From October 2006 through Dec. 2007, I was consulting editor for this E&E publication devoted to resource management, environmental issues and the economics of public lands. Land Letter has a brilliant 20-year legacy of tracking how government agencies manage our vast and abundant natural resources, forests, grasslands and waterways. I invite you to check out this weekly report that is updated every Thursday afternoon.
Focus on Water-related stories in Greenwire and Land Letter during 2005-07
Look here for a listing of stories I wrote for Land Letter.
01/03/08
Wildfires, climate change, preservation, water restoration efforts top news
As
we begin a new year, the editors of Land Letter offer this sampling of some of
our best and most popular stories from 2007. For the second year in a row, wildfires
plagued our public lands at a level unprecedented in modern times. More than 85,500
reported blazes raged across the continent during 2007 -- destroying thousands
of homes and businesses along with some 9.3 million acres of forests and grasslands.
Although climate change has been an issue of scientific concern and political
debate for decades, 2007 was the year that global warming became a global media
obsession. The implications for public lands and resources are both complex and
profound. The year saw major advances in long-term efforts to stabilize populations
of certain endangered or threatened species, including the removal of bald eagles
and some grey wolves from the special protections afforded by the U.S. Endangered
Species Act. Such positive news was frequently overshadowed by revelations of
how internal agency politics influenced resource decisions within the Bush administration.
What many consider a continuing battle between science and ideology will undoubtedly
continue into 2008.
See what defined the resource news agenda in 2007.
12/20/07
Fed program for restoring S.F. Bay salt ponds to begin in 2008
REDWOOD
CITY, Calif. -- This is the time of year when millions of migrating birds pay
a visit to San Francisco Bay. Standing alone on the rocks or floating in flocks
numbering in the thousands, they can be found at scores of sites along the bay's
1,000 miles of shoreline -- resting, nesting or foraging for food in the channels
and marshes of the San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge system. Over time they
will have another local playground here, in the form of restored tidal wetlands
created from the 15,000 acres of commercial salt ponds that state and federal
agencies bought for $200 million from the Cargill Corp. in 2003. As part of a
50-year South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, three expanses of bay wetlands
-- some still used for commercial salt production -- will slowly transform from
managed ponds to predominantly saltwater tidal habitat. Follow
the flock.
12/20/07
Calif. communities scramble for new supplies following judge's order
Judge
Oliver Wanger dropped the other shoe last week, and the impacts are still reverberating
throughout California. Judge Wanger of the U.S. District Court's Eastern District
in Fresno last Friday ordered state and federal water officials to limit pumping
operations at the head of the California aqueduct system in order to protect what
remains of the endangered delta smelt population in the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Bay Delta. The order confirms what many communities and water users feared most:
inevitable changes to pumping operations that could severely cut the amount of
water flowing to Southern California. Feel
flows.
12/13/07
Calif. gauges the health of its river, levee systems
On
a brisk December morning, crews from the California Department of Water Resources
are preparing for another day on this stretch of the Sacramento River, measuring
the depth of these narrow channels. As the small research vessel "Julie Ann"
pulls out from the dock, the crew is less focused on the serene late-autumn scene
than on the data being collected from the river floor below. Go
fissure.
12/06/07
Choice of museums could influence Presidio's future
The
Presidio, a former U.S. Army base that is undergoing a long-term transformation
into a self-supporting public park and cultural institution, will soon decide
whether to build a huge contemporary art museum or a more modest historical museum
in the base's Main Post area. The choice, detailed in two new architectural designs
released this week, could significantly influence other planned developments and
alter the character of the park far into the future. But in typical San Francisco
fashion, the selection of one museum idea over another might lead to an even bigger
controversy about public parking in the Presidio and adjacent neighborhoods.
And
in the next gallery...
11/29/07
Court affirms Calif. listing for coho
A
California appeals court this month rejected attempts to nullify California Endangered
Species Act protections for coho salmon, upholding the state Fish and Game Commission's
listing in 2004 of Northern California Coast coho as threatened and Central California
Coast coho as endangered under state law. The ruling, issued Nov. 20, affirmed
a trial court's finding on the matter. Coho-ho-ho.
11/15/07 Oil spill's larger implications come in waves The freighter Cosco Busan lays anchored in San Francisco Bay, ringed by spotlights in the turquoise evening. The ship, with a 90-foot-long gash set well above the water mark, has been impounded as investigators from three federal agency teams try to resolve the many unanswered questions about the Nov. 7 incident in which the Cosco Busan scraped a support tower of the Bay Bridge while trying to navigate through heavy fog. The collision ripped through the hull, quickly releasing some 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into the vulnerable bay ecosystem. One week after the incident, the political ramifications appear to be outweighing the actual environmental impacts. Sop up the latest.
11/08/07
Progress seen at Mount Rainier but flooding restoration could take years
One
year after heavy rains caused an unprecedented six-month closure of Mount Rainier
National Park in Washington state, park officials are crediting a massive volunteer
effort for saving money and expediting repairs. Still, Mount Rainier officials
say it could be years before restoration of all damaged roads and trails can be
completed. At first, NPS estimated the damages at $36 million, but with the concerted
volunteer effort and use of park personnel, that price tag has dropped to about
$24 million. Budgets wash away.
11/01/07
Measure 49 splits Oregon
With
less than a week before polls close on a special election, opponents of a measure
to reform Oregon's controversial land-use compensation law face an uphill battle.
"Our internal polls show we're down," said Dave Hunnicutt, president
of Oregonians in Action and leader of the "Stop Measure 49" campaign,
told Land Letter this week. Vote Yes on
No.
11/01/07
NPS comes to terms with GPS geocaching
A
new form of outdoor recreation, using devices that tap the Global Positioning
System (GPS) to locate hidden or obscure objects in remote areas, has some public
land managers and park rangers scratching their heads. The trend -- known variously
as geocaching, virtual caching, letterboxing or other variations -- has blossomed
into a worldwide phenomenon practiced by tens of thousands of people. Find
your way.
11/01/07
Calif. adopts voluntary standards for forestry CO2 reductions
The
California Air Resources Board unanimously approved the nation's first standards
for forest-generated carbon dioxide reductions. The Forest Protocols, previously
adopted by the California Climate Action Registry, were developed in a collaborative
process over a four-year period. Manage
your carbon here.
10/25/07
Blazes hit Southern Calif. with a vengeance (with Dan Berman,
senior reporter)
After
a three-week lull, the 2007 fire season roared back to life this week as Southern
California seemingly exploded in flames from Santa Barbara to the Mexico border.
By Thursday morning, state fire agency CAL FIRE reported that a dozen major fires
(larger than 500 acres) had consumed nearly 450,000 acres of public and private
property, destroyed well over 1,600 homes or other structures and forced the evacuation
of an estimated million persons. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Sunday declared
a state of emergency covering seven counties. President Bush swiftly met his request
for federal assistance and was on his way to see the area on Thursday morning.
State the emergency.
