Cal Poly State University, 83. 5, Thad Newell, Bacone College, 81.
Team Standings: (men’s) Ranger College, 640 points. 2, Utah Valley State College, 305. 3, Cal Poly State University, 273. 4, Central Arizona College, 240. (women’s) 1, University of Wyoming, 405. 2, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 285. 3, Sam Houston State University, 250. 4, New Mexico State University, 213.33.
All-Around Standings: (men’s) 1, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 190 points. 2, Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 140. (women’s) 1/2, Jamie Mader, Tarleton State University, and Callie Albrecht, Sam Houston State University, 120.

National Champs Hope for Repeat Titles at CNFR

Casper, Wyo. --- The 2007 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) is more than half-way through and competition continues to heat up.

Three past national champions competed at the Casper Events Center on Wednesday night’s performance and are hoping to visit the winner’s circle again. They all have the potential to qualify for Saturday night’s championship round, which will feature the top 12 contestants in each event.

Jerad Schlegel, the 2006 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) bareback riding champion spurred his way to an 80-point ride atop Burch Brothers horse named Thunder Bay. The junior from Vernon College is leading the third round of competition and is currently tied for third place in the average. With two more performances left before the finals, Schlegel is in prime position to defend his title.

Goat tying continues to be tough as nine cowgirls finished under 7.0 seconds. Lacey Curr of National American University and Shannon Jones of Cuesta College are currently tied for first place in the third round with 6.4 second runs. Stephanie Jacks from Hill College who won the national title in 2005 took the lead in the overall standings with a total time of 19.6 seconds on three runs.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Cole Edge recorded the fastest time of the week in steer wrestling with 3.6 seconds. The senior now sits third overall with 16.7 on three head.

Second-Generation cowboy Trell Etbauer was busy here on Wednesday. The Panhandle State University senior competed in steer wrestling and saddle bronc riding. In addition, he was the hazer for new leader Edge in steer wrestling, helping line out the steer for Edge to be successful.

Etbauer earned the steer wrestling title in 2005. He is currently fifth overall in steer wrestling and fourth in saddle bronc riding. He is in position to qualify for the finals in two events and could earn the prestigious all-around title.

Rodeo action continues Thursday night at 7 p.m.

