In the Rockies today, public lands, wildfires and a fatal air tanker crash headline the news.

Idaho and the federal government have signed off on a management proposal for the 9.3 million acres of federal roadless lands in that state.

The deal protects 3.3 million acres from development, allows some logging to reduce fuels on 5.6 million, and allows all development on 400,000 acres.

In Utah, the Bureau of Land Management released its proposal for 2.3 million acres in two counties that make energy development on those lands a primary goal, a decision Carbon and Emery county officials applauded.

In Nevada, Gov. Jim Gibbons is questioning the U.S. Forest Service's decision to let a fire burn in the Jarbidge Wilderness.

U.S. Forest Service officials said the decision to let the fire burn was based on the large amount of dead and dying trees in the burn area, but hot, windy conditions allowed the fire to burn beyond where forest officials had planned.

Also in Nevada on Monday, an air tanker owned by Missoula-based Neptune Aviation crashed as it took off to deliver a last load of retardant on a wildfire near Lake Tahoe.

All three crew members, who have not yet been identified, died in the crash.

Rockies today

Idaho, USFS reach roadless accord
The federal government and Idaho released a plan Friday on management of the 9.3 million acres of federal roadless forest lands that would prohibit development of any kind on 3.3 million acres of the land; fuels-reduction work would be allowed on 5.6 million acres, and 400,000 would be open to all development.
New York Times; Aug. 30
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Idaho wildfire proves it takes a neighborhood to be firewise
The wildfire that destroyed 10 homes in a southeast Boise subdivision provided a good lesson on how creating defensible space around a home can save it from wildfire, but also proved that one homeowner's effort won't always save a home if surrounding houses don't have defensible space.
Idaho Statesman; Aug. 31
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Nevada governor questions USFS's decision to let wildfire burn
Gov. Jim Gibbons said the U.S. Forest Service's decision to let the wildfire that ignited in the Jarbidge Wilderness Area of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near the Idaho line burn for two weeks unchecked was a bad decision given the amount of fuels in the area and the hot, dry, windy weather conditions.
Reno Gazette-Journal; Sept. 1
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Firefighting air tanker crashes near Nevada airport, killing 3
The identities of the three crew members on board an air tanker owned by Montana-based Neptune Aviation have not been released; the tanker had just taken off Monday evening to make one last retardant drop on a wildfire burning near Lake Tahoe when it crashed a half-mile from the Reno, Nev., airport.
Missoulian (AP); Sept. 2
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• Read more on wildfires burning in the West in Environment
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• More on the Republican National Convention in our In-depth section
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• Hundreds of protesters arrested at GOP convention in Minnesota
  Many of the 250 protesters arrested Monday outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul were protesting the Iraq war.
  New York Times; Sept. 2
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• Romney addresses Utah delegates at RNC in Minnesota
  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney chose to address Utah delegates first upon his arrival at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota where he urged them to cast their vote for presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and praised them for their party loyalty.
  Deseret News; Sept. 2
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