Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story. There are those who say he’s a classic American businessman who’s become a fierce defender of private property rights. Critics believe he’s a Colorado profiteer who makes millions blackmailing the U.S. Forest Service to buy him out. One thing is clear: Thomas E. Chapman […]
On the offensive: developer Tom Chapman
Posted inFebruary 16, 1998: Private rights vs. public lands
Private rights vs. public lands
Thousands of inholdings create conflicts inside federal lands
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Don’t blame wolves
Dear HCN, “Wolves take a heavy toll in Montana,” declared the headline (HCN, 9/15/97). At least 30 sheep killed by wolves over a six-week period in the Tobacco Valley of northwest Montana, according to the story. No doubt the loss of 30 head of sheep – -one of the worst wolf attacks on livestock in […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Quincy bill is big and bad
Dear HCN, I am one of the letter writers being accused by Mike Yost in his letter of being a “California activist … spreading misinformation about the Quincy Library Group.” (HCN, 12/22/97) But I’m not a California activist – I’m a local Plumas County activist and have been for the past 15 years. My opposition […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
This dam will go anyway
Dear HCN, As a geologist who thinks the flooding of Glen Canyon was tragic but who also happens to work for the Bureau of Reclamation, I can’t help but say something about the drain Lake Powell idea (HCN, 11/10/97). Over and over we hear from David Brower and others who claim that Glen Canyon is […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Mining industry gets more than enough chances
Dear HCN, Though your recent issues covering the mining industry in the West were informative and interesting, I must call you to task for letting rabble-rouser Dave Skinner share the platform with credible witnesses. (HCN, 1/19/98) Why is it that “issues’ publications like High Country News, in struggling so hard to be unbiased, repeatedly allow […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Restoring the Wolf
Abstracts for papers are due by late February for a Defenders of Wildlife conference on Restoring the Wolf, set for Nov. 12-14 in Seattle, Wash. Panel discussions and workshops will focus on wolf ecology, the economics of recovery, grant writing and lobbying and on tap: ambassador wolves from Mission: Wolf, a Colorado-based wolf education and […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
The International Association of Wildland Fire
The International Association of Wildland Fire holds its second conference March 29-April 1 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The conference, a follow-up to a get-together in 1995, will explore the worldwide effects of fire and fire-management strategies on endangered species and their habitats. “It’s an effort to get the firefighter talking to the fire manager talking […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
North American Interdisciplinary Conference on Environment and Community
The Center for Environmental Arts and Humanities is calling for papers and creative submissions for the North American Interdisciplinary Conference on Environment and Community, set for Feb. 19-21 at the University of Nevada, Reno. Those whose work is selected will get the chance to join artists, scientists, ranchers and outdoor enthusiasts in workshops and panels. […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
1998 Arkansas River Basin Water Forum
The 1998 Arkansas River Basin Water Forum meets in La Junta, Colo., Feb. 4-5 to talk about endangered species, agriculture and groundwater quality, and other issues that affect the basin, which includes areas of eastern Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico. Former Colorado Sen. Hank Brown and Rep. Robert Schaffer, R-Colo., are keynote speakers. Contact the […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Cars to get the boot
CARS TO GET THE BOOT Cars are on their way to the endangered list in three of the country’s most popular parks. The National Park Service wants to replace private cars with light rail in Grand Canyon and expand bus systems in Yosemite and Zion national parks by 2000. “The problem isn’t too many people, […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Oil leasing sparks debate
OIL LEASING SPARKS DEBATE The U.S. Forest Service’s proposal to open 370,000 acres south of Yellowstone National Park to oil and gas leasing is drawing opposition. The proposal centers on Wyoming, home to wildlife, including wolves and grizzly bears. Environmentalists say drilling threatens the area that serves as a wildlife corridor between the Gros Ventre […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
A Better West?
The Next West’s essayists tell us that natural-resource management agencies have failed to protect either public lands or local communities from the damage done by extractive industries; what’s more, Western communities still remain dependent on federal handouts. But the writers do more than carp. Editors Donald Snow and John Baden also supply alternatives – a […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Wanted: More Colorado Natives
WANTED: MORE COLORADO NATIVES Trout Unlimited wants to see more wild trout in Colorado’s rivers and lakes and fewer diseased fish. If a new Wildlife Commission policy becomes a reality, the nonprofit group may get its wish. Issued in November, the state policy emphasizes restoring streams and native trout like the Colorado cutthroat – a […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Rabies, Lyme Disease, Hanta Virus, oh my!
RABIES, LYME DISEASE, HANTA VIRUS, OH MY! Some of the furry creatures that scamper around camp aren’t as harmless as they seem. E. Lendell Cockrum, who has spent his life studying animals and the diseases they carry, has written a book telling why. The title spells it out: Rabies, Lyme Disease, Hanta Virus and Other […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
River rats get ready
RIVER RATS GET READY More than 1,500 whitewater enthusiasts and conservationists are expected to show up for Friends of the River’s 18th Annual Rivers Festival, Feb. 20-22, at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, Calif. This year’s theme: Protecting Rivers for the Next Generation. Speakers include photographer Galen Rowell and the Glen Canyon Institute’s […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Road ban proposal eroded by exceptions
The Forest Service has overseen the addition of more than 380,000 miles of roads to national forests – a network more than twice the size of the national highway system. Now, the Clinton administration wants to call an 18-month halt to the construction of new roads in roadless areas. Forest Service spokesman Alan Polk says […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Ski resort plans ruffle feathers
The forested hump of Pelican Butte stands like an island in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. Bounded by a wilderness area, a national park (Crater Lake), and a national wildlife refuge, the butte is known for its stands of old-growth Shasta red fir, nesting spotted owls and wintering bald eagles. A ski area proposal from Jeld Wen […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
Red meat can be green
The “dolphin-friendly” label gave tuna an environmental face-lift in the 1980s; now, a “Wolf Country Beef” label may do the same for hamburger. The label is the brainchild of Jim Winder and Will Holder, ranchers who have teamed up with the nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife. They’re developing the seal-of-approval so that beef coming from ranchers […]
Posted inFebruary 2, 1998: Looking at dams in a new way
The Wayward West
Pilots of “personal watercraft” such as Wavejammers and WetJets may get reined in at Lake Powell. The National Park Service is considering making parts of the reservoir “Jet Ski free,” because of increasing complaints – many from houseboaters calling from cell phones. A federal rule is expected soon allowing all national park superintendents to restrict […]