CNFR second performance results

CASPER, Wyo.---The following are results from the second performance at the College National Finals Rodeo, June 13, 2007, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Compete results are available at www.collegerodeo.com.
Bareback Riding: (third round leaders) 1, Jerad Schlegel, Vernon College, 80 points. 2/3, Jared Keylon, Fort Scott Community College, and Jared Smith, Ranger College, 76 points. 4, Matt Smith, Panola College, 75. 5, Dusty Gracia, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 74. 6/7, Colter Davis, University of Montana Western and Morgan Wilde, Idaho State University, 72. 8/9, Chad Mask, West Texas A & M University, and Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 71. (total on three) 1, Joe Gunderson, South Dakota State University, 234 points. 2, Jared Smith, Ranger College, 229. 3/4, Chad Mask, West Texas A & M University, and Jerad Schlegal, Vernon College, 227. 5, Jared Keylon, Fort Scott Community College, 226. 6, Dusty Gracia, Southwest Oklahoma State University, 225. 7, Colter Davis, University of Montana Western, 215. 8, Morgan Wilde, Idaho State University, 212.
Tie-Down Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Ben Mayworth, Troy State University, 8.4 seconds. 2, Tyler Theil, National American University, 8.8. 3, Cody Prescott, Southern Arkansas University, 8.9. 4, Coby Hadley, Weber State University, 9.0. 5, Boyd Quinley, University of Tennesee – Martin, 9.4. 6, Billy Brunson, University of Arkansas – Monticello, 9.6. 7, Clay Kobza, Eastern New Mexico State University, 9.8. 8, Brock Palmer, Walla Walla Community College, 10.0. (total on three) 1, Boyd Quinley, University of Tennessee – Martin, 28.1. 2, Ben Mayworth, Troy State University, 29.3. 3, Tyler Theil, National American University, 30.2. 4, Billy Brunson, University of Arkansas – Monticello, 31.0. 5, Clay Acuna, New Mexico State University, 33.2. 6, Cody Prescott, Southern Arkansas University, 34.1. 7, John Bankhead, Sam Houston State University, 35.3. 8, Wacey Walraven, New Mexico State University, 41.4.
Breakaway Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Kristi Lee, Sam Houston State University, 2.6. 2-4, Jacque Murray, South Dakota State University; Brittany Brown, Dickinson State University; and Chennell Brewer, Montana State University, 2.8. 5, Brook Chester, New Mexico State University, 3.2. 6, Ashley Moreau, Sam Houston State University, 3.4. 7, Alexis Dekay, University of Wyoming, 3.5. 8-11, Kassi Venturacci, University of Nevada – Las Vegas; Natasha Parker, University of West Alabama,; Gloria King, Treasure Valley Community College; Amy Walker, University of Montana Western, 3.6. (total on three) 1, Kristi Lee, Sam Houston State University, 9.8. Katie Jones, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 9.5. 3, Ashley Moreau, Sam Houston State University, 9.8. 4, Cee Cee Tryan, Montana State University, 10.1. 5, Adrienne Vought, University of Tennesee – Martin, 10.7. 6, Brittany Brown, New Mexico State University, 18.3. 7, Jacque Murray, South Dakota State University, 19.1. 8, Kassi Venturacci, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 19.7.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (third round leaders) 1-3, Cort Scheer, Garden City Community College; Steven Dent, Ranger College; Chase Miller, Ranger College; 79 points. 4, Taos Muncy, Panhandle State University, 77. 5, Marty Eakin, West Texas A & M University, 76. 6, Rowdy Rathmell, Hill College, 75. 7, Townsend Prince, Central Wyoming College, 74. 8-12, Seth Glause, Central Wyoming College; Central Wyoming College, Ty Atchison, University of Tennessee – Martin; James Irish, University of Montana Western; Charles Brunson, Tarleton State University; and Trell Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 73. (total on three) 1, Taos Muncy, Panhandle State University, 232 points. 2, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 228. 3, Marty Eakin, West Texas A & M University, 226. 4, Seth Glause, Central Wyoming College, 217. 5, Trell Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 215. 6, Stephen Atchison, University of Tennesee – Martin, 211. (on two) 7 Jesse Kruse, University of Montana, 163. 8, Cort Scheer, Garden City Community College, 160.
Steer Wrestling: (third round leaders – five times) 1, Cole Edge, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 3.6 seconds. 2, Chad Edwards, Walla Walla Community College, 3.8. 3, Nolan Conway, Central Arizona College, 4.6. 4, Trell Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 5.9. 5, Trevor Cox, Tarleton State University, 6.5. 7, James Dassel, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 7.1. 8, John Martin, Sam Houston State University, 8.3. (total on three) 1, Nolan Conway, Central Arizona College, 14.0. 2, Chad Edwards, Walla Walla Community College, 14.6. 3, Cole Edge, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 16.7. 4, Trell Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 19.0. 5, Trevor Cox, Tarleton State University, 22.0. 6, Taylor Nahrgang, University of Montana Western, 22.8. 7, Tait Kvistad, South Dakota State University, 23.1. 8, James Dassel, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 23.4.
Goat Tying: (third round leaders) 1/2, Lacey Curr, National American University, and Shannon Jones, Cuesta College, 6.4 seconds. 3/4, Sarah Mulholland, Central Wyoming College, and Kelly Koeppen, Panhandle State University, 6.5. 5, Kalli Collins, Cal Poly State University, 6.6. 8/9, Megan Corey, New Mexico State University; and Casi Sharp, Texas A & M University, 6.8. (total on three) 1, Stephanie Jacks, Hill College, 19.6. 2, Kayla Dobbins, Central Wyoming College, 21.2. 3, Jessica Painter, National American University, 21.3. 4, Martha Beagley, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 21.9. 5, Kelly Koeppen, Panhandle State University, 22.0. 6, Lacey Curr, National American University, 22.2. 7, Megan Sutfin, University of Idaho, 22.6. 8, Amber Overstreet, University of Montana Western, 23.1.
Team Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Dakota Shipp and Kory Bramwell, Ranger College, 4.7 seconds. 2, Chance Parker, and Hugh Bragg, Southern Arkansas University, 6.0. 3, Nathan McWhorter, Northeast Texas Community College, and Scott LeDoux, Hill College, 6.1. 4, Odo Grandi, and Ted Walker, University of Idaho, 6.2. 5, Turner Harris and Chase Carson, Dickinson State University, 7.4. 6, John Reese, and Chase Whittaker, Utah State University, 8.7. 7, Jamie Mader, Tarleton State University and JW Townsend, New Mexico Junior College, 12.2. 8, Mitchell Barney, and Coleman Proctor, Northwest Oklahoma State University, 12.3. (total on three) 1, Chance Parker and Hugh Bragg, Southern Arkansas University, 25.6. 2, Nathan McWhorter, Northeast Texas Community College and Scott Ledoux, Hill College, 38.5. 3, John Reese, and Chase Whittaker, Utah State University, 40.4. 4, Kelsey Johnson and Lee Whitney, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 45.6. 5, Mitchell Barney and Coleman Procter, Northwest Oklahoma State University, 46.8. 6, James Mader, Tarleton State University, and JW Townsend, New Mexico Junior College, 46.9. 7, Courtney Dobson, Weber State University and Clint Arave, Idaho State University, 48.3. 8, Tyler Johnson, and Justin Binder, Northwest Oklahoma State University, 54.9.
Women’s Barrel Racing: (third round leaders) 1, Robin Webb, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 13.81 seconds. 2, Alicia Sandoval, New Mexico Junior College, 13.85. 3, Nellie Williams, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 13.89. 4, Codi Fuller, University of Idaho, 13.90. 5, Bailey Gow, New Mexico State University, 14.08. 6, Krista Minow, National American University, 14.19. 7/8, Tanaye Carroll, Northeastern Junior College and Whitney Gibson, Vernon College, 14.21. (total on three) 1, Alicia Sandoval, New Mexico Junior College, 42.02. 2, Whtney Gibson, Vernon College, 42.47. 3, Jordan Hodges, University of Wyomibng, 42.61. 4, Robin Webb, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 42.69. 5, Bailey Gow, New Mexico State University, 42.75. 6, Krista Minow, National American University, 43.00. 7, Tanaye Carroll, Northeastern Junior College, 43.03. 8, Jaymie Leach, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 43.29.
Bull Riding: (third round ) 1, Mac Erickson, University of Montana Western, 82.0. 2, Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 79. 3/4, Seth Glause, Central Wyoming College, and Logan Allen, Ranger College, 78. 5, Beau Schroeder, McNeese State University, 71. 6, Craig Begay, Central Arizona State University, 66. (total on three) 1, Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 228. 2, Seth Glause, Central Wyoming College, 226. 3, Beau Schroeder, McNeese State University, 225. 4, Taggert Elliott, College of Southern Idaho, 142. 5, Craig Begay, Central Arizona College, 139.
Team Standings: (men’s) Ranger College, 690 points. 2, Southern Arkansas University, 300. 3, Northeast Texas Community College, 395. 4, Utah Valley State College, 285. (women’s) 1, University of Wyoming, 385. 2, Sam Houston State University, 270. 3, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 225. 4, Vernon College, 195.
All-Around Standings: (men’s) 1, Taylor White, Utah Valley State College, 210. 2, Steven Dent, Ranger College, 180. . (women’s) 1, Jamie Mader, Tarleton State University, 140. 2, Jacque Murray, South Dakota State University, 115.

NMSU RODEO

COLLEGE NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

There are 378 student-athletes competing here, from 11 Regions and 142 institutions of higher learning.

These are the NMSU results from the first round, showing student, event, time/score, and placement if any. Points are only awarded for 8 places, and only for those students designated as a team member (NMSU has 17 CNFR qualifiers, but only the 10 designated team members can score points).

There are three full rounds, with the top 12 contestants in each event brought back Saturday night for the Championship Round.

