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Photo courtesy of Rick and Susie Graetz
Monday, June 18, 2012
produced daily by Shellie Nelson
Editor's Notes...

West map In the Rockies today, the High Park fire in Colorado has now burned 181 homes, and has scorched more than 58,000 acres, and high winds and extremely hot temperatures are forecast for the state today.

In Idaho, a federal district court judge ruled that the Payette National Forest's plan to phase out grazing leases for domestic sheep to protect wild sheep, should move forward as planned, despite legislation proffered by Idaho U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson to delay the retirement of those leases for another year.

The U.S. Forest Service put together a citizen's advisory group to help draft its new planning rule, and among those members are residents of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Oregon.

And in Montana, members of the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance met in Missoula to discuss how work is going on the quest to find a way to turn wood waste into jet fuel.

Rockies today

 Judge issues temporary injunction on grazing in Idaho national forest
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a temporary injunction last Wednesday that will keep sheep off three grazing allotments in the Payette National Forest this year.
The Republic (AP); June 14

High winds in Colorado keep helicopters on the ground
The High Park wildfire in Colorado grew to an estimated 58,046 acres by Monday as winds up to 50 mph grounded helicopters that were providing air support, and more evacuations were announced.
Denver Post; June 18

Public evenly split on making Colorado National Monument a national park
Proponents of a plan to make Colorado National Monument a national park said the costs would be minimal to do so, few changes would be made in managing the land and the new designation would draw more visitors to western Colorado, but opponents think the area is just fine as it is and draws plenty of visitors.
New York Times; June 17

Pipeline company says new plan addresses Alberta, B.C. concerns
Two years ago, the Canadian government flagged Enbridge's proposal to build an oil pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast for what the government termed "inadequate spill response procedures," but company officials said they've addressed those deficiencies.
Edmonton Journal (Postmedia); June 17

USFS names members of planning group
A Montana man who serves as executive director of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, an Idaho county commissioner, a member of the Kootenai Tribe from Oregon and representatives of the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association and Arch Coal are among the 21 people selected by the U.S. Forest Service to help in crafting the agency's new planning rule.
Missoulian; June 18

Group sees jet fuel source in West's forests
The Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance got a $40-million grant from the federal government two years ago to develop a biofuel from wood waste for jets, and members of the group met last week in Montana to discuss work being done toward that end.
Missoulian; June 18

BLM wants to keep cows out of emissions plan for Wyoming region
Next month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's designation of the Upper Green River Valley as a "nonattainment" zone for ozone levels kicks in, and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality must implement a plan to address the sources of pollution, including oil and gas operations--and perhaps the cows that graze on Bureau of Land Management lands in the area.
Casper Star-Tribune; June 18

Gov. Mead: China interested in Wyoming's coal
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead returned Friday from his trip to China, where he said officials were interested in buying Wyoming coal and that the continent is much more advanced in clean-coal technologies than the U.S.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); June 16

Opinion

 Uranium mill in Colorado can still move forward
Energy Fuels Resources' permit to build a uranium mill in Southern Colorado was put on hold by Denver District Judge John McMullen last week, but McMullen's conditions to correct the deficiencies are relatively easy to meet, and it's likely that the mill can--and should--move forward safely.
Denver Post; June 18

Beyond the region

 Report: Canada losing $1-billion in air travel to U.S. airports
A Senate Committee report found that Canadian airports are losing millions of passengers to U.S. airports, and some Canadian lawmakers are urging the development of a national airport strategy to reverse that trend.
Calgary Herald (Postmedia); June 18

U.S. mayors say cities' economies improving despite lack of federal action
The mayors of Phoenix, Mesa and Orlando said they're seeing their cities' economies improving a bit, and all chastized Congress for its inertia in getting bills passed that could help the cities.
New York Times; June 16

Crews move endangered trout out of burned area in New Mexico
Concerns that the rains of summer will send a torrent of ash and sediment into streams in areas of the Gila National Forest in southwestern New Mexico that recently burned had crews gathering the threatened Gila trout and taking them to a hatchery.
Christian Science Monitor (AP); June 17

Inmates help on tree-thinning project in Washington state
Crews from the Airway Heights Corrections Center helped thin trees in Riverside State Park in Washington state.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; June 18

In depth

 Wildfire in Colorado's Park County forces evacuations
A wildfire in the Pike National Forest near Lake George first reported on Sunday afternoon grew quickly to an estimated 300 acres this morning, forcing the evacuation of a number of areas in Colorado's Park County.
Denver Post; June 18

Little Sand wildfire in Colorado now at 11,617 acres
The Little Sand Fire in southern Colorado ignited on May 17, but extreme fire conditions and high winds over recent days have pushed the fire across 1,000 acres a day.
Denver Post; June 18

  • Durango home a Colorado State Forest Service model home
    The measures Jim and Connie Rockelmann took to make their 3,100-square-foot home near Durango safer from wildfires prompted the Colorado State Forest Service to designate the home a model home for such work.
    Durango Herald; June 18

Idaho wildfire burns 200 acres, shuts down Interstate 84
A wildfire that ignited Sunday evening in Idaho's Elmore County forced the closure of Interstate 84, as well as State Highway 30.
Idaho Statesman; June 18

Grass fire moves quickly through Wyoming subdivision, 4 structures lost
Wyoming officials aren't sure what ignited a grassfire that quickly engulfed the Dempsey Acres subdivision in the Paradise Valley Sunday afternoon.
Casper Star-Tribune; June 18
Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West
at The University of Montana.
"W e know that figuring out how to break cellulose down into sugars is the big gridlock. But you can't afford not to pursue wood. Producing bioenergy from forests is the only agricultural practice in the world that also provides clean water and recreation and doesn't compete with food production."

Montana State University extension forester Peter Kolb, a member of the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance, which is seeking a way to turn waste wood into jet fuel.
- Missoulian
On The Bookshelf
Barbara Theroux of Fact & Fiction reviews Christine Byl's "Dirt Work: An education in the woods

5/15/2013
Mountain West Perspectives
Study uncovers the restoration realities in Montana


4/15/2013
Mountain West Voices
Hear weekly stories from the Rocky Mountain West as gathered by Clay Scott

5/22/2013:  This Little Journey
5/8/2013:  Making Roots
5/1/2013:  Cancer in the Real World
4/24/2013:  Sheep Country
4/10/2013:  Shearing Sheep

Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West



at the

The University of Montana