|
07/12/10 |
Local (Douglass) Ranchers Concerns About Border Crime (KOLD News 13
video)
Ranchers Speak Out at Border Town Hall (KVOA TV Video)
Ranchers Calling for More Agents (The Westerner)
Sunday Shootout in Juarez Leaves Three Cartel Gunmen Dead (The Westerner)
Border Patrol Officers Fire on SUV at Zaragoza Bridge (The Westerner)
Good Fences, Good Neighbors (The Westerner) |
|
07/11/10 |
Are Heads Missing in Arizona? (The Westerner - warning... GRAPHIC)
Memo to Milbank: You're a Head Behind the Facts on Arizona Border
Decapitations (Washington Examiner)
Memo Reveals Refuge Officers' Struggle to Secure Lands Along Southwest Border
(The Westerner) |
|
07/10/10 |
Memo Reveals Refuge Officers' Struggle to Secure Lands Along Southwest Border
(Fox News)
Border Violence Spills Over to Farms & Ranches (News New Mexico)
Pinal County is Ground Zero for Smuggling VIDEO (Sean Hannity)
Fire Fighting Along the Border
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 (Part 3 has the most information related to illegal
immigration impacts) |
|
07/09/10 |
Border-crosser Shot in Back Near Rio Rico
Fish &
Wildlife Service Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge - Borderland
Challenges report from 2006
Fish & Wildlife Service Memo on
Border Law Enforcement on Refuge System Lands in the Southwest
Bingaman on
Immigration and Wilderness (Las Cruces Bulletin)
Border Violence Spills Onto Mexican Ranches, Farms
Kyl & McCain - Government is Failing Border Residents
Cattle Can Be a Conservation Tool |
|
07/08/10 |
Bill Would Limit Presidents Monument Efforts
Environmental Law's Greatest Tragedy
Give Most Federal Lands to Montana DNRC
New Mexico Seeks Feds' Help on Off-Road Vehicles |
|
07/07/10 |
Indian Reservations Becoming Drug Pipelines?
Second Wave of Independent Border-Watchers Target Arizona (Fox News)
Fox News
Surveys Arizona-Mexico Border
El Paso Sector Interactive Border Map
Monument Plan Will Hurt Landscape, Local Economy
(The Westerner)
DeGette May Adjust Wilderness Proposal in Carbondale Area (The
Westerner)
Sen. Bingaman's Wilderness Bill Makes the Border Safer (News New Mexico)
Designing the Perfect Drug Smuggling Corridor (News New Mexico) |
|
07/06/10 |
Arizona's Closed Federal Parkland is a No-Man's Land
Arizona Sheriff Gets Death Threats Over New Law (Fox News)
More Than Immigration at Stake on Border
Drug Gangs Terrorize Residents in Small Mexican Villages on Arizona's
Doorstep
12 People Killed During Elections in Juarez
Drug War Casts Shadow Over Mexico Elections
Officials Make Arrests in US Consulate Deaths
Mexican Authorities: Federal Agents Could Have Fired Bullets That Struck City
Hall
Shootout At El Paso City Hall
Arizona Dems Contest Obama's Assertions on Border Security
Wells Fargo, Wachovia Involved in Numerous Mexican Drug Laundering Schemes |
|
07/05/10 |
New PFPOWH Video -
Designing the Perfect Drug Smuggling Corridor
Mexican Drug Trafficking (New York Times)
National Drug Intelligence Center
National Methamphetamine Threat Assessment 2010
Mexico Under Siege - It's A War (Los Angeles Times)
Government Must Secure Our Borders |
|
07/03/10 |
Arizona's Closed Federal Parkland is a No-Man's Land (Fox News)