Brooklyn Chester, Breakaway, 2.8 seconds, 7th.
Chad Steele, Bulls, NS
Darren Albrecht, Bulls, NS
Clay Geronimo, Bareback, NS
Nathan Brown, Saddle Bronc, NS
Dean Daly, Saddle Bronc, 72
Bailey Gow, Barrells, 14.47, 7th.
Clay Acuna, CR, 10.9
Chance Means, CR, 10.6
Wacey Walraven, CR, 9.3, 2nd.
Bailey Gow, Goats, 7.1
Megan Corey, Goats, 7.5
Jonna Bizzell, Goats, 6.8, Split 6th-8th
JoDan Mirabal-Aaron Shelley, TR, 27.5 (three loops)
Chance Means-Matt Garza, TR, 8.1

NMSU RODEO - END OF SEASON STANDINGS

National

Men's Team

2. NMSU

Women's Team

1. NMSU


GRAND CANYON REGION

Men's Team

1. NMSU

Women's Team

1. NMSU

Men's All-Around

3. Chance Means
4. Matt Garza
5. Tony Steele
6. Chad Steele
8. JoDan Mirabal
10 Tanner Crofts

Women's All-Around

1. Bailey Gow
3. Jonna Bizzell
4. Brittany Striegel
5. Staci Stanbrough
6. Julie Etchegaray
7. Brooklyn Chester

Saddle Bronc Riding

2. Dean Dailey
3. Tanner Crofts
4. Charles Allen
5. Nathan Brown
8. Daniel Etsitty

Bareback Riding

2. Tanner Crofts
5. Daniel Etsitty
6. Clay Geronimo
9. Chauncy Kirby

Bull Riding

2. Chad Steele
3. Daren Albrecht
5. Tony Steele
8. Daniel Etsitty

Tie Down Roping

1. Chance Means
2. Clay Acuna
3. Wacey Walraven
5. JoDan Mirabal
7. Ty Winterton
8. Tyson Runyan
10 Matt Garza

Steer Wrestling

3. JW Nicholson
4. Tanner Robinson
5. Frank Krentz
7. Chad Steele

Team Roping Header

1. Chance Means
3. JoDan Mirabal
4. Tony Steele
5. Aaron Moyers
8. Daniel Scalva
8. Jared Gonzales

Team Roping Heeler

1. Matt Garza
3. Aaron Shelley
4. Casey Felton

Barrell Racing

1. Bailey Gow
2. Staci Stanbrough
4. Brittany Striegel
5. Callie Rios
7. Ana Estrada
8. Julie Etchegaray

Break Away

2. Brooklyn Chester
4. Tori Bilberry
5. Jonna Bizzell
6. Dusti Franklin
7. Joni Brakebill
8. Megan Wilkerson
9. Staci Stanbough
10 Bailey Gow

Goat Tying

1. Megan Corey
2. Jonna Bizzell
3. Bailey Gow
4. Brittany Striegel
6. Julie Etchgaray
8. Brooklyn Chester
9. Kayla Goode
10 Amanda Suits

