DIAMOND BAR CATTLE COMPANY
Concert benefits rancher's defense fund
Singer Michael Martin Murphey has helped raise money for two New Mexico ranchers who are involved in a grazing dispute with the federal government.
Supporters of Kit Laney and his ex-wife Sherry Farr cheered Murphey on during a benefit concert in Truth or Consequences yesterday.
Murphey initiated the concert after contacting Paragon Foundation of Alamogordo, which is devoted to defending private property rights.
Murphey says he wanted to help Laney and Farr.
The US Forest Service says the two ranchers were illegally grazing their cattle in the Gila National Forest without a permit.
The couple contends they had grazing rights based on historical use of the land.
Laney and Farr's cattle were rounded up in March and sold at auction after a court ruled against the couple.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Sunday, May 23, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Wildfire forecast from bad to worse Months ago, national fire managers predicted the 2004 wildfire season would be a bad one in the West. Now, they're changing their forecast: It's going to be worse. With unseasonably warm temperatures in March and April, the potential loss of heavy air tankers for safety reasons and a years-long drought continuing, Western states and the federal government are facing the possibility of another devastating fire season.... Fish kill mystery at 3 lakes has scientists playing detective Perplexing fish die-offs at three lakes along the Salt River during the past two months have scientists and others playing detective. There was a fish die-off at Apache Lake during March, one at Canyon Lake around April 27 and the latest was in Saguaro Lake May 5. Another die off was reported at Apache Lake on May 18. Authorities are actively investigating the die-offs. Larry Riley, the fisheries chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, says department biologists are working closely with scientists from other agencies, experts from Salt River Project, and university scientists to solve the mystery.... Column: Off-road vehicles are chewing up our public lands It's hard to find anybody these days who would even try to argue that off-road vehicles don't damage public lands throughout the West. The U.S. Department of Agriculture concluded in 1999 that "with an increase of off-highway vehicle traffic, i.e., motorcycles, four-wheel drive vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service have observed the spread of noxious weeds, user conflicts, soil erosion, damage to cultural sites and disruption of wildlife and wildlife habitat.".... Column: The off-highway vehicle debate revs up I've had motorcycles in some form, on- or off-road, since I was 11 years old. That's how I went fishing or just exploring, dodging logging trucks as I gallivanted through the Flathead National Forest in Montana. It was, and still is, great fun; try it sometime. That's not to say that there aren't problems with motorized recreation. Most things worth having -- motorcycles, guns, automobiles, ORVs, chainsaws, power tools, snowmobiles, cell phones -- all share a common trait. Stupid people shouldn't have them, and there's the rub.... Wild Rogue, but with rules Today, a feud roils the river, pitting muscle-powered watercraft that run with the wild currents against powered jet boats that whiz up and down the rapids. In between the two crowds are federal custodians who are trying to accommodate both sides as they rewrite existing rules. Three jet-boat tours -- two in Gold Beach and one in Grants Pass -- carry 114,000 passengers a year on 36- to 104-mile trips ranging in price from $28 to $75 a person. On the busiest summer day, the three companies can launch 47 jet boats that must thread between flotillas of rafts and kayaks.... Grizzly shot, killed A man reportedly shot and killed a grizzly by accident Saturday afternoon on the west side of Hungry Horse Dam. The man reportedly notified a Forest Service officer of the shooting. The officer called a game warden from Fish, Wildlife and Parks to investigate. This is black-bear season, when hunting the bruins is legal. But killing a grizzly, even by accident, is a crime. The state recently tightened up regulations for black-bear hunting, requiring hunters to pass a bear identification test before they receive a license.... Comeback of grizzly in Utah is unlikely Bear proponents working to recover the grizzly bear in the northern Rocky Mountains doubt the creature will make a comeback in Utah. Even Dick Carter, a Utah environmentalist who has talked for decades about restoring the grizzly, is running out of hope. Carter said there is "ample" territory in Utah for grizzly bears in the Uinta Mountains, the Bear River range northeast of Logan and in the Book Cliffs. What the grizzly cannot overcome, he said, is intolerance by humans..... Tucson Earth First! Shuts Down Fish and Game Office Members of Chuck'shon Earth First! disrupted "business as usual" at the Tucson offices of Arizona Game and Fish for nearly an hour today. Wearing mountain lion masks, banging drums and holding banners reading "Fire the liars" and "Keep Arizona wild," the group made several demands including the release of the captured lion, a change to the mountain lion management plan and the resignation of Game and Fish Regional Supervisor Gerry Perry in response to what EF! claims as the agency's "mismanagement of wildlife". The recent assassination of a mountain lion May 16 in the Santa Catalina Mountains and one near Sonoita added to the frustration and anger of people already upset over the capture of a female lion on April 9, which is now caged in Scottsdale at the Southwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.... Wyoming strategizing to be more aggressive in initial wildfire attacks With a potentially explosive wildfire season looming, military helicopters might be stationed near extremely dry forests in hopes of snuffing blazes before they rage out of control. Gov. Dave Freudenthal is "extremely supportive" of the plan to position Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters near tinder-dry woodlands, said Ray Weidenhaft, fire management officer for the state Forestry Division. The state, struggling with drought for a fifth straight year, is ripe for major forest and grasslands fires this summer. Weidenhaft said the Black Hawks can drop water and bring firefighters to mountainous areas that are difficult to reach.... Senator's block of nursery bill may be payback An action by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to delay the Bend Pine Nursery bill may be payback for what she considers a broken promise by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., to help her pass one of her own pet projects. Murray placed a hold on the bill after the House passed it on Monday, blocking a legislative maneuver by Walden and Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden to speed the bill through the Senate. Senators are allowed to stop action on a bill indefinitely, and may do so anonymously, by asking that the measure be held. "Sen. Murray did place a hold on the Bend Pine (Nursery) legislation and she hopes the hold sends a signal to committee leaders in the House that passage of her Wild Sky legislation is of the utmost importance," said Mike Spahn, Murray's press secretary.... Additional cougar contacts expected A U.S. Forest Service biologist believes mountain lion encounters will continue this summer and could result in more public lands closures. No forest closures are planned, Forest Service biologist Josh Taiz told the Tucson Citizen, but he is concerned about such incidents. As more people head to the cooler environs of the Santa Catalina Mountains to escape summer temperatures, he hopes to post more warning signs along mountain trails.... Free FEMA book helps homeowners Disaster officials are offering mountain residents a free book to help them defend their homes against wildfires. Titled At Home in the Woods: Lessons Learned in the Wildland/Urban Interface, the 136-page book cuts across genres. Released Friday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it contains a history of combating the Rocky Mountains' major forest fires since 2000, a textbook on the science of wildfires, and a how-to manual for homeowners on cutting defensible space around their homes.... Hatcheries Try to Get Natural Such begins the process of a new kind of salmon hatchery a model that federal fishery managers hope to see duplicated across the Pacific Northwest. By carefully culling wild fish to spawn the next generation at the Cle Elum hatchery, then rearing the fish in a way that mimics the natural environment as closely as possible, Yakama Nation fishery managers hope to jump-start a population that may someday regenerate on its own in the wild. "That's the right path for hatcheries," said Bob Lohn, regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.... Hatchery habitat hasn't helped A century of experience has shown that hatcheries haven't replaced the salmon lost to overfishing and massive habitat changes, and many scientists believe they're doing more harm than good. Hatcheries have been rooted in the Pacific Northwest for more than a century, originally to compensate for overfishing and, later, to offset the effects of hydroelectric dams. Hatchery-raised fish now account for the overwhelming majority of salmon and steelhead returning to spawn in the Columbia River. So far, the results have been less than sterling.... Column: The 86 percent solution ON MAY 13, in yet another arrogant ruling, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stopped the development of the Blue Rock Country Club project on Walpert Ridge in Hayward -- and ruined plans to begin building Hayward's first new elementary school in 40 years. Ditto a golf course and 614 new homes. The court was unmoved by a friend of the court brief filed by the Hayward Unified School District, which begged the bench to not stop the project, lest it jeopardize $8.5 million in state school-bond construction funding. Thanks to the Ninth Circuit, Hayward children can remain in temporary classrooms. They are hostage to environmentalists and activist Sherman Lewis, who decries "car-ism" (also known as driving) and building new homes and "elite" golf courses in the foothills. Armed with federal Endangered Species Act protections for the California red-legged frog and the Alameda whip- snake, they were able to scuttle grading for the development, which was supposed to begin last week.... Grizzly bears clawing their way back in West But Ursus arctos horribilis -- the West's most rugged of individualists, once pushed to the brink of extinction -- is making a comeback in and around Yellowstone National Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sometime next year, the agency is expected to issue a formal proposal for removing the Yellowstone area grizzlies from the endangered species list.... Column: Hiding behind science The Bush administration is under attack from scientists and advocacy groups for misusing science to advance its political agenda. In other words, the problem with these attacks on the Bush administration is that they hide behind the sanctity of science to advance an agenda that is itself political. What we do, or don't do, about global warming (or stem cell research, regulation of toxic chemicals, protection of endangered species . . .) will be a reflection of how we choose among competing values, and making such choices is not the job of science, but of democratic politics. Science can alert us to problems, and can help us understand how to achieve our goals once we have decided them; but the goals themselves can emerge only from a political process in which science should have no special privilege. But neither the Bush administration nor its scientific critics want to give up on the pretense that these controversies are about science.... Panthers on the Prowl: Florida's big cats rebound They're elusive and sightings are rare, but nearly three times as many Florida panthers now roam the wilds of South Florida than 20 years ago. Efforts to bring the panther back from the brink of extinction produced dramatic success. Breeding and genetic restoration projects were accomplished. Vast tracts of habitat were saved. From an estimated 30 panthers, officials say the population now numbers at least 87, not including kittens. The birth rate has outpaced the number of panthers that die in auto collisions, but biologists say territorial fights are a bigger and just as lethal threat.... Editorial: Species spicer An environmental group is offering up a few pounds of honey to help counteract that vinegar taste the Endangered Species Act leaves in the mouths of many landowners. The focus on incentives and cooperation is a welcome change from confrontations, legal briefs and the adversarial jockeying that species protection too often involves. The Environmental Defense (formerly Environmental Defense Fund) recognizes that there won't be enough places for species recovery without private land, so it has launched a $10 million multiyear program that aims to win the cooperation of private landowners, says Colin Rowan of Environmental Defense.... One Man's Cuddly Critter Is Another Man's Varmint Do you love the idea of wild wolves howling in the woods? If you answer yes, the odds are you don't live in the woods, argues Lenore Hardy Barrett, a Republican state representative from Challis, Idaho, who thinks wolves were banished from the West for good reason. Ms. Barrett, and many ranchers in the region, are fighting the federal government's reintroduction of breeding pairs into Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. "After we cleared them out 35 years ago or whenever, why would we want them back?" she said. "They were in conflict then, and there are more people now." But the fact is many species that have been brought back from the brink are the same ones people have tried their hardest to kill off. And those messy relationships are growing more tangled all the time on a crowded planet where battles are inevitable over which species are worth fighting to save.... Lessons from the Wolf In the dead of winter in 1995 the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brought 14 wolves into Yellowstone by truck and sleigh. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Canada, these were the first to call Yellowstone home since the creatures were hunted out of existence there early in the 20th century. A year later 17 more Canadian wolves were added. Biologists hoped that the reintroduction would return the mix of animals to its more natural state. They expected, for instance, that the wolves would cull many of the elk that lived in the park. When the wolves--once the region's top predator--were gone, the elk population had burgeoned. And the new generation of Canis behaved as predicted. Sixteen packs of wolves, each composed of about 10 animals, now roam the park, and each pack kills an average of one elk a day. The elk population, which had swollen to 20,000 by the 1990s, is now less than 10,000.... Adirondack wolf spawns many theories Two years later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took tissue for genetic analysis and concluded it was pure gray wolf. That quickly raised questions: Had a loner wandered down from the upper Midwest or Canada? Did humans release it? Was the lab report inaccurate? And the big one: Had timber wolves already come back? Wildlife biologists and advocates agree they haven't, that populations would be noticed, like in the West and upper Midwest. Wolves tend to live in small packs, move around, vocalize frequently and hunt. But the kill has touched off a new round of debate over whether to bring the wolf back to New York.... Group: Bush Muzzling U.S. Park Officials The Bush administration is muzzling national park superintendents by ordering them not to stray in public comments from a list of rosy stances on budget matters, an advocacy group says. National Park Service officials acknowledge providing "talking points" to help guide employees but say that's standard practice and insist that no policy prevents superintendents from being candid.... Burning Man festival wins two-year permit for Nevada desert After facing scant opposition, Burning Man organizers have secured a two-year permit to stage the counterculture festival on the Northern Nevada desert. Bureau of Land Management officials said the gathering that has generated considerable controversy in the past prompted complaints from only a few people this year.... Lawsuit alleges CBM pollutes air Yet another federal lawsuit has been filed over coalbed methane gas development in Wyoming and Montana, this time focusing on air quality issues. "We know we are going to have a large-scale increase in coalbed methane development. We know it leads to increases in air pollution, we know the government -- by its own analysis -- has predicted there's going to be violations of the Clean Air Standards," said Anne Hedges, program director for the Montana Environmental Information Center.... Energy plan draws lawsuit A 33-million-acre energy development spanning the Wyoming-Montana border will violate federal health standards and cloud the skies of national parks and wilderness areas 190 miles away, several environmental groups contended last week in a federal lawsuit. If unchecked, energy development could take an area with some of the cleanest air in the world and make it worse than a major city, said Colorado lawyer Robert E. Yunhke, who filed suit for the Environmental Defense and the National Wildlife Federation, among others. Greens drop protest; natural-gas exploration to begin A Denver-based energy company today will begin a controversial natural-gas exploration project near Nine Mile Canyon after environmentalists abandoned their attempt Friday to stop it. Bill Barrett Corp. is expected to begin laying seismic lines on the West Tavaputs Plateau to pinpoint the best locations to drill for an estimated 66 billion cubic feet of natural gas reserves. Steve Bloch, attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), said his client on Friday withdrew its motion for an injunction after the company agreed to delay exploration activities in two areas that SUWA and other environmental groups have proposed for wilderness protection.... Water Editorial: State needs a system of checks and balances Boone Pickens' people came calling last week. Representatives of his Mesa water company presented their plan to sell water from the Panhandle to North Texas counties. They made their appeal to the group chartered with planning this region's water needs. The panel – which consists of municipal leaders, water district managers, environmentalists, ranchers and industry representatives – has a financial responsibility to consider the plan. North Texas has to explore many options. If we're going to consider a new reservoir, then by all means we should study piping in water from the Panhandle. Of course, buying and selling water is controversial.... EPA plan to improve air quality at parks won't work, critics say After nearly 30 years, the federal government has little to show for its efforts to reduce the haze that obscures the views at many national parks, a problem that was singled out for attention in 1977 under the Clean Air Act. Saying it was time for results, the Bush administration took aim at the matter last month, issuing a regulation that requires power plants and other polluters to install technology to curb emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, the two main contributors to the haze that often shrouds spectacular vistas in an impenetrable brown cloud. But no sooner was it announced than the regulation became mired in controversy, with environmentalists saying the watered-down rule would have little effect.... 24 ranch elk to be killed, tested for CWD State agriculture officials said they will soon kill more than two dozen elk at a northwestern Colorado ranch and test them for chronic wasting disease before determining the herd's future. The decision not to destroy all 200 elk at the Motherwell Ranch, near Craig, represents a shift in Colorado's disease-control policy. Previously, entire herds were slaughtered and tested after discovery of even a single case of the fatal brain- wasting disease in order to prevent the spread of the disease to wildlife.... City can buy farmers' water Area farmers will soon be allowed to sell irrigation water to the city of El Paso under an agreement approved Saturday by the El Paso Public Service Board. The agreement could provide needed water to the city, especially after several years of river drought, as well as recognize the farmers' right to sell water allotted to them that they do not want. Under the agreement, which comes after years of negotiations between El Paso Water Utilities and the board of the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, farmers will be allowed to sell as much as 85 percent of their allotted irrigation water to the city at market value, now about $200 per acre-foot....
