In early December, Hovenweep National Monument, in the remote southeast corner of Utah, narrowly escaped an attempt to lease nearby land for oil and gas drilling. The monument’s 400-acre Square Tower unit was created in 1923 to protect the remains of an almost 800-year-old Anasazi settlement, where as many as 500 people once lived. From […]
News
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
Calendar
Do you care about Colorado’s Roan Plateau? The BLM has released its amended draft management plan for the area — which would allow gas drilling on the edge of the plateau but delay drilling on top for approximately 20 years — and is collecting public comment until March 4. www.roanplateau.ene.com 970-947-2800 The Wilderness Medical Institute […]
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
Follow-up
So much for Homeland Security. In November, voters in Washington state voted by a 2-to-1 margin to prohibit the federal government from sending any more nuclear waste to Hanford Nuclear Reservation (HCN, 11/22/04: Election Day surprises in the schizophrenic West). On Dec. 2, in response to a request from the U.S. Department of Justice, a […]
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
City slaps back at property-rights measure
Residents of Bend, Ore., might want to think twice about where they put that new pig farm or high-rise condo. A provision in a recently approved ordinance in the central Oregon city of 62,900 allows people to sue their neighbors if nearby development reduces property values. Adopted on Dec. 1, the new rule is a […]
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
The little bill that… can’t
For 13 years, the Ojito Wilderness Study Area — a 24,000-acre patch of semi-arid land just 40 miles from Albuquerque — has awaited full-fledged protection under the Wilderness Act. But despite the support of Democrats, Republicans, environmentalists, ranchers, miners, city folk and local American Indian tribes, the land has not been designated wilderness — because […]
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
Lawsuits swarm around Yellowstone snowmobiles
As predicted, after seven years of lawsuits, contradictory plans and court rulings, the National Park Service announced on Nov. 4 that it will continue to allow hundreds of snowmobiles per day into Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks for the next three winters (HCN, 11/8/04: Judge vaporizes Yellowstone snowmobile ban). The new rules will allow […]
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
Riding high on political inappropriations
Appropriations bill is stuffed with pork — and some horse meat, too
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
The road to nowhere
Utah’s backcountry road takeover comes apart at the seams
Posted inDecember 20, 2004: Stand Your Ground
Rulings keep the West open for business
Decisions not to protect sage grouse and prairie dogs could mean more development in sagebrush and grasslands
Posted inDecember 6, 2004: Where Do We Go From Here?
Follow-up
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R, says he won’t ask the federal government to uphold the Clinton-era roadless rule in his state (HCN, 8/16/04:Feds pass roadless headache to states). In July, the Bush administration gave governors until January 2006 to request that the governnment keep the rule in place in their respective states. Meanwhile, Wyoming Gov. […]
Posted inDecember 6, 2004: Where Do We Go From Here?
Californians put their money where their meter is
California reached a conservation milestone in September, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R, signed a bill requiring all homes in the state to use water meters by 2025. Existing California law requires water meters on all houses built since 1992, but most utilities charge a flat rate, rather than using the meters to charge by […]
Posted inDecember 6, 2004: Where Do We Go From Here?
Calendar
The 8th annual Saving Places Conference will be held in Denver on Feb. 2-4. Sponsored by Colorado Preservation Inc., the 2005 conference is entitled “Bringing Preservation Home.” www.coloradopreservation.org 303-893-4260 Colorado State University has just released “Bio-Pharming in Colorado: A Guide to Issues for Making Informed Choices,” a policy report geared toward Colorado’s decision-makers and interested […]
Posted inDecember 6, 2004: Where Do We Go From Here?
Old-growth sales end in courts
Ruling could put the kibosh on Biscuit Fire timber salvage and cutting in old-growth reserves
Posted inDecember 6, 2004: Where Do We Go From Here?
A problem any city would love to have
Boulderites have poured money into protecting open space — now they want to use it
Posted inNovember 22, 2004: Conservationist in a Conservative Land
Racetrack
ARIZONA Incumbent Rep. Rick Renzi, R, soundly defeated Democratic hopeful Paul Babbitt in a contest for the U.S. House seat representing the state’s largest — and predominantly Democratic — District 1 (HCN, 10/25/04: Dems stumble in Arizona race). Proposition 200, which passed with Hispanic support, prevents non-citizens from voting and requires proof of legal immigration […]
Posted inNovember 22, 2004: Conservationist in a Conservative Land
EPA pulls back on fish-killing rule change
A little attention from the media helped thwart an attempt by the federal government to do a favor for the mining industry at the expense of fish and birds. In question is the metal selenium, which is a byproduct of coal- and phosphate-mining, copper-smelting and agriculture. At low levels, selenium is an essential nutrient for […]
Posted inNovember 22, 2004: Conservationist in a Conservative Land
Calendar
The Association of Partners for Public Lands is holding its annual convention in Portland, Ore., from March 6-10. The convention will include more than 35 educational sessions, a trade show and an auction. 1-877-647-APPL www.appl.org The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute?s 14th annual conference will be held at the University of Denver College of Law […]
Posted inNovember 22, 2004: Conservationist in a Conservative Land
Freewheeling wilderness proposal irks purists
Oregon bill would allow mountain bikers and chain saws in ‘wilderness’
Posted inNovember 22, 2004: Conservationist in a Conservative Land
Election Day surprises in the schizophrenic West
The Interior West goes for Bush while the Coast goes to Kerry, but on the ground, it’s more complicated than ‘red’ vs. ‘blue’
Posted inNovember 8, 2004: Keepers of the Flame
Follow-up
After three years of negotiations, wilderness in Idaho’s Owyhee Canyonlands is one step closer to reality (HCN, 12/8/03: Riding the Middle Path). On Oct. 22, the Owyhee Initiative voted 8-0 to forward its 500,000-acre wilderness proposal to the Owyhee County Commission, which quickly sent it on to Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho. A spokesman for Crapo […]