Piñon plan seen as 'the ultimate sacrifice' The phone rang in Able Benavidez's kitchen Friday morning. The 68- year-old rancher picked it up and told his sister the bad news. "They took me and George and everybody," he told her. By 7 a.m., Benavidez and neighbors near the Army's Piñon Canyon training grounds were discussing what they'd learned at a meeting in Trinidad the night before. Army officials announced to an outraged gathering of 600 or so that they want to acquire more than 400,000 more acres in the canyon, tripling the size of the land available to Fort Carson for maneuvers. Benavidez's 800-acre ranch - the one he and his sister grew up on - is in the line of fire. At the existing site, thousands of troops practice live ammunition battle maneuvers in tanks and other vehicles. The military says it needs more land because modern weapons shoot farther than ever before. But the expansion is almost unilaterally opposed by ranchers, farmers, other residents, local governments and a smorgasbord of state and federal elected officials. Opponents say the plan would ruin an agricultural economy and a way of life. They suspect the Army will eventually expand to a much bigger footprint, despite the military's insistence it has no such intention....
Ranchers brand new Pinon plan a loser The only things missing were the tar and feathers. The Army took the wraps off its new expansion plan for the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site on Thursday, briefing the Colorado congressional delegation in the morning and then facing a distrustful and openly hostile crowd of about 500 ranchers and their families at an evening meeting in Trinidad. The new plan was what the Army said it would be - a map showing an expansion of 413,400 acres to the 238,000-acre Pinon Canyon training area. What was new to the ranch families was the map's specifics. It calls for adding 103,000 acres directly south of the training area, another 305,000 acres to the west and finally, a slice of 5,400 acres to the north. Earlier maps had just shown a big circle around the training site, leaving ranchers to wonder where the Army's expansion lightning would strike. They found out Thursday night and they didn't like it. "When are you going to get it through your head that we don't want you here!" Donna Sneller, of the Williams Land & Cattle Co., yelled at the Fort Carson officials who made the presentation. "Why don't you go to Nevada. You've got enough land. You don't need any more of ours!" Rancher Kennie Gyurman was trembling with anger when he spoke to Lt. Col. James Rice, an Iraq veteran and training officer at Fort Carson, who helped draw the new map. Rice was trying to bring a calm, you-can-trust-me tone to the meeting, but the ranchers weren't buying. "My land is on the edge of this map of yours," Gyurman said, physically shaking with anger. "And what I want to know is: am I in your map or not? And don't tell me anymore goddam lies. You've kept us all waiting for 18 months."....
Udall seeks GAO review of Pinon Canyon expansion Rep. Mark Udall on Monday asked congressional investigators to review the Army's plans to nearly triple the size of its Pinon Canyon maneuver site in southeastern Colorado, saying landowners in the area deserve a better explanation for the reasons for the expansion. "Before the Army moves ahead much further, we need an objective review of the study the Army used to justify its proposal," Udall, a Democrat, said in a written release. "Whether the Army needs to expand in this area is too important a question to leave to the Army alone," he said. The Army wants to nearly triple the size of the site, from 368 square miles to more than 1,000 square miles. Commanders have said the expansion is needed to accommodate planned growth at Fort Carson, 150 miles northwest of Pinon Canyon in Colorado Springs, and new training needs. Opponents, including some ranchers, worry the Army will use eminent domain to force landowners to sell, although the military has said it will try to buy the land it wants from willing sellers....
Editorial - A small step on Piñon Canyon The U.S. Army's new map detailing where it hopes to expand its Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site should temper at least some of the heated opposition the proposal has generated in southeastern Colorado and elsewhere. But crucial questions remain to be answered before the plan can move forward. A map released at a public meeting in Trinidad last Thursday indicated all of the land purchases would be made north of the Purgatoire River and west of the current training site. An earlier map had also included as potential acquisitions large tracts to the northeast and south in the environmentally fragile Comanche National Grasslands. That sparked fierce opposition among ranchers in the southern area whose private holdings are interwoven with the publicly owned grasslands. Narrowing the Army's focus to the north and west removes the threat to the Picket Wire Canyon area immediately south of the existing site. That canyon contains 1,300 known dinosaur tracks and is estimated to harbor 20,000 more undiscovered tracks. It also shelters prehistoric Indian pictographs, other artifacts and portions of the Santa Fe Trail. Ruling out the grasslands also removes the threat of heavy-tracked vehicles destroying fragile soil cover and generating dust storms like those that plagued eastern Colorado in the 1950s. But the areas now under review to the north and west should be given a rigorous environmental review to ensure they can withstand the heavy use proposed by the Army....
Fishing, Western Heritage Intertwine In South Park Thanks to $5 million from Great Outdoors Colorado, conservation easements have been secured for 19 ranches in the Colorado mountain basin called South Park. The funding saves historic ranches and great expanses of open space in south central Colorado for the future. Several ranchers have opened up portions of their property to fishermen who pay no more than $60 per day for access to pristine trout waters. The added income is used by ranchers to restore river banks, grasslands and historic buildings, making the area rich for "heritage tourism." "We were very fortunate to be able to help these people establish their vision," said John Swartout, executive director of Great Outdoors Colorado. "And it was their vision for this 30 miles of stream and 17,000 acres and 19 ranches to be preserved and to open up recreational opportunities for citizens in Colorado ... as well as to be able to fly fish in some of the best waters in the state due to the courtesy of the landowners and the foresight of Gary Nichols and the folks in South Park."....
Bison captured in effort to contain brucellosis Forty-one bison, hazed deeper than usual into Yellowstone National Park in the past week, were captured Friday west of the park and trucked to the holding area at Stephens Creek on the north side of Yellowstone. They will be released later into the park near Gardiner. Thirty-nine animals, including 11 calves, were captured, along with a couple of bulls. The bulls were being sent to slaughter, angering bison advocates who accused the state of reneging on a promise not to kill any more bison that wander onto state and private land outside the park. The park bison, a reservoir of brucellosis, are deemed a threat to transmit the disease to cattle that graze in the area. Brucellosis causes spontaneous abortion in cattle and other animals. The latest developments were announced Friday morning by Dr. Jeanne Rankin, Montana's state veterinarian, at the beginning of a "brucellosis summit" in Lewistown during the midyear meeting of the Montana Stockgrowers Association....
Yogurt Maker, Environmental Group Aim to Save Farms The next time a consumer opens the lid on a Stonyfield Farms yogurt container they're going to see an interesting solicitation: sign a petition to preserve farmland. The aim is to urge Congress to expand farmland stewardship and protection programs in the 2007 Farm Bill. The message, printed on more than 8 million yogurt lids, will tell consumers the following: "In the time it takes you to eat this yogurt, ten acres of farmland will be lost to development." The lids will urge consumers to take action including signing a petition to Congress seeking more funds for USDA programs that reward farmers when they help preserve open spaces and provide a healthier environment, the company reports. Stonyfield Farm claims a leadership position in public outreach on health and the environment using its yogurt lids, Web site and consumer events to reach millions of consumers to build awareness and action on healthy food choices, climate change, and organic and family farming....
Two More Federal Agents Killed in Questionable Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture should stop sending its people up in aircraft to shoot coyotes, according to a petition filed with the agency by 27 conservation organizations. Pointing to two more deaths this month, the organizations argue that aerial gunning, as the practice is known, is excessively dangerous, demonstrably wasteful and biologically counterproductive. On June 1, 2007, two federal agriculture agents died when their plane crashed during an aerial gunning trip in Wayne County, Utah. Pilot Joseph Harris and gunner Glen Stevenson routinely flew on aerial hunts. The cause of the crash is under investigation. This brings the death total to 11, as well as 27 injuries, from aerial gunning accidents. The groups contend that aerial gunning is inherently risky because pilots are often distracted, flying at low altitudes with little margin for error. In the 27 recorded plane or helicopter crashes, pilots have flown into power lines, trees and land formations....
Two ecosystems, two cultures Almost every time federal wolf recovery coordinator Ed Bangs goes to a meeting about wolves in the Northern Rockies, a grizzled rancher walks up, tilts back his battered Stetson, sticks out a calloused, work-worn hand and says, “My granddad killed the last wolf in this county back in …” Yet that would hardly ever happen in the western Great Lakes region of Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, where wolves were never fully exterminated and now number close to 4,000 -- about three times as many wolves as live in the Northern Rockies states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. While the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone in 1995 stirred up a political firestorm that is hottest in the Cowboy State, the gradual comeback of Midwestern wolves happened with much less political heat or controversy. Why? Part of it appears to be history and culture, how long wolves have been present or absent, as well as the regional ecosystems....
Fightin' against the feds is all in a day's work Mike Noel leans back and folds his hands behind his head, speaking easily. But his words are not so relaxed: "Once you decide to fight, you're going to be in for the fight of your life. You got to have broad shoulders." Noel is referring to his head-butting with environmental groups such as the Grand Canyon Trust and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. But he could just as easily be talking about his decade-long battle with the Bureau of Land Management over the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. In 1996, Noel worked for the BLM doing environmental reviews. He had just finished an analysis giving the go-ahead to a proposed coal mine on southern Utah's Kaiparowits Plateau. Later that year, President Clinton designated 1.9 million acres, including the plateau, as a national monument. Anger erupted in the local communities, which had long relied on mining and ranching; schoolchildren released black balloons, and residents of nearby Kanab wore black arm bands. Monument designation also killed the coal mine and spurred tension between Noel and higher-ups. Eventually, he took an early retirement....
Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them, their ultimate ‘green car’ is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer. Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles. The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare. “The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper. All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ‘nickel foam.’ From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce? Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet....

The wrath of 2007: America's great drought

America is facing its worst summer drought since the Dust Bowl years of the Great Depression. Or perhaps worse still. From the mountains and desert of the West, now into an eighth consecutive dry year, to the wheat farms of Alabama, where crops are failing because of rainfall levels 12 inches lower than usual, to the vast soupy expanse of Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida, which has become so dry it actually caught fire a couple of weeks ago, a continent is crying out for water. In the south-east, usually a lush, humid region, it is the driest few months since records began in 1895. California and Nevada, where burgeoning population centres co-exist with an often harsh, barren landscape, have seen less rain over the past year than at any time since 1924. The Sierra Nevada range, which straddles the two states, received only 27 per cent of its usual snowfall in winter, with immediate knock-on effects on water supplies for the populations of Las Vegas and Los Angeles...But the long-term implications are escaping nobody. Climatologists see a growing volatility in the south-east's weather - today's drought coming close on the heels of devastating hurricanes two to three years ago. In the West, meanwhile, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests a movement towards a state of perpetual drought by the middle of this century. "The 1930s drought lasted less than a decade. This is something that could remain for 100 years," said Richard Seager a climatologist at Columbia University and lead researcher of a report published recently by the government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While some of this year's dry weather is cyclical - California actually had an unusually wet year last year, so many of the state's farmers still have plenty of water for their crops - some of it portends more permanent changes. In Arizona, the tall mountains in the southern Sonoran desert known as "sky islands" because they have been welcome refuges from the desert heat for millennia, have already shown unmistakable signs of change....

