Newsitos for 3/20/09

Ray Ring | Mar 20, 2009 02:20 PM

Birds are in trouble. Pretty much everywhere. Largely thanks to our appetite for energy. "In the last 40 years," reports AP, "populations of birds living on prairies, deserts and at sea have declined between 30 percent and 40 percent."

The biggest bundle of federal-lands deals in decades (the Omnibus Lands Bill) -- which died last week in the U.S. House -- remains so popular, it's been revived, passed again by the Senate and shipped back to the House where it'll likely pass next week -- thanks to political trickery by Democrats.

A top ecologist -- Jane Lubchenco from Oregon State University -- has been confirmed as the new head of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), where she's expected to pump new life into salmon restoration programs.

And a Clinton-appointed judge in D.C. has blocked Bush's attempt to let tourists carry concealed guns in national parks. The judge was scornful saying Bush "ignored" federal laws in a process that was "astoundingly flawed."

Articles by Ray

A hard right in Idaho

An HCN editor reflects on the many changes around Coeur d'Alene.
Travel, HCN-style

Editor’s note for HCN’s second annual special issue on travel in the West describes some quirky personal trips.
A sampler of U.S. environmentalists working in British Columbia

U.S. environmental groups like Rivers Without Borders, Conservation Northwest and Round River Conservation Studies work with First Nations in British Columbia to slow a mining rush.
A different borderland blues

Mining in British Columbia could have big impacts on parts of Canada -- and the U.S.
A bird in hand

Will the soul of wildlife biology survive in an era of remote monitoring technology?
A sampler of wildlife tech

The gadgets we attach to wild animals and fish include radio transmitters, microchips, acoustic tags, geolocators and accelerometers.
Protecting the forests, and maybe the deserts, too

Environmentalists are trying to buy out oil and gas leases in national forests, including the Wyoming Range and Thompson Creek Divide, while the drillers often have their way in the desert and sagebrush.
Voters shape energy policy by choosing utility regulators

Races for seats on state commissions that oversee utilities are among the most important elections you’ve never heard of. They could decide the future of renewable energy in Montana and Arizona this year.

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