10/25/07
Calif. lacks adequate appraisal standards for resources, says analyst
California
resource agencies have spent more than $2 billion since 2000 to acquire rights
or ownership of property for parks, wildlife habitats or other conservation purposes,
and voters last year approved a $1 billion bond issue for new land acquisitions.
According to the state's Legislative Analyst Office, however, the agencies involved
in these transactions lack standardized policies for determining the market value
of such properties and are inconsistent in what they reveal to the public before
approving deals. LAO
reports.
10/18/07
Will Northern Rockies wilderness designation benefit regional economy?
As
Congress resurrects a sweeping plan to designate as wilderness nearly 24 million
acres of public lands in five Western states, the public debate is expected to
center on environmental protection issues as well as the politics of local autonomy
versus "top down" federal determinations of land-use restrictions. For
many proponents of H.R. 1975, however, an important underlying issue is a matter
of the economic benefits associated with wilderness lands -- not lost opportunities.
Born to be wild!
10/18/07
Caribou protections in British Columbia seen as first step to broad endangered
species law
The
British Columbia provincial government this week announced a recovery plan to
restore depleting populations of mountain caribou by prohibiting logging and road
building on 2.2 million hectares -- roughly 5 million acres -- of Crown lands.
While the action was cheered by a coalition of environmental organizations based
in both Canada and the United States, they view this as a first step toward establishing
a provincial endangered species law that would afford new protections for more
than 1,360 animal and plant species that are now considered "at risk"
in B.C. Cross the border.
10/11/07
Calif. lawmakers sink storage bond bills; Gov. Schwarzenegger OKs flood control,
ocean protections
Three
weeks into a special session called by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger(R) to craft
a solution to California's deepening water woes, the state Legislature has come
up dry. The state Senate on Tuesday rejected a bill sponsored by its President
Pro-Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) that would have floated a $6.8 billion bond package
February. The measure failed on a 23-12 vote, without gaining a single Republican
vote. The Republican caucus favors some version of the governor's $9.1 billion
plan for water infrastructure, levee repairs and programs meant to boost the health
of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. The governor's plan has not yet been
put to a vote, and Sacramento sources say it is increasingly unlikely there will
be a deal reached, as lawmakers need to move on to healthcare issues in the special
session. Impasse awaits.
10/11/07
Great Lakes sites pose diverse resource challenges
As part of its first comprehensive review of the status of parks in the Great
Lakes region, the National Parks Conservation Association this week released a
report highlighting challenges facing six popular lakeshore destinations that
indicate both a wide variety of existing problems and common framework for meeting
future challenges. While the list of issues uncovered by NPCA at the sites includes
invasive species, water and ground pollution, crumbling infrastructure and diminished
staffing, the potential solutions boil down to increased public awareness and
more stable funding. Dip into the
report.
10/11/07
Feds must reconsider endangered species status of coho, judge rules
Rejecting
appeals by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Oregon state government,
U.S. District Court Judge Garr King this week upheld a July ruling from a federal
magistrate requiring a new science-based decision on whether to restore Endangered
Species Act protections for Oregon coast coho salmon. In that decision, Stewart
found that state and federal agencies ignored the best available science when
deciding to delist coho. Hoho, coho.
10/04/07
Opposition mounts to aerial spraying for apple moth
California
and federal officials are increasingly on the defensive regarding their efforts
to eradicate the light brown apple moth before it can do serious damage to the
state's $31 billion per year agriculture industry. The moth was first sighted
in early February near Berkeley, but it since has been confirmed as far south
as Los Angeles. The state has begun a controversial program of aerial spraying
of a sexual pheromone intended to disrupt the reproductive cycle of the moths
- in essence, confusing adult males and preventing them from locating females
for mating.
Sniff around.
10/04/07
Pacific Lumber plots land sales, 'kingdom' estates to exit bankruptcy
In
a proposed plan for exiting Chapter 11 filed with a Texas bankruptcy court this
week, Pacific Lumber Co. said it expects to raise nearly $1.2 billion in cash
from the sale of Northern California timber lands -- including 6,600 acres in
six groves of ancient redwood trees that are subject to a 50-year protection plan
-- while selling an additional 22,000 acres for development as "trophy"
properties. The
land surrounds the Headwaters Forest, a 7,400-acre, old-growth forest that the
state and federal government purchased from Pacific Lumber in 1999 for $480 million.
King
me.
09/27/07
Agency attorney faces dismissal over Indian trust disclosures
An
Interior department attorney who gave non-public documents to a Southern California
newspaper reporter to illustrate his allegations of mismanagement by agency employees,
now faces possible termination for alleged violations of the Trade Secrets Act.
The heart of the matter is Robert McCarthy's continuing campaign to reveal problems
and failures in the administration of Indian trust duties by Bureau of Indian
Affairs staff members in the Palm Springs office. According to Interior documents,
McCarthy claims that continuing BIA management problems are "costing the
landowners because of delays on lease agreements, overdue payments, and the failure
to properly assess annual rent increases." Trust
no one.
09/27/07
Snowy plover recovery plan relies on volunteer efforts
The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week issued a long-delayed recovery plan for
Pacific Coast populations of the Western snowy plover. The goal of the $150 million
plan is to increase and maintain a population of at least 3,000 breeding adults
for 10 years in six recovery units stretching from Washington state to San Diego.
During the last five years of the 40-year plan, FWS also hopes to see one fledged
chick per adult male. Nest along the coast.
09/20/07
Coal ash contaminating groundwater, group claims
A
commonly used method to reduce acid drainage at coal mines may be causing more
harm than the problem it is supposed to fix, according to a report issued this
week. A review of state monitoring statistics for 15 active or abandoned mines
in Pennsylvania indicates that in at least 10 instances, coal combustion waste
appears to be leeching arsenic and heavy metals into nearby groundwater and streams
in unsafe levels. Stop the leaks.
09/20/07
Gov. Schwarzenegger revives dam, Bay Delta hopes in special session
California
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) brought lawmakers back to Sacramento this week
for a special session to deal with two contentious issues left undone during the
regular legislative session -- health care and water. To spur what will likely
be spirited negotiations with the Democratic majority on how to address water
matters, Schwarzenegger proposed a $9 billion bond measure that he hopes to place
on the presidential primary ballot Feb. 5. Be
special.
09/13/07
Ambitious $1.4B plan for San Francisco Bay caps decades of effort
Over
the past decade, federal, state and local agencies have devoted well over $370
million to acquire and begin restoration of some 36,176 acres of wetlands and
shorelines around the San Francisco Bay. Now the community organization that helped
start the drive over 45 years ago recommends an even deeper investment -- amounting
to $1.43 billion over the next 50 years.
Join the crusade.
09/13/07
Last frontier is front line for warming effects
ANCHORAGE,
Alaska -- A record high temperature on a late summer day in this rarely hot city
might not be an accurate indication of climate change. But with each passing week,
it seems that more evidence points to already substantial shifts in patterns affecting
weather, water and atmospheric conditions that add up to one inescapable conclusion:
Alaska is already on the front lines of change. "There's nothing subtle or
non-obvious about our changes," said Deborah Williams, president of Alaska
Conservation Solutions. Go north.
