Events and celebrations are taking place throughout the West for Earth Day 2000, April 22, including an All Species of the Earth Day in Santa Fe, N.M., a Jammin” for Salmon musical celebration in Bellingham, Wash., and a Grand Canyon Forest Festival in Flagstaff, Ariz. Visit www.earthday.net for the complete schedule, or call the Earth […]
Books
Posted inApril 10, 2000: Beyond the Revolution
High Desert Conference
Burns, Ore., is the site for the 22nd annual High Desert Conference, April 27-30, a magnet for those who love the dry and wild landscape. Field trips, slide shows, speakers and the Desert Rat Poetry Festival are slated, plus contra dancing to a live band. Contact Gilly Lyons at the Oregon Natural Desert Association at […]
Posted inApril 10, 2000: Beyond the Revolution
Northern Arizona Book Festival
Twenty authors, including environmental writers, will present their work at the Northern Arizona Book Festival in Flagstaff, Ariz., April 28-30. Ann Zwinger, William deBuys and Ana Castillo are a few of the authors on tap. For more information, call Rick Swanson at 520/774-9118 or visit the Web site at www.flagstaffcentral.com/bookfest. This article appeared in the […]
Posted inApril 10, 2000: Beyond the Revolution
An industry booster becomes a supporter of Western land
There is nothing remotely radical about Alvin M. Josephy Jr., or if there is, he hides it in his memoir, A Walk Toward Oregon. There was a comfortable childhood in Manhattan; well-to-do relatives like his uncle, the founder of the firm that published this book; a couple of years at Harvard, until his father’s financial […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Tax-averse Wyoming hurts itself
As other Western economies boom, Wyoming is trying to rein in a large budget deficit without raising taxes. The Equality State Policy Center, a nonprofit public-policy advocacy group, doesn’t share Wyoming’s romance with “no new taxes,” and says taxes on the state’s minerals industry are an overlooked source of revenue. A report released by the […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Preserving the westward way
The National Park Service wants to preserve everything from vistas to wagon ruts, graves and campsites along 13,000 miles of historic Western trails. A plan completed last fall provides guidelines for protecting the Oregon, California, Mormon and Pony Express trails. But saving a trail system that crosses 12 states isn’t easy, says Jere Krakow, superintendent […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
What’s in your organic burrito?
Ever wonder what makes an organically labeled food organic? Soon, you’ll know. The Department of Agriculture recently released its proposed national organic standards for comment on the federal register. The 146-page document includes a list of substances approved and prohibited in organic foods. The agency’s first attempt at setting organic regulations, which allowed genetically engineered […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Off-road vehicle use
Off-road vehicle use and its threat to public lands is the topic of a national conference April 7-11 in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by environmental groups, including the Wilderness Society and the Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads, the event will cover strategies on how to organize, campaign and lobby. Contact Melanie at American Lands, 202/547-9267, for […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Nature in Fragments: The Legacy of Urban Sprawl
The American Museum of Natural History in New York City sponsors a symposium on Nature in Fragments: The Legacy of Urban Sprawl, April 13-14. The focus is unplanned growth and its consequences for North American biodiversity. Call 212/769-5200 for tickets and request code SPRAWL2K. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Resource Advisory Councils (RACs)
The Colorado office of the Bureau of Land Management is seeking nominations for positions on its Resource Advisory Councils (RACs) throughout the state. Members serve for three years and will have a say in how Colorado public lands are managed. Nominations are due by April 20. For information and nomination forms, contact the BLM Colorado […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Western Small Acreage Expo
Farmers, livestock owners and fruit growers can benefit from the free Western Small Acreage Expo, April 29 in Grand Junction, Colo. Demonstrations and presentations on sheep shearing, composting, machine maintenance and other topics of interest to small landowners will be offered, and vendors will present their goods and services. To pre-register or for more information, […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Energy Ideas Clearinghouse
Those who want to keep abreast of developments in energy efficient agriculture can sign up for a biweekly e-mail newsletter by visiting the Energy Ideas Clearinghouse at www.energyideas.org. Contact Cristina Love at Washington State University’s Cooperative Extension Energy Program, 800/872-3568 or 360/956-2237. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Commons or Commodity? The Dilemma of Federal Land Exchanges
Commons or Commodity? The Dilemma of Federal Land Exchanges explores the history, policy and laws surrounding land exchanges. The 104-page report includes case studies and suggests methods for reforming the system of land swaps. For a copy of the report, send $15 to Western Land Exchange Project, P.O. Box 95545, Seattle, WA 98145-2545. For more […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Missouri River Natural Resources
A conference on Missouri River Natural Resources is set for Bismarck, N.D., May 21-24, with presentations ranging from protecting fish and wildlife to paleontology and geology along the river. Native American flutist and storyteller Keith Bear joins the get-together. Call Greg Power for registration information at 701/328-6323 or visit http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/events/conf.htm. This article appeared in the […]
Posted inMarch 27, 2000: The last wild river
Oh, give me a home…
Contrasting Western images: A lone cowboy on horseback rides through the recently paved streets of a new, cheerily painted subdivision, while a voice laments that the West is becoming a place an old-timer might not recognize anymore. That’s how the documentary, Subdivide and Conquer: A Modern Western, begins. It takes a sobering look at the […]
Posted inFebruary 28, 2000: Acre by acre
Drain it now, says organization
Glen Canyon Action Network, an advocacy group that wants to drain Lake Powell, will hold its Restoration Celebration and Rendezvous at Glen Canyon Dam on March 14. The event, which coincides with the International Day of Action Against Dams and the anniversary of author Edward Abbey’s death, “will be a celebration, not a protest,” says […]
Posted inFebruary 28, 2000: Acre by acre
Bovine boondoggle
Cows eat up more than just grass in the West, says a special investigative report by the San Jose Mercury News. According to “Cash Cows: The Giveaway of the West,” federal-lands grazing consumes tax dollars without giving much back. Published in November and now available in eight-page color reprints, the report was compiled by 10 […]
Posted inFebruary 28, 2000: Acre by acre
Goose eggs in Congress
According to the League of Conservation Voters’ 1999 National Environmental Scorecard, over one-third of senators received a zero percent score. Western delegates cast their votes against the environment more often than their counterparts from other regions. Eleven Western senators earned a big zilch, including the entire delegations of Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Of those, […]
Posted inFebruary 28, 2000: Acre by acre
Fed-bashing investigated
Gloria Flora got the ball rolling. After she resigned as supervisor of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in November (HCN, 11/22/99: Nevadans drive out forest supervisor), the Forest Service sent a team to investigate her charges of “anti-federal fervor” and “fed-bashing” in Nevada. Although the team’s report says that working conditions for Forest Service employees throughout […]
Posted inFebruary 28, 2000: Acre by acre
Saving the environment saves money
A coalition of 27 environmental, taxpayer and budget-watchdog groups has produced its sixth annual report, Green Scissors 2000, which cites 77 wasteful government programs that harm the environment and cost taxpayers $50 billion. The 26-page report targets programs such as timber and irrigation subsidies and predator control projects, detailing their cost to the taxpayer and […]