Drug Cartels Threaten to Kill a U.S. Border Patrol Agent Over Independence
Day Weekend
Gov. Brewer: If The President Won't Enforce the Law, Arizona Will (Greta
Van Susteren)
Gov. Brewer Interview -
Part 1,
Part 2
Fox News Poll: Secure the Border First
Mexico: Gang Leader Says U.S. Consulate Infiltrated
Mexican Drug Cartels Issue Threat to Arizona Cops
US-Mexican Border Security Continues to Deteriorate, Officials Say
(Washington Examiner)
Drug Cartels Smuggling Illegals Create Security Risk, Officials Say
(Washington Examiner) |
|
07/02/10 |
Southern Border Could Get Much Worse
Wilderness Will Obstruct Securing US Border
21 Killed in Shootout Near US Border
21 Killed in Shootout Between Drug, Migrant Trafficking Gangs Near AZ
Border (Fox News)
Mexico Offers Armored Cars, Security Details for Candidates After
Candidate Killed
Update: Raul Sabori Among 30 Dead, 40 Wounded? (BorderReporter)
21 Due in Gun Battle Near US Border
Prosecutor Shot Dead in Mexican Border City
Five Mexican Governors Have Received Death Threats
Ballistics Tests Run: Workers at City Hall Unfazed by Shots That Hit
Building
Gunfire from Juarez Usually Heard, Not Seen
'Cross-Border Gunfire' Raises Texas Security Fears
Official Says 'Gamble' on 'Virtual' Fence Didn't Pay Off
Republicans Blast Obama's Immigration Speech |
|
07/01/10 |
Feds Say Arrests of Illegal Immigrants Are Down, But Problems Still Remain
New
Threat on Mexican Border
Brewer: 'Disturbing' That Feds Spend More on Mexico Than Border Guard
Battle for Arizona - Meet the Man Who Would be Arizona Governor
National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers - letter to
Congressmen,
Senators
Johnson Wants to Meet With Upset Ranchers |
|
06/30/10 |
Fewer Troops Coming to NM Border Than in Previous Deployment
The Arizona-Mexico Border: An Update
Gunfire From Mexico Pelts El Paso City Hall, Enters Office
Mexico: Where Bullets Are Intimidating the Ballot
Inside the Tunnel: Boys Used in Drug-Smuggling Route
Obama
Not Running For The Border (video)
No Serious Attempt to Security the Border (Fox News video)
With the Debate Over Arizona's Illegal Immigration Raging On, Why Isn't
Obama Running to the Border - Greta Van Susteren
Brewer Slams Administration Over Smuggler Warning Signs in AZ Desert
Letter from Governor Brewer to President Barack Obama Regarding Border
Security
Border Facts - Governor Jan Brewer
Eighty Mile Swath of Arizona Surrendered to Cartels
Border War Continues - Sheriff Paul Babeu on Fox Business |
|
06/29/10 |
Albuquerque Journal -
More Wilderness = More Crime
Governors Criticize Obama's Border Security Plan
Mexican Governor Candidate Killed by Gunmen, Calderon Says Assassination
Tied to Drug Gang Violence
Killing Escalates Mexico Drug War
524 Guard Soldiers Headed to Arizona-Mexico Border
Decision on Guard Troops Criticized - 72 for NM
Narco Tunnel Found in El Paso: Drug Route Runs 130 Feet Under Rio Grande
Fox News -
The Southern Front interactive border map
A Sound Question About Wilderness Designations
Why Wasn't Schultz Pass Thinned?
|
|
06/28/10 |
New PFPOWH Video:
The
Inaequacy of a 5 Mile Buffer for Border Security
Don't Shackle Border With Wilderness Bill
It's Your Land...