09/06/07
Calif. braces for cutbacks after Bay Delta ruling
Communities
throughout California are taking another look at their emergency water management
plans this week after a federal judge ordered state officials to prepare for reduced
flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Bay Delta starting in December
and lasting until a new federal biological opinion on protections for the endangered
delta smelt can be put into effect. Feel
flows.
09/06/07
Oregon joins fire emergency list
Oregon
Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) this week invoked that state's Conflagration Act to mobilize
emergency resources related to the fast-growing GW fire, which began from a lightning
strike in the Mount Washington wilderness on Aug. 31 but has since moved toward
the Black Butte Ranch area. Almost immediately, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency declared the fire eligible for federal assistance under the President's
Disaster Relief Fund. Where there's
smoke, there's FEMA.
09/06/07
Forest Service makes pot eradication a top priority
Visiting
California last week, Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey had hoped to join in
on a helicopter tour and raid of suspected marijuana growing operations in the
Sequoia National Forest. Although bad weather grounded the operation that day,
Rey signaled that the event was just part of a continuing campaign to eradicate
illegal pot farms on public lands. "Without a doubt, illegal drug trafficking
is the number one priority today in the U.S. Forest Service," Rey told reporters
during a Fresno news conference Aug. 30. To underscore the drive, Ron Pugh, a
special agent with the Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Region, issued a report
documenting the effects of marijuana growing in national forests and offering
a strategic plan for marshaling resources to halt the problem. Dig
into the story.
09/06/07
Agencies log land purchases under 2000 act
Federal land agencies this week said they will spend $18 million to acquire
about 9,000 acres in 19 separate parcels throughout the West. Many of the properties
are located in or adjacent to federally owned parks, forests, wildlife refuges
or monument areas located in seven states. The money for the purchases comes from
other federal land sales authorized by the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation
Act of 2000. Land rush.
08/23/07
Whistle Stop train expands Alaskan access
GIRDWOOD,
Alaska -- The train left the station nearly on time, but since this was a special
run marking the start of a new "whistle stop" service through the Chugach
National Forest, the conductor seemed more concerned with the comfort of VIP passengers
than with maintaining a strict schedule. Among the guests aboard the train on
this misty August morning were three members of the U.S. Senate, an associate
deputy chief of the Forest Service and dozens of green-uniformed federal employees
buzzing with excitement. As part of the celebration of the Chugach National Forest's
100th anniversary, the Forest Service and the Alaska Railroad introduced this
new service to bring a new generation of explorers closer the Alaskan interior
previously unavailable to any but the hardiest of hikers.
All aboard.
08/23/07
Groups seek shorter brown bear hunting season in Alaskan preserve
ANCHORAGE,
Alaska -- In contrast with most parts of the world, Alaska boasts a healthy population
of brown bears. With approximately 35,000 brown bears, also called grizzlies,
the challenge for state and federal resource managers is usually less about maintaining
a stable population than trying to balance competing interests that favor either
hunting or expanded bear viewing opportunities for a booming ecotourism industry.
The issue frequently comes to a head at the Katmai National Park and Preserve,
run by the National Park Service, located about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Bear with us.
08/23/07
Calif. officials press for Delta solutions
If
nothing else, the well-publicized problems affecting the environmental health
and economic viability of California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta have forced
state and federal government officials into a rare consensus: The delta ecosystem
is in a crisis, and it would take massive amounts of money and possibly decades
to achieve any kind of lasting solutions. Exactly what those solutions might be
is a matter still to be resolved. Reach
the summit.
08/16/07
San Francisco targets Yosemite Slough as restoration beachhead
SAN
FRANCISCO -- Working from a map, it seems easy enough to access Yosemite Slough
from the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. But most streets in this heavily
industrialized section of San Francisco meet with a dead end of concrete and chain-link
fencing topped with razor wire. And while a greenbelt of trees and bay grasses
beckon just beyond these urban borders, a visitor needs an active imagination
to envision how acres of illegally dumped garbage, construction debris and other
refuse can be cleaned up and transformed into a welcoming state park and shoreline
recreation area. Restore the shore.
08/09/07
Forest Service says thinning limited Tahoe-area fire
The U.S. Forest
Service reports that the devastating Angora wildfire, which destroyed over 250
homes in the South Lake Tahoe area this summer, could have been far worse if not
for past fuel treatment efforts. The report released Aug. 3 looked into how the
3,072-acre fire spread in areas where fuel treatment programs had been conducted
on Forest Service lands before the fire. Spread
yourself thin.
08/02/07
Oil spill leads to habitat protections for Pacific shore birds
The
sinking of the New Carissa cargo ship off the Oregon coast nearly a decade ago
has led to acquisition of a new habitat for the threatened marbled murrelet and
other Northwest forest species. In an agreement finalized this week, over 3,850
acres of forested land will be transferred from private timber companies to the
Confederated Tribe of Siletz Indians to be managed as a habitat for murrelets.
Nest by the sea.
07/26/07
Western line could be first test for federal siting powers
The
rejection by regulators of the Arizona portion of a planned high-voltage transmission
line into Southern California may become the first test case of federal "back
stop" power-line siting authority, as established by the Energy Policy Act
of 2005. Multiple factors dictate if and when project applicant Southern California
Edison might be able to bring a case to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
for possible approval of the 500-kilovolt Devers-Palo Verde No. 2 (DPV2) project
as part of a Western National Interest Energy Transmission Corridor. Check
the project's pulse.
07/26/07
Activists deliver another bundle of ESA petitions
For the second
time in less than a month, a Southwestern environmental organization has delivered
a multi-species petition to federal officials pressuring action on possible Endangered
Species Act listings for hundreds of plants and animals found in the Rocky Mountain
region. Bundle up.
07/19/07
Marijuana eradication campaign yields a quarter-million plants
So
far this month, a joint effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies
has uncovered as many as 40 plots of land within North California's Shasta-Trinity
National Forest and other public lands being used to grow marijuana. Two arrests
have been announced, and officials say they have eradicated nearly 225,000 pot
plants, with a street value approaching $900 million.
Join the cartel.
07/12/07
Feds promote geothermal on public lands
According
to conventional wisdom, about 90 percent of potential geothermal energy resources
are located beneath federal lands, mainly in California and Nevada. Many in the
energy industry have lamented the fact that bringing geothermal power plants into
operation takes many years -- in large part because of the slow bureaucracy of
obtaining leases and permits from federal lands agencies. Now, impelled by external
forces and pushed by provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Bureau of
Land Management and the Forest Service exhibit new support for geothermal development
on public lands. Steam ahead.
07/05/07
Base buffer program effective defense against encroachments
Amassing
1 million acres of land in a continuous swath, parcel by parcel, would be a daunting
challenge for any real estate mogul, especially along the coastal plains of Florida.
For the Department of Defense, it is an example of how to successfully leverage
partnerships among many land conservation interests in order to create adequate
buffers from development around key operating military facilities.
