The beleaguered black-tailed prairie dog is getting
some federal help (HCN, 11/11/96). On May 28, the Forest Service
ordered all staffers to stop poisoning the ground squirrels except
in “extremely rare situations.” The ban will remain in effect until
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decides whether to list the
animals as threatened.
Wildlife Services, the
federal agency formerly known as Animal Damage Control, is feeling
the wrath of environmentalists for killing five bears on a ranch in
southwest Colorado in May. The San Juan chapter of the National
Audubon Society calls the killings an abuse of power. The agency,
which eradicated 146,000 livestock predators in 1997, says the
killing of so many bears in one area was “unusual” and that it
should not happen again (HCN, 4/27/98). Meanwhile, Rep. Peter
DeFazio, D-Ore., tried to cut the $30 million budget of Wildlife
Services by nearly a quarter. “The question is, should federal
taxpayers pay for predator control services on private ranches –
for profit – in the Western United States?” asked DeFazio. Agency
supporters nixed the cut 230-193, saying the program also rids
airports of troublesome birds and eradicates rats that carry
bubonic plague.
The U.S. Supreme Court in May
shot down an appeal by environmentalists aimed at keeping the Grand
Canyon quiet (HCN, 12/21/98). The Grand Canyon Trust and other
groups argued that the government was moving too slowly in reducing
noise from sightseeing planes. The Federal Aviation Administration
says that flight-free zones should be in effect by
2008.
An off-road vehicle advocacy group is suing
the Forest Service for closing 89 miles of roads on Boulder
Mountain in southern Utah (HCN, 3/1/99). Utah Shared Access
Alliance calls the Dixie National Forest’s closure of the roads an
attempt to “keep people out of our public lands,” reports the Salt
Lake Tribune.
Off-roaders must stay off a trail
they blazed in Montana’s Swan Mountains (HCN, 3/2/98). A
court-ordered settlement requires the Flathead National Forest to
close an unauthorized trail that cuts through the Krause Basin.
Environmentalists sued in January 1999 after trail traffic rose
dramatically.
* Tim Westby
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The Wayward West.
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