Wildfire forecast from bad to worse Months ago, national fire managers predicted the 2004 wildfire season would be a bad one in the West. Now, they're changing their forecast: It's going to be worse. With unseasonably warm temperatures in March and April, the potential loss of heavy air tankers for safety reasons and a years-long drought continuing, Western states and the federal government are facing the possibility of another devastating fire season.... Fish kill mystery at 3 lakes has scientists playing detective Perplexing fish die-offs at three lakes along the Salt River during the past two months have scientists and others playing detective. There was a fish die-off at Apache Lake during March, one at Canyon Lake around April 27 and the latest was in Saguaro Lake May 5. Another die off was reported at Apache Lake on May 18. Authorities are actively investigating the die-offs. Larry Riley, the fisheries chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, says department biologists are working closely with scientists from other agencies, experts from Salt River Project, and university scientists to solve the mystery.... Column: Off-road vehicles are chewing up our public lands It's hard to find anybody these days who would even try to argue that off-road vehicles don't damage public lands throughout the West. The U.S. Department of Agriculture concluded in 1999 that "with an increase of off-highway vehicle traffic, i.e., motorcycles, four-wheel drive vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service have observed the spread of noxious weeds, user conflicts, soil erosion, damage to cultural sites and disruption of wildlife and wildlife habitat.".... Column: The off-highway vehicle debate revs up I've had motorcycles in some form, on- or off-road, since I was 11 years old. That's how I went fishing or just exploring, dodging logging trucks as I gallivanted through the Flathead National Forest in Montana. It was, and still is, great fun; try it sometime. That's not to say that there aren't problems with motorized recreation. Most things worth having -- motorcycles, guns, automobiles, ORVs, chainsaws, power tools, snowmobiles, cell phones -- all share a common trait. Stupid people shouldn't have them, and there's the rub.... Wild Rogue, but with rules Today, a feud roils the river, pitting muscle-powered watercraft that run with the wild currents against powered jet boats that whiz up and down the rapids. In between the two crowds are federal custodians who are trying to accommodate both sides as they rewrite existing rules. Three jet-boat tours -- two in Gold Beach and one in Grants Pass -- carry 114,000 passengers a year on 36- to 104-mile trips ranging in price from $28 to $75 a person. On the busiest summer day, the three companies can launch 47 jet boats that must thread between flotillas of rafts and kayaks.... Grizzly shot, killed A man reportedly shot and killed a grizzly by accident Saturday afternoon on the west side of Hungry Horse Dam. The man reportedly notified a Forest Service officer of the shooting. The officer called a game warden from Fish, Wildlife and Parks to investigate. This is black-bear season, when hunting the bruins is legal. But killing a grizzly, even by accident, is a crime. The state recently tightened up regulations for black-bear hunting, requiring hunters to pass a bear identification test before they receive a license.... Comeback of grizzly in Utah is unlikely Bear proponents working to recover the grizzly bear in the northern Rocky Mountains doubt the creature will make a comeback in Utah. Even Dick Carter, a Utah environmentalist who has talked for decades about restoring the grizzly, is running out of hope. Carter said there is "ample" territory in Utah for grizzly bears in the Uinta Mountains, the Bear River range northeast of Logan and in the Book Cliffs. What the grizzly cannot overcome, he said, is intolerance by humans..... Tucson Earth First! Shuts Down Fish and Game Office Members of Chuck'shon Earth First! disrupted "business as usual" at the Tucson offices of Arizona Game and Fish for nearly an hour today. Wearing mountain lion masks, banging drums and holding banners reading "Fire the liars" and "Keep Arizona wild," the group made several demands including the release of the captured lion, a change to the mountain lion management plan and the resignation of Game and Fish Regional Supervisor Gerry Perry in response to what EF! claims as the agency's "mismanagement of wildlife". The recent assassination of a mountain lion May 16 in the Santa Catalina Mountains and one near Sonoita added to the frustration and anger of people already upset over the capture of a female lion on April 9, which is now caged in Scottsdale at the Southwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.... Wyoming strategizing to be more aggressive in initial wildfire attacks With a potentially explosive wildfire season looming, military helicopters might be stationed near extremely dry forests in hopes of snuffing blazes before they rage out of control. Gov. Dave Freudenthal is "extremely supportive" of the plan to position Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters near tinder-dry woodlands, said Ray Weidenhaft, fire management officer for the state Forestry Division. The state, struggling with drought for a fifth straight year, is ripe for major forest and grasslands fires this summer. Weidenhaft said the Black Hawks can drop water and bring firefighters to mountainous areas that are difficult to reach.... Senator's block of nursery bill may be payback An action by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to delay the Bend Pine Nursery bill may be payback for what she considers a broken promise by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., to help her pass one of her own pet projects. Murray placed a hold on the bill after the House passed it on Monday, blocking a legislative maneuver by Walden and Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden to speed the bill through the Senate. Senators are allowed to stop action on a bill indefinitely, and may do so anonymously, by asking that the measure be held. "Sen. Murray did place a hold on the Bend Pine (Nursery) legislation and she hopes the hold sends a signal to committee leaders in the House that passage of her Wild Sky legislation is of the utmost importance," said Mike Spahn, Murray's press secretary.... Additional cougar contacts expected A U.S. Forest Service biologist believes mountain lion encounters will continue this summer and could result in more public lands closures. No forest closures are planned, Forest Service biologist Josh Taiz told the Tucson Citizen, but he is concerned about such incidents. As more people head to the cooler environs of the Santa Catalina Mountains to escape summer temperatures, he hopes to post more warning signs along mountain trails.... Free FEMA book helps homeowners Disaster officials are offering mountain residents a free book to help them defend their homes against wildfires. Titled At Home in the Woods: Lessons Learned in the Wildland/Urban Interface, the 136-page book cuts across genres. Released Friday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it contains a history of combating the Rocky Mountains' major forest fires since 2000, a textbook on the science of wildfires, and a how-to manual for homeowners on cutting defensible space around their homes.... Hatcheries Try to Get Natural Such begins the process of a new kind of salmon hatchery a model that federal fishery managers hope to see duplicated across the Pacific Northwest. By carefully culling wild fish to spawn the next generation at the Cle Elum hatchery, then rearing the fish in a way that mimics the natural environment as closely as possible, Yakama Nation fishery managers hope to jump-start a population that may someday regenerate on its own in the wild. "That's the right path for hatcheries," said Bob Lohn, regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.... Hatchery habitat hasn't helped A century of experience has shown that hatcheries haven't replaced the salmon lost to overfishing and massive habitat changes, and many scientists believe they're doing more harm than good. Hatcheries have been rooted in the Pacific Northwest for more than a century, originally to compensate for overfishing and, later, to offset the effects of hydroelectric dams. Hatchery-raised fish now account for the overwhelming majority of salmon and steelhead returning to spawn in the Columbia River. So far, the results have been less than sterling.... Column: The 86 percent solution ON MAY 13, in yet another arrogant ruling, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stopped the development of the Blue Rock Country Club project on Walpert Ridge in Hayward -- and ruined plans to begin building Hayward's first new elementary school in 40 years. Ditto a golf course and 614 new homes. The court was unmoved by a friend of the court brief filed by the Hayward Unified School District, which begged the bench to not stop the project, lest it jeopardize $8.5 million in state school-bond construction funding. Thanks to the Ninth Circuit, Hayward children can remain in temporary classrooms. They are hostage to environmentalists and activist Sherman Lewis, who decries "car-ism" (also known as driving) and building new homes and "elite" golf courses in the foothills. Armed with federal Endangered Species Act protections for the California red-legged frog and the Alameda whip- snake, they were able to scuttle grading for the development, which was supposed to begin last week.... Grizzly bears clawing their way back in West But Ursus arctos horribilis -- the West's most rugged of individualists, once pushed to the brink of extinction -- is making a comeback in and around Yellowstone National Park, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sometime next year, the agency is expected to issue a formal proposal for removing the Yellowstone area grizzlies from the endangered species list.... Column: Hiding behind science The Bush administration is under attack from scientists and advocacy groups for misusing science to advance its political agenda. In other words, the problem with these attacks on the Bush administration is that they hide behind the sanctity of science to advance an agenda that is itself political. What we do, or don't do, about global warming (or stem cell research, regulation of toxic chemicals, protection of endangered species . . .) will be a reflection of how we choose among competing values, and making such choices is not the job of science, but of democratic politics. Science can alert us to problems, and can help us understand how to achieve our goals once we have decided them; but the goals themselves can emerge only from a political process in which science should have no special privilege. But neither the Bush administration nor its scientific critics want to give up on the pretense that these controversies are about science.... Panthers on the Prowl: Florida's big cats rebound They're elusive and sightings are rare, but nearly three times as many Florida panthers now roam the wilds of South Florida than 20 years ago. Efforts to bring the panther back from the brink of extinction produced dramatic success. Breeding and genetic restoration projects were accomplished. Vast tracts of habitat were saved. From an estimated 30 panthers, officials say the population now numbers at least 87, not including kittens. The birth rate has outpaced the number of panthers that die in auto collisions, but biologists say territorial fights are a bigger and just as lethal threat.... Editorial: Species spicer An environmental group is offering up a few pounds of honey to help counteract that vinegar taste the Endangered Species Act leaves in the mouths of many landowners. The focus on incentives and cooperation is a welcome change from confrontations, legal briefs and the adversarial jockeying that species protection too often involves. The Environmental Defense (formerly Environmental Defense Fund) recognizes that there won't be enough places for species recovery without private land, so it has launched a $10 million multiyear program that aims to win the cooperation of private landowners, says Colin Rowan of Environmental Defense.... One Man's Cuddly Critter Is Another Man's Varmint Do you love the idea of wild wolves howling in the woods? If you answer yes, the odds are you don't live in the woods, argues Lenore Hardy Barrett, a Republican state representative from Challis, Idaho, who thinks wolves were banished from the West for good reason. Ms. Barrett, and many ranchers in the region, are fighting the federal government's reintroduction of breeding pairs into Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. "After we cleared them out 35 years ago or whenever, why would we want them back?" she said. "They were in conflict then, and there are more people now." But the fact is many species that have been brought back from the brink are the same ones people have tried their hardest to kill off. And those messy relationships are growing more tangled all the time on a crowded planet where battles are inevitable over which species are worth fighting to save.... Lessons from the Wolf In the dead of winter in 1995 the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brought 14 wolves into Yellowstone by truck and sleigh. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Canada, these were the first to call Yellowstone home since the creatures were hunted out of existence there early in the 20th century. A year later 17 more Canadian wolves were added. Biologists hoped that the reintroduction would return the mix of animals to its more natural state. They expected, for instance, that the wolves would cull many of the elk that lived in the park. When the wolves--once the region's top predator--were gone, the elk population had burgeoned. And the new generation of Canis behaved as predicted. Sixteen packs of wolves, each composed of about 10 animals, now roam the park, and each pack kills an average of one elk a day. The elk population, which had swollen to 20,000 by the 1990s, is now less than 10,000.... Adirondack wolf spawns many theories Two years later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took tissue for genetic analysis and concluded it was pure gray wolf. That quickly raised questions: Had a loner wandered down from the upper Midwest or Canada? Did humans release it? Was the lab report inaccurate? And the big one: Had timber wolves already come back? Wildlife biologists and advocates agree they haven't, that populations would be noticed, like in the West and upper Midwest. Wolves tend to live in small packs, move around, vocalize frequently and hunt. But the kill has touched off a new round of debate over whether to bring the wolf back to New York.... Group: Bush Muzzling U.S. Park Officials The Bush administration is muzzling national park superintendents by ordering them not to stray in public comments from a list of rosy stances on budget matters, an advocacy group says. National Park Service officials acknowledge providing "talking points" to help guide employees but say that's standard practice and insist that no policy prevents superintendents from being candid.... Burning Man festival wins two-year permit for Nevada desert After facing scant opposition, Burning Man organizers have secured a two-year permit to stage the counterculture festival on the Northern Nevada desert. Bureau of Land Management officials said the gathering that has generated considerable controversy in the past prompted complaints from only a few people this year.... Lawsuit alleges CBM pollutes air Yet another federal lawsuit has been filed over coalbed methane gas development in Wyoming and Montana, this time focusing on air quality issues. "We know we are going to have a large-scale increase in coalbed methane development. We know it leads to increases in air pollution, we know the government -- by its own analysis -- has predicted there's going to be violations of the Clean Air Standards," said Anne Hedges, program director for the Montana Environmental Information Center.... Energy plan draws lawsuit A 33-million-acre energy development spanning the Wyoming-Montana border will violate federal health standards and cloud the skies of national parks and wilderness areas 190 miles away, several environmental groups contended last week in a federal lawsuit. If unchecked, energy development could take an area with some of the cleanest air in the world and make it worse than a major city, said Colorado lawyer Robert E. Yunhke, who filed suit for the Environmental Defense and the National Wildlife Federation, among others. Greens drop protest; natural-gas exploration to begin A Denver-based energy company today will begin a controversial natural-gas exploration project near Nine Mile Canyon after environmentalists abandoned their attempt Friday to stop it. Bill Barrett Corp. is expected to begin laying seismic lines on the West Tavaputs Plateau to pinpoint the best locations to drill for an estimated 66 billion cubic feet of natural gas reserves. Steve Bloch, attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), said his client on Friday withdrew its motion for an injunction after the company agreed to delay exploration activities in two areas that SUWA and other environmental groups have proposed for wilderness protection.... Water Editorial: State needs a system of checks and balances Boone Pickens' people came calling last week. Representatives of his Mesa water company presented their plan to sell water from the Panhandle to North Texas counties. They made their appeal to the group chartered with planning this region's water needs. The panel – which consists of municipal leaders, water district managers, environmentalists, ranchers and industry representatives – has a financial responsibility to consider the plan. North Texas has to explore many options. If we're going to consider a new reservoir, then by all means we should study piping in water from the Panhandle. Of course, buying and selling water is controversial.... EPA plan to improve air quality at parks won't work, critics say After nearly 30 years, the federal government has little to show for its efforts to reduce the haze that obscures the views at many national parks, a problem that was singled out for attention in 1977 under the Clean Air Act. Saying it was time for results, the Bush administration took aim at the matter last month, issuing a regulation that requires power plants and other polluters to install technology to curb emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, the two main contributors to the haze that often shrouds spectacular vistas in an impenetrable brown cloud. But no sooner was it announced than the regulation became mired in controversy, with environmentalists saying the watered-down rule would have little effect.... 24 ranch elk to be killed, tested for CWD State agriculture officials said they will soon kill more than two dozen elk at a northwestern Colorado ranch and test them for chronic wasting disease before determining the herd's future. The decision not to destroy all 200 elk at the Motherwell Ranch, near Craig, represents a shift in Colorado's disease-control policy. Previously, entire herds were slaughtered and tested after discovery of even a single case of the fatal brain- wasting disease in order to prevent the spread of the disease to wildlife.... City can buy farmers' water Area farmers will soon be allowed to sell irrigation water to the city of El Paso under an agreement approved Saturday by the El Paso Public Service Board. The agreement could provide needed water to the city, especially after several years of river drought, as well as recognize the farmers' right to sell water allotted to them that they do not want. Under the agreement, which comes after years of negotiations between El Paso Water Utilities and the board of the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, farmers will be allowed to sell as much as 85 percent of their allotted irrigation water to the city at market value, now about $200 per acre-foot....
Governor acts on behalf of parks inholders
Gov. Frank Murkowski has jumped into a roiling dispute between some landowners and the National Park Service over access to private lands in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Murkowski administration officials filed a legal brief this month supporting the Pilgrim family in a much publicized court fight against the Park Service over access to their inholding near McCarthy.
At the same time, Murkowski has written federal officials asking for a broader investigation into complaints from other landowners who say the park makes it too difficult to reach their homes or remote parcels....
The issue of travel across Alaska's national parks has been festering in some quarters since 1980, when Congress created more than 100 million acres of new parks and refuges here. Some wilderness residents said their born-free lifestyles were cramped by regulations and permits.
Congress had said Alaska parks would be different from those in the Lower 48, allowing for continued access by rural residents. But rules to define how travel would be regulated have been slow to evolve....
The state's May 10 friend-of-the-court brief in the Pilgrim access case, now pending in a federal appeals court, stakes out Murkowski's political position in a succinct five pages. It claims state authority over the historic mining route under Revised Statute 2477, an old federal law invoked by other Western states to claim rights of way over federal land. It also argues that the park has not imposed "reasonable" regulation on the Pilgrims as required by federal law....
Gov. Frank Murkowski has jumped into a roiling dispute between some landowners and the National Park Service over access to private lands in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Murkowski administration officials filed a legal brief this month supporting the Pilgrim family in a much publicized court fight against the Park Service over access to their inholding near McCarthy.
At the same time, Murkowski has written federal officials asking for a broader investigation into complaints from other landowners who say the park makes it too difficult to reach their homes or remote parcels....
The issue of travel across Alaska's national parks has been festering in some quarters since 1980, when Congress created more than 100 million acres of new parks and refuges here. Some wilderness residents said their born-free lifestyles were cramped by regulations and permits.
Congress had said Alaska parks would be different from those in the Lower 48, allowing for continued access by rural residents. But rules to define how travel would be regulated have been slow to evolve....
The state's May 10 friend-of-the-court brief in the Pilgrim access case, now pending in a federal appeals court, stakes out Murkowski's political position in a succinct five pages. It claims state authority over the historic mining route under Revised Statute 2477, an old federal law invoked by other Western states to claim rights of way over federal land. It also argues that the park has not imposed "reasonable" regulation on the Pilgrims as required by federal law....
