Let wolf leave endangered list The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should appeal last month's court decision placing the gray wolf back on the endangered species list in Wisconsin. The decision, which also affected Minnesota and Michigan, flies in the face of data showing the Wisconsin wolf population is greater than wildlife experts would prefer. The effect is to nullify the states' policies designed to manage the wolf population. In Wisconsin officials were forced to revoke eight permits allowing farmers to shoot wolves attacking livestock. A wolf population that is too large raises the risk of wolf attacks on farmers' valuable livestock. Last year, 30 farms in Wisconsin suffered livestock kills by wolves, according to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. Wolf attacks, in turn, risk a decline in public support for wolves in Wisconsin. Furthermore, an overpopulation risks disease and starvation for the wolves as well as negative effects on other wildlife....

Washington can’t manage wolves For years humans punished wolves for existing and hunted them to the brink of extinction. Now it is the humans who may be punished because several advocacy groups are insisting that the Great Lakes states be forbidden from reducing their wolf populations. This is an unfortunate idea, and while one can understand the advocacy groups’ goal of making sure wolves have a chance to rebuild their numbers, their procedure is mistaken and will lead to more bitterness about and perhaps harm to the animals they seek to protect. These groups sued to stop a decision by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to remove about 4,000 gray wolves in western Great Lakes states from the federal Endangered Species List. The wolves have reached management goals, and states such as Wisconsin wanted tools to hold their populations in check. Tools means mainly hunting, of course. That’s the same management tool used to stop deer herds from becoming so large that they decimate forests and crops in their quest for food. While we wait for a legal ruling, Wisconsin residents bear the burden of larger wolf packs. Since 1990, 671 animals — cows, horses, dogs, and others — have been killed or injured by wolves in Wisconsin, and since 1985 the state has paid slightly less than half a million dollars in wolf damage claims.....

Every Bug Is Sacred, Every Bug Is Great There used to be a lot more sage grouse in Nevada and our neighboring states to the north and east, 70 years ago. (But not necessarily 170 years ago, interestingly enough.) Then, in the 1960s, those who seek to drive sheep and cattle ranchers off the land got busy, eliminating both ranchers and state predator-control hunters. Populations of coyote, wildcats, crows and ravens skyrocketed. Those animals are predators of the sage grouse – particularly their young and their eggs. Surprise: Sage grouse numbers declined. In 2005, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to recommend the sage grouse for listing as “threatened or endangered,” given that there are still close to 100,000 of them, widely scattered out there. But the Idaho-based radical group known as the Western Watersheds Project sued, arguing that decision was politically motivated. They’re making good headway with U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Boise, Idaho, who has ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to review its decision. Should the green extremists succeed, public land administrators as well as private developers would have to seek permission from federal biologists, guaranteeing “enough grouse remain and habitat is protected” before they could do … well, anything....

Endangered species ruling could slow development in floodplains A ruling that development along dozens of rivers flowing from the Cascade Mountains to Washington state's Puget Sound jeopardizes endangered salmon, steelhead and killer whales could shape future construction in floodplains nationwide. At the heart of the issue is the National Flood Insurance Program, which for 40 years has regulated river corridor development but paid scant attention to endangered species. That could change. The "jeopardy opinion" from the National Marine Fisheries Service in Seattle , coupled with an injunction blocking development in Florida that threatens the habitat of the endangered Key Deer, may force major changes in the federal flood insurance program. The fisheries service has suggested a temporary moratorium on building in floodplains surrounding Puget Sound . The timeout would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency , which administers the flood insurance program, along with state and local jurisdictions, to sort out what, if any, new building restrictions may be required....

Utah governor says state is "open for business' for oil shale development A U.S. Interior Department official Monday defended, and Utah’s governor supported, the federal government’s push to remove regulatory hurdles to commercial oil shale development on public land. Foster Wade, deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals for the Interior Department, and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, spoke at a Colorado School of Mines oil shale symposium attended by some 350 people from around the world. Wade said the Bureau of Land Management’s efforts on oil shale come in response to the gap between the nation’s energy needs and supplies. “We have an energy demand that we are unable to meet at this point in time. We need to be working on all fuel energy in order to try to make up that deficit,” he said. Huntsman said his state holds an estimated 77 billion barrels of recoverable oil shale. A Republican, he urged the Interior Department to move forward with issuing commercial leasing regulations before a new presidential administration takes over in January. “My bottom line to you is, we in our state are open for business” for oil shale development, Huntsman told the symposium audience, which included numerous industry representatives....

