The architect of the legal strategy to protect the Northern spotted owl and its habitat in the Pacific Northwest is the new president of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund. On March 7, Victor Sher, 39, became the sixth president of the public-interest environmental law firm that represents several hundred non-profit clients, including the Sierra […]
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Posted inMay 2, 1994: A struggle for the last grass
Rainbows over Wyoming
Counter-culture types will be dropping out somewhere in Wyoming this July when the 22nd Rainbow Gathering convenes. From 10,000 to 25,000 people are expected to come from across the country to one of Wyoming’s five national forests. Rolling Stone magazine reports that last year’s gathering drew about 10,000 people to a national forest in Alabama. […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
South Pass reconsidered
A Wyoming environmental group has been successful in getting the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider the route of a natural gas pipeline over historic South Pass. Following a tour of the area last year, the Wyoming Outdoor Council convinced former BLM chief Jim Baca to reconsider the route. Council founder Tom Bell and other […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Recovery plan bearly there
Seventeen environmental groups said March 16 they will sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because its Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan will fail. The announcement follows a similar notice filed by three other groups in late January (HCN, 2/21/94). All say the federal plan needs to include more specific standards for the protection of core […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Wildlife advocates stand firm
Despite pressure from Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus not to testify against the proposed Owyhee Canyon bombing range, both the Idaho Fish and Game Department and its appointed commission came out against it (HCN, 1/24/94). At a recent public hearing, department representatives opposed the northern portion of the bombing range, saying it seriously threatens the protection […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Northwest forest watchers
Who says writing letters doesn’t work? Last fall Okanogan National Forest in Washington received over 700 letters protesting a draft environmental impact statement for the Granite Mountain Roadless Area. As a result, forest officials dropped plans to build at least 30 miles of new roads and log 15 million board-feet of timber. Leaders of Methow […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Charisma counts
Although Americans want a balanced and healthy ecosystem and favor the right of all species to exist, turtles and otters are valued above rodents and insects. Donald Coursey, public policy specialist at the University of Chicago, says his national survey “showed a difference between the public’s walk and their talk.” Conducted last fall, the survey […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
A word for the wild
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protects rivers and streams – no matter how small – from development and pollution. In Colorado, the Cache la Poudre remains the only river protected under the act. The non-profit Colorado Environmental Coalition would like more free-flowing rivers designated, but needs help to identify the most remarkable in Colorado. […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Wolves get green light
Wolves will roam wild again in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho as early as fall. Although 60,000 people opposed wolf reintroduction, 100,000 people told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service they supported its draft environmental impact statement for wolf recovery. Ed Bangs, project leader for the agency in Missoula, Mont., said many people commented […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Consensus on tape
The consensus approach to public-land grazing is like ecosystem management: a largely undefined process. To ground matters, Oregon State University has produced a 29-minute video titled, “The Miracle at Bridge Creek.” It examines how the Oregon Watershed Improvement Coalition brought together the various players on public-land grazing to improve several Oregon watersheds. The video is […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Hopis attack false kachinas
In recent years, tourists have bought tens of thousands of kachinas, many of which are mass produced by Navajos. “We can’t keep up with the demand,” says Steve Roberts, manager of a factory in Thoreau, N.M., where the carved, wooden figurines representing ancestral Hopi spirits are turned out. But, the Navajos may not be able […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Recylcing service goes regional
Recyclers in the Rocky Mountain West will soon have the opportunity to link up by computer. RecycleNet, an electronic bulletin board based in Colorado, plans to expand services this summer to Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, thanks to a $10,000 federal grant. The service encourages those in hands-on, day-to-day recycling programs […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Bats need a home
A Nevada legislative mandate to seal some 3,000 abandoned mines in Nevada threatens bats that roost in the shafts. Biologists who study bats say that as cave exploration has grown in popularity, “cavers’ have scared bats out of their natural habitat. Many now take refuge in abandoned mines. At a recent workshop with Nevada officials […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Talk wild
This summer some 330 high school students will build trails in parks and national forests as volunteers for the Student Conservation Association. But their minds require a workout, too. The non-profit SCA needs people to visit backcountry crews and spend time talking to them about natural resource issues. Previous “Educators Bureau” speakers have shared information […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Wallop bows out
Sen. Malcolm Wallop, Wyoming’s senior Republican senator, has decided to bow out of politics after serving for 18 years in the U.S. Senate. A major player in federal water and energy policy, Wallop had considered a run for Wyoming governor, but decided instead that his “political Energizer bunny” had run out. He will return to […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
Sea lions slated for killing
Northwest lawmakers are urging legislation that would permit state wildlife officials to kill sea lions that feast upon a decreasing stock of steelhead at Seattle’s Ballard locks. Under the bills, which would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act, states could petition the federal government to kill non-threatened sea mammals if they continue feeding on vulnerable […]
Posted inApril 4, 1994: Who speaks for the Colorado Plateau?
Working on writing
At the end of April, hundreds of journalists will gather in Salt Lake City, Utah, and five other cities across the country to work on their writing. “This is a great experience for journalists to get meaningful training at a low cost,” says David Ledford, managing editor of the Salt Lake Tribune and organizer of […]
Posted inApril 4, 1994: Who speaks for the Colorado Plateau?
Trees are more than logs
An “idea fair” sponsored by the Forest Service and a coalition of private and public organizations will show how to extract higher value from forest products before they leave timber-dependent communities. “Growing Sustainable Forest Enterprises, An Intermountain Idea Fair” examines how timber can be made into specialty products such as toys or furniture rather than […]
Posted inApril 4, 1994: Who speaks for the Colorado Plateau?
Court strikes at Endangered Species Act
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cannot require private landowners to protect the habitat of endangered species, according to a recent court decision. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., stems from a lawsuit challenging federal regulations restricting timber harvesting near spotted owl nests in Oregon and […]
Posted inApril 4, 1994: Who speaks for the Colorado Plateau?
Energy Fair
Alternative energy technologies will be on display at the second annual, free Energy Fair April 30-May 1 in Montrose, Colo. Vendors will feature tepees, dome houses, earth-sunken homes, devices to computerize energy conservation and energy-efficient lighting and building materials. Workshops will examine bio fuels and hybrid solar systems, among other topics. Events include baking cookies […]