In North Dakota, legislators passed a law that makes
it illegal to gather the purple coneflower on state lands. Often
known by its Latin name, Echinacea angustafolia is a medicinal
plant booming in popularity (HCN, 2/15/99). The new law also slaps
a stiff fine on anyone caught taking the plant from private land
without permission. In Montana, similar legislation passed the
state Senate and awaits a vote in the House. Curley Youpee of
Montana’s Fort Peck Tribe says even if the legislation fails to
pass, the lobbying effort has helped make the coneflower a
household word.
A federal agency says Montana
needn’t be so militant about killing bison that wander out of
Yellowstone National Park. As long as a few precautions are
followed, says Patrick Collins of the U.S. Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, the bison pose no risk to the state’s
brucellosis-free status. Montana remains skeptical, but Collins
told AP that concerns are unwarranted. “Producers all over the
country have had faith in our science for years and years and
years.”
For the first time in its 26-year
history, the Endangered Species Act will affect a large, urban
landscape. The listing of nine species of salmon and steelhead in
the Northwest means Seattle will face pressure from the federal
government to do everything from limiting homeowners’ use of
fertilizer to enacting new planning laws. Rick Edwards, a
University of Washington stream ecologist, told the Seattle Times:
“I don’t have a lot of hope that we as a society are willing to
make the lifestyle changes and devote the resources to a healthy
environment.”
Colorado’s Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission is charged with balancing the interests of
local landowners with big industry (HCN, 3/1/99), but critics say
it leans heavily in favor of industry. Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, R,
recently appointed three new members; now five of the seven members
have ties to the oil and gas industry. “It’s not a big surprise to
us,” Gwen Lachelt of the San Juan Citizens Alliance told the
Durango Herald. “When Owens was elected, we basically figured
things would go from bad to worse.”
* Dustin
Solberg and Rebecca Clarren
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The Wayward West.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