Secure the buffer.
07/05/07
Ninth Circuit halts Idaho Panhandle timber sales
The
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday overturned a lower court's approval
of a Forest Service plan for selective logging in the Idaho Panhandle National
Forest, remanding the case for issuance of an injunction against the proposed
timber harvest. The Mission Brush Project, approved by an April 2006 record of
decision by Supervisor Ranotta McNair, would have allowed logging of 3,829 acres
of Forest Service lands about 16 miles north of Bonner's Ferry, plus construction
or upgrading of associated roads and improvements to recreational facilities in
the area. The project also targets about 277 acres of old-growth forest. Log
in.
06/28/07
Green groups want more protection for second-growth Ore. forest
More
than 55 years after a series of wildfires burned through much of what is now known
as Oregon's Tillamook State Forest, Northwest environmental groups are hoping
to persuade state managers -- and private land owners -- to apply more conservation-oriented
practices in order to maintain a more diverse habitat for hundreds of animals
and plant species of concern. And to highlight the drive, this month they joined
with other groups in a formal petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
list the dusky tree vole under the Endangered Species Act. Get
dusky.
06/21/07
Control over roads in parks, wilderness increasingly a court issue
Two
cases in California appear to be the next front for local attempts to assert broad
rights-of-way on roads that lie within the boundaries of federal lands. In the
latest action, a federal judge ruled last week that a group of environmental advocates
must be allowed to intervene in a case brought against the National Park Service
by California's Inyo County. The county's suit is seeking "quiet title"
to four roads within federal lands near Death Valley National Park. In another
case, San Bernardino County officials are similarly seeking access and control
over 14 roads and spurs, covering about 240 miles in the Mojave National Preserve.
Park it here.
06/21/07
Spaceport threatens historic trail in N.M., critics say
A
stretch of the El Camino Real, an early trade route that once linked Mexico City
to Santa Fe, N.M., is threatened by a commercial spaceport to be built near the
trail, landing New Mexico's segment of the Camino Real on a historic preservation
group's list of the nation's top 11 most endangered historic places. The $225
million spaceport, would lie within three miles of the trail, the earliest Euro-American
trade route. Also appearing on the 2007 endangered list are numerous sites of
Civil War engagements that could be affected by the recent designation by the
Department of Energy of a broad swath of Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states
as part of the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors. A joint report with
SW correspondent April Reese continues here.
06/14/07
Ill. considers swapping public grasslands for resort development
Illinois
lawmakers have given a first round of approval to a plan that would trade as much
as one quarter of Pyramid State Park -- the state's largest park and considered
an important habitat for migrating birds -- to a real-estate development firm
that envisions a premium golf resort and bicycle racing complex as a precursor
to a musical heritage theme park on the site. Fly
over the fracas.
06/14/07
Defense report details environmental protection, cleanup activities
Over
the past 10 years, the U.S. Department of Defense and its military branches spent
over $42.4 billion for environmental programs that range from pollution prevention
to cleanup of contaminated facilities. Of $4.14 billion requested for fiscal 2008,
roughly 40 percent, or $1.7 billion, will be spent on compliance with various
federal, state or local environmental laws and ordinances. The figures come as
part of DOD's annual report to Congress on environmental programs. With over 30
million acres of land at more than 3,700 locations, DOD is, in effect, the nation's
biggest environmental agency. Maneuver
to the DoD report.
06/14/07
Utah offers many possibilities for Wild & Scenic designation
Until
now, the state of Utah has not had a single stretch of free-flowing waterway given
the "wild and scenic" designation by Congress. That is likely to change
in the next few years, as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
are currently in the process of preparing the environmental documentation to make
recommendations to lawmakers sometime next year. The two agencies have evaluated
thousands of miles of rivers and creeks that flow though their lands, winnowing
down the list of river segments that meet eligibility criteria to nearly 230 river
segments totaling over 2,000 miles. Go wild in
Utah.
06/07/07
Bison return to Yellowstone as Montana worries about brucellosis
Montana
officials have relented from their threat to kill a herd of some 300 bison that
repeatedly roamed outside the northwestern boundaries of Yellowstone National
Park looking for forage this spring. After several attempts, the recalcitrant
herd was hazed back to several miles within the park and appears to be finding
enough food to remain in the Cougar Meadows area, Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash
told Land Letter this week. Meanwhile, Montana officials are continuing to investigate
an outbreak of brucellosis north of Yellowstone. Get
the latest.
06/07/07
Dearth of delta smelt shuts Calif. pumps
Citing
the continued precipitous decline in the numbers of a tiny fish used as an indicator
of ecosystem health, the California Department of Water Resources has declared
an emergency shut down of massive pumps used to push water along the state aqueduct
to Southern California. Pump it up.
05/31/07
Northwest plan sets new targets for fish survival but keeps dams
As
difficult as it is for Pacific Northwest salmon to complete their round trip journey
from the upper reaches of the Columbia River and Snake River systems to the Pacific
Ocean and back to spawn a next generation, it is proving nearly as hard for federal
agencies to establish a consensus plan to protect the iconic fish from depletion.
Swim upstream.
05/31/07
Oneida Tribes cannot retake N.Y. lands but may seek more money
A
federal judge this month ruled that three tribal groups representing descendants
of the Oneida Tribes may press for economic redress for land sales made under
duress as far back as 212 years ago. But, citing previous higher court rulings
involving similar types of claims, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Kahn determined
that the tribes cannot repossess about 250,000 acres in upper New York state.
Seek redress.
05/31/07
Calif. counties fret about possible loss of funding
As Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) sorted through options for a revised $104 billion state
budget proposal this month, several previously sacrosanct programs were nicked
and pared in order to build a surplus reserve. And possibly lost in the shuffle
was a $39.1 million allocation to compensate local governments for reduced property
taxes paid by farmers and other landowners who agree to keep their property in
ag production or open space for 10 years. Act
naturally.
05/24/07
Yosemite tries, tries again on Merced River plan
If
it sometimes appears that Yosemite National Park is engaged in an endless feedback
loop of planning, public meetings and litigation, that's because it is. Park officials
this month began a series of public workshops on their third version since 2000
of the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan. "We're
under a court order to do this," explained park planner Linda Dahl during
a sparsely attended workshop in San Francisco on May 17. "But every time
we do one of these processes, we do it a little better." Plan
for the future.
05/24/07
Report on Esperanza blaze finds 'risky decisions' led to deaths
A
five-member team of U.S. Forest Service firefighters died last October as a result
of misjudgments about the severity of the Esperanza fire in Southern California
and "risky decisions," including attempts to save a vacant residential
building despite being in a "non-defensible" position. All five were
fatally burned by a sudden, intense fire run up a steep drainage below their location,
according to a report issued Tuesday by the Forest Service and the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
See the findings.