Advocates say government should save wild horses Federal agencies should change the way they manage wild horses on public lands to prevent the animals from going extinct in five years, advocates said Monday. Karen Sussman, president of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, said the group plans to approach Congress within 30 days to plead for the lives of horses that federal officials are considering euthanizing. Wild horse enthusiasts met in Las Vegas over the weekend to discuss solutions to protect the horses and keep them on public lands. Sussman said the groups will suggest lawmakers redistribute federal money to wild horse programs, return wild horses from federal pens to open land and consolidate federal agencies to free up money for wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management has said it can't afford to keep growing numbers of horses in federal facilities and that budget drain is keeping the agency from other responsibilities. The agency has set a target number of wild horses at 27,000. Last year, about $22 million of the agency's entire wild horse $39 million budget was spent on holding animals in agency pens. Next year, the costs are projected to grow to $26 million with an overall budget that is being trimmed to $37 million....

3 pesticides singled out in report as threat to salmon From Los Angeles to the Canadian border, three pesticides synthesized in the 1950s and '60s are increasing the chance of extinction for more than two dozen imperiled salmon stocks, says a draft study by federal fisheries experts. "Overwhelming evidence" suggests the pesticides are interfering with the ability of salmon to swim, find food, reproduce and escape bigger fish trying to eat them, says the evaluation issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The report came in response to a suit filed by environmentalists in federal court in Seattle, where U.S. District Judge John Coughenour ordered the Fisheries Service to conduct the study. It is intended as advice to the Environmental Protection Agency, which governs use of pesticides. EPA has long allowed use of the pesticides in what the fisheries service now says are applications dangerous to fish. The fish scientists will soon review 34 other, newer pesticides to see how they affect salmon as part of a settlement with environmental groups....

Agriculture, Local Food and Open Space at the New West Conference Preserving agricultural lands and open space in the face of rapid growth is something most people in the Northern Rockies consider vitally important. It’s not always clear how to make that happen - but innovative farmers, ranchers and community planners are finding a variety of new approaches. At the New West conference next week, the session on this topic will feature Bob Quinn, an organic farmer from Big Sandy, who will discuss how he’s built a business based on agricultural strategies and product development that are nothing less than revolutionary; Jim Hagenbarth, whose ranching operations span the Montana - Idaho border near Dillon, who will talk about how he’s making it work in an era when many ranchers feel they have no choice but to sell out; Paul Hubbard, who will show how the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition is supporting local food and farming in Missoula; and Jennifer Zung, a planner from Driggs, Idaho, who will talk about how development and open space can in fact be compatible. The conference, Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies, takes place next week, Oct. 23-24 in Missoula....

Food Alliance Issues New, National Standard for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production Food Alliance, a national non-profit organization offering the most comprehensive third-party certification for sustainable agriculture and food handling practices, today announced new standards for sustainable sheep and goat products. The new national standard creates an opportunity for sheep and goat producers across North America to assure customers of social and environmental responsibility while adding value to their products. The new standard covers a wide variety of animal welfare issues, including: animal health and nutrition; handling practices and facilities; pasture management; nutrient management; pest and weed management; and hazard reduction and sanitation. The standards do not permit the use of hormone treatments, non-therapeutic antibiotics, genetic modification, embryo transfer or cloning. In addition, feeds may not contain animal by-products of any kind, with the exception of milk or milk products such as whey....

Two Texas Horses Test Positive For EEE Texas has joined at least five other states this year in reporting cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis infection in horses. In Houston County, in the southeast corner of the state, a horse with clinical illness has tested positive for the disease, and in the north central Texas, in Denton County, a vaccinated horse also tested positive and exhibited clinical signs of disease. EEE, which can be transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, also has been reported this year in horses in Georgia, Florida, Maine, Tennessee, and New Hampshire­ and in Ontario, Canada. "Infected horses are a ‘sentinel’ or warning that infected mosquitoes are in the area, and measures should be taken to protect humans against exposure to the dangerous pests,” said Dr. Andy Schwartz, state epidemiologist for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. “Protect yourself and your horses with a mosquito spray containing DEET, get rid of stagnant water, and avoid being outside at night, when mosquitoes are more active.” “Vaccines are readily available to protect equine animals against mosquito-borne encephalitic diseases, but they must be given according to the manufacturer’s" directions, and it takes at least a week to 10 days after vaccination for protective antibodies to develop. Booster shots also must be given as needed....

