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In the Rockies today, bald eagles and sage grouse are in the news.
A year after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bald eagle from its endangered species list, the Navajo Nation decided to put the bird on its list of endangered species.
That decision puts another layer of protection on the national symbol on Navajo lands.
In Nevada, the number of sage grouse is down significantly, with the ratio of chicks to hens is the lowest in two decades.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting a new, court-ordered review of sage grouse numbers in 11 Western states, and if the bird is put on the endangered species list, it could have a considerable impact on wind-power projects, as those projects and the transmission lines from the farms to markets cross over a lot of the bird's habitat as well.
In "A Look Ahead," today, we offer a preview of the Winter Wildlands Alliance's conference scheduled for Oct. 24-25 in Golden, Colo.
The Winter Wildlands Alliance conference, held every other year, gathers public-lands managers and grass-roots groups together to discuss ways to promote quiet winter recreation on public lands.
Rockies today
Navajo Nation puts bald eagle on endangered-species list
A year after the federal government took the bald eagle off its endangered-species list, the Navajo Nation put the bird on its endangered-species list.
Arizona Republic; Sept. 29
Decline in sage grouse numbers in Nevada could affect wind-power plans
Over the past decade, wildfires have burned across more than 3 million acres of sage grouse habitat in Nevada alone, and as numbers of the bird continue to decline, the federal government has been ordered to review its earlier decision not to list sage grouse as endangered, a decision that could affect wind farms, transmission lines, as well as mining, grazing and energy development in Rocky Mountain West states.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; Sept. 29
Utah scientist says Montana mud indicates decrease of wildfires
Mitch Power, an assistant professor of geography at the University of Utah, said a 26-inch-long sample of sediment pulled from the bed of Foy Lake in Montana's Flathead Valley and samples pulled from 405 other locations around the globe indicates that wildfires have declined in both number and intensity since 1870.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 29
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At Wyoming conference, predictions grim for future firefights
Climate scientists, fire managers, public land managers and others gathered last week in Jackson, Wyo., to take a 20-year lookback at the 1988 wildfires in Yellowstone, and to discuss changing federal policy on fighting wildfires, which climate change, drought and disease are making more intense and costly to fight.
NewWest.net; Sept. 29
Sheriff of Arizona county under fire for immigration tactics
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is running for his fifth term, and with $500,000 in campaign cash and a comfortable lead over his opponent as indicated by a poll last month, Arpaio may easily be re-elected, but some are critical of his mission to find, arrest and deport as many undocumented people he can find, while others applaud his work.
New York Times; Sept. 28
N.M. researcher works on use for energy-operations discharge water
Richard N. Arnold, professor of Weed Science at New Mexico State University's Agricultural Science Center in Farmington, has been working with state and federal agencies to find species of grass that can tolerate high levels of salt so that discharge water from energy drilling operations can be used for agricultural purposes rather than being injected into deep aquifers as it is now disposed.
Farmington Daily Times; Sept. 29
USFS limits group size in Montana recreational area
The Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, located on the northern edge of Missoula in Montana, gets a lot of use, and Lolo National Forest officials said recent observations of large groups of mountain bikers and campers pushed the agency to enforce a regulation that's been on the books for a decade that limits groups to 10 people.
Missoulian; Sept. 27
Opinion
There is no such thing as 'clean coal'
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is a fan of it; presidential candidate Barack Obama has tapped the Montana Democrat to be on his "Clean Coal Task Force," but the bottom line is that the process of squeezing fuel out of coal more than doubles the greenhouse gas emissions as regular gasoline and nearly twice that of diesel fuel.
High Country News (Writers on the Range); Sept. 29
Western states in play in U.S. presidential race
Voters in the Rocky Mountain West will play a pivotal role in this year's presidential race, with New Mexico leaning toward Democrat Barack Obama; Arizona, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming tilting toward Republican John McCain; and Colorado, Montana and New Mexico too close to call, and issues such as energy and alternative energy are getting a lot of attention in the resource-rich region, although it's the economy that's stealing the show this campaign season.
