In the Rockies today, wildfires and wilderness are in the news.
Wildfires in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks blew up over the weekend, driven by strong winds.
National Park Service crews had allowed the Bearpaw Lake Fire in Grand Teton National Park to burn over the past month, but are actively fighting the fire to keep it from reaching developed areas on the east side of Jackson Lake.
Crews are also working to keep a Yellowstone Park wildfire from the historic Lake Hotel in the southeastern area of the Park.
On the wilderness issue, Sen. Jon Tester's Forest Jobs and Recreation Act has created a lot of debate about how the bill would affect motorized travel, and the Montana senator is working on detailed maps to show the 50 or so miles of trails that will be affected by the legislation, should it pass.
And today in Headwaters News' Western Perspective, Martin Nie, professor of natural resource policy in the College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, discusses the effect of place-based forest law such as Tester's Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.
Nie's piece is part of the discussion that will take place this week at the University of Montana College of Law's 33rd Annual Public Land Law Conference, "Redefining Wilderness: Landscape, Law & Policy," that begins Sept. 30 on the Missoula campus.
We invite you to read the column and send us your comments (0)
Rockies today
Tester: Forest Jobs bill closes only 50 miles of roads, trails
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said his office will release new maps detailing the effect his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act will have on motorized travel in the Montana areas covered by his bill.
Helena Independent Record (AP); Sept. 28
Wildfires in Grand Teton, Yellowstone parks grow
National Park Service officials had to change their game plan on the Bearpaw Lake Fire that has been burning in the Wyoming park since the end of August when winds drove the fire to more than 1,500 acres in size on Sunday; and in Yellowstone National Park, crews positioned fire hoses around the historic Lake Hotel as the Arnica Fire, which has now scorched 13 square miles, burned to within a few miles of that hotel.
Jackson Hole Daily; Sept. 28
Board orders EPA to review air-quality permit for N.M. coal-fired plant
The Environmental Appeals Board ruled Friday that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must reconsider the air-quality permit issued to the Desert Rock power plant, a coal-fired power plant proposed by the Navajo Nation's Dine Power Authority and Houston-based Sithe Global LLC near Farmington, N.M.
Farmington Daily Times (AP); Sept. 28
Appeals court hears arguments on Yellowstone snowmobile limits
During oral arguments on Friday, a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals hinted that the appeal before them on a daily 720-snowmobile limit in Yellowstone National Park may be rendered moot by the National Park Service's forthcoming temporary order setting the daily limit at 318 machines.
Casper Star-Tribune; Sept. 27
BLM continues use of 'categorical exclusions' despite criticisms
Bureau of Land Management officials in Wyoming said they'll continue to issue categorical exclusions, a streamlined approach that was recently criticized by the Government Accountability Office, for drilling permits under existing guidelines until word comes from Washington, D.C. to change the process.
Casper Star-Tribune; Sept. 28
Mountain of glass for recycling piles up in Wyoming city
The economics of recycling glass has been marginal at best, and in Laramie, Wyo., the glass is being stockpiled at a landfill awaiting a market; in northern Idaho, Kootenai County gave up trying to recycle glass; in Oregon, Deschutes County's stockpile reached 1,000 tons before a use was found; and in Albuquerque, N.M., officials announced the stockpiles of glass there would be used by a manufacturer of water-absorbing horticultural stones.
SeattlePI.com (AP); Sept. 28
N.M. senators want Valles Caldera's designation re-evaluated
The 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico is governed by a nine-member board of trustees and was mandated to become financially self-sufficient by 2015, but preserve is nowhere near meeting that financial goal, and New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman have asked that the property be assessed for inclusion in the National Parks system.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Sept. 28
Opinion
Red Rock Wilderness bill not Utah's only option
The Red Rock Wilderness bill that would designate 9.4 million acres of federal land in Utah as wilderness will get a congressional hearing this week, but the bill that has been before Congress for 20 years, won't get much further than the hearing because it doesn't have the support of a single member of Utah's congressional delegation, and a better way to protect Utah's iconic wild lands may be smaller, more locally based bills.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 28
Beyond the region
U.S. job seekers outnumbers jobs available by record ratio
The number of job seekers outnumber jobs available in the United States by a six-to-one ratio, the worst ratio since the government began tracking open positions since 2000.
New York Times; Sept. 27
Wildfire burns in Washington state wilderness area
A wildfire in the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area southeast of Washington state's White Pass Ski Area was at about 300 acres on Friday, and fire officials said they were not sure what caused the fire.
Yakima Herald-Republic; Sept. 28
In depth
Weekend winds again boost Montana wildfire
For the second Saturday in a row, high winds blew new life into the Kootenai Creek wildfire burning in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, and although high winds grounded the six helicopters helping with the firefight, fire lines held steady.
Ravalli Republic; Sept. 28
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Montana wildfire ignites Saturday, grows to 220 acres
The Baldy Fire west of Lakeside discovered Saturday evening grew quickly, driven by high winds, but on Sunday crews held the 220-acre wildfire in Montana, that threatened about 160 homes in Lakeside.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; Sept. 28
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Crews quickly corral wildfire near Montana ski area
A wildfire first reported Saturday afternoon near the Flaming Arrow subdivision just south of the Bridger Bowl Ski Area in Montana burned across 350 acres before crews could contain it.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; Sept. 28
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Crews have wildfire on Montana's MacDonald Pass 15% contained
A wildfire that ignited Friday evening near Cromwell Dixon Campground on MacDonald Pass in Montana was 15 percent contained Sunday evening, and with colder weather, rain, and perhaps even snow in the forecast, crews were hoping to get the blaze under control this week.
Helena Independent Record; Sept. 28
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Crews have Copper Creek fire in Montana completely contained
The cause of the Copper Creek fire that ignited near Lincoln on Tuesday is still unknown, but crews were able to contain the wildfire on Saturday, despite high winds in the area.
Great Falls Tribune; Sept. 28
Wildfire again scorches Idaho's Lincoln County
An area damaged by the 2007 Red Bridge Fire in Idaho burned again, as two wildfires ignited in southern Lincoln County along the eastern shoulder of U.S. Highway 93.
Twin Falls Times-News; Sept. 28
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