OPINION/COMMENTARY
Reining in the Endangered Species Act
With all due respect to the frog in whose name a chunk of land the size of Rhode Island was recently designated a critical habitat, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) tends to be a little wacky. I don't think most of us mind the idea of protecting endangered species per se. It's just that we don't see why the whole exercise can't be balanced out with a little bit of regard for humankind.
I mean, more power to the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly for being able to find fulfillment through flower nectar, but you've go to admit that someone's priorities are askew when, under the authority of the ESA, the city of San Bernadino can be made to delay construction of a medical center and spend over $3 million to mitigate for the presence of 8 of the Delhi Sands flies.
Kind of makes you wonder which lobbying firm the flies and frogs are using and if it's accepting new clients....
King of the Night Skies
In the legends and lore of the world's cultures, owls have been portrayed in significant but contrasting roles. In ancient Greece, for instance, an owl was taken to symbolize wisdom and was often depicted with Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom and protectress of Athens. Even today, the "wise" owl is a familiar theme in children's literature. In other cultures, however, the owl was associated with evil--probably because of its nocturnal hunting habits. The early Romans claimed that witches transformed themselves into owls and sucked the blood of sleeping children.
The natives of North America likewise held opposing views about owls. Of the 19 owl species on this continent, the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is the largest and most powerful, and it therefore became the epitome of those perceptions. For example, some tribes of the Southwest associated it with Mictlantecutli, the Aztec mythological king of the realm of the dead, while the Ojibwa of Minnesota believed that the owl transports the souls of the dead to the next world. On the other hand, warriors of other tribes admired its strength and boldness....
Congressional Mandates Contribute to Higher Gas Prices
According to the EIA, refining costs represented almost 20 percent of the retail cost of gasoline in March. Congress could significantly reduce these costs by scaling back the excessive and cumbersome federal regulations on refiners.
For example, the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments mandate the sale of cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline (RFG) in order to reduce summer smog in nine major metropolitan areas. The law also requires that RFG contain at least 2 percent oxygen by weight. To comply with these regulations, refiners must switch from winter-grade fuel to costlier summer-blend gasoline. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this adds 4 cents to 8 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline.
Moreover, a common oxygenate, MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether, which is used in about 70 percent of the reformulated gasoline) has been banned in California, New York, and Connecticut. This means that refineries must use a different additive, such as ethanol--which requires more crude oil in the production process. Reducing or phasing out MTBE use--but leaving the 2 percent oxygenate requirement in effect--would increase ethanol use. This would further contribute to price volatility and unnecessarily high gasoline prices.
Likewise, complying with a new national low-sulfur gasoline regulation for passenger cars not only presents scientific challenges for refiners, but also could adversely affect gasoline supply and availability. The industry will need to invest more than $8 billion over the next three years to meet this requirement--which will result in higher prices at the pump.
In addition to these federal regulations, some state and local governments require specialized fuel blends--"boutique fuels"--to satisfy local air quality needs.
This hodgepodge of customized fuel requirements increases production costs, which are ultimately reflected in the price of gasoline. These varied gasoline specifications also restrict the ability of refiners and distributors to move supplies around the country in response to local and regional shortages. Further proliferation of boutique fuel requirements would only contribute to the overall problem and drive up costs during disruptions....
Run for the Reserve!
We agree with the second argument against use of the SPR -- that government shouldn't be involved in commodity markets. We don't need the government to tax us in order to provide oil-price insurance. We can buy the insurance ourselves through the oil futures market. And we can buy cars and other goods that require less oil and gas to operate if we want, which is itself a form of insurance against higher prices. Government should not do for us what we are clearly able to do for ourselves.
In short, we don't need the SPR and, in a perfect world, we'd sell off the oil here and now, and then shut the whole thing down. Oil prices would spiral downward, gasoline prices would drop, and taxpayers would receive a windfall from the sale of 650 million barrels of oil during a time of record high prices. Insurance against future price spikes (if you want it) would be up to you....
ALEC Urges Temporary Repeal of State Gas Taxes
The American Legislative Exchange Council today urged state lawmakers to give drivers relief at the pumps by temporarily repealing state gas taxes.
“The states must take all appropriate actions to lower fuel costs,” said Duane Parde, Executive Director of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). “The average state levies a 24.3 cent tax on each gallon of gasoline. Temporarily repealing these taxes would be good for the bottom line of the family budget.”
The average price of a gallon of gasoline has skyrocketed in recent weeks. While much blame is placed on the oil and gasoline companies, government also contributes to the high cost of fuel through taxes and regulation.
“Federal and state taxes on each gallon of gasoline average 42.7 cents per gallon,” said Chris Atkins, ALEC Director of Tax and Fiscal Policy. “You could have bought a gallon of gas for $ .97 cents a couple of years ago.”
Regulation also takes a bit out of the consumer at the pumps. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards, restrictions on refining capacity, and boutique fuel also make families pay more for fuel....
Reaping What Biopharming Sows
Want safer, cheaper drugs? Don't we all. Well, biotechnology applied in an ingenious new way might be the answer -- if activists and regulators don't get in the way.
Gene-splicing techniques increasingly are being used to program common crop plants such as rice, corn and tobacco to synthesize high-value-added pharmaceuticals -- a process punnily dubbed "biopharming." The plants are harvested and the drug is then extracted and purified.
The concept is not new. Many common medicines, such as codeine, the laxative Metamucil® and the anti-cancer drug Taxol® are purified from plants. But biopharming's great promise lies in using gene-splicing techniques to make old plants do radical new things.
There is also great potential for cost cutting in the process: The energy for product synthesis comes from the sun, and the primary raw materials are water and carbon dioxide. An important collateral advantage is the opportunity for farmers to grow new, high-value-added crops.
However, regulators have created storm clouds....
Reining in the Endangered Species Act
With all due respect to the frog in whose name a chunk of land the size of Rhode Island was recently designated a critical habitat, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) tends to be a little wacky. I don't think most of us mind the idea of protecting endangered species per se. It's just that we don't see why the whole exercise can't be balanced out with a little bit of regard for humankind.
I mean, more power to the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly for being able to find fulfillment through flower nectar, but you've go to admit that someone's priorities are askew when, under the authority of the ESA, the city of San Bernadino can be made to delay construction of a medical center and spend over $3 million to mitigate for the presence of 8 of the Delhi Sands flies.
Kind of makes you wonder which lobbying firm the flies and frogs are using and if it's accepting new clients....
King of the Night Skies
In the legends and lore of the world's cultures, owls have been portrayed in significant but contrasting roles. In ancient Greece, for instance, an owl was taken to symbolize wisdom and was often depicted with Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom and protectress of Athens. Even today, the "wise" owl is a familiar theme in children's literature. In other cultures, however, the owl was associated with evil--probably because of its nocturnal hunting habits. The early Romans claimed that witches transformed themselves into owls and sucked the blood of sleeping children.
The natives of North America likewise held opposing views about owls. Of the 19 owl species on this continent, the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is the largest and most powerful, and it therefore became the epitome of those perceptions. For example, some tribes of the Southwest associated it with Mictlantecutli, the Aztec mythological king of the realm of the dead, while the Ojibwa of Minnesota believed that the owl transports the souls of the dead to the next world. On the other hand, warriors of other tribes admired its strength and boldness....
Congressional Mandates Contribute to Higher Gas Prices
According to the EIA, refining costs represented almost 20 percent of the retail cost of gasoline in March. Congress could significantly reduce these costs by scaling back the excessive and cumbersome federal regulations on refiners.
For example, the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments mandate the sale of cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline (RFG) in order to reduce summer smog in nine major metropolitan areas. The law also requires that RFG contain at least 2 percent oxygen by weight. To comply with these regulations, refiners must switch from winter-grade fuel to costlier summer-blend gasoline. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this adds 4 cents to 8 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline.
Moreover, a common oxygenate, MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether, which is used in about 70 percent of the reformulated gasoline) has been banned in California, New York, and Connecticut. This means that refineries must use a different additive, such as ethanol--which requires more crude oil in the production process. Reducing or phasing out MTBE use--but leaving the 2 percent oxygenate requirement in effect--would increase ethanol use. This would further contribute to price volatility and unnecessarily high gasoline prices.
Likewise, complying with a new national low-sulfur gasoline regulation for passenger cars not only presents scientific challenges for refiners, but also could adversely affect gasoline supply and availability. The industry will need to invest more than $8 billion over the next three years to meet this requirement--which will result in higher prices at the pump.
In addition to these federal regulations, some state and local governments require specialized fuel blends--"boutique fuels"--to satisfy local air quality needs.
This hodgepodge of customized fuel requirements increases production costs, which are ultimately reflected in the price of gasoline. These varied gasoline specifications also restrict the ability of refiners and distributors to move supplies around the country in response to local and regional shortages. Further proliferation of boutique fuel requirements would only contribute to the overall problem and drive up costs during disruptions....
Run for the Reserve!
We agree with the second argument against use of the SPR -- that government shouldn't be involved in commodity markets. We don't need the government to tax us in order to provide oil-price insurance. We can buy the insurance ourselves through the oil futures market. And we can buy cars and other goods that require less oil and gas to operate if we want, which is itself a form of insurance against higher prices. Government should not do for us what we are clearly able to do for ourselves.
In short, we don't need the SPR and, in a perfect world, we'd sell off the oil here and now, and then shut the whole thing down. Oil prices would spiral downward, gasoline prices would drop, and taxpayers would receive a windfall from the sale of 650 million barrels of oil during a time of record high prices. Insurance against future price spikes (if you want it) would be up to you....
ALEC Urges Temporary Repeal of State Gas Taxes
The American Legislative Exchange Council today urged state lawmakers to give drivers relief at the pumps by temporarily repealing state gas taxes.
“The states must take all appropriate actions to lower fuel costs,” said Duane Parde, Executive Director of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). “The average state levies a 24.3 cent tax on each gallon of gasoline. Temporarily repealing these taxes would be good for the bottom line of the family budget.”
The average price of a gallon of gasoline has skyrocketed in recent weeks. While much blame is placed on the oil and gasoline companies, government also contributes to the high cost of fuel through taxes and regulation.
“Federal and state taxes on each gallon of gasoline average 42.7 cents per gallon,” said Chris Atkins, ALEC Director of Tax and Fiscal Policy. “You could have bought a gallon of gas for $ .97 cents a couple of years ago.”
Regulation also takes a bit out of the consumer at the pumps. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards, restrictions on refining capacity, and boutique fuel also make families pay more for fuel....
Reaping What Biopharming Sows
Want safer, cheaper drugs? Don't we all. Well, biotechnology applied in an ingenious new way might be the answer -- if activists and regulators don't get in the way.
Gene-splicing techniques increasingly are being used to program common crop plants such as rice, corn and tobacco to synthesize high-value-added pharmaceuticals -- a process punnily dubbed "biopharming." The plants are harvested and the drug is then extracted and purified.
The concept is not new. Many common medicines, such as codeine, the laxative Metamucil® and the anti-cancer drug Taxol® are purified from plants. But biopharming's great promise lies in using gene-splicing techniques to make old plants do radical new things.
There is also great potential for cost cutting in the process: The energy for product synthesis comes from the sun, and the primary raw materials are water and carbon dioxide. An important collateral advantage is the opportunity for farmers to grow new, high-value-added crops.
However, regulators have created storm clouds....
Center for Consumer Freedom Letter to Judiciary Committee(pdf)
May 17, 2004
Senator Orrin Hatch
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Hatch,
Thank you for holding a public hearing to investigate the disturbing trend of animal rights activists choosing criminal violence over peaceful protest.
To add appropriate context to today’s testimony, I would like to share some unusual findings that the Center for Consumer Freedom is in the process of making public. They highlight the extent to which supposedly “mainstream” animal rights charities—many of which enjoy federal taxexempt status—have an undeniable hand in encouraging and funding violent activity:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has donated over $150,000 to criminal activists -- including the terrorist Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and individuals jailed for arson, burglary, and attempted murder. When asked by eight different media outlets to explain the purpose of a $1,500 gift to the ELF, PETA officers and spokespersons gave eight different and contradictory answers.
Since 2000, rank-and-file PETA activists have been arrested over 80 times for crimes committed during PETA protests. Charges included felony obstruction of government property, criminal mischief, assaulting a cabinet official, felony vandalism, performing obscene acts in public, destruction of federal property, and burglary. Last week, PETA vegetarian campaign director Bruce Friedrich was convicted of Criminal Trespass in Kentucky. Friedrich has previously publicly advocated “blowing stuff up and smashing windows” in order to win “animal liberation.”
As recently as last year, PETA’s payroll included convicted Animal Liberation Front felon Gary Yourofsky, whom the group paid to lecture public school students about strict vegetarianism and animal rights. And PETA’s websites—several of which explicitly target children—openly advocate vandalism and other illegal activity. Despite all of this, PETA maintains its 501(c)(3) federal tax exemption.
While the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is generally less confrontational than PETA, it has its own connection to organized violence. Until last year, when the Center for Consumer Freedom brought it to light, the HSUS was quietly funding the operation of an Internet service which distributed the Animal Liberation Front’s official “communiqués” claiming responsibility for criminal activities. HSUS—and its $65 million annual income—are completely tax-exempt.
The case of Daniel Andreas San Diego is a chilling story of animal-rights terror, involving two 10-pound shrapnel bombs detonated in 2003 using the same materials found at the Oklahoma City blast site. The FBI’s investigation uncovered substantial connections between this federal fugitive and two above-ground groups: California-based In Defense of Animals (IDA), and a violent group called SHAC. IDA is a tax-exempt charity. SHAC is in the process of applying for that status. In addition to its undeniable connection to the Chiron and Shaklee bombings, SHAC has been responsible for car bombings, death threats, physical assaults, and countless other acts of intimidation.
Substantial connections exist between PETA and SHAC, largely flowing through the inventively named Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), PETA’s quasi-medical front group. PCRM has been publicly censured by the American Medical Association for its outrageous misrepresentations of medical science. To date, PETA has passed over $1.3 million to PCRM, all of it tax-exempt. PCRM president Dr. Neal Barnard is president of the PETA Foundation, the vehicle used to move much of this money. Working with the president of SHAC, Barnard has co-signed letters targeting biomedical research firms in the U.S. and abroad.
Last year at the “Animal Rights 2003” national conference, official PCRM spokesman Jerry Vlasak publicly advocated the murder of doctors who use animals in their research, saying: “I don’t think you’d have to kill -- assassinate -- too many … I think for 5 lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, 2 million, 10 million non-human lives.” Vlasak reinforced this idea in April, telling a national cable network audience that violence is a “morally justifiable solution” for activists.
A disturbing current of violence runs beneath the surface of “mainstream” animal rights groups in the United States. And some of these tax-exempt charities are providing “material support or resources” to groups and individuals whose activities fit the U.S. Criminal Code's definition of “domestic terrorism.”
Sincerely,
/s/
Richard Berman
Executive Director
Center for Consumer Freedom
May 17, 2004
Senator Orrin Hatch
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Hatch,
Thank you for holding a public hearing to investigate the disturbing trend of animal rights activists choosing criminal violence over peaceful protest.
To add appropriate context to today’s testimony, I would like to share some unusual findings that the Center for Consumer Freedom is in the process of making public. They highlight the extent to which supposedly “mainstream” animal rights charities—many of which enjoy federal taxexempt status—have an undeniable hand in encouraging and funding violent activity:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has donated over $150,000 to criminal activists -- including the terrorist Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and individuals jailed for arson, burglary, and attempted murder. When asked by eight different media outlets to explain the purpose of a $1,500 gift to the ELF, PETA officers and spokespersons gave eight different and contradictory answers.
Since 2000, rank-and-file PETA activists have been arrested over 80 times for crimes committed during PETA protests. Charges included felony obstruction of government property, criminal mischief, assaulting a cabinet official, felony vandalism, performing obscene acts in public, destruction of federal property, and burglary. Last week, PETA vegetarian campaign director Bruce Friedrich was convicted of Criminal Trespass in Kentucky. Friedrich has previously publicly advocated “blowing stuff up and smashing windows” in order to win “animal liberation.”
As recently as last year, PETA’s payroll included convicted Animal Liberation Front felon Gary Yourofsky, whom the group paid to lecture public school students about strict vegetarianism and animal rights. And PETA’s websites—several of which explicitly target children—openly advocate vandalism and other illegal activity. Despite all of this, PETA maintains its 501(c)(3) federal tax exemption.
While the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is generally less confrontational than PETA, it has its own connection to organized violence. Until last year, when the Center for Consumer Freedom brought it to light, the HSUS was quietly funding the operation of an Internet service which distributed the Animal Liberation Front’s official “communiqués” claiming responsibility for criminal activities. HSUS—and its $65 million annual income—are completely tax-exempt.