05/24/07
BLM decision favors Atlantic Rim development
The
Bureau of Land Management this week gave the go-ahead for the drilling of about
2,000 new wells in the 270,000-acre Atlantic Rim section of the Green River Basin
in Carbon County, Wyo. As many as 1,800 of the wells sought by development companies
would be for coalbed methane extraction while the other 200 would be traditional
natural gas wells. Well, well, well.
05/24/07
Lawsuit tries to prevent Sierra logging
A
coalition of California-based environmental groups this week asked a federal district
court to issue an injunction against logging in the Sierra National Forest meant
to reduce risks of wildfires. The complaint filed by Earthjustice on behalf of
Sierra Forest Legacy, the Sierra Club and the California Native Plant Society,
seeks to halt the Kings River Project on the grounds that aggressive logging will
further imperil the Pacific fisher. Cut
through the brush.
05/17/07
Even success breeds controversy for ESA listings
The
American bald eagle is not only an icon of the nation, it is also a symbol of
the success of the Endangered Species Act in helping restore sustainable populations
of once seriously threatened animals and plants. In preparation for removing the
bald eagle from the endangered list later this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service this month released its latest national survey of the eagle, finding 9,789
breeding pairs in the lower 48 states, compared to a low figure of 417 recorded
in 1963. Not everyone agrees with FWS's
measures of success; see why.
05/17/07
Okefenokee refuge fire poses double trouble
Firefighters
from across the nation have joined the effort to control several large fires centered
in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. Although crews are apparently
making headway in containing the Sweat Farm Road/Big Turnaround complex fire that
began in mid-April, an even larger blaze is posing a significant threat to public
lands and private structures. Get fired
up.
05/17/07
Sides drawn on Mount St. Helens-area copper mine lease
The
Bureau of Land Management has received over 9,000 mostly opposing comments regarding
a proposed lease agreement and preliminary environmental assessment (EA) for a
potential copper mine on lands adjacent to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic
Monument in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington state. The lease
application from Spokane-based Idaho General Mines Inc. contemplates an initial
hard rock mining lease on 219 acres, called the Margaret deposit, for which the
company claims a 50 percent reserved mineral interest. Potentially, the lease
area could be expanded to 900 acres. Dig
into the issue here.
05/10/07
Calif. diversion project benefits from compromise, community outreach
As
water district officials from Sacramento and Oakland turned shovels of dirt this
week during a groundbreaking ceremony for the $900 million Freeport Regional Water
Project, they were also burying a dispute over water rights that stretches back
35 years. Along the way, litigation turned to compromise and community buy-in,
allowing something of a consensus to guide development of the state's largest
water diversion projects in decades. Even the environmental analysis documentation
has been hailed as a national model for its clarity and thoroughness in exploring
alternatives, while laying the foundation for future agreements that could involve
novel groundwater banking programs as fresh water supplies become even more precious.
Feel flows.
05/10/07
Indictments won't derail effort to control new pipeline terms, Alaska officials
say
The state
Capitol building was still reeling this week from the news that FBI agents had
arrested and indicted three Republican politicians last Friday -- and by the subsequent
guilty pleas by two oil company executives accused of bribing lawmakers regarding
an oil tax and pipeline legislation last year. Nonetheless, the administration
of Gov. Sarah Palin (R) continues to express confidence that lawmakers will be
able to finalize a measure to hold a competitive bidding process for construction
of a $20 billion to $30 billion natural gas pipeline that could run from Prudhoe
Bay all the way to markets in the Midwest. Do
the perp walk in Juneau.
05/03/07 Western transmission area's effects unclear as region moves ahead with projects The Department of Energy's proposed designation of a national interest electric transmission corridor through Southern California and parts of Nevada and western Arizona may have a limited effect on the region's plans for power grid upgrades because several of the most significant transmission projects are expected to be approved and construction begun well before formal designation takes place. California and its neighbors have been working on system upgrades and improvements steadily since the end of the 2001 energy crisis. Tred the corridors of power.
05/03/07
Environmentalists see politics behind spotted owl recovery plan
Prodded
by litigation from both sides of the issue, the Fish and Wildlife Service last
week finally released a draft recovery plan for the northern spotted owl. Much
to the chagrin of environmental groups, the plan sets no specific population target
and would allow federal land managers to choose what habitats to protect. Get
tree'd.
05/03/07
Record Ga. blaze moves into Okefenokee Swamp; agencies see summer risks
A
difficult-to-control wildfire that has closed parts of the Okefenokee National
Wildlife Refuge is part of a record-setting complex of blazes currently being
fought in southeast Georgia. Two large fires that began last month near Waycross,
Ga., burned through more than 90,000 acres. Started after a tree fell across high-voltage
electric wires on April 16, the blazes comprise the largest wildfire ever recorded
in the state. Swampfire burns.
04/26/07
IG report critical of private use of NPS, BLM facilities
More
than two decades after initial criticisms of the practice, the National Park Service
continues to allow private individuals or exclusive clubs to monopolize desirable
locations on federal lands near major metropolitan areas to the exclusion of the
general public, says a recent report from the Interior Department's Office of
Inspector General. In addition, the April 10 report "Private Use of Public
Lands" said NPS has retained at least $2.6 million in special-use permit
fees that should have been turned over to the U.S. Treasury. Investigate
further.
04/26/07
N.J. proposes strict limits to river developments
The
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection this week proposed sweeping
limits on development near rivers and reservoirs that supply drinking water and
fishing opportunities. The plan would apply "Category One" status to
more than 900 miles of waterways and some 1,300 acres of reservoirs in 11 counties,
said DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson. Category One is the state's highest level
of water-quality protection and entails a near total ban on development. See
what's at stake.
04/19/07
Nevada refuge plan would cull herds by 90 percent
Saying
that free-roaming mustangs and burros are destroying the ecosystem of the Sheldon
National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Nevada, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
this week released a draft environmental assessment for a management plan that
would cut the number of animals from over 1,600 to between 100 and 200. However,
wild horse advocates question FWS's population counts and assumptions about the
nature of overpopulation in the 500,000 acre wildlife refuge. They claim the agency
is simply trying to eradicate the animals over time. Ride
over here.
04/19/07
Calif. creates 29 ocean refuges
With
a unanimous vote, the California Fish and Game Commission on April 13 adopted
a plan to create 29 marine protection areas along the Pacific Ocean coastline.
The new sanctuaries represent 204 square miles, 18 percent of state waters, with
85 square miles of that designated as "no-take" zones where commercial
fishing will be prohibited or severely restricted.
Dive in to the details.
04/12/07
Calif. tries to prevent delta pump shutdown
California
water officials headed back to court this week, trying to convince Alameda Superior
Court Judge Frank Roesch not to finalize an order that could result in shuttering
operations of a major pumping facility on the State Water Project. The judge on
March 23 ruled that the state Department of Water Resources was in violation of
the California Endangered Species Act because the vulnerable delta smelt and salmon
were being killed by operations of the Harvey O. Banks pumping station, near Tracy.
Get briefed here.