Employee handbook for the cowboy

Cowgirl Sass And Savvy

By Julie Carter


We live in a time when rules and regulations are everywhere. If the government hasn't regulated it, we, the people have.

We write rules and pass out manuals with job descriptions. We have laws to abide by while on the job or as members of most organizations.

A cowboy's job is not just a career. It is a heritage that has evolved over more than a century of man working with bovines. With it comes a code that isn't written in a manual.

These rules aren't printed and handed out at the bunkhouse or posted on the saddle room door.

They have been passed from generation to generation among the cowboys themselves and between father and son. These are laws of respect and cowboy etiquette that are just part of the job.

The concepts are age-old but still hold true today. But because more and more cowboys are "found" and not raised, fewer and fewer are aware of the content of this unwritten manual.

Genuine legitimate indisputable cowboys have influenced my life. Over the years, I have asked them to tell me what it was a cowboy should know in order to live true to the code.

If the cowboy had an employee handbook, these men all agreed that these simple laws, no matter which outfit it was on, would be included:

Never ride another cowboy's horse unless it's a matter of life and death.

Never use another cowboy's equipment without permission.

Never ride between another cowboy and the herd. Always ride behind him to get where you are going.

Don't ride in front of the boss. He knows what he wants to do. He will let you know what he wants you to know. If he's tracking cattle, stay back or you'll mess up the tracks.

Never ride into the herd if you haven't been asked to do so. If you are holding herd, hold the herd - period. Helping to cut cattle from the herd is not a volunteer option.

Don't ask the boss what you are going to do the next day. Again, if he wants you to know, he'll tell you.

Always take care of your horse before you take care of yourself.

Always be on time. Nothing makes a cow boss quite as mad as having to wait on someone.

Cowboy, take that hat off! If you are in the presence of a lady or if you go into someone's house, show your respect and hold that hat in your hand.

Watch your language in mixed company. If you are sitting in a room and a lady enters, stand up.

Always help the cook with wood and water and don't ever get into his grub unless he asks. Always put your plate and silverware in the roundup pan
(dishpan) after you eat.

Don't ever take a dog when you go to help another outfit. They may not like dogs. Never yell at another man's dog.

Always roll your bedroll when you first get out of it. ALWAYS leave a clean camp.

The best advice my mentors could offer was to always be respectful, dependable and do your best at whatever it was you were asked to do. Manners count.

There is no one finer to be in the presence of than a gentleman cowboy.

See Julie's website a www.julie-carter.com

Sale price for new book good only until June 30.

Federal judge blocks Bureau of Land Management's grazing rules

In a ruling that harshly criticized the Bureau of Land Management, a federal judge on Friday blocked the agency's new grazing rules, saying it had given in to pressure from the livestock industry. The BLM violated the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act in creating the rules, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled. Winmill's 52-age ruling said the BLM's rule revisions would have loosened restrictions on grazing on millions of acres of public land nationwide, limited the amount of public comment the BLM had to consider and diluted the BLM's authority to sanction ranchers for grazing violations. "While the BLM justifies the changes as making it more efficient, the BLM was not their originator -- it was the grazing industry and its supporters that first proposed them," Winmill wrote. "Past BLM regulations imposed restrictions on grazing and increased the opportunities for public input to reverse decades of grazing damage to public lands," Winmill wrote. "Without any showing of improvement, the new BLM regulations loosen restrictions on grazing. "They limit public input from the non-ranching public, offer ranchers more rights on BLM land, restrict the BLM's monitoring of grazing damage, extend the deadlines for corrective action, and dilute the BLM's authority to sanction ranchers for grazing violations."....Winmill also found fault with the rules themselves. The BLM reduced the number of interested parties that would be given notice of grazing allotment issues, and stopped consulting, cooperating and coordinating with the interested public at all on several types of allotment changes. "The changes substantially affect both the amount and quality of public input," Winmill said. The rules would have allowed the agency to rely only on limited data when reviewing potential grazing problems, and stretched the time given to address those problems to up to three years. While the BLM is "reluctant to convict cattle of grazing damage, the BLM is not hesitant to acquit," Winmill said. "The BLM never explains that distinction." The judge said the revised regulations will not take effect until the BLM receives consultation from the Fish and Wildlife Service as required under the Endangered Species Act and takes a hard look at the potential environmental impacts of the grazing changes. "The BLM is changing course here," Winmill said. "While the 1995 regulations erected protections against grazing damage and guarded against delay, the revisions at issue here promote delay."....

GAO

Waters and Wetlands: Corps of Engineers Needs to Ensure That Permit Decisions Made Using Funds from Nonfederal Public Entities Are Transparent and Impartial. GAO-07-478, May 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-478

Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07478high.pdf

NOTE TO READERS

My internet was down all Wednesday afternoon and night.

I'm on the road to Casper, Wyoming to attend the College National Finals Rodeo.

I'll have Julie Carter's column Saturday night and will start posting news and how the NMSU rodeo team is doing on Monday.

NOTE TO READERS

Thanks to everyone for your positive email and comments.

Based on your suggestions, I have:

---changed the font

---enlarged the font and

---bolded the headline links

That last one has created all kinds of complications & delays, but it sure makes the blog easier to read. I will try to find a way to automate that function, or do something to make it work better.

One commenter said I could widen the template by going to the style sheet. I went there through my edit html tab, but couldn't figure out how to widen it. If that commentor or someone else can tell me how, it would be appreciated.

Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions.