The case of Daniel Andreas San Diego is a chilling story of animal-rights terror, involving two 10-pound shrapnel bombs detonated in 2003 using the same materials found at the Oklahoma City blast site. The FBI’s investigation uncovered substantial connections between this federal fugitive and two above-ground groups: California-based In Defense of Animals (IDA), and a violent group called SHAC. IDA is a tax-exempt charity. SHAC is in the process of applying for that status. In addition to its undeniable connection to the Chiron and Shaklee bombings, SHAC has been responsible for car bombings, death threats, physical assaults, and countless other acts of intimidation.
Substantial connections exist between PETA and SHAC, largely flowing through the inventively named Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), PETA’s quasi-medical front group. PCRM has been publicly censured by the American Medical Association for its outrageous misrepresentations of medical science. To date, PETA has passed over $1.3 million to PCRM, all of it tax-exempt. PCRM president Dr. Neal Barnard is president of the PETA Foundation, the vehicle used to move much of this money. Working with the president of SHAC, Barnard has co-signed letters targeting biomedical research firms in the U.S. and abroad.
Last year at the “Animal Rights 2003” national conference, official PCRM spokesman Jerry Vlasak publicly advocated the murder of doctors who use animals in their research, saying: “I don’t think you’d have to kill -- assassinate -- too many … I think for 5 lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, 2 million, 10 million non-human lives.” Vlasak reinforced this idea in April, telling a national cable network audience that violence is a “morally justifiable solution” for activists.
A disturbing current of violence runs beneath the surface of “mainstream” animal rights groups in the United States. And some of these tax-exempt charities are providing “material support or resources” to groups and individuals whose activities fit the U.S. Criminal Code's definition of “domestic terrorism.”
Sincerely,
/s/
Richard Berman
Executive Director
Center for Consumer Freedom
Friday, May 21, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Jumbo Boeing 747 Reworked to Fight Fires The first jumbo jet converted for use as a tanker in fighting forest fires could be ready for service by July, an aviation company said. The Boeing 747 could carry 20,000 gallons of water or fire retardant, 10 times as much as a conventional propeller tanker, Evergreen International Aviation said Thursday. The jet was converted over the past year and has made about 50 test flights in Arizona, the McMinnville, Ore.-based company said. The jet still needs approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.... Roadless rule still alive after court allows appeal to progress In July 2003, U.S. District Judge Clarence A. Brimmer in Cheyenne struck down the rule, saying it illegally created wilderness areas and violated other federal laws. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, interpreted Brimmer's decision as a permanent injunction, while environmentalists argue it is temporary since the case is being appealed. Eight conservation groups took the matter to the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the federal government chose not to appeal. The state of Wyoming, which brought the original suit, argued that the environmentalists cannot appeal the decision because they were not original parties in the litigation. In a two-paragraph order issued May 11 in Denver by deputy clerk Kathleen T. Clifford, the 10th Circuit Court deferred any decision on the groups' legal standing, instead allowing a yet-to-be-assigned three-judge panel settle the matter.... Senate puts nail in fee demo coffin Through unanimous consent on the Senate floor, a bill was passed that would reauthorize the National Recreation Fee Demonstration Program for the National Park Service but allow it to expire on Dec. 31, 2005, for the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. The House is considering a bill that is the polar opposite of what the Senate passed. The House bill, which hasn't yet been voted on, would grant permanent authorization for the fee demo program for all agencies.... Court Hears Arguments in Mo. River Case Critics and backers of a policy keeping the Missouri River at consistent depths, rather than allowing a spring high and a summer low, made their cases to a federal judge Friday. Shippers and southern river states argue that maintaining consistent depths on the river is vital to barge traffic. Environmentalists, tourism backers and northern states say the ebb and flow of the river is necessary to protect endangered species and encourage outdoor activities.... Grouse habitat holding back gas production Sage grouse habitat is hampering natural gas production in Bowman County and could threaten its future, an industry official says. The federal Bureau of Land Management is restricting companies from drilling within two miles of grouse leks between mid-April and mid-June, said Lynn Helms, director of the state Industrial Commission's oil and gas division. A lek is an area where male grouse dance to attract mates. The BLM is proposing to expand the restriction to three miles, between April 1 and June 30, Helms said.... Northern Nevada left off proposed land-purchase list For the first time, northern Nevada has been left off a proposed list to buy environmentally sensitive lands with money from large sales of public lands in southern Nevada. In the upcoming fifth round of public sales, all four parcels that would be bought with the proceeds are located in Clark County. And most of the money for land acquisitions would be used to buy a casino — another first.... Putin promises to 'speed up' Kyoto ratification President Vladimir Putin saved the Kyoto climate change pact from extinction yesterday and stunned environmentalists by saying Russia would ratify it. His announcement will allow the United Nations treaty to become legally binding and leaves America looking isolated on the world stage as an environmental sinner. Ending months of speculation, Mr Putin said Moscow would lend the pact its support despite advice from his own chief economic adviser to give it a wide berth. The breakthrough came at an EU-Russia summit in Moscow during which Mr Putin won Brussels' endorsement for his country to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Mr Putin said this had paved the way for his country to return the favour and ratify Kyoto.... Montana asks Wyoming to release water The state of Montana is calling on Wyoming to shut off junior water rights in the Tongue, Powder and Little Powder rivers to provide much-needed drought relief to more senior water rights holders in Montana, who officials say have priority. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation hopes it can reach an amicable settlement with Wyoming, but is prepared to take action to protect water rights under a 1950 compact the two states signed.... Game farm issue argued in court The owners of a game farm shut down by a voter-approved initiative say the closure amounted to an unlawful "taking" of their property, and they want the state to pay for it. But an attorney for the state argued Thursday that Kim and Cindy Kafka still own the property and that economic losses the couple suffered when their operation was shut down do not constitute a taking of property. The Kafkas sued the state in 2002, arguing that Initiative 143, which voters approved two years earlier, was unconstitutional and destroyed their business. The initiative banned any future game ranches in Montana, prohibited current game ranchers from transferring their licenses and banned fee hunting of elk or other game....
Jumbo Boeing 747 Reworked to Fight Fires The first jumbo jet converted for use as a tanker in fighting forest fires could be ready for service by July, an aviation company said. The Boeing 747 could carry 20,000 gallons of water or fire retardant, 10 times as much as a conventional propeller tanker, Evergreen International Aviation said Thursday. The jet was converted over the past year and has made about 50 test flights in Arizona, the McMinnville, Ore.-based company said. The jet still needs approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.... Roadless rule still alive after court allows appeal to progress In July 2003, U.S. District Judge Clarence A. Brimmer in Cheyenne struck down the rule, saying it illegally created wilderness areas and violated other federal laws. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, interpreted Brimmer's decision as a permanent injunction, while environmentalists argue it is temporary since the case is being appealed. Eight conservation groups took the matter to the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the federal government chose not to appeal. The state of Wyoming, which brought the original suit, argued that the environmentalists cannot appeal the decision because they were not original parties in the litigation. In a two-paragraph order issued May 11 in Denver by deputy clerk Kathleen T. Clifford, the 10th Circuit Court deferred any decision on the groups' legal standing, instead allowing a yet-to-be-assigned three-judge panel settle the matter.... Senate puts nail in fee demo coffin Through unanimous consent on the Senate floor, a bill was passed that would reauthorize the National Recreation Fee Demonstration Program for the National Park Service but allow it to expire on Dec. 31, 2005, for the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. The House is considering a bill that is the polar opposite of what the Senate passed. The House bill, which hasn't yet been voted on, would grant permanent authorization for the fee demo program for all agencies.... Court Hears Arguments in Mo. River Case Critics and backers of a policy keeping the Missouri River at consistent depths, rather than allowing a spring high and a summer low, made their cases to a federal judge Friday. Shippers and southern river states argue that maintaining consistent depths on the river is vital to barge traffic. Environmentalists, tourism backers and northern states say the ebb and flow of the river is necessary to protect endangered species and encourage outdoor activities.... Grouse habitat holding back gas production Sage grouse habitat is hampering natural gas production in Bowman County and could threaten its future, an industry official says. The federal Bureau of Land Management is restricting companies from drilling within two miles of grouse leks between mid-April and mid-June, said Lynn Helms, director of the state Industrial Commission's oil and gas division. A lek is an area where male grouse dance to attract mates. The BLM is proposing to expand the restriction to three miles, between April 1 and June 30, Helms said.... Northern Nevada left off proposed land-purchase list For the first time, northern Nevada has been left off a proposed list to buy environmentally sensitive lands with money from large sales of public lands in southern Nevada. In the upcoming fifth round of public sales, all four parcels that would be bought with the proceeds are located in Clark County. And most of the money for land acquisitions would be used to buy a casino — another first.... Putin promises to 'speed up' Kyoto ratification President Vladimir Putin saved the Kyoto climate change pact from extinction yesterday and stunned environmentalists by saying Russia would ratify it. His announcement will allow the United Nations treaty to become legally binding and leaves America looking isolated on the world stage as an environmental sinner. Ending months of speculation, Mr Putin said Moscow would lend the pact its support despite advice from his own chief economic adviser to give it a wide berth. The breakthrough came at an EU-Russia summit in Moscow during which Mr Putin won Brussels' endorsement for his country to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Mr Putin said this had paved the way for his country to return the favour and ratify Kyoto.... Montana asks Wyoming to release water The state of Montana is calling on Wyoming to shut off junior water rights in the Tongue, Powder and Little Powder rivers to provide much-needed drought relief to more senior water rights holders in Montana, who officials say have priority. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation hopes it can reach an amicable settlement with Wyoming, but is prepared to take action to protect water rights under a 1950 compact the two states signed.... Game farm issue argued in court The owners of a game farm shut down by a voter-approved initiative say the closure amounted to an unlawful "taking" of their property, and they want the state to pay for it. But an attorney for the state argued Thursday that Kim and Cindy Kafka still own the property and that economic losses the couple suffered when their operation was shut down do not constitute a taking of property. The Kafkas sued the state in 2002, arguing that Initiative 143, which voters approved two years earlier, was unconstitutional and destroyed their business. The initiative banned any future game ranches in Montana, prohibited current game ranchers from transferring their licenses and banned fee hunting of elk or other game....
Thursday, May 20, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Crossing the Red Line Two of the books under review, Bush Versus the Environment and Strategic Ignorance, include climate and energy policy as one example of many in a catalog of administration environmental follies. But it must be said that criticizing Bush's policies on the environment is depressingly easy to do. For more than three years now, day after day and week after week, a small circle of political appointees at the EPA, the Forest Service, the Interior Department, and the Department of Agriculture have proceeded methodically to wreck the system of environmental oversight that dates back to the Nixon administration. Apart from their silence on global warming, they have overturned rule after regulation, largely ceased enforcement actions concerning pollution of the atmosphere and water, and reined in inspectors. Their work is not inspired by a grand ideological vision—it's not like Bush's foreign policy, say, with its idea of America dominating the world. Instead it's institutionalized corruption: a steady payback to the logging, mining, corporate farming, fossil fuel, and other industries that contributed heavily to put Bush in power.... Walden reports progress in air-tanker discussion Talks between the Federal Aviation Administration), the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service aimed at designing a system to certify the airworthiness of fire tankers are progressing well, according to U.S. Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR), Chairman of the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. The agencies met Wednesday afternoon in Washington, D.C.... U.S. Touts Forestry Law Success in Court Since December, when President Bush signed a new forestry law, the government has won 17 straight court cases favoring timber cutting over challenges by environmentalists. Bush pushed for the law that sponsors named the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, saying it would reduce wildfires in national forests by thinning trees while also limiting appeals and environmental reviews of proposed timber sales. Environmentalists say the new law has undercut important protection for old-growth trees and remote, roadless areas.... Helicopter logging is gentler Although logging by helicopter makes up only 10 percent of the logging done on the Crescent Ranger District, the maneuverable aircraft are an essential tool when it comes to cutting down and removing trees with less of an impact, said Neil Bosworth, natural resources team leader for the ranger district. In order to log on Odell Butte, the logging company that bought the timber sale from the Forest Service had to use helicopters for portions because in parts the land had more than a 30 percent grade. According to Forest Service regulations, skids and tractors may be used for logging land that has less than a 30 percent grade.... U.S. Says Sierra Logging Promotion Legal A controversial ad campaign that promotes the Forest Service's plan to triple logging in Sierra Nevada forests does not violate federal law, the Agriculture Department has ruled. Citing the opinion of the department's general counsel, Inspector General Phyllis K. Fong declined a request by two Democratic congressmen to investigate the $90,000 contract given a San Francisco public relations firm.... Logs create new salmon hideaway Juvenile salmon trying to grow up in a side channel of the Sultan River now have a place to hide until they get big enough to swim to sea. And to tiny salmon, the place is huge. A helicopter was used Wednesday to drop more than 60 logs and stumps into Winter's Creek just west of town. By crisscrossing the logs over the slow-moving stream, wildlife officials created a place for tiny salmon to avoid predators, including blue herons and cutthroat trout.... State to join feds in managing wolves to speed delisting Montana's wildlife agency is preparing to join the federal government in management of federally protected wolves, the ultimate aim being to speed delisting of the animals. "We're going to take it slow, but with the federal funds recently made available we can expand the state's role while we continue to work toward the rapid federal delisting of the gray wolf in our region," said Jeff Hagener, director of the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.... Feds offer looted artifact deal Federal prosecutors in the Four Corners states began a 90-day amnesty Thursday for people with illegally obtained ancient Indian artifacts, such as pots or stone tools. Looters or buyers of artifacts can return them by August 18, "no questions asked," said U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico. Federal prosecutors in Arizona, Colorado and Utah also are taking part in the amnesty.... Environmental Center criticizes BLM Otero Mesa plan The Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces says the US Bureau of Land Management is not following federal requirements in its plan for drilling on Otero Mesa. That’s despite amending the plan and opening a public comment period. The environmental center calls a provision to restore desert grasslands on the mesa untested. It says the plan has undergone no independent public or scientific scrutiny, contrary to the National Environmental Policy Act.... Column: Obesity a Thin Excuse for Supersizing Federal Land Grabs But give credit to the champions of big-government: They will never miss an opportunity to grab a larger piece of America for control by government. Taking advantage of studies showing 20 percent of Americans are "obese" (typically defined as a rather modest 20 percent above a ridiculously slender "ideal" body weight), the federal land-grabbers twisted the findings to suit their own ends and swung into action. Old CARA activists have re-created it, virtually word for word, and now call it the Get Outdoors (GO) Act. Unbelievable, isn't it? But it's true. "Obesity is a public health crisis of the first order, and the Get Outdoors Act is a sensible way to help mitigate that public health crisis," said Congressman George Miller (D-California), House co-sponsor of the bill.... Rural road war heats up again The détente in the war with the federal government over road rights of way on public lands in Utah is over. Last week, the Utah Attorney General's Office "augmented" the state's earlier threat to sue the U.S. Department of Interior over thousands of contested routes across federal public lands, most of them in southern Utah. It was unclear Wednesday whether the apparent renewed threat to sue had the blessing of Utah Gov. Olene Walker, who has stated recently that her office was pursuing a non-litigation strategy for resolving the road disputes. At the heart of the issue is the ongoing debate over how much land in Utah qualifies for federally protected wilderness, which by definition must be free of roads.... Enviros sue over methane projects Four environmental groups sued U.S. Department of Interior officials Thursday, claiming they failed to reduce air pollution expected from coalbed methane development in Montana and Wyoming. They said the pollution will harm public health and cause haze in national parks and wilderness areas. The suit says the government must limit air pollution from an estimated 100,000 oil and gas wells and 23,000 miles of new roads authorized for 33 million acres in the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming.... NYT Editorial: A Rare Consensus on Clean Air After more than three years of steady criticism for its regressive policies on air pollution, the Bush administration is enjoying well-deserved praise for a new regulatory initiative that will greatly reduce harmful emissions from diesel-powered construction equipment and other off-road machinery. The rule will apply to engines in more than six million pieces of equipment, everything from bulldozers to tractors and airport baggage trucks. Off-road diesel engines account for a quarter of the smog-producing pollutants and more than half of the soot from mobile sources. They are believed to be responsible for 12,000 premature deaths annually as well as hundreds of thousands of respiratory illnesses. The rule is the most important clean air initiative to originate in and be brought to fruition by the Bush administration.... Senate Bill Aims to Upgrade Miss., Ill. Rivers Senate lawmakers introduced legislation on Thursday that would spend nearly $4 billion to add seven new locks and make environmental improvements to the Mississippi and Illinois river system. Several farm groups contend that without better locks and dams on the rivers it will be difficult to compete with other countries in export markets, but environmentalists and independent reviewers have argued that future traffic projections for the river were exaggerated. The bipartisan legislation, which mirrored a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said modernizing the lock-and-dam system on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers is necessary to handle a projected increase in freight shipments.... Sierra Club Asks Court to Disallow Judge The Sierra Club asked a federal appeals court to overturn President Bush's appointment of its newest member, saying the pick was illegally made during a congressional recess. Environmentalists object to former Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor because they fear his "extremist view of the Constitution" could erode federal environmental laws, Sierra Club attorney Pat Gallagher said.... Column: Democrats Hinder U.S. Pursuit of Economic and Energy Security The Alaskan North Slope, located in the frigid regions above the Arctic Circle on the shores of the Beaufort Sea, represents one of America's most prolific oil and gas provinces and is among the most promising areas for prospective new discoveries. Major finds on the North Slope, including the Lisburne, Endicott, Milne Point and Kuparuk oil fields, as well as the Super Giant Prudhoe Bay oil field, have accounted for as much as 25 percent of domestic production. But today North Slope production is in decline, having reached its peak of just over 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 1988.... Vesicular Stomatitis Confirmed in West Texas; First Case Since 1998 The country's first case of vesicular stomatitis (VS) since 1998 was confirmed Wednesday, May 19, on a premise with nine horses and eight head of cattle near Balmorhea, in Reeves County in west Texas. VS is a viral disease that occurs sporadically in the United States, usually in the Southwest. The disease can affect horses, cattle, and pigs, and occasionally, sheep, goats and deer, causing blisters to form in the animal's mouth, on teats, or along the hooves, resulting in excessive salivation, lameness, or oozing sores. The clinical signs of VS can cause concern because they mimic those of a highly contagious foreign animal infection--foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)--which has been eradicated in this country since 1929.... USDA Admits Problems with Canada Beef Imports Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday scolded the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its performance in protecting consumers against mad cow disease after the agency admitted it allowed Canadian beef imports that went beyond previously announced restrictions. Following a briefing by USDA officials on Capitol Hill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, said the USDA admitted "mistakes were made" and products were allowed entry that were not on public lists. Charles Stenholm, the Democratic leader on the farm panel, said USDA's performance marked "a breakdown in the process."....