04/12/07
Colorado Gov. Ritter seeks state process for roadless areas
Expressing
doubts about how future court decisions will guide federal forest management practices,
Colorado's Gov. Bill Ritter (D) yesterday asked the federal government for an
"insurance policy" to protect Colorado's 4.1 million acres of forested
roadless areas from development. While generally endorsing a petition previously
sent by ex-Gov. Bill Owens (R) last November, Ritter asked for a "state-specific"
rulemaking and four modifications to the plan endorsed by his predecessor.
Pursue a vehicle for off-road reform.
04/12/07
Native Americans defend Medicine Lake decision
SAN FRANCISCO --
Standing in a prayer circle in the courtyard of the federal office building here
Friday, a group of about 50 Native Americans and supporters urged the U.S. government
to drop continued attempts to develop geothermal energy projects on land around
Medicine Lake, in Shasta County. On Nov. 6, 2006, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals reversed a district court's determination that the Bureau of Land Management
and U.S. Forest Service had properly extended leases for geothermal project exploration
and development at Fourmile Hill in the Medicine Lake highlands near Mount Shasta
(Land Letter, Nov. 16, 2006). In February, the Department of Justice, on behalf
of the agencies, filed for reconsideration of the ruling. The
circle forms here.
04/05/07
New plan offered in Ore.'s Measure 37 fracas
Hoping
to quell growing public concern about the potential for rampant development represented
by thousands of claims for land-use restriction waivers under Measure 37, a legislative
working group last week proposed a new framework for reform of the controversial
law. In several respects, the proposal reflects principles previously espoused
by Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) in proposing an "express lane" process for
limited development plans. But it no longer calls for a six-month moratorium on
the processing of some 3,300 claims for waivers or compensation that were filed
before a Dec. 4, 2006, deadline. Go
behind closed doors.
03/29/07
Calif. resource officials offer $6B Salton Sea alternative
The
California Resources Agency this week unveiled a new preferred alternative design
for restoration of the Salton Sea in Southern California that will try to combine
many of the most desired elements of several plans that had been under consideration.
Not only would the new plan try to preserve a recreation-oriented marine sea at
the northern end of the Salton Sea, it would also greatly increase the size of
a salt-water wildlife habitat on the south end to accommodate migrating birds
that use the sea as a stopping point along the Pacific Flyway. Stop
over at the sea.
03/29/07
Calif. project at risk from court ruling on fish kills
In
a preliminary decision issued March 22, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank
Roesch ruled that operations at a critical water pumping facility on the California
State Water Project system are killing chinook salmon and delta smelt in violation
of the California Endangered Species Act. He declared that the Department of Water
Resource has never obtained an incidental take permit covering the affected species.
The judge gave DWR 60 days to obtain such a permit from the Department of Fish
and Game or to otherwise make a showing that it is in compliance with the law,
or risk shutting down the Harvey O. Banks pumping station, near Tracy. Such a
move could jeopardize state water exports to millions of people, farms and business
in Central and Southern California. Pump
it up here.
03/22/07
Tongass management plan would bring wasteful logging, groups say
As
the U.S. Forest Service completes its latest round of collecting public comments
on a revised land management plan for the Tongass National Forest, environmental
groups are again taking issue with projections for timber from the southeastern
Alaskan forest. According to the Wilderness Society, a revised timber demand forecast
recently issued by the Forest Service repeats errors and assumptions used in a
flawed 1997 projection. Look for the debate
here.
03/22/07
Rockies population reached 1,300 in 2006
An annual count
of gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain area shows that there are now about
1,300 wolves in at least 173 packs living in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The 2006
report, released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on March 16, documents
the continued population increases since wolves were formally reintroduced to
Yellowstone National Park and environs a decade ago. Start
counting.
03/22/07
Court denies emergency appeal by Army Corps for Alaskan project
In
a harshly written ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has maintained
an injunction against further construction work at the planned Kensington Gold
Mine on Lower Slate Lake in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. The court on
March 16 issued a preliminary ruling that rejects an emergency motion from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that would have allowed mine owner Coeur Alaska to
build a diversion ditch to protect a temporary dam that it built last summer.
The court also signaled its intention to vacate permits that had been issued for
the overall project. See what the
judges had to say here.
03/15/07
Costly Reclamation plan would retire 194,000 farming acres in Calif.
The
Bureau of Reclamation this month signed off on a $2.5 billion plan to control
salt- and selenium-laden agricultural runoff in California's San Joaquin Valley
that would involve the purchase and retirement of more than 194,000 acres of prime
farmland, as well as a 20-year project to build evaporation ponds, treatment plants
and other facilities. Even as Reclamation officials tallied up the costs for the
San Luis Drainage Feature re-evaluation project, they are working on a separate
agreement that could involve transferring ownership -- and much of the cost for
cleanup -- to local water districts. Check
it out here.
03/15/07
Elwha River a living laboratory for dam removal, restoration
The
issuance this month of a critical Washington state water quality permit means
that the National Park Service is on track to begin removing the Elwha and Glines
Canyon dams beginning in 2009. The project, considered the largest and most important
dam removal operation in the United States, is being closely watched internationally
as well. "This is a major stepping stone toward dam removal," said Rob
Masonis, senior director for American Rivers Northwest office in Seattle. "We
need to clear several regulatory hurdles and this was a major permit." The
Undammed.
03/15/07
Management plan released for Yellowstone grizzly bears
The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week released several key documents in its
ongoing effort to delist the grizzly bear as an endangered species in the Yellowstone
ecosystem. Besides revised methodologies for estimating and monitoring sustainable
populations, the agency issued a final conservation strategy that includes three
state management plans that will guide the recovery effort in the future. Bear
with it here.
03/08/07
Despite gains in science, origins of Sudden Oak Death still a mystery
After
years of investigation, forest biologists have developed a deeper understanding
of the cause and effects of "Sudden Oak Death." Still, they cannot fully
explain how a fungal pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, developed into such a fatal
agent, responsible for killing as many as 1 million oak trees in California and
infecting an equal number with no hope of preventing their eventual mortality.
During a symposium this week devoted to the latest research into Sudden Oak Death,
researchers offered more information about the extent of the problem, but few
potential solutions beyond continued quarantines of host plants and mixed success
in attempts to eradicate the problem at the local level.
Look here for the latest.
03/08/07
Calif. mulls electric transmission corridors
Not
waiting for the federal government to designate National Interest Energy Corridors
for high-voltage electric power lines in the West, the California Energy Commission
this week began a process for establishing transmission corridors within the state.
During a workshop in Sacramento on Monday, state officials and utility representatives
differentiated the two corridor proceedings by emphasizing that the state level
action derives from a bill enacted last year, S.B. 1059, seeking to improve system
reliability and access to potential renewable resources. Flow
here.
03/08/07
Air Force responsible for lands cleanup, court rules
Asbestos
removal at the site of the former Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado is the responsibility
of the federal government, a U.S. claims judge ruled Feb. 22. While damages were
not specified in the order, homebuilders that conducted removal work -- after
the government refused to do so -- say they spent over $9 million in order to
complete housing developments. Get briefed here.
