Obama and Salazar take back the crumbs they kicked Wilderness advocates ‘Wild lands’ order revoked – BLM can no longer grant wilderness-like protection – Idaho Mountain Express Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar wrote a memo to bureau Director Bob Abbey on Wednesday confirming that the BLM is not authorized to designate any of its land…
Salazar announces wolves delisted in Rockies and hunting can begin – Idaho Statesman Wolves will be delisted in the Northern Rockies except Wyoming on Thursday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. The rule would reinstate the 2009 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the gray wolf in Idaho and Montana, eastern Washington, eastern…
The Ivanpah solar thermal project consists of 5.4 square miles of high quality habitat for the Endangered Species Act protected desert tortoise, a fact that developers (and some investors) underestimated resulting in the temporary suspension of activities on phases 2 and 3 of the project site due to construction activities exceeding the incidental take limit…
Escalation of Western Water Wars Loom The finite availability of western water is part of the reason Ralph Maughan previously posed the question : Will the resource sucking “sin city” be reclaimed by the desert ? Perhaps eventually, but in the meantime – despite setbacks, the Southern Nevada Water Authority keeps stretching its tentacles in…
So much for Harry Reid’s promise that the budget bill wouldn’t be used to carry anti-environment riders Around Christmas, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the administration would be pursuing a BLM Wild Lands initiative, vague direction to BLM to inventory lands which exhibit wilderness characteristics for future Congressional Wilderness designation consideration. It was a…
The groups that settled have not gained the assurance of anything- Today’s announcement that a number of plaintiffs in the wolf delisting case are seeking a settlement with the Department of Interior they hope Judge Molloy will approve does represent a difference in strategy how to proceed in the current political environment. Three groups, the…
May be violating federal law Today Governor Brian Schweitzer has sent a letter to the Department of Interior stating that Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks will no longer prosecute killing of wolves by landowners defending livestock in northwest Montana, they will kill entire packs upon any livestock depredation, and they will kill entire packs of…
“I can assure you there will be a protracted legal fight using all legal means available to stop the project” Some of the really great things I enjoy about living in the west are the obscure landscapes/mountain ranges. Unlike national parks, ‘W‘ilderness areas, National Monuments and other landscapes prominently highlighted on any western map, there…