Crossing the Red Line Two of the books under review, Bush Versus the Environment and Strategic Ignorance, include climate and energy policy as one example of many in a catalog of administration environmental follies. But it must be said that criticizing Bush's policies on the environment is depressingly easy to do. For more than three years now, day after day and week after week, a small circle of political appointees at the EPA, the Forest Service, the Interior Department, and the Department of Agriculture have proceeded methodically to wreck the system of environmental oversight that dates back to the Nixon administration. Apart from their silence on global warming, they have overturned rule after regulation, largely ceased enforcement actions concerning pollution of the atmosphere and water, and reined in inspectors. Their work is not inspired by a grand ideological vision—it's not like Bush's foreign policy, say, with its idea of America dominating the world. Instead it's institutionalized corruption: a steady payback to the logging, mining, corporate farming, fossil fuel, and other industries that contributed heavily to put Bush in power.... Walden reports progress in air-tanker discussion Talks between the Federal Aviation Administration), the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service aimed at designing a system to certify the airworthiness of fire tankers are progressing well, according to U.S. Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR), Chairman of the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. The agencies met Wednesday afternoon in Washington, D.C.... U.S. Touts Forestry Law Success in Court Since December, when President Bush signed a new forestry law, the government has won 17 straight court cases favoring timber cutting over challenges by environmentalists. Bush pushed for the law that sponsors named the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, saying it would reduce wildfires in national forests by thinning trees while also limiting appeals and environmental reviews of proposed timber sales. Environmentalists say the new law has undercut important protection for old-growth trees and remote, roadless areas.... Helicopter logging is gentler Although logging by helicopter makes up only 10 percent of the logging done on the Crescent Ranger District, the maneuverable aircraft are an essential tool when it comes to cutting down and removing trees with less of an impact, said Neil Bosworth, natural resources team leader for the ranger district. In order to log on Odell Butte, the logging company that bought the timber sale from the Forest Service had to use helicopters for portions because in parts the land had more than a 30 percent grade. According to Forest Service regulations, skids and tractors may be used for logging land that has less than a 30 percent grade.... U.S. Says Sierra Logging Promotion Legal A controversial ad campaign that promotes the Forest Service's plan to triple logging in Sierra Nevada forests does not violate federal law, the Agriculture Department has ruled. Citing the opinion of the department's general counsel, Inspector General Phyllis K. Fong declined a request by two Democratic congressmen to investigate the $90,000 contract given a San Francisco public relations firm.... Logs create new salmon hideaway Juvenile salmon trying to grow up in a side channel of the Sultan River now have a place to hide until they get big enough to swim to sea. And to tiny salmon, the place is huge. A helicopter was used Wednesday to drop more than 60 logs and stumps into Winter's Creek just west of town. By crisscrossing the logs over the slow-moving stream, wildlife officials created a place for tiny salmon to avoid predators, including blue herons and cutthroat trout.... State to join feds in managing wolves to speed delisting Montana's wildlife agency is preparing to join the federal government in management of federally protected wolves, the ultimate aim being to speed delisting of the animals. "We're going to take it slow, but with the federal funds recently made available we can expand the state's role while we continue to work toward the rapid federal delisting of the gray wolf in our region," said Jeff Hagener, director of the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.... Feds offer looted artifact deal Federal prosecutors in the Four Corners states began a 90-day amnesty Thursday for people with illegally obtained ancient Indian artifacts, such as pots or stone tools. Looters or buyers of artifacts can return them by August 18, "no questions asked," said U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico. Federal prosecutors in Arizona, Colorado and Utah also are taking part in the amnesty.... Environmental Center criticizes BLM Otero Mesa plan The Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces says the US Bureau of Land Management is not following federal requirements in its plan for drilling on Otero Mesa. That’s despite amending the plan and opening a public comment period. The environmental center calls a provision to restore desert grasslands on the mesa untested. It says the plan has undergone no independent public or scientific scrutiny, contrary to the National Environmental Policy Act.... Column: Obesity a Thin Excuse for Supersizing Federal Land Grabs But give credit to the champions of big-government: They will never miss an opportunity to grab a larger piece of America for control by government. Taking advantage of studies showing 20 percent of Americans are "obese" (typically defined as a rather modest 20 percent above a ridiculously slender "ideal" body weight), the federal land-grabbers twisted the findings to suit their own ends and swung into action. Old CARA activists have re-created it, virtually word for word, and now call it the Get Outdoors (GO) Act. Unbelievable, isn't it? But it's true. "Obesity is a public health crisis of the first order, and the Get Outdoors Act is a sensible way to help mitigate that public health crisis," said Congressman George Miller (D-California), House co-sponsor of the bill.... Rural road war heats up again The détente in the war with the federal government over road rights of way on public lands in Utah is over. Last week, the Utah Attorney General's Office "augmented" the state's earlier threat to sue the U.S. Department of Interior over thousands of contested routes across federal public lands, most of them in southern Utah. It was unclear Wednesday whether the apparent renewed threat to sue had the blessing of Utah Gov. Olene Walker, who has stated recently that her office was pursuing a non-litigation strategy for resolving the road disputes. At the heart of the issue is the ongoing debate over how much land in Utah qualifies for federally protected wilderness, which by definition must be free of roads.... Enviros sue over methane projects Four environmental groups sued U.S. Department of Interior officials Thursday, claiming they failed to reduce air pollution expected from coalbed methane development in Montana and Wyoming. They said the pollution will harm public health and cause haze in national parks and wilderness areas. The suit says the government must limit air pollution from an estimated 100,000 oil and gas wells and 23,000 miles of new roads authorized for 33 million acres in the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming.... NYT Editorial: A Rare Consensus on Clean Air After more than three years of steady criticism for its regressive policies on air pollution, the Bush administration is enjoying well-deserved praise for a new regulatory initiative that will greatly reduce harmful emissions from diesel-powered construction equipment and other off-road machinery. The rule will apply to engines in more than six million pieces of equipment, everything from bulldozers to tractors and airport baggage trucks. Off-road diesel engines account for a quarter of the smog-producing pollutants and more than half of the soot from mobile sources. They are believed to be responsible for 12,000 premature deaths annually as well as hundreds of thousands of respiratory illnesses. The rule is the most important clean air initiative to originate in and be brought to fruition by the Bush administration.... Senate Bill Aims to Upgrade Miss., Ill. Rivers Senate lawmakers introduced legislation on Thursday that would spend nearly $4 billion to add seven new locks and make environmental improvements to the Mississippi and Illinois river system. Several farm groups contend that without better locks and dams on the rivers it will be difficult to compete with other countries in export markets, but environmentalists and independent reviewers have argued that future traffic projections for the river were exaggerated. The bipartisan legislation, which mirrored a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said modernizing the lock-and-dam system on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers is necessary to handle a projected increase in freight shipments.... Sierra Club Asks Court to Disallow Judge The Sierra Club asked a federal appeals court to overturn President Bush's appointment of its newest member, saying the pick was illegally made during a congressional recess. Environmentalists object to former Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor because they fear his "extremist view of the Constitution" could erode federal environmental laws, Sierra Club attorney Pat Gallagher said.... Column: Democrats Hinder U.S. Pursuit of Economic and Energy Security The Alaskan North Slope, located in the frigid regions above the Arctic Circle on the shores of the Beaufort Sea, represents one of America's most prolific oil and gas provinces and is among the most promising areas for prospective new discoveries. Major finds on the North Slope, including the Lisburne, Endicott, Milne Point and Kuparuk oil fields, as well as the Super Giant Prudhoe Bay oil field, have accounted for as much as 25 percent of domestic production. But today North Slope production is in decline, having reached its peak of just over 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 1988.... Vesicular Stomatitis Confirmed in West Texas; First Case Since 1998 The country's first case of vesicular stomatitis (VS) since 1998 was confirmed Wednesday, May 19, on a premise with nine horses and eight head of cattle near Balmorhea, in Reeves County in west Texas. VS is a viral disease that occurs sporadically in the United States, usually in the Southwest. The disease can affect horses, cattle, and pigs, and occasionally, sheep, goats and deer, causing blisters to form in the animal's mouth, on teats, or along the hooves, resulting in excessive salivation, lameness, or oozing sores. The clinical signs of VS can cause concern because they mimic those of a highly contagious foreign animal infection--foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)--which has been eradicated in this country since 1929.... USDA Admits Problems with Canada Beef Imports Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday scolded the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its performance in protecting consumers against mad cow disease after the agency admitted it allowed Canadian beef imports that went beyond previously announced restrictions. Following a briefing by USDA officials on Capitol Hill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, said the USDA admitted "mistakes were made" and products were allowed entry that were not on public lists. Charles Stenholm, the Democratic leader on the farm panel, said USDA's performance marked "a breakdown in the process."....
DIAMOND BAR CATTLE COMPANY
Court Allows Laney to Attend Benefit Concert
ORDER ALLOWING TRAVEL
This matter having come before the Court Upon Defendant's Motion to Allow Travel, and the Court having been advised in the premises, finds the Motion to be well taken.
It is therefore ordered that defendant Kit Laney be allowed to travel to TorC, New Mexico on May 22 through May 23, 2004 for the purposes of attending a benefit in his honor and to meet with his attorneys. Mr. Laney shall be accompanied by Bob Jones, his third-party custodian. All other pre-trial conditions of release shall remain the same.
/s/
The Honorable John Conway
United States District Court Judge
Court Allows Laney to Attend Benefit Concert
ORDER ALLOWING TRAVEL
This matter having come before the Court Upon Defendant's Motion to Allow Travel, and the Court having been advised in the premises, finds the Motion to be well taken.
It is therefore ordered that defendant Kit Laney be allowed to travel to TorC, New Mexico on May 22 through May 23, 2004 for the purposes of attending a benefit in his honor and to meet with his attorneys. Mr. Laney shall be accompanied by Bob Jones, his third-party custodian. All other pre-trial conditions of release shall remain the same.
/s/
The Honorable John Conway
United States District Court Judge
Klump Country Blues
A scrappy little breeze careens through the Dos Cabezas Pioneer Cemetery, setting tufts of grass dancing among the cock-eyed grave stones. Amid this rambunctious parley of wind, spirit and bone, John and Delia Klump share eternal views east to the Dos Cabezas Mountains and south to the sunburned flats of Sulphur Springs Valley.
Strong, lanky and tough, John Sherman Klump arrived in these hills before statehood, before the Endangered Species Act, before such things as tree-huggers, trail joggers and grazing fees. It was rough-and-tumble country back then; lovely country, a land where hard-working folks could live simple and free.
Klump spent his early manhood riding the range, raising kids and dispensing meager family funds in Willcox saloons. When his first wife hit the road, he cleaned up his act, got hitched to pretty Delia and settled into respectable child-rearing. Before many years had passed, his prodigious progeny would total six boys and a girl. In turn, these youngsters would grow into pillars of ranching power, their combined holdings nearing 300,000 acres of range land stretched across southeastern Arizona and New Mexico.
In recent years, some Klumps would also make a name for themselves as rural rebels, spending much of their time fighting for a cause that city folks--and some of their own colleagues--find awfully far-fetched.
Up the road in downtown Tucson, one of those six sons, Luther Wallace "Wally" Klump, sits upright as Federal District Judge John Roll strides into the courtroom one day earlier this month. Even after a year in prison, Wally is a deeply etched, rustic figure. He's here because, in the end, he was forced to bend....
A scrappy little breeze careens through the Dos Cabezas Pioneer Cemetery, setting tufts of grass dancing among the cock-eyed grave stones. Amid this rambunctious parley of wind, spirit and bone, John and Delia Klump share eternal views east to the Dos Cabezas Mountains and south to the sunburned flats of Sulphur Springs Valley.
Strong, lanky and tough, John Sherman Klump arrived in these hills before statehood, before the Endangered Species Act, before such things as tree-huggers, trail joggers and grazing fees. It was rough-and-tumble country back then; lovely country, a land where hard-working folks could live simple and free.
Klump spent his early manhood riding the range, raising kids and dispensing meager family funds in Willcox saloons. When his first wife hit the road, he cleaned up his act, got hitched to pretty Delia and settled into respectable child-rearing. Before many years had passed, his prodigious progeny would total six boys and a girl. In turn, these youngsters would grow into pillars of ranching power, their combined holdings nearing 300,000 acres of range land stretched across southeastern Arizona and New Mexico.
In recent years, some Klumps would also make a name for themselves as rural rebels, spending much of their time fighting for a cause that city folks--and some of their own colleagues--find awfully far-fetched.
Up the road in downtown Tucson, one of those six sons, Luther Wallace "Wally" Klump, sits upright as Federal District Judge John Roll strides into the courtroom one day earlier this month. Even after a year in prison, Wally is a deeply etched, rustic figure. He's here because, in the end, he was forced to bend....