Senate colleagues salute Thomas' contributions A vase of red, white and blue flowers stood on the black-draped desk of Sen. Craig Thomas as his mourning colleagues rose together in the Senate chamber for a moment of silence early Tuesday. Senator after senator paid tribute to the late Wyoming Republican in speeches lasting the morning. They all turned to the same words: cowboy, Marine, courageous, kind, calm, straightforward. A picture emerged of a gentle spirit who never complained despite his recent illness, an upbeat man with a warm word for everyone, a quiet but tough fighter who stood his ground on issues that mattered most to his state. "For me, I'll always remember Craig's spirit, for his spirit in life was a great illustration of the spirit of Wyoming," said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. "His life became a living portrait of the American West. He saw a world from the saddle of his horse and from under the brim of his cowboy hat. He was proud of Wyoming, and Wyoming was proud to be represented by him."...
Senator's grace fondly recalled among those in his home state Al Simpson remembered a young man who was a tough wrestler and football player, while Eli Bebout recalled team roping with him. Former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis said she admired his cool, steady style of leadership - while for state Republican Chairman Fred Parady, it was a pie-eating contest that stood out. Fond memories abound of Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., who died Monday. Simpson grew up with Thomas in Cody and played football with him at the University of Wyoming. Both went into the military after college - Simpson into the Army, Thomas into the Marines. "He was a tough guy," Simpson said. Yet Thomas had a big smile. Simpson said Thomas was a leavening influence on Simpson's own rambunctious demeanor, a dynamic that continued years later, when Thomas would bring people to visit Simpson when he was a U.S. senator....
Forest Service investigates former employees The case against a wildfire commander ignites an intense debate over prescribed and unauthorized burns. It has also sparked an investigation into the actions of former firefighters. Just two days after former fire commander Van Bateman was sentenced to two years in prison for starting fires without authorization, other commanders have come out and said they know of other firefighters who have started unauthorized fires. Raqual Romero, a forest service spokesperson, told 12 News that investigators will look into the comments made by former employees Jim Paxon and Charlie Denton. Former commander Larry Humphrey, who spoke out in support of Van Bateman told 12 News he's aware of "several" firefighters who have started unauthorized burns. "It was against the rules as far as we knew but not against the law", said Humphrey. Several high ranking forest officials have come out since Bateman was sentenced and called his actions the work of a "rogue" firefighter. The forest service is just starting their investigation....
Feds begin wolverine review Scientists have long known the wolverine -- once described as a weasel with a scrap of demoniac fury -- is a beast of great ferocity, cunning and secrecy. They also know the animal lives in just a fraction of its historical range. What they don't know is whether wolverines, which inhabit parts of Wyoming, should be considered an endangered species. In response to a court ruling last fall, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is initiating a status review of the fierce, reclusive predator to determine whether the species warrants special protection, the agency announced Tuesday. Conservationists contend wolverine populations are in steep, drastic decline and need help. Problems for the species include loss of habitat because of roads and other human development, trapping in Montana and denning disturbances caused by snowmobiles. The Fish and Wildlife Service intends to complete the wolverine status review by a court-ordered date of Feb. 28, 2008, said agency spokeswoman Lori Nordstrom. "The Service will evaluate all existing and new information to determine whether impacts to the wolverine warrant a listing proposal," Mitch King, director of the Service's Mountain-Prairie Region, said in a news release. Nordstrom said the agency is seeking information from the public, government agencies and others regarding the status and potential impacts to the wolverine....
Bear attack victim released A wildlife photographer mauled by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park last month has been released from an eastern Idaho hospital. Jim Cole, 57, of Bozeman, suffered serious facial and eye damage when he disturbed a female bear while shooting photographs in the park's Hayden Valley. Park officials say Cole was hiking alone, off a trail, and was two or three miles from a road when the bear with a single cub attacked. Longtime friend Michael Sanders said Cole was released from the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center on Sunday and will spend the next several weeks recovering at an undisclosed location. Cole "is experiencing problems with his vision and speech," Sanders told the Idaho Falls Post-Register. "His arms are very weak, but he is doing some exercises and feeling better." The May 23 attack is not the first for Cole, who has written and taken photos for two books about grizzly bears....
Injured eagle put into wild after rehab A golden eagle that was seriously injured last winter returned to its home along the Bighorn River last week after having been rescued by cattle ranchers and rehabilitated in Bozeman. Harry and Ellen Allen, owners of the Pocket Creek Ranch near Custer, helped release the female adult eagle back into the wild last Friday. "It was pretty exciting that she is back home again," Ellen Allen said. The family is keeping an eye on the bird, and so far she is sticking close to the river, Ellen Allen said. Lou Hanebury, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the Allens' ranch is teeming with wildlife and that the family especially enjoys watching bald and golden eagles during nesting season and throughout the year. In January, the Allens noticed a golden eagle that was doing poorly and could fly only short distances. Harry Allen called the FWS on Jan. 10, and Hanebury and other agency officials went to the ranch and captured the bird....
US Chamber Joins Growing Clamor Against Rahall Energy Bill The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Tuesday joined the growing clamor against Rep. Nick Rahall's, D-W.Va., energy bill which critics say would not only stunt future oil and gas production in the U.S., but also suppress a growing wind energy market. The chamber, along with a raft of industry groups, is urging federal lawmakers to oppose the bill ahead of a markup in the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday. Environmental groups, however, say they are mostly delighted with the bill - especially the oil and gas provisions - and are near to brokering a legislative compromise with committee chairman Rahall's office that would allow continued wind power growth while protecting wildlife. In a letter to lawmakers, chamber vice president of government affairs Bruce Josten said Rahall's Energy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007, "not only fails to produce a single kilowatt of energy, but also threatens to reduce, and in some sectors eradicate, energy production." "Any lawmaker serious about energy security or energy independence should have strong reservations about voting for H.R. 2337," Josten wrote....
Land owners fight back against drillers The energy boom across the West has created tens of thousands of jobs and funded state scholarships, teacher raises — even top-of-the-line sports centers in remote ranch towns. The other day, Roger Hawkins was reminded how much all that wealth would cost him. Strolling his 32-acre ranch in southwest Colorado, Hawkins came across yellow survey tape running past a web of deer tracks. It indicated plans for drilling on his property — in the pine-studded hollow where he had hoped to build a new home. Like many Westerners, Hawkins owns the surface of his ranch but not the rights to the minerals below. Traditionally, property owners in such “split estates” have had little choice but to get out of the way when energy companies start chopping trees, paving roads or sinking wells to get buried fuel. But now they’re fighting back. Legislatures in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming recently passed bills to rein in oil, gas and coal extraction on private property. The measures do not halt the practice, by any means; the energy extracted heats homes and powers fuel plants, and Western states depend on energy revenue and the jobs that exploration brings. But the legislation gives some leverage to landowners....
