A partially built farm for 859,000 hogs on
the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota has tribal
members upset (HCN, 11/8/99: Can a hog farm bring home the bacon?).
“We wish the production facility and the whole project would go
away,” says Mike Blatz, a business representative for the tribe.
But a federal judge ruled Feb. 3 that developers can proceed – even
though the Bureau of Indian Affairs had tried to revoke its
approval.
During January, about 31,000
undocumented immigrants were caught in Douglas, Ariz., according to
the U.S. Border Patrol (HCN, 9/27/99: An Arizona mayor condemns the
New West’s thirst for servants). Its Operation
Cochise has added staff, new checkpoints, high-tech
gadgets and undercover officers disguised as immigrants. Though the
Border Patrol says the program is beginning to dissuade Mexicans
from illegal border crossings, locals in outlying areas say the
problem is far from fixed. “It’s worse than it’s ever been,”
rancher Larry Vance told The Christian Science Monitor. “This is an
invasion.”
The Sierra Nevada’s Yosemite
toad and the mountain yellow-legged
frog need help, says the Center for Biological Diversity
and Pacific Rivers Council (HCN, 9/27/99: Endangered boreal toads).
The amphibians are threatened by pesticides and habitat destruction
from livestock grazing, according to the two conservation groups
that petitioned the government Feb. 28 for endangered-species
status. “The decline of these species should sound alarm bells,”
says Center spokesman Jeff Miller.
Four hundred
thousand roadless acres in Montana are still off-limits to
snowmobiles (HCN, 2/15/99: Snowmobilers booted from
Montana forest). The Montana Snowmobile Association lost its suit
to overturn a ban on snowmobiles in Lolo National Forest. The court
threw out the case this month, ruling that snowmobilers should have
challenged the ban when the Forest Plan was adopted, 13 years
ago.
George W. Bush promises
not to breach four dams on Washington’s Snake River if he’s elected
president (HCN, 12/20/99: Unleashing the Snake). “I understand
water. I understand the importance of water,” Bush told a group of
farmers in eastern Washington. “I know that water is the lifeblood
of agriculture.” He says technology can ensure both salmon and a
healthy economy.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The Wayward West.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