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Forest board member criticized for Daschle ad A member of the Black Hills Forest Advisory Board was criticized Wednesday for appearing in a political advertisement, then he was elected chairman of the group. Deadwood campground owner Tom Blair appears in a television ad for Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D. Blair praises Daschle for his work on forest issues, and a caption in the ad identifies Blair as a member of the advisory board.... Wilderness areas remain in grassland plan The new management plan for the national grasslands in this region, affirmed by a top U.S. Department of Agriculture official, recommends two new wilderness areas in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in southwest South Dakota. Recommended are a 23,890-acre wilderness area at Indian Creek northwest of Sheep Mountain Table and a 14,820-acre wilderness area in the Red Shirt area. Congressional action is required to create wilderness areas. Sens. Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., have not taken positions on the proposals.... Tribal cultural experts travel to the Badger-Two Medicine area "We want to tell the public about the sacredness of the area and the whole Badger-Two Medicine because of the treaty rights," said Keith Tatsey of the Blackfeet Extension Office. "The main thing is the developers are not taking us into consideration yet, but they will have to." Tatsey reported Monday that he would be taking a group into the 150,000-acre area bordering the western edge of the Blackfeet Reservation. Long under fire for potential development for oil and gas, the U.S. Forest Service issued a moratorium on exploration and development when former Forest Supervisor Gloria Flora established the new policy in 1997. But the war in Iraq and an aggressive national energy policy have put the entire Rocky Mountain Front in Montana in developers' sites, making previously protected places potentially open to industrial development.... Long-awaited job competition appeals rights measure introduced Bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday would expand federal employees' opportunities for challenging agency decisions to outsource work, and would open the door for union involvement in job competition appeals. The bill would amend the 1984 Competition in Contracting Act to grant "agency tender officials," the formal representatives of in-house teams, and other officials elected to represent team members, legal standing to protest job competition decisions at the General Accounting Office after losing agency-level appeals. Drafted by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and co-sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., it would apply to challenges of contests started after Jan. 1, 2004.... Cubin wants money for firefighter pilot insurance Wyoming lawmaker Barbara Cubin is keeping an eye out for possible legislative maneuvering related to the grounding of 33 tanker planes used to fight wildfires. The Republican congresswoman said she plans to try to attach a proposal she has been pushing to provide federal death and disability benefits for aerial firefighters. Because the aerial firefighters work for companies that contract with the federal government they are not eligible for the death and disability benefits that other firefighters receive.... Lion killed in Sabino Canyon is 2nd by Game officials A mountain lion shot over the weekend is the second lion shot by Arizona Game and Fish since April, when the cats were reported stalking humans in Sabino Canyon. Trackers hired by the agency shot and killed a lion stalking a mountain biker in the Sonoita area in mid-April, Arizona Game and Fish spokesman Tom Whetten told the Arizona Daily Star.... Will growth take the wild out of wilderness? Rangers who patrol wilderness lands for the U.S. Forest Service learned yesterday they will face an increasingly tough task of protecting those special places as the population soars and demands on public lands skyrocket. Forest Service researcher Ken Cordell told an audience of about 40 rangers in Aspen that the country's population is expected to double in the next century, and a significant amount of that growth will occur in rural areas close to wilderness. "We need to think of the implications of this population growth," he told the rangers, who came from throughout the West for the Wilderness Ranger Academy, a special event hosted by the Aspen Ranger District.... Why do we love wilderness? A national survey shows people don't give a hoot if wilderness areas give an economic boost to tourist towns like Aspen. They like wilderness lands for what they do for nature. A recent survey showed the two highest-valued aspects of wilderness are protection of air quality and water quality, according to Ken Cordell, a U.S. Forest Service researcher from Athens, Ga. Providing wildlife habitat and providing protection for endangered species ranked as the third and fourth highest-valued characteristics of wilderness.... Editorial: Airborne firefighting In Southern California, wildfires have returned with fury unabated from last fall. Across the West, drought and a hot spring have reduced water supplies, leading fire officials to say that the current blazes have the potential to be as terrible as the 2000 and 2002 seasons'. Many hands and much luck will be required to avoid catastrophic losses. Many aircraft also will be needed, and policy-makers should investigate the airplanes now idling at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon, Ariz. Davis-Monthan is the home base of the 355th Wing of the 12th Air Force, but it also serves as a major storage area for excess and decommissioned aircraft. More than 5,000 aircraft now sit there, including many air tankers that might be refitted to drop fire retardant.... Forest Service calls snowmobile regulations a success Separation of snowmobiles from quieter forms of winter recreation in a popular Sierra meadow appears to be working well three years after the regulations were put in place, U.S. Forest Service officials said. But the woman who led efforts to ban snowmobiles from most of the Tahoe Meadows insists the government is failing to address continued trespass of the machines into wilderness areas.... Editorial: Saving Montana's Rocky Mountain Front - again Responsible natural resource development works in many places around Montana. Responsible mining and drilling will be a part of Montana's future. But there are some places that development simply isn't responsible. One of those rare, special places is the Rocky Mountain Front - 100 miles of breathtaking landscape where mountains collide with plains south of Glacier National Park. The Front has been described as an American Serengeti. Here all of the wildlife Lewis and Clark observed on their trek of 1805-1806 still flourish, except for buffalo. It's one of the few places anywhere where grizzlies inhabit mountains and plains. Defenders of the Front have waged repeated battles over the years to conserve this beautiful public land. But each victory for local conservationists gives way to new development plans. The latest push comes from a small Canadian firm that proposes drilling three exploratory gas wells.... Environmentalists sue over Medicine Lake geothermal plans Environmental groups have sued the federal government over geothermal projects it has approved in the remote Medicine Lake Highlands region considered sacred by Indian tribes. The suit, filed Tuesday and announced Wednesday, challenges approval of the first two geothermal power plants proposed by Calpine Corp. Both would be built within the Medicine Lake caldera, the remnant of an ancient volcano 30 miles east of Mt. Shasta and 10 miles south of the Lava Beds National Monument in northeastern California.... Crews use electricity to stun, remove non-native fish from Yampa Pfeifer and his crew of five Fish and Wildlife employees have been trolling the Yampa River for the past week on boats equipped with 30 horsepower engines on the back and anodes on the front. The anodes --metal spheres hung from rods extended about 12 feet in front of the boat -- emit a positive charge of about 4 amps that temporarily stun fish, said Mark Fuller, a fisheries biologist. That morning, they pulled 42 pike from the river in about an hour and 15 minutes. Pfeifer called it an average morning. The week before, they pulled 102 pike from the same area. The stretch of the Yampa the crew trolled was upstream from critical habitat for the humpback chub, pikeminnow, and razorback sucker -- all endangered species.... Federal whistleblower quits, alleges politicization of science A federal biologist who said his team's advice was illegally ignored prior to a massive 2002 Klamath River fish kill has resigned, accusing the government of politicizing scientific decision-making and misleading the public. Michael Kelly had sought federal whistleblower protection after he complained the Bush administration violated the Endangered Species Act by pressuring for altered scientific findings by the review team he led for the National Marine Fisheries Service, now NOAA Fisheries. "My efforts were ultimately unproductive," Kelly laments in his resignation letter, released Wednesday through Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represented Kelly in the whistleblower case first reported by The Associated Press.... Massive bear study ready to start An unprecedented grizzly bear population study covering 8 million acres of the northern Rockies is set to begin June 15, and other research has revealed some surprising findings about grizzly behavior in the Swan Valley. Those topics headlined a Wednesday meeting of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Subcommittee in Kalispell. U.S. Geological Survey scientist Kate Kendall outlined a complicated logistical picture that has taken shape for the upcoming DNA-based population study. Roughly 170 people will be involved with collecting bear hair samples from more than 8 million acres considered occupied by grizzlies. The area stretches from the Blackfoot River basin to the northern border of Glacier National Park and from the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Front to some areas west of U.S. 93.... Groups seek grizzly trophy hunting ban Conservation groups want the U.S. government to ban American hunters from bringing grizzly bears killed in British Columbia back across the border as trophies. The groups contend the hunts, which are legal in British Columbia, threaten the long-term survival of the bears on both sides of the border. Since American hunters make up about 80 percent of the foreigners who visit Canada each year to hunt grizzlies, the groups hope such a ban could dramatically cut the number of bears killed. Some bear experts question the groups' contention that the hunts are a major threat, and Canadian hunting guides say they would oppose such a ban because of the potential loss of business.... Preble's Mouse Exceptions Permanent A special rule that allows for the threatened Preble's jumping mouse to be killed or trapped was made permanent Wednesday in a decision hailed by some as a victory for Front Range farmers and ranchers. Under the rule, the mouse, found only in Colorado and Wyoming, can be killed, wounded or trapped as part of rodent control, agricultural operations or other specific activities. The rule was set to expire on Saturday, regional Fish and Wildlife director Ralph Morgenweck said.... Greenpeace acquitted in U.S. ship-boarding case A U.S. judge on Wednesday acquitted environmental protection group Greenpeace on charges it conspired to break the law by sending activists aboard a freighter carrying illegally felled mahogany. The politically charged case dusted off a law not used since 1890 to bring the first criminal prosecution by U.S. authorities of an advocacy group for civil disobedience. U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan granted a Greenpeace motion to dismiss the charges after the prosecution rested its case on the third day of trial, a Greenpeace lawyer said. The judge ruled federal prosecutors had failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.... Darwinian shift: survival of the smallest It's a rule every weekend angler knows: Throw back the small fish. It helps the population survive long term. Right? Wrong. Mounting evidence suggests that by harvesting only the biggest fish - or biggest mammals, for that matter - mankind is unwittingly forcing many species to evolve rapidly. This process, called "contemporary evolution," isn't taking place over centuries. It's on a fast track that can happen within a few decades. At a minimum, these changes can reduce a species' economic value. At worst, they can help drive it to extinction. And while that may not be news to biologists, it's throwing a Darwinian challenge to those who manage wildlife, preserve habitats, deal with endangered species, and control invasive species.... Panhandle hunter says he shot threatened bear in self defense A deer hunter charged with shooting and killing a black bear, a threatened species, says he acted in self-defense. William Kevin Holland, 42, of Pensacola, said Tuesday that he shot the bear on Feb. 13 after it stood on its hind legs 50 to 70 feet away and then dropped down on all fours and came toward him. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrested him Friday.... Column: Federal Agency Using Local Fire Code to Attempt Land Grab The responsibility of local fire districts around the nation are abruptly changing from fire protection to facilitating access to private properties by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), under the auspices of fire protection. USFWS's agenda is to look for and map endangered species and wildlife habitats. This is happening through the establishment of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP), which are severely restricting or eliminating private property rights around the nation. Local adoption of an international fire code, called the Urban Wildand Intermix Code (UWIC), is the first step toward creating a local HCP. Following is an open letter sent to all fire districts and district boards in Santa Cruz County, California.... Prairie butterflies Dana Ross had suspicions about the hilltop meadow near Corvallis. The grassy area seemed to be a suitable home for a rarely seen prairie butterfly, but only a hike to the top would confirm it. The Corvallis resident quickly hiked to the hilltop, where he found an estimated 500 of the imperiled butterflies flitting through the meadow. Ross's discovery last month in Benton County's Beazell Memorial Forest is only the second population of Taylor's checkerspot known to exist in Oregon after its rapid decline during the past century.... Park County considers lone course in wolf lawsuit Instead of joining a coalition, Park County Commissioners are leaning toward filing as a lone intervener in the lawsuit filed by the State of Wyoming against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To best support the state's "dual status" wolf management plan, the county should do it alone instead of with the Wolf Challenge Initiative, County Attorney Bryan Skoric told commissioners Wednesday. The commissioners had considered three options, two of which involved various levels of jumping on board with the Wolf Challenge Initiative (WCI), a coalition of governments and special interest groups unified in their support of the state-proposed "dual status" plan to remove the wolves from Endangered and Species Act protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the plan in January and approved single-status (trophy game) plans in Montana and Idaho. Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank filed suit April 22, saying the state has a right also to consider the wolf a "predator" that can be shot on sight due to the animals negative effect on Wyoming residents.... BLM apologizes for missing mark over range deal The Bureau of Land Management apologized Wednesday for spending seven years studying a possible gun range site, only to abruptly drop the plan saying it didn't conform with BLM policy. The decision was better late than never, said the agency's new Redding-area director, Steve Anderson.... W. Utah wilds area gets a green light After changes to pacify earlier widespread opposition, the House Resources Committee endorsed Wednesday a Utah wilderness bill — but one where creating new wilderness takes a back seat to far bigger goals. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, is pushing the bill mostly to block a proposed nuclear waste repository on the Goshute Reservation in Skull Valley, an action he says in turn would help protect Hill Air Force Base in upcoming base closure fights. Wilderness that the bill would create would block a railroad needed for the waste repository sought by the Goshutes. "It would make it impossible to have the repository there," Bishop said. He said that, in turn, would help to protect the vast Utah Test and Training Range operated by Hill.... Questar faces Wyoming drill delay over sage grouse Federal clearance for Questar Corp. (nyse: STR - news - people) to drill a natural gas test well near Pinedale, Wyoming has been delayed about a month because of concerns over a chicken-like bird called the sage grouse, Chief Executive Officer Keith Rattie said on Wednesday. Rattie said the Bureau of Land Management halted the test drill because waste from the sage grouse was found in the area, which may mean it breeds there. About 80 percent of Wyoming is considered greater sage grouse habitat.... Tribes propose casino to end Colorado land claim Two Oklahoma tribes stand to make more than $1 billion over a decade from a Colorado casino proposed to resolve the tribes' land claims, the project developer said Tuesday. Financial projections also show the state of Colorado collecting $1 billion over the same period, said Steve Hillard, chief executive officer for the developer, Council Tree Communications of Longmont, Colo. The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes last month filed a federal land claim to 27 million acres in Colorado, where the tribes lived until their forced removal to Oklahoma in the 1860s. Hillard said the tribes would drop that claim if allowed to build the casino.... Summer Escapist Movie Offers No Escape from Politics When a Hollywood disaster movie opens on Memorial Day weekend, there may be some drama outside the movie theater as well as inside: Liberal and conservative groups are both recruiting volunteers to hand out flyers explaining the "facts" on global warming. "The Day After Tomorrow" is a climate disaster movie about the apocalyptic effects of global warming. It is, by all accounts, more fiction than fact -- but even so, liberal activists at MoveOn.org believe "everyone will be talking about it -- and asking 'Could it really happen?'" MoveOn.org says the movie premiere offers "an unprecedented opportunity to talk to millions of Americans about the real dangers of global warming and expose President Bush's foot-dragging on the issue.".... Congressmen present plan to resolve irrigation dispute Sen. Conrad Burns and Rep. Denny Rehberg are looking to settle a dispute that has held up the transfer of irrigation projects on the Lower Yellowstone River for nearly six years. The Republican lawmakers outlined a deal during hearings Tuesday and Wednesday. The main impediment to the transfer from the federal government to local irrigation districts has been a disagreement over whether the projects can continue to be powered using virtually free federal electricity once they are operated by the local irrigation districts. Burns and Rehberg are proposing a gradual phase in of costs for the power, and the Bureau of Reclamation and power companies are looking over the plan.... White House backs aqueduct sign-over The Bush administration Wednesday endorsed a bill to sign over the title of two federal aqueducts to local Utah water users, saying it would make it easier to finance improvements to better protect the water and to prevent drownings. However, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys, a Utahn, said many minor changes are still needed in the bill sponsored by Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah. But he told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday that if those "technical corrections can be addressed, I believe the department could support passage of this legislation." The bill would transfer title of the 42-mile long Salt Lake Aqueduct (from Deer Creek Reservoir to Salt Lake County), the 22-mile Provo Reservoir Canal (also known as the Murdock Canal) and a 4-acre maintenance shop site to the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy.... Drought's consequences may be catastrophic Montana's sixth straight year of drought shows no signs of breaking this summer and could sound the death knell for family farmers and Main Street businesses alike, a new state report shows. The Governor's Drought Advisory Committee released its report on the 2004 growing season Thursday and concluded the odds for continued drought across much of the state is very high and the potential for the enduring drought to damage the 2004 crop is likewise high.... U.S. quietly OKs imports of banned Canada beef The Agriculture Department allowed American meatpackers to resume imports of ground and other processed beef from Canada last September, just weeks after it publicly reaffirmed its ban on importing those products because mad cow disease had been found in Canadian cattle. In the next six months, a total of 33 million pounds of Canadian processed beef flowed to American consumers under a series of undisclosed permits the USDA issued to the meatpackers, permits that remained in effect until a federal judge intervened in April....
