With the Interior West almost exclusively Republican territory, “Democrats for the West,” a coalition of leaders, have issued a challenge to fellow Democrats to create sustainable Democratic majorities.
Also in this issue: While mountain lions receive bad press for what some say is increasing aggression against humans, experts say that humans may be the real problem. Lion killing in most Western states is increasing, and biologists say no state has ever had a sound population estimate for the animals. Without sound data, politics often plays into determining hunting quotas.
Jetboats stir up the Frank
IDAHO A new Forest Service management plan for the 2.4 million-acre Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness could increase jetboat traffic, and would allow airplanes continued access to four controversial landing strips. Jetboats and airstrips normally aren’t allowed in wilderness areas, but the 1980 act that established “the Frank” allowed those uses to continue there.…
Follow-up
With buddies like Steve Williams, endangered species don’t need predators, pesticides or encroaching pavement. In early March, Williams — head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — told Congress that money slated for designating critical habitat for endangered species could be better spent elsewhere within the agency (HCN, 6/23/03: Who needs critical habitat?). Nuclear…
Race track
Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo may have blown big bucks for nothing. The incumbent senator, who has already spent $1.5 million on his re-election campaign, will not be facing a Democratic challenger in November. According to the Idaho Statesman, would-be Democratic candidate Michael Kennedy’s campaign organizer missed the filing deadline by seconds, after the first challenger…
Invasion of the issue snatchers
One reason the conservation movement has not been able to get much traction over the years, especially among Republicans, is that it was invaded, starting back in the ’60s, by what one could call the “Issue Snatchers.” Most of these Issue Snatchers were chartreuse green. They had other fish to fry, agendas that came from…
Be afraid of Bush, be very afraid
The letter from Lynn Scarlett and Rebecca Watson sparked a discussion with my husband about the return of the Robber Barons aided by the Bush Administration’s undermining of many environmental laws and policies (HCN, 1/19/04: Coming soon to a wilderness near you). Our conversation ended with a comment by my husband that really hit me…
Black-robed potentates
They say that perspective is everything, but Ray Ring gets it mostly wrong in his article on Bush judicial appointments (HCN, 2/16/04: Courting disaster). To say that a “coup” is under way is to ignore history. George Bush is fighting a coup that has been ongoing for decades. For too long, federal judges have acted…
Land exchange has a bright side, too
I am just floored that your article “Arizona land swap dogged by questions” does not mention ANY of the positive aspects of the proposed Yavapai Ranch land exchange (HCN, 3/1/04: Arizona land swap dogged by questions). At present, 116,351 acres of land within the boundary of the Prescott National Forest exists in checkerboard ownership with…
Land exchange is a boondoggle
Thanks for printing a small article about the scandalous Yavapai Ranch Land Exchange (HCN, 3/1/04: Arizona land swap dogged by questions). You’ve written previous articles about owners of inholdings in federal lands leveraging excessive profits. Mr. Ruskin similarly wants to play profiteer against the wishes of several Arizona communities. And he wants to prevent an…
A city we can live with
If you’re reading this in a café within walking distance of work and home, and there’s a park or greenbelt area nearby, you can count yourself lucky: You live in a well-designed city. In Toward the Livable City, Emilie Buchwald gathers together 16 contributors, whose essays and art entice us toward the antidote to suburban…
Calendar
The League of Conservation Voters has released its 2003 National Environmental Scorecard. To see how your senator or representative voted on environmental issues, visit: www.lcv.org 202-785-8683 Colorado College launches its first annual State of the Rockies Report Card at a conference May 3-4 in Colorado Springs. New college president Richard Celeste hosts a detailed look…
The environment’s ‘most durable foe’
During the rising tide of environmentalism in the 1960s, one man earned the title of the movement’s “most durable foe.” Historian Steven C. Schulte’s new book, Wayne Aspinall and the Shaping of the American West, profiles the congressman who unabashedly promoted the development of the West’s public lands and shaped American environmental policy. For more…
Are mountain lions in danger of disappearing?
The West’s mountain lions are being hunted right out of their habitat
Die, baby harp seal!
It’s time for environmentalism to get ugly
Heard around the West
IDAHO Are cows getting smarter? Every year, several cows make a break for freedom from barns in Bonneville County to go a-wandering. Resistance is futile. What was different this spring was the feistiness of a 1,000-pound black Angus. “We’ve been raising cows for 20 years,” said the owner, “and never had anything like this happen…
Hands-on science education takes a hit
The Bush administration, accused of manipulating science, also has a hand in what’s being taught in school
Colorado Senate race steps into national spotlight
Democrats look to regain seat and hold the line in the U.S. Senate
Wrecking homes for open space: Philanthropist Jennifer Speers
MOAB, UTAH — Call her a home-wrecker, and Jennifer Speers just laughs. But the title fits. In February 2003, Speers purchased the “Rio Colorado at Dewey,” a 115-acre commercial development near Moab, that included a new adobe home with spectacular views of the Colorado River. Just a few months later, she leveled the $600,000 house.…
Republicans need to claim the environmental middle ground
Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story, “The One-Party West.” At a time when the United States is deeply — and evenly — divided politically, the Rocky Mountain West is firmly in the grasp of the Republican Party. Thank goodness. I believe Republican leaders are better equipped to meet the challenges…
Why Greens need blue blazers
One of my childhood friends, Karl Warkomski, is the first and only elected Green Party member in ultra-right-wing Orange County, Calif. Orange County — home to the mega-hawk and former congressman “B2 Bob” Dornan — is a place where people get misty eyed remembering the Reagan presidency. So how in the world did Karl get…
The One-Party West
With one foot in the cities and one foot in the country, Western Democrats can put hope back into political life
In search of political dialogue
About a decade ago, I was one of several observers of the Western political scene who latched on to a rather simple theory: With the demise of traditional industries, such as mining and logging, the West — the fastest growing and most beautiful region in the country — would soon attract scads of environmentally and…
Dear friends
Heat wave It’s hard to believe that just over three weeks ago we got a call from nearby Telluride, Colo., saying an avalanche had wiped out the town’s power supply. Kelly Hearn, managing editor of The Telluride Watch, told us that the area’s main power line was buried under 20 feet of ice and snow,…