Congresswoman Raises Red Flag on Hezbollah-Cartel Nexus on U.S. Border
Mexican Cops Retreat as Violence Rages On
Mexico Mayham: Drug Violence Claims 20
Dem Lawmakers Feel the Heat on Border Security
Five Gunmen Killed Near Border in Cuidad Mier Battle
Armed Assailants Fire Shots at Televisa Offices in Northern Mexico
Famed Mexican Singer Gunned Down in Border State
AZ Gov Jan Brewer's Smart New Border Ad |
|
06/27/10 |
Sun News -
Wilderness Bill Must Allow For Border Security |
|
06/26/10 |
Congresswoman Raises Red Flag on Hezbollah-Cartel Nexus on U.S. Border
Video - The Inadequacy of a 5 Mile Buffer for Border Security
Hannity - Rancher Catches Illegals on Video
ABC Nightline:
Broken Border: Ft. Hancock, TX: Feds Abandon Americans to Mexican Violence
Jan Brewer - Warning Signs Are Not Enough |
|
06/25/10 |
The
Inadequacy of a 5 Mile Buffer for Border Security
Border City Police in the Crosshairs (Greta Van Susteren)
Blogs for
Borders USA |
|
06/24/10 |
Border
War Continues (Sheriff Paul Babeu, Pinal County, AZ)
Mexican Drug Lords on American Soil
The Killing Fields
U.S. Predator Drones to Surveil Mexican Border
Mexican Gangs Maintain Permanent Lookout Bases in Hills of Arizona
Napolitano Highlights Steps to Secure Border
US To Deploy Drones to Shore Up Border With Mexico
Reduced Overtime Stymies Border Patrol |
|
06/23/10 |
Rob Bishop Talks With Fox News' Harris Faulkner About Border Security
Mexican Gangs Maintain Permanent Lookout Bases in Hills of Arizona
Drug Cartels Threaten U.S. City Police Department
Obama Requests $600 Million for Border Security
War Over The Border: White House Says Kyl is Lying About Security; AZ
Senator Stands His Ground
Obama Tells Kyl: I Won't Secure Border B/C Republicans Will Have No Reason
to Support "Comprehensive Immigration Reform"
Arinzona's Senators Tour Border, Hold Town Hall
Five Federal Lands in Arizona Have Travel Warnings In Place
Mexican Drug Cartel Warns Police Officers in Arizona Border Town to 'Look
the Other Way'
BLM Southern Arizona Project to Mitigate Environmental Damages Resulting
from Illegal Immigration |
|
06/22/10 |
Video -
Headlines on Federal Lands and our UNSECURE BORDER
Video -
Rape Tree Followup - A Look At The Numbers
Border Patrol Charged Millions for Habitat Damage, Republicans Say Enough
'Extortion'
Drug Cartel Activity Threatens Texas Water Supplies, Lawmaker Says
District Court Says Forest Service Exceeded Incidental Take of Salmonids,
Also Finds That Grazing Permittees Must be Heard During Consultation Process
A Line in the Sand: Confronting The Threat at the SW Border, House Committee
on Homeland Security |
|
06/21/10 |
Congressman Rob Bishop Speaking on Border Concerns on Federal Lands - DO
NOT MISS THIS
Transcript of
Bishop's Speech
Violence Prompts Strong Warning at Arizona Monument
Mayor of Mexican Border Town Assassinated
11 Killed in Shootout Between Mexican Soldiers and Suspected Drug
Traffickers
U.S.-Mexican Border Security Continues to Deteriorate, Officials Say
Border Patrol Navigating Reams of Regulation to Secure Federal Land
Rep. Bishop Speaks on Border Security Concerns on Federal Lands
Costly Efforts to Secure Border Not Paying Off
$1.25 Million to Save Rodents in Crime-Infested Border State
Many U.S. Parks, Monuments, Wildlife Refuges & Public Lands Are Too
Dangerous For U.S. Public To Use
Two More Americans Found Dead in the Arizona Desert |
|
06/20/10 |
Five Federal Lands in Arizona Have Travel Warnings In Place
Drug Cartel Issues Threat to Off-Duty Nogales Police Officers
Why Felipe Calderon Hates Arizona's Anti-illegal Immigration Law |
|
06/19/10 |
Congressman Rob Bishop Speaking on Border Concerns on Federal Lands - DO
NOT MISS THIS
Border Patrol Navigating Reams of Regulations to Secure Federal Land
Fox News Highlights Major Loophole in Securing Our Southern Border
HR 5016 - Securing Our Border on Federal Lands. A bill introduced:
"To prohibit the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from taking
action on public lands which impede border security on such lands, and for
other purposes."