Forest board member criticized for Daschle ad A member of the Black Hills Forest Advisory Board was criticized Wednesday for appearing in a political advertisement, then he was elected chairman of the group. Deadwood campground owner Tom Blair appears in a television ad for Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D. Blair praises Daschle for his work on forest issues, and a caption in the ad identifies Blair as a member of the advisory board.... Wilderness areas remain in grassland plan The new management plan for the national grasslands in this region, affirmed by a top U.S. Department of Agriculture official, recommends two new wilderness areas in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in southwest South Dakota. Recommended are a 23,890-acre wilderness area at Indian Creek northwest of Sheep Mountain Table and a 14,820-acre wilderness area in the Red Shirt area. Congressional action is required to create wilderness areas. Sens. Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., have not taken positions on the proposals.... Tribal cultural experts travel to the Badger-Two Medicine area "We want to tell the public about the sacredness of the area and the whole Badger-Two Medicine because of the treaty rights," said Keith Tatsey of the Blackfeet Extension Office. "The main thing is the developers are not taking us into consideration yet, but they will have to." Tatsey reported Monday that he would be taking a group into the 150,000-acre area bordering the western edge of the Blackfeet Reservation. Long under fire for potential development for oil and gas, the U.S. Forest Service issued a moratorium on exploration and development when former Forest Supervisor Gloria Flora established the new policy in 1997. But the war in Iraq and an aggressive national energy policy have put the entire Rocky Mountain Front in Montana in developers' sites, making previously protected places potentially open to industrial development.... Long-awaited job competition appeals rights measure introduced Bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday would expand federal employees' opportunities for challenging agency decisions to outsource work, and would open the door for union involvement in job competition appeals. The bill would amend the 1984 Competition in Contracting Act to grant "agency tender officials," the formal representatives of in-house teams, and other officials elected to represent team members, legal standing to protest job competition decisions at the General Accounting Office after losing agency-level appeals. Drafted by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and co-sponsored by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., it would apply to challenges of contests started after Jan. 1, 2004.... Cubin wants money for firefighter pilot insurance Wyoming lawmaker Barbara Cubin is keeping an eye out for possible legislative maneuvering related to the grounding of 33 tanker planes used to fight wildfires. The Republican congresswoman said she plans to try to attach a proposal she has been pushing to provide federal death and disability benefits for aerial firefighters. Because the aerial firefighters work for companies that contract with the federal government they are not eligible for the death and disability benefits that other firefighters receive.... Lion killed in Sabino Canyon is 2nd by Game officials A mountain lion shot over the weekend is the second lion shot by Arizona Game and Fish since April, when the cats were reported stalking humans in Sabino Canyon. Trackers hired by the agency shot and killed a lion stalking a mountain biker in the Sonoita area in mid-April, Arizona Game and Fish spokesman Tom Whetten told the Arizona Daily Star.... Will growth take the wild out of wilderness? Rangers who patrol wilderness lands for the U.S. Forest Service learned yesterday they will face an increasingly tough task of protecting those special places as the population soars and demands on public lands skyrocket. Forest Service researcher Ken Cordell told an audience of about 40 rangers in Aspen that the country's population is expected to double in the next century, and a significant amount of that growth will occur in rural areas close to wilderness. "We need to think of the implications of this population growth," he told the rangers, who came from throughout the West for the Wilderness Ranger Academy, a special event hosted by the Aspen Ranger District.... Why do we love wilderness? A national survey shows people don't give a hoot if wilderness areas give an economic boost to tourist towns like Aspen. They like wilderness lands for what they do for nature. A recent survey showed the two highest-valued aspects of wilderness are protection of air quality and water quality, according to Ken Cordell, a U.S. Forest Service researcher from Athens, Ga. Providing wildlife habitat and providing protection for endangered species ranked as the third and fourth highest-valued characteristics of wilderness.... Editorial: Airborne firefighting In Southern California, wildfires have returned with fury unabated from last fall. Across the West, drought and a hot spring have reduced water supplies, leading fire officials to say that the current blazes have the potential to be as terrible as the 2000 and 2002 seasons'. Many hands and much luck will be required to avoid catastrophic losses. Many aircraft also will be needed, and policy-makers should investigate the airplanes now idling at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon, Ariz. Davis-Monthan is the home base of the 355th Wing of the 12th Air Force, but it also serves as a major storage area for excess and decommissioned aircraft. More than 5,000 aircraft now sit there, including many air tankers that might be refitted to drop fire retardant.... Forest Service calls snowmobile regulations a success Separation of snowmobiles from quieter forms of winter recreation in a popular Sierra meadow appears to be working well three years after the regulations were put in place, U.S. Forest Service officials said. But the woman who led efforts to ban snowmobiles from most of the Tahoe Meadows insists the government is failing to address continued trespass of the machines into wilderness areas.... Editorial: Saving Montana's Rocky Mountain Front - again Responsible natural resource development works in many places around Montana. Responsible mining and drilling will be a part of Montana's future. But there are some places that development simply isn't responsible. One of those rare, special places is the Rocky Mountain Front - 100 miles of breathtaking landscape where mountains collide with plains south of Glacier National Park. The Front has been described as an American Serengeti. Here all of the wildlife Lewis and Clark observed on their trek of 1805-1806 still flourish, except for buffalo. It's one of the few places anywhere where grizzlies inhabit mountains and plains. Defenders of the Front have waged repeated battles over the years to conserve this beautiful public land. But each victory for local conservationists gives way to new development plans. The latest push comes from a small Canadian firm that proposes drilling three exploratory gas wells.... Environmentalists sue over Medicine Lake geothermal plans Environmental groups have sued the federal government over geothermal projects it has approved in the remote Medicine Lake Highlands region considered sacred by Indian tribes. The suit, filed Tuesday and announced Wednesday, challenges approval of the first two geothermal power plants proposed by Calpine Corp. Both would be built within the Medicine Lake caldera, the remnant of an ancient volcano 30 miles east of Mt. Shasta and 10 miles south of the Lava Beds National Monument in northeastern California.... Crews use electricity to stun, remove non-native fish from Yampa Pfeifer and his crew of five Fish and Wildlife employees have been trolling the Yampa River for the past week on boats equipped with 30 horsepower engines on the back and anodes on the front. The anodes --metal spheres hung from rods extended about 12 feet in front of the boat -- emit a positive charge of about 4 amps that temporarily stun fish, said Mark Fuller, a fisheries biologist. That morning, they pulled 42 pike from the river in about an hour and 15 minutes. Pfeifer called it an average morning. The week before, they pulled 102 pike from the same area. The stretch of the Yampa the crew trolled was upstream from critical habitat for the humpback chub, pikeminnow, and razorback sucker -- all endangered species.... Federal whistleblower quits, alleges politicization of science A federal biologist who said his team's advice was illegally ignored prior to a massive 2002 Klamath River fish kill has resigned, accusing the government of politicizing scientific decision-making and misleading the public. Michael Kelly had sought federal whistleblower protection after he complained the Bush administration violated the Endangered Species Act by pressuring for altered scientific findings by the review team he led for the National Marine Fisheries Service, now NOAA Fisheries. "My efforts were ultimately unproductive," Kelly laments in his resignation letter, released Wednesday through Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represented Kelly in the whistleblower case first reported by The Associated Press.... Massive bear study ready to start An unprecedented grizzly bear population study covering 8 million acres of the northern Rockies is set to begin June 15, and other research has revealed some surprising findings about grizzly behavior in the Swan Valley. Those topics headlined a Wednesday meeting of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Subcommittee in Kalispell. U.S. Geological Survey scientist Kate Kendall outlined a complicated logistical picture that has taken shape for the upcoming DNA-based population study. Roughly 170 people will be involved with collecting bear hair samples from more than 8 million acres considered occupied by grizzlies. The area stretches from the Blackfoot River basin to the northern border of Glacier National Park and from the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Front to some areas west of U.S. 93.... Groups seek grizzly trophy hunting ban Conservation groups want the U.S. government to ban American hunters from bringing grizzly bears killed in British Columbia back across the border as trophies. The groups contend the hunts, which are legal in British Columbia, threaten the long-term survival of the bears on both sides of the border. Since American hunters make up about 80 percent of the foreigners who visit Canada each year to hunt grizzlies, the groups hope such a ban could dramatically cut the number of bears killed. Some bear experts question the groups' contention that the hunts are a major threat, and Canadian hunting guides say they would oppose such a ban because of the potential loss of business.... Preble's Mouse Exceptions Permanent A special rule that allows for the threatened Preble's jumping mouse to be killed or trapped was made permanent Wednesday in a decision hailed by some as a victory for Front Range farmers and ranchers. Under the rule, the mouse, found only in Colorado and Wyoming, can be killed, wounded or trapped as part of rodent control, agricultural operations or other specific activities. The rule was set to expire on Saturday, regional Fish and Wildlife director Ralph Morgenweck said.... Greenpeace acquitted in U.S. ship-boarding case A U.S. judge on Wednesday acquitted environmental protection group Greenpeace on charges it conspired to break the law by sending activists aboard a freighter carrying illegally felled mahogany. The politically charged case dusted off a law not used since 1890 to bring the first criminal prosecution by U.S. authorities of an advocacy group for civil disobedience. U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan granted a Greenpeace motion to dismiss the charges after the prosecution rested its case on the third day of trial, a Greenpeace lawyer said. The judge ruled federal prosecutors had failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.... Darwinian shift: survival of the smallest It's a rule every weekend angler knows: Throw back the small fish. It helps the population survive long term. Right? Wrong. Mounting evidence suggests that by harvesting only the biggest fish - or biggest mammals, for that matter - mankind is unwittingly forcing many species to evolve rapidly. This process, called "contemporary evolution," isn't taking place over centuries. It's on a fast track that can happen within a few decades. At a minimum, these changes can reduce a species' economic value. At worst, they can help drive it to extinction. And while that may not be news to biologists, it's throwing a Darwinian challenge to those who manage wildlife, preserve habitats, deal with endangered species, and control invasive species.... Panhandle hunter says he shot threatened bear in self defense A deer hunter charged with shooting and killing a black bear, a threatened species, says he acted in self-defense. William Kevin Holland, 42, of Pensacola, said Tuesday that he shot the bear on Feb. 13 after it stood on its hind legs 50 to 70 feet away and then dropped down on all fours and came toward him. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrested him Friday.... Column: Federal Agency Using Local Fire Code to Attempt Land Grab The responsibility of local fire districts around the nation are abruptly changing from fire protection to facilitating access to private properties by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), under the auspices of fire protection. USFWS's agenda is to look for and map endangered species and wildlife habitats. This is happening through the establishment of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP), which are severely restricting or eliminating private property rights around the nation. Local adoption of an international fire code, called the Urban Wildand Intermix Code (UWIC), is the first step toward creating a local HCP. Following is an open letter sent to all fire districts and district boards in Santa Cruz County, California.... Prairie butterflies Dana Ross had suspicions about the hilltop meadow near Corvallis. The grassy area seemed to be a suitable home for a rarely seen prairie butterfly, but only a hike to the top would confirm it. The Corvallis resident quickly hiked to the hilltop, where he found an estimated 500 of the imperiled butterflies flitting through the meadow. Ross's discovery last month in Benton County's Beazell Memorial Forest is only the second population of Taylor's checkerspot known to exist in Oregon after its rapid decline during the past century.... Park County considers lone course in wolf lawsuit Instead of joining a coalition, Park County Commissioners are leaning toward filing as a lone intervener in the lawsuit filed by the State of Wyoming against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To best support the state's "dual status" wolf management plan, the county should do it alone instead of with the Wolf Challenge Initiative, County Attorney Bryan Skoric told commissioners Wednesday. The commissioners had considered three options, two of which involved various levels of jumping on board with the Wolf Challenge Initiative (WCI), a coalition of governments and special interest groups unified in their support of the state-proposed "dual status" plan to remove the wolves from Endangered and Species Act protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the plan in January and approved single-status (trophy game) plans in Montana and Idaho. Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank filed suit April 22, saying the state has a right also to consider the wolf a "predator" that can be shot on sight due to the animals negative effect on Wyoming residents.... BLM apologizes for missing mark over range deal The Bureau of Land Management apologized Wednesday for spending seven years studying a possible gun range site, only to abruptly drop the plan saying it didn't conform with BLM policy. The decision was better late than never, said the agency's new Redding-area director, Steve Anderson.... W. Utah wilds area gets a green light After changes to pacify earlier widespread opposition, the House Resources Committee endorsed Wednesday a Utah wilderness bill — but one where creating new wilderness takes a back seat to far bigger goals. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, is pushing the bill mostly to block a proposed nuclear waste repository on the Goshute Reservation in Skull Valley, an action he says in turn would help protect Hill Air Force Base in upcoming base closure fights. Wilderness that the bill would create would block a railroad needed for the waste repository sought by the Goshutes. "It would make it impossible to have the repository there," Bishop said. He said that, in turn, would help to protect the vast Utah Test and Training Range operated by Hill.... Questar faces Wyoming drill delay over sage grouse Federal clearance for Questar Corp. (nyse: STR - news - people) to drill a natural gas test well near Pinedale, Wyoming has been delayed about a month because of concerns over a chicken-like bird called the sage grouse, Chief Executive Officer Keith Rattie said on Wednesday. Rattie said the Bureau of Land Management halted the test drill because waste from the sage grouse was found in the area, which may mean it breeds there. About 80 percent of Wyoming is considered greater sage grouse habitat.... Tribes propose casino to end Colorado land claim Two Oklahoma tribes stand to make more than $1 billion over a decade from a Colorado casino proposed to resolve the tribes' land claims, the project developer said Tuesday. Financial projections also show the state of Colorado collecting $1 billion over the same period, said Steve Hillard, chief executive officer for the developer, Council Tree Communications of Longmont, Colo. The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes last month filed a federal land claim to 27 million acres in Colorado, where the tribes lived until their forced removal to Oklahoma in the 1860s. Hillard said the tribes would drop that claim if allowed to build the casino.... Summer Escapist Movie Offers No Escape from Politics When a Hollywood disaster movie opens on Memorial Day weekend, there may be some drama outside the movie theater as well as inside: Liberal and conservative groups are both recruiting volunteers to hand out flyers explaining the "facts" on global warming. "The Day After Tomorrow" is a climate disaster movie about the apocalyptic effects of global warming. It is, by all accounts, more fiction than fact -- but even so, liberal activists at MoveOn.org believe "everyone will be talking about it -- and asking 'Could it really happen?'" MoveOn.org says the movie premiere offers "an unprecedented opportunity to talk to millions of Americans about the real dangers of global warming and expose President Bush's foot-dragging on the issue.".... Congressmen present plan to resolve irrigation dispute Sen. Conrad Burns and Rep. Denny Rehberg are looking to settle a dispute that has held up the transfer of irrigation projects on the Lower Yellowstone River for nearly six years. The Republican lawmakers outlined a deal during hearings Tuesday and Wednesday. The main impediment to the transfer from the federal government to local irrigation districts has been a disagreement over whether the projects can continue to be powered using virtually free federal electricity once they are operated by the local irrigation districts. Burns and Rehberg are proposing a gradual phase in of costs for the power, and the Bureau of Reclamation and power companies are looking over the plan.... White House backs aqueduct sign-over The Bush administration Wednesday endorsed a bill to sign over the title of two federal aqueducts to local Utah water users, saying it would make it easier to finance improvements to better protect the water and to prevent drownings. However, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys, a Utahn, said many minor changes are still needed in the bill sponsored by Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah. But he told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday that if those "technical corrections can be addressed, I believe the department could support passage of this legislation." The bill would transfer title of the 42-mile long Salt Lake Aqueduct (from Deer Creek Reservoir to Salt Lake County), the 22-mile Provo Reservoir Canal (also known as the Murdock Canal) and a 4-acre maintenance shop site to the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy.... Drought's consequences may be catastrophic Montana's sixth straight year of drought shows no signs of breaking this summer and could sound the death knell for family farmers and Main Street businesses alike, a new state report shows. The Governor's Drought Advisory Committee released its report on the 2004 growing season Thursday and concluded the odds for continued drought across much of the state is very high and the potential for the enduring drought to damage the 2004 crop is likewise high.... U.S. quietly OKs imports of banned Canada beef The Agriculture Department allowed American meatpackers to resume imports of ground and other processed beef from Canada last September, just weeks after it publicly reaffirmed its ban on importing those products because mad cow disease had been found in Canadian cattle. In the next six months, a total of 33 million pounds of Canadian processed beef flowed to American consumers under a series of undisclosed permits the USDA issued to the meatpackers, permits that remained in effect until a federal judge intervened in April....
