Department of Interior
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BLM dropped routine consultation to rush sales- Bureau of Land Management didn’t alert agency to drilling bids near national park. By Patty Henetz. The Salt Lake Tribune. U.S. to Open Public Land Near Parks for Drilling. By Felicity Barranger. New York Times. The sales are set for Dec. 19. The BLM refuses to move the…
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This winter begins like last with cougars on campus- The cougars haven’t harmed anyone, but, of course, their presence on campus worries people. The following announcement came over Idaho State University email Nov. 4. Idaho Fish and Game officials have set a cougar trap on campus after a possible sighting Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 4. The…
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Eighty per cent of Utah’s scenic BLM lands opened at last minute to drilling- Bush administration rushing to open Utah lands to energy development. By Patty Henetz. The Salt Lake Tribune. Bush Administration Christmas Gift to Oil Companies Will Be Announced on Election Day. Sale of Pristine Wilderness Slated to Happen Six Days Before Christmas.…
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The Western Watersheds Project has opened its Montana office. About 50 enthusiastic folks attended the word of mouth opening last night in Missoula. Montana operations will be run by attorneys Tom Woodbury and Summer Nelson. Woodbury has a number years’ experience in Montana and Idaho conservation battles and Nelson is a new graduate at the…
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This is a revised version of an earlier story. Here is the news release from the Western Watersheds Project. Rocky Barker also discusses it in his recent blog. BLM Report On The Murphy Complex Wild Fire Shows That Grazing Has Little Effect On Fire Behavior. Idaho BLM has released a long awaited Report on the…
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The East Shell Rock fire in the Jarbidge Wilderness of extreme northern Nevada was allowed to burn for “ecological benefits,”* but it burned well outside the Wilderness, destroying some of the last sagebrush stands suitable for sage grouse in the area. There is suspicion that was done to help powerful ranchers, who want more grass…
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Mike Hudak has written a book about what it is like for the citizen-activists who are fighting the livestock industry over livestock abuses on your western public lands. It can be pretty dangerous, especially to your job. Review of the book. The Politics of Public Lands Ranching. Western Turf Wars. By Jamie Newlin. Counterpunch. I…
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Bush proposes rules on oil shale development. Though energy retrieval through the process has been largely discredited, optimists remain. By Patty Henetz. The Salt Lake Tribune. Folks might recall that Bush’s former Secretary of Interior, Gale Norton, the scourge of our public lands, is now a lobbyists for oil shale. . . . . more…