View the Republicans Natural
Resources Committee
Overview of Securing our Border on Federal Lands
Drug Cartel Violence Along Open Southern Border Endangers Drinking Water
Supplies |
|
06/18/10 |
'First Line of Defense' - Southern NM Rancher Between Border Battles
Page 1
Page 2
Section of Arizona Wildlife Refuge Closed Since 2006 Due to Safety Concerns
US Parkland Bordering Mexico, Shut Since 2006, Remains Off-Limits As
Violence Escalates
Lawmaker Warns Parks Takeover by Mexican Cartels, Illegals 'Intensifying'
Security Worries Overshadow U.S.-Mexico Park Plan
Slain Arizona Rancher Told Family Illegal Alien Needed Help |
|
06/17/10 |
Smuggling Violence Prompts Stronger Warning to Visitors at National Monument
South of Phoenix
Federal Regs on Environment May Be Hindering Border Security, Lawmakers Say
Uptick In Violence Forces Closing of Parkland Along Mexico Border to
Americans
Escalating Violence Prompts Change in USDA's Border Inspections
Recon Balloon That Could Aid Border Patrols Is Put In a Holding Pattern
Murdered Arizona Rancher Shot Multiple Times, Autopsy Finds
Mexico's Bloodshed Worsens as Hundreds Die in Last 7 Days |
|
06/16/10 |
Fox
News - U.S. Closes Park Land Along Mexico Border to Americans
Portion of US Wildlife Refuge Closed Due to Violent Border Activity
Pinal County Sheriff: Mexican Drug Cartels Now Control Parts of Arizona
Pinal County Sheriff Asks Obama for Troops
U.S. Government Giving Parts of Arizona Back to Mexico
Borderland Beat - Pinal County Sheriff: Mexican Drug Cartels Now Control
Parts of Arizona
BorderFire Report - US Gov Giving Parts of Arizona Back to Mexico
Cartels Smuggle U.S. Drug Money Back to Mexico in Cash, Study Finds |
|
06/15/10 |
Videos On What Is Really Happening On Our Border With Mexico |
|
06/14/10 |
Unlike Bingaman, Simpson Seeks and Gets Consensus on Wilderness Bill
Hickenlooper Sides With Ranchers on Pinion Canyon
Candidates to Present Views on Pinion Canyon Expansion |
|
06/12/10 |
Criminal Activity Continues to Rise on Federal Lands
House Republican Warnings Ignored as Arizona Sheriff Deputy Shot by Drug
Smugglers on Federal Wilderness Lands
New Updated Version of How The West Was Lost
documentary
Pinal County
Deaths Tied to Mexican Drug Wars
Murder In Smuggling Corridor |
|
06/11/10 |
Video:
Border
Wilderness - Too Dangerous For The Public
Video:
Wilderness Threatens Border Security
Lawsuit Targets Harmful Public-lands Livestock Subsidy |
|
06/10/10 |
Cowboy Down: Rob Krentz's Family Talk About the Life and Death of the
Murdered Arizona Rancher
Rancher Krentz Was Shot Multiple Times
Wilderness Proposal Meant to Ease Concerns |
|
06/08/10 |
Donald Ham -
Wilderness - Border Patrol Should Provide a Rebuttal
2 Bodies Found in Pinal County Desert (Wilderness)
Mexico Mass Grave in Abandoned Mine Has 55 Bodies
6 Bodies Found in Cave, 3 With Hearts Cut Out
2 Found Shot Dead Near Illegal Border Crossing in Arizona
FBI Investigates Shooting of 2 by Border Agents
Forest Service Issues New Wilderness Filming Rules
From Guns to Butter in Juarez |
|
06/07/10 |
The Western Watersheds Project's Assault on Family Ranchers
Stats Don't Reflect Border Fear
Border Ranchers React To White House Meeting
Rancher Has Close-Up View of Immigration Debate |
|
06/03/10 |
The Battle for Arizona |
|
06/02/10 |
Video:
The Price Of Admission - Wilderness Rape Trees
Border Security to Include Livestock Inspectors
Border Security Implications of Proposed Wilderness
Wilderness Misinformation
Lawsuit Filed to Protect Arizona Endangered Species from Cattle Grazing |
|
05/31/10 |
Sheriff Deputies to Accompany Livestock Scale Inspectors
Illegal Immigrants Gravitate Toward Arizona Border
Armed Mexican Pirates Terrorize Texas Lake |
|
05/30/10 |
Americans Fleeing Border Invasion
ESA - It's Not
About Saving Species - It's About Spending Taxpayer Money and Making Some
Groups Wealthy |
|
05/28/10 |
Obama's Border Security Plan Falls Short, Ranchers Say
Face of Fear at the Border
Southern Arizona Rancher Testifies Before Congress