Surviving Geronimo's Raiders Long a sanctuary for people and animals seeking to escape scrutiny, the VO Slash Ranch near Nogales in southeastern Arizona is home to a third-generation ranch family that works to preserve its heritage, the environment and rare species. Located just north of the U.S. border with Mexico, the ranch has a cross-border history and managing it today still comes with many challenges. Just after Geronimo and his men surrendered to Gen. George Crook and the U.S. Cavalry in March 1886, Geronimo had a change of heart. He and his raiders roamed across this portion of the Southwest, attacking and killing Petra Peck and her baby, before taking a young relative, Trini Verdin, as a captive on April 27. They murdered a neighbor and wounded Arthur Peck. But Arthur, who then owned the VO Slash Ranch (now part of the ZZ Cattle Corporation operated by the Bells), escaped the attack and made it home. He found his wife and child dead, and Trini missing; she was later rescued by Mexican military. In spite of his personal losses, Peck held on to the land until it was eventually absorbed by the holdings of Thomas Graham Bell, who bought an adjoining place in 1938. Soon after obtaining the property, Thomas and June Bell hired Louis Hall, a new architect trained at the University of Arizona, to build a mission-style headquarters with a unique bell tower. The doors and gates around the house feature handcrafted metalwork forged by a railroad blacksmith who earned his pay in bottles of whiskey. The bell tower, above the cedar-lined office at headquarters, was most likely inspired by June, who liked to collect bells....

Army: Facilities can handle 6,700 more soldiers The Army issued a report Friday that Fort Carson and its Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site can handle an extra 6,700 soldiers, but just barely. Ranchers say the report bolsters opposition to the Pinon expansion. On Friday, the Army released its environmental impact statement on how Fort Carson and Pinon Canyon will accommodate the extra 6,700 troops. A similar plan for the 11,400 troops was approved last year. ‘‘The Army’s position is that the present facilities . . . marginally provide sufficient land to train assigned soldiers and units adequately,’’ according to the environmental impact statement. Lon Robertson, a Kim-area rancher and president of the Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition, said Friday that the Army's statement is what area ranchers have been saying all along. "We have been saying that the Army is not using what it has. Hopefully the current economic crisis has got somebody thinking a little bit about what they are doing with our dollars," Robertson said. "This (expansion) is something the government does not need to spend money on. It's obviously not needed if they are saying they have room now. It goes to show that we have to keep our guard up and keep after them. We are not going to slow down at all." Robertson said the latest news from the Army doesn't mean ranchers are out of the woods just yet. "We are not breathing a sigh of relief. I think this is just one more example we can use to put out in front of people saying that there doesn't need to be an expansion," Robertson said....

Anti-grazing activists take on BLM The Bureau of Land Management's proposal for long-term management of its land in southwest Wyoming has prompted plenty of debate over how much oil and gas drilling should be allowed. But one group protesting the plan isn't concerned about energy development. The Idaho-based Western Watersheds Project says the BLM plans for both the Pinedale and Kemmerer areas lack sufficient study about the negative affects of livestock grazing on the ecosystem. "Our angle is to speak up for the soil, the plants, the watershed function, the sage grouse, the mule deer, the kinds of things that can't speak up for themselves basically," Jonathon Ratner, director of the Wyoming office of the Western Watersheds Project, said in a telephone interview from Pinedale. In response, ranching representatives say modern grazing practices actually enhance the ecosystem. Ratner said the organization will be contesting about two dozen similar BLM plans in Utah, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Oregon on the livestock issue....

Nevada sues over radiation limit It was back to court for Nevada on Friday when Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto filed a federal lawsuit asking judges to throw out new radiation limits for the Yucca Mountain Project. The radiation exposure standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency will fail to protect Nevadans "from cancer-causing radioactive contamination" if nuclear waste is buried at the site, Cortez Masto said. Nevada's official position has been to fight the politically unpopular Yucca project at every turn. It was widely expected that state officials would return to court to challenge the latest EPA regulation that was issued on Sept. 30. Over time Nevada has filed nine lawsuits against the proposed repository. Most elected officials say they believe it will put residents at risk of transportation accidents and harm the public perception of the state, and also create health and safety uncertainties affecting future generations....

Two decades later, how we got here During the 1950s, Congress enticed private utilities to build nuclear reactors in part by agreeing to take on the liability for large accidents at power plant sites, a guarantee no private insurance company would provide. The federal government also signed agreements with utilities to store their radioactive waste permanently, in part because of concerns it would fall into the wrong hands and be used to make nuclear weapons. The Energy Department was to take possession of the waste by 1998. The nuclear power industry took off in the 1960s and 1970s. New power plants across the country churned out waste that they stored on site, waiting for the government to take possession. Toward that end, Congress approved The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, ordering the Energy Department to select at least five storage sites for analysis. By 1983, the department had nine sites in six states on its short list. Then the landscape changed. By 1987, the department was considering just three sites, one in Texas, another in Washington, the third at Yucca Mountain....

