In the Rockies today, we offer articles about timber management in Montana, micro-hydroelectric plants in Colorado and proposed rules on vehicle emissions in Arizona.
First up, the Missoulian takes an in-depth look at forest management policies in Montana, both past and future, and in our In-depth section the Montana paper explores how the state is managing its timber properties, and a look at how the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes have changed their forest management practices.
In Colorado, Pitkin County officials are working on new policies that will make it easier for micro-hydroelectric plants to be built and installed, and the Vail Daily News reports on one rancher's successful use of such a plant to power up his home--and sell some of that power back to a local utility.
And in Arizona, state officials are working on new emissions rules that would require manufacturers to reduce vehicle emissions by an average of 30 percent by 2016.
Rockies today
Timber management a tangled equation in Montana
A month ago, hundreds of people turned out for a meeting sponsored by a group that wants to increase timber production in the Bitterroot National Forest, yet requests for bids on a timber sale in the Flathead Forest just a hundred of miles or so north of there went unheeded, a solid indication of just how difficult managing forest lands can be. First in a series.
Missoulian; Nov. 22
-
USFS, Montana groups want to controversy first, then log
U.S. Forest Service and Montana officials, along with conservation groups and local authorities, have teamed up to create a set of 13 principles to be followed on future work in the Bitterroot and Lolo national forests in the state with the hope that controversies could be handled at the outset, and allow projects to move forward without litigation. The conclusion of a four-part series.
Missoulian; Nov. 25
-
Read more on timber management in Montana
Federal Clean Water Act dams up efforts to clean up Colo. mine
Efforts to pass a "Good Samaritan" law that would allow groups a way to navigate the federal Clean Water Act when cleaning up abandoned hard-rock mines in Colorado and other states have failed, so groups working to clean up the Pennsylvania Mine in Colorado have formed a nonprofit to handle the clean up, in the hope that an entity with no assets will not be a target for litigation.
Colorado Springs Gazette; Nov. 26
Colorado wildlife officials ask hut visitors to help track lynx
Colorado wildlife officials said gathering data on the elusive lynx in the state is difficult, and are now asking visitors who use the 10th Mountain Division Huts in search of deep powder also keep an eye out for lynx.
Denver Post; Nov. 27
Hydroelectric power gains steam in Colorado
John McBride's micro-hydroelectric plant on his Colorado ranch produces up to 5 kilowatts of electricity per hour, and similar private plants and more public plans may become more prevalent if Pitkin County passes a code amendment that makes it easier to build micro-hydroelectric plants.
Vail Daily News; Nov. 25
Colorado company wants to tap into Oregon coast's coalbed methane
The amount of coalbed methane in Oregon's Coos Bay Basin is tiny when compared to the resources underlying Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, but Colorado-based Torrent Energy says it believes there is enough in the Coos County reserves to supply 1.5 million homes for 10 years.
Portland Oregonian; Nov. 27
Arizona begins process to ban high-emission vehicles
The Arizona State Department of Environmental Quality began working on a rule that would ban high-emission vehicles that is based on California's vehicle emission standards.
Arizona Daily Sun; Nov. 27
Opinion
Montana delegates should drive conservation project through Congress
The Beaverhead-Deerlodge Conservation, Restoration and Stewardship Act provides a locally driven sustainable approach to forest management, and Montana's congressional delegation should do what it takes to get this important legislation through Congress.
Missoulian; Nov. 25
Beyond the region
California county will have world's largest water-purification plant
Orange County Water District officials said the water treatment plant they have built to process 70 million gallons of wastewater each day into potable water will serve as a model for cities and local governments across the world.
New York Times; Nov. 27
Scientist studies cranked up cone production in Wash. forest
The University of Washington constructed the Wind River Canopy Crane, a 285-foot construction crane, in 1995 in the 10,000-acre Wind River Experimental Forest in Washington to give scientists an aerial perch from which to study the old-growth forest, and UW forest ecologist Ken Bible is now studying why the forest has cranked up cone production.
Seattle Times; Nov. 27
Forest work around Lake Tahoe displaces aerator ants
The U.S. Forest Service faces a dilemma in the area around Lake Tahoe in that efforts to clean up woody debris off the forest floor will reduce the risk of future wildfires but will remove habitat for aerator ants, which scientists believe play a role in maintaining Lake Tahoe's clarity.
USA Today; Nov. 27
In depth
While USFS, private timber sales fall, Montana timber production up
Over the past decade, Montana has increased timber production on its state lands while the big players in the state--the U.S. Forest Service, Plum Creek and other large private landowners, have seen production fall. Second in a series.
Missoulian; Nov. 27
Tribes follow their own plan for managing forest lands in Montana
The 7-year-old timber-management plan of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes cut timber production on the tribes' Montana nearly in half, and tribal officials said the plan focuses on the ecosystem as a whole, rather than parcel by parcel. The third in a series.
Missoulian; Nov. 24
|