Cry Wolf Pick up the february 2007 issue of Outdoor Life magazine, and the first thing you’ll probably notice is a pretty scary-looking confrontation. The cover features an outdoorsy oil painting—think 1950s Boy Scouts manual—of two snarling wolves charging toward a hunter. “Wolf Attack,” reads the neon-orange cover line, pointing to a story about a hunter whose dogs were killed by wolves. The story has conservationists fuming. “It makes it sound like the wolves are attacking these people and their dogs, but it doesn’t really explain what occurred,” says Suzanne Asha Stone, a spokesperson for the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife. “People went hunting with their dogs, and they released them near the wolves’ denning site. It’s unfortunate that this happened, but it’s not common.” Neither the story nor Stone’s reaction is surprising; hunters and animal advocates have an acrimonious history together, to put it mildly. But there’s a backstory that makes the Outdoor Life article especially timely—and, if you ask Stone, especially worrisome. Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains are back from the brink of extinction....
Forest Service branch to assess emissions The regional branch of the U.S. Forest Service has decided to assess its greenhouse gas emissions by joining the California Climate Action Registry, a voluntary program established by state law. The Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, which oversees federal forests in California, announced the plan Tuesday, becoming the first federal agency to join the registry. Its 18 national forests cover one-fifth of the state and involve about 5,000 employees, 7,600 facilities and 3,500 street-legal vehicles. Spokesman Matt Mathes said forest officials will use the registry's accounting rules to assess emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming gases from its vehicles and facilities. A future assessment may probe emissions from forest management. "The whole idea here is to establish a baseline for what our emissions are, and then to be able to reduce them," Mathes said. "In the long term, we do think it will be important for us to measure the effect of forest management on carbon." Everyone better watch this. It has the potential to influence every decision on management and could set a precedent for other Federal agencies. Are you ready to purchase some "carbon credits" so you can graze, hike, camp, ski etc.?? Will also be used by the agencies to ask for more money.
Budworm now bigger threat Entomologist Dr. Laurel Walters says the spruce budworm, one of the insect species previously named as one of the detrimental species affecting the Lincoln National Forest, is now a larger immediate threat to the forest than the looper. "We just surveyed many of the conifers on our one-acre property in Cloudcroft," Walters said during an interview with the Daily News Sunday. "Of 60 trees, 100 percent are infested with spruce budworm." Walters called this discovery "a disaster." "Now it is essential that we spray for this in a couple of weeks, in addition to spraying for the looper," she said. Walters, who is serving as an unpaid consultant for Otero County on the insect infestation in the Lincoln, said the budworms will become voracious in the larval stage between moulting after they leave their silken home at the base of the buds. The entomologist said she has already observed several budworms emerging out of buds on trees in the forest. "I believe that this poses an immediate threat to our trees," Walters said. "And that this may be even more deadly to the trees than the loopers."....
BLM Forest Tour: Is thinning a winning idea? This is the Bureau of Land Management’s proposal for stimulating old-growth characteristics in crowded tree stands. The pros for doing such follow: Fires ravage dense forests; birds and wildlife vie for huge, old-growth trees with thick branches and decaying cavities. Then there’s the con, which sticks in the craw of the logging industry: Thinning projects eat profits. The BLM inventories these considerations and more when it plans a thinning harvest sale. They are also the particulars of a 14-year study on tree-stand density at a dozen different sites in Western Oregon. “We don’t have stands that are complex because of things that we’ve done,” for wholesale timber sales of the past, announced Al James, a BLM forester, to a mixed group of timber industry leaders, businessmen, conservationists and a schools superintendent on a field trip last week to two study sites in the Umpqua area. But the BLM hopes it can enhance critical habitat for threatened birds and other at-risk wildlife by selling commercial thinning harvests. The work would also increase the flow of timber receipts into local and county coffers....
Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front Members Sentenced in Oregon Today U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken sentenced the final defendant in the conspiracy case involving twenty acts of arson committed by members of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), the Justice Department announced. The ten defendants acted in an underground cell of what they called "The Family." In their previously entered guilty pleas, the defendants acknowledged that they, and their group, sought to influence and affect the conduct of government, private business, and the civilian population through force, violence, sabotage, mass destruction, intimidation and coercion, and to retaliate against government and private businesses by similar means. The investigation of the environmental extremists involved multiple federal, state and local law enforcement and spanned over nine years. "Today's sentence is a fitting culmination to the largest prosecution of environmental extremists in U.S. history. These defendants were responsible for a broad campaign of domestic terrorism that spanned five states, included roughly 20 arsons or attempted arsons, and caused more than $40 million in property damage. The lengthy sentences should serve notice to others who use violence to further their causes," said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales....
Texas' Dirty Coal The latest carbon dioxide emissions numbers from the Energy Department, listed by state, are out. Not surprisingly, Texas topped the list of biggest polluters in 2003, the most recent year with available data. It holds steady as 7th in carbon dioxide emissions behind whole nations: the entire United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Germany. The co-star of the report was coal, Texas' major power source, because although carbon dioxide emissions from car exhaust account for 25% of America's greenhouse gasses, coal produces 50% of America's electricity and burning coal creates more carbon dioxide than any other common fuel source. Texas seems to be a house divided regarding its own place in the global emissions hierarchy. In 2005 the state's Governor Rick Perry fast-tracked plans for 11 new TXU Corp. coal power plants after the company lined the war chest for Perry's re-election campaign. But Robert Cervenka, a Republican rancher of Riesel, Texas, manage to organize 1,000 people to fight the governor and TXU Corp. in their effort to double the state's already grossly high emissions....
NASA chief regrets remarks on global warming The head of NASA told scientists and engineers that he regrets airing his personal views about global warming during a recent radio interview, according to a video of the meeting obtained by The Associated Press. NASA administrator Michael Griffin said in the closed-door meeting Monday at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena that “unfortunately, this is an issue which has become far more political than technical, and it would have been well for me to have stayed out of it.” “All I can really do is apologize to all you guys.... I feel badly that I caused this amount of controversy over something like this,” he said....