03/01/07
Coast Guard wants to transfer historic lighthouses to GGNRA
The
U.S. Coast Guard and National Park Service are considering making a transfer of
five historic lighthouses, including the popular station at Alcatraz Island, to
become part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). Although still
in use as visual landmarks in and around often-foggy San Francisco Bay, the lighthouses
have been supplanted by global positioning satellites and other modern technology
that are much better suited to providing navigational guides for shipping. Light
the way here.
03/01/07
Eminent domain restrictions spread through nation
Reactions
to the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New London continue
to reverberate across the nation, as legislatures in every state have taken up
some form of a bill to restrict or refine the limits of eminent domain actions.
According to the latest tally from the National Conference of State Legislatures,
eminent domain legislation has been raised in 39 states so far this year. "Each
of 16 states that did not pass Kelo-related bills or a ballot measure during 2005
or 2006 is considering legislation this year," said Larry Morandi, director
of state policy research for NCSL. Find out
the big issues here.
02/22/07
9th Circuit weighs in on NW logging and salvage projects
The
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued two rulings last week against federal
agencies' planned logging and fire salvage operations in the Pacific Northwest.
While the two unrelated cases presented a mixed bag of legal findings, their net
effect was to at least temporarily halt two controversial timber harvests. See
here.
02/15/07
Minn. lawmakers advance multi-state water management compact
Minnesota
is expected to become the first state to enact provisions of the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact following action in the state Senate
this week to pass S.F. 38. Earlier this month, the House passed its version of
the measure, H.F. 110, setting the matter up for quick approval by Gov. Tim Pawlenty
(R), who has already endorsed the compact, along with seven other governors and
the heads of two Canadian provinces. Dive
into the details here.
02/08/07
Report urges fresh thinking to solve Calif. delta problems
A
fundamental change is needed in thinking about policies to restore the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta region, a California think-tank declared this week. Instead of trying
to forge incremental, consensus-based solutions to what have proven to be intractable
problems, the state should consider giving up on its long-held belief that the
delta should be managed as a freshwater resource devoted to agriculture and drinking
water exports to Southern California. Dip
into the report here.
02/08/07
Compromise seen for Ore.'s Measure 37
The
recent flood of claims for financial compensation or waivers of land-use restrictions
under Oregon's controversial Measure 37 has brought a backlash of unfavorable
public opinion and new proposals for legislative reform.
As a special joint legislative committee meets this week to consider a bill offered
by Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) that would severely limit development under many of
the newly filed claims, parties indicated that some compromise might be possible.
A Dec. 4, 2006, deadline for filing Measure 37 claims under less restrictive rules
resulted in more-than doubling the number of filings, overwhelming government
planning offices' ability to process them in a timely manner. See
what's at stake here.
02/08/07
Montana takes Yellowstone River allocation dispute to Supreme Court
Fed
up with having its requests ignored for a full allocation of water under a 1950
agreement, Montana officials this week petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene
in its dispute with the state of Wyoming. At issue are water supplies from the
Tongue and Powder rivers, which are shared by the two states as part of the Yellowstone
River Compact, signed along with North Dakota 57 years ago.
Get the brief here.
02/01/07
Calif. vows to protect Headwaters deal from Pacific Lumber bankruptcy
The
state of California has intervened in the bankruptcy case recently filed by Pacific
Lumber Co. and affiliates, with the intent of ensuring continued adherence to
a controversial deal covering hundreds of thousands of acres of Northern California
forest lands. The Headwaters Agreement preserved old-growth redwood forests in
Humboldt County, Calif., while applying special environmental protections and
strict harvest limits on more than 200,000 acres of commercial timber lands held
by Pacific Lumber and its corporate parent Maxxam. Find
out more here.
01/25/07
Calif. officials struggle to rid Lake Davis of stubborn pike
Ten
years and $20 million later, California fish and game officials are once again
planning to inject a powerful poison into Lake Davis and kill off all fishlife
there in an attempt to eradicate the invasive northern pike before it spreads
into key waterways. A similar effort in 1997 not only ended in failure but also
raised significant community opposition to the complete poisoning of the lake,
which is part of a reservoir system on U.S. Forest Service land in Plumas County.
Cast your net here for the story.
01/18/07
Meetings on Black Mesa Project turn fractious
Opponents
of continued coal mining operations at the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines in northeast
Arizona tried to press their concerns during a series of public meetings sponsored
by the Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
(OSM). But the groups, including environmental organizations and Native American
tribal factions, report being frustrated by limitations to the format of a dozen
meetings held this month in various Arizona locations. The meetings were to take
public comment on the adequacy of a draft environmental impact statement for the
Black Mesa Project. Find more here.
01/18/07
Federal court upholds favorable tax ruling for habitat easements
A
federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Michigan couple that claimed tax
deductions for two conservation easements negotiated with a local land trust.
Initially, the Internal Revenue Service cited the couple, Charles and Sharon Glass,
with a tax deficiency notice for more than $116,000 over a four-year period from
1992 through 1995, claiming that two of three easements did not qualify as being
"exclusively for conservation purposes." Although a tax court sided
with the Glass family in the matter, the IRS Commissioner appealed the ruling.
See what the judge said here.
01/11/07
Calif. governor wants new storage projects
Though he barely
mentioned it during his "state of the state" speech Tuesday night, California
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has proposed spending nearly $6 billion for new
water storage facilities, water conservation and habitat restoration programs
as part of a new $40 billion "Strategic Growth Plan" revealed this week.
"We must invest in public safety, water supply, courts, education and transportation,"
the governor said in his speech, after alluding to a projected 30 percent growth
in population in the next few decades. "Building California is not a burden;
it's not a chore; it's a privilege." Look
here for the rest of the story.
01/11/07
Whitewater enthusiasts test the waters of the Upper Chattooga
For
the first time in 30 years, a group of kayakers was allowed to experience a run
down the upper reaches of the Chattooga River this week. They were taking part
in a unique Forest Service study on whether to remove a long-standing ban on boaters
along the portion of the river, imposed when a 57-mile stretch of the Chattooga
flowing through parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia was granted
"wild and scenic river" status in 1976. Run
the river here.
01/04/07
Ariz. utility resorts to eminent domain to secure supply for power plant
An
Arizona judge has scheduled a July trial date for a case in which Arizona Public
Service Co. is trying to acquire through condemnation some 7,000 acres of land
from the Aztec Land and Cattle Co. While the undeveloped property itself has a
relatively modest value, the real issue is APS's attempt to secure groundwater
for its Cholla coal-fired power plant near Joseph City. Check
out the dispute here.
12/21/06
More aggressive import screening is cost-effective, says study
Prescreening
of imported plants and animals that are likely to become problematic invasive
species is not only possible but also cost effective, according to a new study.
The report, "Risk assessment for invasive species produces net bioeconomic
benefits," finds that strict import screening programs, such as that used
by the Australian government to prevent potentially invasive plants from entering
the country, have economic benefits that far outweigh the costs of controls.