US House panel's minority report disputes majority's findings The US House Natural Resources Committee's minority staff released its own report on Oct. 9 challenging one which the majority staff issued 6 months ago that has been the basis of many 2008 Democratic candidates' energy stands. The new report, "Drilling for Truth and Coming Up Empty," highlights major flaws and inaccuracies in the committee majority staff's document which Democrats from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) to presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) have cited, according to Rep. Don Young (R-Alas.), the NRC's ranking minority member. Young said the report shows that more domestic drilling yields more domestic resources, that the federal government profits from high oil and gas prices, that drilling for more domestic oil and gas will help lower prices and reduce US dependence on imports, and that only 4% of the total 2.46 billion-acre federal mineral estate is leased for oil and gas exploration and development....

BLM rejects House Resources Committee Grand Canyon hardrock mining ban The Bureau of Land Management has published a proposed rule which rejects the House Natural Resources Emergency House Resolution enacted in June that bans uranium mining and exploration near the Grand Canyon National Park. The agency argues that the BLM "continues to believe the emergency procedure to be unnecessary. Like a withdrawal, segregation removes the lands from the operation of the public land laws, including the mining laws." "Contrary to its implication, the procedures for issuing an emergency withdrawal order do not result in the protection of public lands more rapidly than the completion of a more conventional withdrawal process. Conventional withdrawals of public lands, as necessary and appropriate, will continue." The proposed BLM rule published Friday in the Federal Register would remove regulations that provide for emergency land withdrawals, such as the one utilized by the House Natural Resources Committee ordering the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw as much as 1,068,908 acres of federal land near the Grand Canyon National Park from any new uranium mining for up to the next three years....

Investigators raise flags over road deal A controversial deal between the federal government and the nation's largest private landowner could increase residential development of forests around the country, according to Congressional investigators. The proposed agreement between the Forest Service and Plum Creek Timber Co. would allow the company to use roads on national forests in Montana to develop its adjacent private property for subdivisions. Such easements often only allow the company to use public roads for logging or forest management. The General Accountability Office, in a letter sent Friday to the two Democratic Senators who requested an investigation, said the deal could set a precedent and allow other private landowners to use forest roads to build subdivisions. The private negotiations deprived the public of any chance to weigh in, investigators said. "This report sounds all sorts of alarms about the way the Forest Service is doing business," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who asked for the probe along with Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M....

Wild horse advocates to meet with BLM Instead of gathering free-roaming wild horses in Southern Nevada this weekend, Bureau of Land Management officials will attend a gathering of wild horse advocates to discuss what can be done to keep horses and burros crowding Western ranges from being killed by lethal injections. That's what will probably happen, a BLM spokesman said, if the herds can't be kept in balance with the environment where they live while costly facilities to hold those captured are at capacity and adoption outlets are saturated. "Because we have the legal authority to euthanize excess horses and burros, we're saying we have to consider these alternatives because there is no indication our budget is going to go up in any substantial degree," said Tom Gorey, the BLM's spokesman in Washington, D.C., on wild horse issues. He said nearly 74,000 horses were taken off ranges in 10 Western states between 2001 and 2007. Some 44,000 have been adopted out, leaving about 30,000 in short-term and long-term holding facilities. Government cowboys have left 29,500 free-roaming wild horses on the ranges along with 3,500 wild burros. About half those animals, roughly 16,000, are in Nevada....

3 BLM workers held at gunpoint at Nev. pot patch Three federal biologists were held at gunpoint for several minutes by suspected members of a Mexican drug cartel after happening upon a large marijuana patch in a remote stretch of public land in northern Nevada, authorities said Friday. The men, conducting research for the Bureau of Land Management, were released unharmed after being held by three men Tuesday afternoon in the high desert about 200 miles northeast of Reno, near Winnemucca, said JoLynn Worley, an agency spokeswoman. Law enforcers returned to the scene Wednesday and found that the suspects had fled, leaving behind a makeshift camp indicating that as many as six people were involved. Authorities confiscated nearly 800 mature marijuana plants with an estimated wholesale value of $5 million, as well as about 150 pounds of processed buds, BLM officials said....Do you reckon the growers had complied with NEPA?