I can persuade George Bush on climate change - Blair Tony Blair insisted yesterday that he could persuade President Bush to agree for the first time to a global target for a "substantial cut" in greenhouse gases within a framework sanctioned by the United Nations. In an interview with the Guardian on the eve of the G8 summit, the prime minister said both elusive goals were now achievable and that America was "on the move" in its position on climate change. Although Mr Blair said it would take tough negotiations over the next three days and it was still unclear exactly what the president would agree to, he was sure Mr Bush's speech last week, in which he talked about establishing a US-led initiative to tackle global warming, was not a ploy to undermine the UN or the G8. " I think the announcement by President Bush last week was significant and important, and it is absurd to say otherwise, since it moved things on. On the other hand you then need to flesh out what it means." He stressed that any agreement reached between the G8 and the five leading developing countries would have to be sanctioned by the entire United Nations....
Can Prairie Dogs be Managed Utilizing Reconciliation Ecology? Reconciliation ecology is not really a new idea. Henry David Thoreau included human beings and human activity as part of the "environment (1)." However, the whole concept seems quite foreign and unbelievable to those who are steeped in modern Western philosophy. The concept of reconciliation ecology is to accommodate wild species within a human modified or occupied landscape(2). According to Michael Rosenzweig, saving a major part of the world's biodiversity will require more than just setting aside parks and wildlife preserves. It will require that humans adapt their own environments to accommodate other species(1). Rosenzweig defines reconciliation ecology as "… the science of inventing, establishing, and maintaining new habitats to conserve species diversity in places where people live, work, or play. Reconciliation Ecology seeks environmentally sound ways for us to continue to use the land for our own benefit(3, 4). Rosenzweig continues, "Although these habitats would not be ideally suited to wild things, they would provide enough support to allow them to adapt to us…"(8) Interestingly enough, nature has been one of our best teachers of possibilities that can result from reconciliation ecology....
Supervisors reject call for buffer zones on farmland Farmers may need help keeping their land in production once development encroaches, but forcing builders to create wide buffer zones between farms and new homes isn't the solution, Ventura County supervisors decided Tuesday. On a 3-2 vote, the board majority rejected a proposed law that would have mandated "farmland buffers" whenever a new development is built adjacent to farming operations. Such zones would have created a 300-foot open strip between farms and new construction. The barrier would have been reduced to 150 feet if the developer planted and maintained a vegetative barrier, such as a stand of trees. The ordinance was proposed by Supervisor Linda Parks of Thousand Oaks and was intended to quell fights over noise, odors and pesticide use that emerge when new homes are built close to working farms....
Montana Pick-Up Truck Users Concerned about Legislation in U.S. Senate The United States Senate is expected to begin discussions this week on S. 1419 which calls for radical increases in CAFE standards for pick-up trucks and light vans. If the bill is passed in its present form it would cause severe changes in the way pick-up trucks are made and reduce the amount of trucks that would be built. Montana pick-up truck, and four wheel drive users will be counting on Senators Tester and Baucus to protect their rights and work with their peers in the Senate to find effective compromises that don't threaten safety, production and consumer choice. Title V of S. 1419 would create a single car and light truck fuel economy standard of 52 miles per gallon by 2030. This is bad policy with serious consequences for many reasons: S. 1419 is extreme, by any yardstick. For the foreseeable future, few autos could achieve 52 mpg. No crossovers, minivans, SUVs or pickups on our roads could meet this extreme mileage standard. In Europe, where gasoline costs more than $5 per gallon, the average fuel economy is 35 mpg. Europeans buy small vehicles, often two-seaters. Light trucks are rare. But even Europe couldn't achieve the extreme mileage in S. 1419. Technology breakthroughs are required to meet such high mileage standards, and these breakthroughs cannot be mandated or scheduled on any timeline. S. 1419 would change how light trucks work in this country. Under such an extreme mileage standard, light trucks would become smaller, lighter, less powerful...and less capable of work....
Brucellosis tests show no infections Tests results on Montana cattle that rolled in Tuesday were all negative for brucellosis, although all the 800 blood samples drawn over the weekend won't be tabulated until today or Thursday. Christian Mackay, executive officer with the Montana Department of Livestock, said the investigation so far hasn't turned up any other positive animals. "Test results continue to come in negative, and we continue to follow all the contacts and are confident we are doing the testing in the time allowed," Mackay said. He did not know what percentage of the outstanding tests had been reported. After seven cows from a Bridger herd showed signs of exposure to the contagious bacteria in May, the herd was quarantined and testing began on cattle that may have come into contact with that group. State and federal officials have 60 days, or until about July 6, to conduct "trace backs" on cattle that may have come into contact with the positive animals....
Kansas company introduces natural beef premium program The Beef Marketing Group (BMG), headquartered at Great Bend, Kansas, announced its Customer Ownership Program in May. BMG will pay a $100 per head premium for all cattle harvested as natural. BMG is a marketing cooperative of 14 feedyards in Kansas and Nebraska. Five of those are currently dedicated to the production of natural beef as part of an agreement with Tyson Fresh Meats, the top volume Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) licensed packer. To qualify for Certified Angus Beef brand Natural, cattle must be individually identified and never received antibiotics, hormonal implants, ionophores or animal by-products. BMG prefers, but does not require pre-conditioned, weaned calves. "Through producer participation in ownership, we hope they will take the right steps to add value by making cattle healthier and preventing fall-outs," Wiens adds. Ranchers can retain full ownership or partner with BMG to own a percentage of their calves, which are procured in load lots only. Mixed groups of steers and heifers are accepted, too. All producers in the program receive carcass data. "That's just one tool to help them understand how their cattle perform through harvest," Wiens says. Producers applied use of such information ensures BMG a continued and improving high-quality supply....
Vero Beach man charged with cattle rustling You don't sell the babies or the mothers. But John Englehart sold both at the Okeechobee Livestock Market - the kind of animals nobody else was selling. Pete Clemons, the cattle auction's 80-year-old manager, took notice last fall. Suspicious that something was amiss, Clemons called Englehart's employer, John Cairns, a Port St. Lucie dentist, health club owner and, Clemons knew, a novice cattleman. Cairns, he said, shrugged it off. "All I could do was tell him what I saw and what my opinion was," Clemons said. "He said he'd take it from there, and he could keep up with John. I told him I didn't much think he could, but if he thought so, that's fine with me." Turns out Cairns could not. John Clint Englehart, 34, of Vero Beach, now faces 123 counts of grand theft livestock, or cattle rustling. After St. Lucie County Sheriff's deputies arrested Englehart Tuesday on six counts, Englehart confessed to stealing another 111 cows, police say, for a total of 117. And he faces six other charges related to incident....

Cougar spotted in Hillsboro, NM

Officers with the state Game and Fish Department are watching for a cougar that’s suspected of killing at least one house cat and possibly two other animals in Hillsboro. Wildlife officers responded Sunday to a complaint that a cougar had killed a cat. Hillsboro resident Harley Shaw says he saw the wild cat munching on the pet in a woman’s yard. Shaw says another house cat and a raccoon were found dead at the same home the day before, and two other cats disappeared from a different home a week before. But officials say there’s no way to tell whether the cougar was responsible. The cougar hasn’t threatened any residents, but authorities say people should be cautious since a few cougar attacks have occurred in Colorado and California in recent years.

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