12/14/06
Oregon flooded by last-minute Measure 37 claims
More
than 1,000 claims poured into state offices on the last day before a change in
rules governing claims under Oregon's Measure 37 took effect Dec. 2, part of a
deluge of new claims filed during the past month that has swelled the total number
filed since the controversial land-use initiative was passed into law in November
2004. Total claims under Measure 37 exceed $6 billion. See
what's in the file here.
12/14/06
Conservationists celebrate protections for Mont.'s Rocky Mountain Front
Among
the many 11th-hour actions by the lame-duck 109th Congress last week was passage
of a tax extender bill that contained an amendment to prevent federal lands agencies
from issuing new permits for drilling or hardrock mining along the Rocky Mountain
Front in Montana. The provision, slipped into H.R. 6408 by Montana Sen. Max Baucus
(D), would permanently extend a 1997 moratorium on oil and gas leases for federal
lands stretching over 100 miles southeast from Glacier National Park. Check
the maps here.
12/07/06 Stronger safeguards needed to protect water quality near extraction A new study released today concludes that federal agencies that issue mining permits frequently fail to accurately assess the potential for acids and toxic metals to leak into rivers, and that, in a majority of cases conditions meant to mitigate contamination are ineffective. Dig into the story here.
11/30/06 Closing the door to invasive species They arrive by land, by sea or though the air. Sometime they are imported on purpose, but often they are unwelcome hitchhikers that stow away inside the hulls of cargo ships or in packing materials carried from distant lands. While most fail to establish new colonies, some will thrive in their new environment, and if not identified and contained, they can spread rapidly. They are exotic, invasive species-plants, animals and microorganisms -- and in very real ways, they threaten to choke out native species while causing billions of dollars in year in direct damage and costs for control. Read the complete article here.
11/16/06
After the blazes are out, restoration efforts continue
With smoke still lingering over the 175,000-acre burn area in the Okanogan-Wenatchee
National Forest of north-central Washington, just a few miles from the Canadian
border, helicopters hovered above the canyons. At their designated altitude, they
dropped a payload -- not of fire retardant but half-ton bales of straw that would
disperse on impact to spread material along the steep slopes. The goal was to
establish mulch material to minimize erosion before the rains begin. Click here
to read the complete article.
11/16/06
Wash. Audubon groups take on state, Weyerhaeuser over spotted owl
The
Seattle and Kittitas County chapters of the Audubon Society have filed a lawsuit
against Washington state resource agencies and the Weyerhaeuser Corp., seeking
to halt logging on about 100,000 acres of timberlands where they say northern
spotted owls have been identified. Represented by the Washington Forest Law Center,
the groups contend that despite recent protections enacted by the state Department
of Natural Resources and the Forest Practices Board, populations of threatened
spotted owls will continue to erode unless logging is halted on the public and
private lands. Look here.
11/16/06
Emergency restrictions imposed at Golden Gate beaches to minimize snowy plover
disturbances
One
of the longest-running disputes at the National Park Service's Golden Gate National
Recreation Area (GGNRA) flared up again this month, as park officials imposed
emergency restrictions on beach access to protect two sites used by western snowy
plovers. In particular, owners of dogs that were previously allowed to run and
play "under voice control" at Ocean Beach and along Chrissy Field on
San Francisco Bay, must keep their dogs on leash in two portions of those areas.
Run with the dogs here.
11/09/06 New public uses offered for toxic shipyard Nearly ten years after adoption of a redevelopment plan for the Hunters Point Navy Shipyard on San Francisco Bay, a community-based design group is pressing for a major expansion of a planned 60-acre waterfront park to accommodate more varied public uses. See the plan.
11/09/06 Former NPS director Bill Whalen remembered for great achievements and spirited activism The flag was at half-staff, and an honor guard of four mounted National Park Service police stood outside the Fort Mason Officers Club, as family and freinds of William J. Whalen III met to celebrate the memory of a remarkable man and an equally remarkable career. Join the ceremony.
11/02/06 Record fire season not over, officials warn Even before the Esperanza fire in Southern California claimed the lives of five Forest Service firefighters, this year was already considered among the worst for wildfires across the U.S. See why here.
11/02/06 Parties must wait for decision on forest plan rule Judge Phyllis Hamilton told parties she is not ready to rule on summary motions in two consolidated cases challenging the Bush administration's revisions to a planning rule that affects all 192 milion acres of national forest. During oral arguments in San Francisco, Nov. 1, both sides agreed the revision amounted to a "paradigm shift" in how the Forest Service directs local units to devise forest managemen plans. But what the government described as "changing to a more flexible and less prescriptive framework, the plaintiffs criticized as "moving from a protective standard to a weaker one." Find the court report here.
10/26/06
No perfect solution for Salton Sea restoration, but many options
The
Salton Sea, California's largest lake and long a desert refuge for vacationers
and hundreds of species of migrating birds, will inevitably shrink in volume and
lose surface area over the next two decades, as about half of current inflows
are diverted to help quench Southern California's unflagging thirst for water.
Exactly how to prevent or mitigate the worst problems associated with this situation
-- increased salinity, worsening air quality, continued threats to the local economy
and the virtual elimination of fish and wildlife -- has become a top priority
for government officials, agricultural groups, Indian tribes and environmentalists.
But it is also a conundrum, as starkly differing visions of how to preserve and
restore this inland sea have made it difficult to reach consensus on a workable,
affordable strategy.
Read all about it here.
10/26/06
New tax law spurs interest, activity in easement transactions
A
recently passed law that provides generous tax deductions to landowners who enter
into irrevocable conservation easements on their properties is already spurring
new transactions involving thousands of acres of forest, ranch and farmlands.
However, because the deduction carries an end-of-2007 sunset date, private land
trusts across the country are scrambling to complete easement transactions and
to inform potential users of the program about its availability.
Look for the report here.
10/19/06
Storm clouds gather over tribal lands rights-of-way for energy
A
little-noticed provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 has uncovered contentious
issues about the renewal of rights-of-way across tribal lands for energy facilities.
Section 1813(a) of EPAct directs the departments of Energy and Interior to provide
an historic assessment of the rights-of-way valuation issues and to offer recommendations
for Congress for methods of resolving problems and providing compensation for
land use. Follow the news.
10/19/06
Complex forest land exchange in Oregon collapses
The
proposed Blue Mountain Land Exchange, involving nearly 50,000 acres of federal
forest land and private property in the Blue Mountain region of northeastern Oregon,
has fallen victim to rising land values, declining timber values and a time-consuming
process for approval. The complex deal, valued at more than $41 million, had been
in the works for eight years, although the U.S. Forest Service began its formal
process for evaluating the transaction in 2002. See
what's behind the headline.
10/19/06
Montana mine OK conditioned by protections for grizzly bears, bull trout
The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Oct. 13 determined that the proposed Rock Creek
silver and copper mine in the Cabinet Mountains of Montana will not pose a significant
danger to protected bull trout, and that mitigation plans funded by the developer
will "produce a net positive effect for the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem grizzly
bear population."