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Some Air Tankers Could Be Back In Service This Summer As many as eight of 33 large air tankers grounded last week could be restored to service and used to fight forest fires this summer, Western lawmakers said Tuesday after meeting with Federal Aviation Administration officials. Les Dorr, a spokesman for the FAA, said the agency has agreed to work with the U.S. Forest Service and private contractors to develop maintenance and inspection programs and a system for certifying the tankers as safe to fly. Western lawmakers and governors, however, mounted a campaign to get at least some of the grounded tankers back into operation, saying their ability to drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire-retardant slurry is needed this wildfire season.... Land closures..keep writing to keep riding The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) urges motorcyclists to contact their lawmakers to support a measure to crack down on individuals who knowingly damage public land, which cleared the U.S. House Resources Committee on May 5. The measure, H.R. 3247, the Trail Responsibility and Accountability for the Improvement of Lands (TRAIL) Act, was reported out to the full House for further consideration.... 'Stalking' mountain lion slain The two Tucson men were on a Saturday mountain bike ride when a lion followed them down the trail, drew within 15 feet of them, and departed only after the bicyclists threw rocks at it, according to Arizona Game and Fish officials. The two men were unhurt. During their investigation, Koenig and Officer Aaron Hartzell saw a lion 30 feet away from them that appeared to be stalking the two officers. Koenig shot and killed the female cougar with a shotgun. Koenig said Monday that the lion didn't exhibit normal behavior when encountering humans and was killed to defuse a "dangerous situation.".... Tree-killing beetles more deadly than wildfires The tiny architects of the Western forests are coming back. In coming weeks, an army of tree-killing beetles will begin emerging, looking to satisfy their appetites by boring into lodgepole, Douglas fir, whitebark pine, Engelmann spruce and other trees in the Rocky Mountains. Their defenses weakened by drought, thousands upon thousands of trees won't have the strength to battle the bugs and will eventually die. By the time they're through, the beetles will have a larger impact on Western forests than wildfire, said Diana Six, an associate professor of forest entomology and pathology at the University of Montana.... Environmental group files suit to protect Gila chub from extinction An environmental group filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for not listing the Gila chub as an endangered species. The Fish & Wildlife Service proposed listing the fish Aug. 9, 2002. Under the Endangered Species Act, the agency has one year to issue a final rule after proposing to list a species. The Center for Biological Diversity also filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the agency for not listing the roundtail and headwater chub as endangered.... U.S. District Court Keeps No-Spray Pesticide Buffers in Place to Protect Salmon The Seattle District Court has denied a motion to suspend its January 2004 injunction prohibiting the spraying of certain pesticides near salmon streams. The pesticide industry group CropLife and grower groups had requested a stay that would remove safeguards for salmon while they appeal the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Coughenour issued a strongly worded opinion today denying the industry request for a stay and underlining the need for the injunction’s protections for threatened and endangered salmon.... Greenpeace Conspired to Illegally Board Ship-Gov't Greenpeace conspired to break the law when it sent activists aboard a freighter carrying illegally felled mahogany, prosecutors said on Tuesday, as they dusted off a law not used since 1890 to bring the first U.S. criminal prosecution of an advocacy group. Kicking off the politically charged case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Watts-FitzGerald told a Miami court Greenpeace recruited "climbers" for the seaborne 2002 protest and footed the bill -- all indications, he said, the organization and not individual members was in "command and control.".... Wildcat clones give scientists hope of saving species The successful cloning of endangered female African wildcats, which will eventually mate with cloned males, has scientists at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans feeling hopeful that imperiled species can be rescued. The female wildcat clones, named Caty and Madge, were born a month ago at the center. The males, Miles and Otis, were born in November 2003, following work by the center and Louisiana State University that led to the world's first cloned wild carnivore, Ditteaux, an African wildcat born Aug. 6, 2003. Miles and Otis are clones of Jazz, an African wildcat born in November 1999 with the distinction of being the first successful case of an animal born after an interspecies frozen-thawed embryo transfer using a domestic female cat as the mother surrogate. The other cloned wildcats also have domestic cat surrogate mothers.... Wildlife Biologists Say Enviro Petition on Sage Grouse Is "Fundamentally Flawed" Recently released analyses by two renowned wildlife biologists shows that a petition by environmental groups to list the Greater Sage Grouse as an endangered species is "not accurate and is fundamentally flawed in numerous key areas." "A careful review of this Petition leads to one simple conclusion: This Petition is not accurate and is fundamentally flawed in numerous key areas." The analyses examined the listing petition submitted last December by the American Lands Alliance and 18 other environmental groups. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acted on the petition earlier this month in deciding to conduct a formal review of the status of the sage grouse.... Odd-duck work stoppage Last month, a biologist walking through the weeds around Colma Creek flood canal in South San Francisco noticed three egg-laden bird nests hidden in the grass. As a result of this find, and thanks to an 86-year-old law, work ground to a halt on an $11 million effort to widen and clear the overgrown flood canal. It took the help of a U.S. senator for the county to acquire the necessary permits to move the birds -- a close call that caused a tremor of concern among officials driven by a need to prevent future flooding in the area.... EPA offers revised plan to carefully remove dam The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday released a revised plan to remove Milltown Dam that will send little, if any, contaminated mine tailings down the Clark Fork River. The new plan would divert the Clark Fork River during the work, eliminating all sediment releases from the most contaminated portion of the Milltown Reservoir. Work would begin in 2005, with Milltown Dam removed in early 2006 and all construction completed within four years, less than half the time originally anticipated.... BLM regional office moving to Havasu A major reorganization is in the works for the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona, including a new district headquarters in Lake Havasu City. A proposal subject to approval by federal officials in Washington, D.C. would divide the state into two or three BLM districts. A new "Arizona River District," including the Lake Havasu City, Kingman and Yuma field offices would be formed, said Diane Williams, a BLM spokeswoman.... Selling Surplus Property Will Help the State’s Bottom Line Of the 99.8 million acres that make up the state of California, how much do you think is owned by the government? One-quarter? One-third? Half? Too low. The answer is 52 percent. Yes, 52 percent, or roughly 52 million acres of the state, is owned by government agencies. And that figure might be a little low, since it accounts for just the federal and state governments. Local governments also own real estate throughout California.... Native grasses being used to control range fires few area farmers are growing some unusual crops as public land managers struggle to keep range fires under control. It is one of several native plants that farmer John Skinner grows. The high demand for the native seeds makes them much more profitable than more traditional crops.... New dam among ideas for future water needs Add another option to the study of ways to increase Washington County's long-term water supplies: a replacement dam downstream from the existing dam at Hagg Lake south of Forest Grove. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has asked that the so-called Stimson Dam be evaluated along with three other options as a group of local governments studies future water sources, says Tom VanderPlaat of Clean Water Services.... County seeks study on grazing benefits Park County needs to evaluate how a trend toward cutting grazing allotments on federal land is taking a toll the local economy, commissioners said Tuesday. And time is of the essence. Commissioners announced their intent to include a grazing-based economic impact study into the county's land-use plan, a document due in December. The idea sprouted from a similar study of Fremont County done by the University of Wyoming Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics. UW officials presented their findings Tuesday, saying that the current federal trends point to a situation with a "greater negative impact than most people realize.".... Wild bison reintroduced to Sask. prairie History was made on a piece of rolling prairie Monday when half a dozen horseback riders herded 50 bison from a sprawling holding paddock out onto the land they once roamed by the millions. It's the first time since they were hunted to the brink of extinction 150 years ago that they have set a free foot on the grasslands they once virtually covered. The shaggy beasts who strolled through the paddock gate were trucked in from Elk Island National Park in Alberta to the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area south of Swift Current, Sask., last winter.... Suspected rustlers nabbed in Nevada cattle thefts Local law enforcement in Churchill County teamed up with state agents in Nevada and Arizona to break up a rustling ring suspected of stealing more than two dozen cattle from Nevada worth $14,000. “It was the biggest one since I’ve been here,” Nevada State Brand Inspector James Connelley said. The Nevada Agriculture Department investigated the case after a brand inspector in Arizona, Raymond Christensen, read the Nevada division’s bulletin about cattle missing from the Fallon area and then spotted brand-overs on cattle in Arizona.... USDA: Cattle brains may be turned into biofuels Cattle brains and other remains that may carry the deadly mad cow disease would be turned into biofuels under a plan announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cattle brains, skull, eyes, spinal column, small intestine and other parts suspected of harboring mad cow disease were banned from human consumption in December as a safety precaution, shortly after the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States.... Court considers cattle restitution Monday's arguments are the latest chapter in a saga that began in April 2001, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture began to issue reports on the prices of boxed beef. But due to initial software problems, for several days the USDA reported incorrect prices lower than the actual prices for choice and select fed cattle. In July 2002, Herman Schumacher of Herreid Livestock Market and two other men filed a federal suit against the nation's four largest meatpackers. The suit alleges that Excel Corp., ConAgra Beef Co., Farmland National Beef Packing Co. and Tyson Foods realized something was amiss with USDA's report, but nonetheless took advantage of the incorrect data by paying producers lower prices. In legal terms, the suit charges the meatpackers with "unjust enrichment," in violation of the federal Packers and Stockyards Act. History mystery: Are bones Mill Valley pioneer's Mysterious coffins found under the oldest house in Mill Valley are leading to speculation that one of the skeletons, in a wool suit with silk lining, might be the long-lost remains of John Thomas Reed, the founder of the town. The ghoulish find has residents of this leafy Marin County suburb scratching their heads while forensic experts attempt to determine the identity of the well-dressed corpse and two other similarly buried bodies and the reason they were under the house.... Wyoming author set to release next 'Joe Pickett' book Game warden Joe Pickett's next case will involve cattle and wildlife mutilations reminiscent of cases that baffled investigators in Wyoming 30 years ago. Pickett, the fictitious character created by Cheyenne mystery writer C.J. Box, will return in a fourth novel, "Trophy Hunt," which will be released next month. A subplot involves coalbed methane development. In the book, Pickett thinks the mutilations are being done by someone "practicing" to become a serial killer, since many repeat murderers often hone their macabre skills on animals....
Some Air Tankers Could Be Back In Service This Summer As many as eight of 33 large air tankers grounded last week could be restored to service and used to fight forest fires this summer, Western lawmakers said Tuesday after meeting with Federal Aviation Administration officials. Les Dorr, a spokesman for the FAA, said the agency has agreed to work with the U.S. Forest Service and private contractors to develop maintenance and inspection programs and a system for certifying the tankers as safe to fly. Western lawmakers and governors, however, mounted a campaign to get at least some of the grounded tankers back into operation, saying their ability to drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire-retardant slurry is needed this wildfire season.... Land closures..keep writing to keep riding The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) urges motorcyclists to contact their lawmakers to support a measure to crack down on individuals who knowingly damage public land, which cleared the U.S. House Resources Committee on May 5. The measure, H.R. 3247, the Trail Responsibility and Accountability for the Improvement of Lands (TRAIL) Act, was reported out to the full House for further consideration.... 'Stalking' mountain lion slain The two Tucson men were on a Saturday mountain bike ride when a lion followed them down the trail, drew within 15 feet of them, and departed only after the bicyclists threw rocks at it, according to Arizona Game and Fish officials. The two men were unhurt. During their investigation, Koenig and Officer Aaron Hartzell saw a lion 30 feet away from them that appeared to be stalking the two officers. Koenig shot and killed the female cougar with a shotgun. Koenig said Monday that the lion didn't exhibit normal behavior when encountering humans and was killed to defuse a "dangerous situation.".... Tree-killing beetles more deadly than wildfires The tiny architects of the Western forests are coming back. In coming weeks, an army of tree-killing beetles will begin emerging, looking to satisfy their appetites by boring into lodgepole, Douglas fir, whitebark pine, Engelmann spruce and other trees in the Rocky Mountains. Their defenses weakened by drought, thousands upon thousands of trees won't have the strength to battle the bugs and will eventually die. By the time they're through, the beetles will have a larger impact on Western forests than wildfire, said Diana Six, an associate professor of forest entomology and pathology at the University of Montana.... Environmental group files suit to protect Gila chub from extinction An environmental group filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for not listing the Gila chub as an endangered species. The Fish & Wildlife Service proposed listing the fish Aug. 9, 2002. Under the Endangered Species Act, the agency has one year to issue a final rule after proposing to list a species. The Center for Biological Diversity also filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the agency for not listing the roundtail and headwater chub as endangered.... U.S. District Court Keeps No-Spray Pesticide Buffers in Place to Protect Salmon The Seattle District Court has denied a motion to suspend its January 2004 injunction prohibiting the spraying of certain pesticides near salmon streams. The pesticide industry group CropLife and grower groups had requested a stay that would remove safeguards for salmon while they appeal the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Coughenour issued a strongly worded opinion today denying the industry request for a stay and underlining the need for the injunction’s protections for threatened and endangered salmon.... Greenpeace Conspired to Illegally Board Ship-Gov't Greenpeace conspired to break the law when it sent activists aboard a freighter carrying illegally felled mahogany, prosecutors said on Tuesday, as they dusted off a law not used since 1890 to bring the first U.S. criminal prosecution of an advocacy group. Kicking off the politically charged case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Watts-FitzGerald told a Miami court Greenpeace recruited "climbers" for the seaborne 2002 protest and footed the bill -- all indications, he said, the organization and not individual members was in "command and control.".... Wildcat clones give scientists hope of saving species The successful cloning of endangered female African wildcats, which will eventually mate with cloned males, has scientists at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans feeling hopeful that imperiled species can be rescued. The female wildcat clones, named Caty and Madge, were born a month ago at the center. The males, Miles and Otis, were born in November 2003, following work by the center and Louisiana State University that led to the world's first cloned wild carnivore, Ditteaux, an African wildcat born Aug. 6, 2003. Miles and Otis are clones of Jazz, an African wildcat born in November 1999 with the distinction of being the first successful case of an animal born after an interspecies frozen-thawed embryo transfer using a domestic female cat as the mother surrogate. The other cloned wildcats also have domestic cat surrogate mothers.... Wildlife Biologists Say Enviro Petition on Sage Grouse Is "Fundamentally Flawed" Recently released analyses by two renowned wildlife biologists shows that a petition by environmental groups to list the Greater Sage Grouse as an endangered species is "not accurate and is fundamentally flawed in numerous key areas." "A careful review of this Petition leads to one simple conclusion: This Petition is not accurate and is fundamentally flawed in numerous key areas." The analyses examined the listing petition submitted last December by the American Lands Alliance and 18 other environmental groups. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acted on the petition earlier this month in deciding to conduct a formal review of the status of the sage grouse.... Odd-duck work stoppage Last month, a biologist walking through the weeds around Colma Creek flood canal in South San Francisco noticed three egg-laden bird nests hidden in the grass. As a result of this find, and thanks to an 86-year-old law, work ground to a halt on an $11 million effort to widen and clear the overgrown flood canal. It took the help of a U.S. senator for the county to acquire the necessary permits to move the birds -- a close call that caused a tremor of concern among officials driven by a need to prevent future flooding in the area.... EPA offers revised plan to carefully remove dam The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday released a revised plan to remove Milltown Dam that will send little, if any, contaminated mine tailings down the Clark Fork River. The new plan would divert the Clark Fork River during the work, eliminating all sediment releases from the most contaminated portion of the Milltown Reservoir. Work would begin in 2005, with Milltown Dam removed in early 2006 and all construction completed within four years, less than half the time originally anticipated.... BLM regional office moving to Havasu A major reorganization is in the works for the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona, including a new district headquarters in Lake Havasu City. A proposal subject to approval by federal officials in Washington, D.C. would divide the state into two or three BLM districts. A new "Arizona River District," including the Lake Havasu City, Kingman and Yuma field offices would be formed, said Diane Williams, a BLM spokeswoman.... Selling Surplus Property Will Help the State’s Bottom Line Of the 99.8 million acres that make up the state of California, how much do you think is owned by the government? One-quarter? One-third? Half? Too low. The answer is 52 percent. Yes, 52 percent, or roughly 52 million acres of the state, is owned by government agencies. And that figure might be a little low, since it accounts for just the federal and state governments. Local governments also own real estate throughout California.... Native grasses being used to control range fires few area farmers are growing some unusual crops as public land managers struggle to keep range fires under control. It is one of several native plants that farmer John Skinner grows. The high demand for the native seeds makes them much more profitable than more traditional crops.... New dam among ideas for future water needs Add another option to the study of ways to increase Washington County's long-term water supplies: a replacement dam downstream from the existing dam at Hagg Lake south of Forest Grove. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has asked that the so-called Stimson Dam be evaluated along with three other options as a group of local governments studies future water sources, says Tom VanderPlaat of Clean Water Services.... County seeks study on grazing benefits Park County needs to evaluate how a trend toward cutting grazing allotments on federal land is taking a toll the local economy, commissioners said Tuesday. And time is of the essence. Commissioners announced their intent to include a grazing-based economic impact study into the county's land-use plan, a document due in December. The idea sprouted from a similar study of Fremont County done by the University of Wyoming Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics. UW officials presented their findings Tuesday, saying that the current federal trends point to a situation with a "greater negative impact than most people realize.".... Wild bison reintroduced to Sask. prairie History was made on a piece of rolling prairie Monday when half a dozen horseback riders herded 50 bison from a sprawling holding paddock out onto the land they once roamed by the millions. It's the first time since they were hunted to the brink of extinction 150 years ago that they have set a free foot on the grasslands they once virtually covered. The shaggy beasts who strolled through the paddock gate were trucked in from Elk Island National Park in Alberta to the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area south of Swift Current, Sask., last winter.... Suspected rustlers nabbed in Nevada cattle thefts Local law enforcement in Churchill County teamed up with state agents in Nevada and Arizona to break up a rustling ring suspected of stealing more than two dozen cattle from Nevada worth $14,000. “It was the biggest one since I’ve been here,” Nevada State Brand Inspector James Connelley said. The Nevada Agriculture Department investigated the case after a brand inspector in Arizona, Raymond Christensen, read the Nevada division’s bulletin about cattle missing from the Fallon area and then spotted brand-overs on cattle in Arizona.... USDA: Cattle brains may be turned into biofuels Cattle brains and other remains that may carry the deadly mad cow disease would be turned into biofuels under a plan announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cattle brains, skull, eyes, spinal column, small intestine and other parts suspected of harboring mad cow disease were banned from human consumption in December as a safety precaution, shortly after the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States.... Court considers cattle restitution Monday's arguments are the latest chapter in a saga that began in April 2001, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture began to issue reports on the prices of boxed beef. But due to initial software problems, for several days the USDA reported incorrect prices lower than the actual prices for choice and select fed cattle. In July 2002, Herman Schumacher of Herreid Livestock Market and two other men filed a federal suit against the nation's four largest meatpackers. The suit alleges that Excel Corp., ConAgra Beef Co., Farmland National Beef Packing Co. and Tyson Foods realized something was amiss with USDA's report, but nonetheless took advantage of the incorrect data by paying producers lower prices. In legal terms, the suit charges the meatpackers with "unjust enrichment," in violation of the federal Packers and Stockyards Act. History mystery: Are bones Mill Valley pioneer's Mysterious coffins found under the oldest house in Mill Valley are leading to speculation that one of the skeletons, in a wool suit with silk lining, might be the long-lost remains of John Thomas Reed, the founder of the town. The ghoulish find has residents of this leafy Marin County suburb scratching their heads while forensic experts attempt to determine the identity of the well-dressed corpse and two other similarly buried bodies and the reason they were under the house.... Wyoming author set to release next 'Joe Pickett' book Game warden Joe Pickett's next case will involve cattle and wildlife mutilations reminiscent of cases that baffled investigators in Wyoming 30 years ago. Pickett, the fictitious character created by Cheyenne mystery writer C.J. Box, will return in a fourth novel, "Trophy Hunt," which will be released next month. A subplot involves coalbed methane development. In the book, Pickett thinks the mutilations are being done by someone "practicing" to become a serial killer, since many repeat murderers often hone their macabre skills on animals....
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