The Guardian; Sept. 29
Beyond the region
Texas utility sues over canceled federal loan program for coal-fired plants
The East Texas Electric Cooperative sued the federal government last week over the Rural Utilities Service's decision to suspend a program that helped fund construction of coal-fired power plants; funding for a Montana coal-fired power project was also suspended by that decision.
Great Falls Tribune; Sept. 27
U.S. House to vote today on legislation to rescue financial industry
House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said Sunday that he believed the legislation the House will vote on today will pass, after negotiators successfully improved the bill by adding a plan to limit taxpayer exposure; if the bill does pass the House today, the U.S. Senate will take it up later on this week.
Washington Post; Sept. 29
Canada's aboriginal leaders talk trade with China
China's vast need for timber, coal and minerals provides an attractive market for Canada's aboriginal communities that have vast resources to sell, and they've created the China-Canada Aboriginal Business Opportunity, which will be the largest international native business initiative ever launched, according to one of the members who is arranging a trip to China.
Toronto Globe & Mail; Sept. 29
Machinists' strike at Boeing nearly a month old
Neither the Machinists union nor Boeing officials seem interested in changing their position, an impasse that idled nearly 27,000 workers nearly a month ago.
Seattle Times; Sept. 29
Nation's wobbling economy pushes up profit for California gold miner
Perry Cottingham has been steadfastly pulling gold out of the fabled California Mother Lode for the past three years, and the California miner said the nation's current financial situation has helped his bottom line.
Los Angeles Times; Sept. 29
In depth
Homeless shelters along Utah's Wasatch Front above capacity
Cold weather that sends those Utahns living on the streets seeking shelter hasn't hit the Beehive State yet, but tough economic times have put many people in the need of aid, and shelter officials along the Wasatch Front said they fear they may have to turn families away this winter because there will be no room for them.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 29
Number of homeless students doubles in Montana school district
Sue Runkle, the homeless education liaison for Montana's School District 2, said she has 145 homeless students this school term, more than double the 70 students she had last year at this time.
Billings Gazette; Sept. 29
Demand on Arizona food banks up 25 percent
Tough economic times in Arizona are raising demand on the state's food banks, with more families seeking help to keep food on the table.
Arizona Republic; Sept. 29
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| "We think there is enough open land out there, which is not habitat for threatened and endangered species."
Charles Benjamin, director of the Nevada office of Western Resource Advocates and president of a coalition, Nevadans for Clean, Affordable, Reliable Energy, about his belief that sage grouse and wind-power projects can co-exist.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal
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Libertarian Party's message resonates in Idaho
Plan for Wyoming wildlife refuge reduces its size by 65 percent
Coal company buys naming rights to Utah soccer stadium
Number of drilling permits issued by Colorado continues to rise
Court: Washington man's lawsuit on Idaho grazing leases can proceed
Montana, Wyoming tribes jostle for Yellowstone bison herd
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Exclusively
on Headwaters:
NewVoices/NewWest:
Culture
Clash: Can the federal No Child Left Behind Act coexist with Montana's
Indian Education for All?
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Regional Conferences
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Sept. 22: enerG Magazine's Sept./Oct. edition is published. Read a preview of the leading North American publication on alternative energy.
Lecture Series: "Montana’s Changing Climate: Science, Solutions & You:", Flathead Valley Community College, Kalispell, Mont.
- Sept. 30 - Reverend John Lund
Oct. 7 - Dr. Dominick DellaSala
Oct. 8-9: Idaho Wildland Fire Conference, Boise, Idaho. Read a preview.
Oct. 8-10: The inaugural WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Las Vegas, Nev. Read a preview.
Oct. 24-25: Winter Wildlands Alliance's "Advocacy in a Climate of Change", Golden, Colo. Read a preview.
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Headwaters
News is a program of the Center
for the Rocky Mountain West at the University
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