Rehberg Wants to Unlock Gates, Allow Border Control Vehicles in
Non-motorized Areas
Protecting Endangered Species Interfering with Border Security
Feds Issue Terror Watch for the Texas/Mexico Border
Signs Point to Administration Plan to Lock Up 13M Acres of Federal Land |
|
05/27/10 |
Friends of Murdered Rancher React to More Troops on the Border
Mexico Tells US How to Use Troops - US Says Troops Won't Be USed to Stop
Illegal Immigration
NM Guard to be Part of Border Effort |
|
05/26/10 |
Obama to Send 1,200 Guard Troops to Mexico Border
Bishop: More Border Troops Won't Work if They're Blocked
Senate GOP: Border Troops Could Lead to Immigration Compromise |
|
05/25/10 |
DOI Safe Borders
Initiative - a VERY interesting read |
|
05/24/10 |
County Passes Ordinance Opposing Designation of Otero Mesa as a National
Monument
Phil Krentz: "I Just Don't Know What's Around The Next Bend"
Foreign Terrorists Bread U.S. Border
Trash On The Border |
|
05/23/10 |
Foreign 'terrorists' Breach U.S. Border - Illegals Coming from Afghanistan,
Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen
Homeland Security Alert: Terror Suspect May Be Headed to Texas Through
Mexico
Brewer Says Stimulus Will Be Used On The Border
Northern Mexico Shootout Kill 2 Police, 7 Gunmen
4 Decapitated Bodies Found in Northern Mexico
U.S. Applauds Record Extraditions From Mexico, But Drug War Violence
Continues
Mexican Students Enrolling in U.S. Schools to Escape Violence
Why is it So Hard to Flee Mexico's Drug War? |
|
05/21/10 |
Sheriff Dever Believes Suspect Will Be Identified in Krentz Murder
Officers Say Drug, Immigrant Smuggling Surging at NM Border
Representative Bishop on Wilderness and the Border
Govt met with Environmentalists on Land Protection |
|
05/20/10 |
Video - " Trash
On The Border"
Congressman Rob Bishop - " Federal
Policies Enable Border Violence"
Illegal
Traffickers Destroy The Wilderness |
|
05/19/10 |
WSBTV Channel 2, Altanta, GA - "Investigation of U.S.
Border Security"
Part 1
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/index.html
Part 2
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438712/index.html
OTM (Other Than Mexican) reports -
Page 1,
Page 2 |
|
05/17/10 |
Radios Meant for Ranchers Are Still In Storage
Mexico Shaken by Abduction and Feared Murder of Top Politician
Small Mobile Units Emerge as Potent Border-Watch Tool
Lawmakers Expect Revised Border Violence Plan from Calderon Visit
Combat Operations in the Border Zone |
|
05/16/10 |
Death on the Border, But Washington Refuses to Act
Drug Violence Hits Mexican Candidates - Gangs Kidnap, Kill to Control
Elections
Former Mexican Governor Said to Help Get Drugs to U.S.
Former Mexican Presidential Candidate Goes Missing
At Least 18 Killed in Northern Mexico
A Forceful Call for Change From El Paso
O'odham Police Bust Coke-Smuggling Ring
More Horses Needed to Secure the Border
Homeland Security: Drones to Help Track U.S. Border in Summer
Channel 2 Investigates U.S. Border Security
U.S. Embassy Confirms Arizona Man Found Dead in Northern Mexico; 3 Detained
in Case |
|
05/12/10 |
NY Times -
Side by Side, but Divided Over Immigration
Albuquerque Examiner -
5 Reasons to Carry Guns in our National Parks
El Paso Times -
Border Violence: Wounded Men Cross Rio Grande, Sent to El Paso Hospital
GOP-ers Bristle at Feds' Land Plan |
|
05/09/10 |
Udall Questions Officials About Increased Border Violence, and I Question
Udall
Pelosi: It's Cheaper to Treat Teens for Drug Use Than Interdict Drugs At
Border
Twelve Killed in Juarez Since Friday Afternoon
Gunmen Kill 1 At Wedding In Juarez, Kidnap 3, Including Groom
Police Chief, 5 Others Slain In Border State
US Extends Travel Warning For Mexico
Texas Senators Stress Need to Stop Mexican Violence From Spreading to U.S.
Border Violence Affecting Trade, Congressmen Say |
|
05/06/10 |
Democrats thwart Rep. Rob Bishop's move to obtain 'national monument'
documents |
|
05/05/10 |
Warnings Ignored as Arizona Sheriff Deputy Shot by Drug Smugglers on
Federal Wilderness Lands
Border Patrol Agent Union Strongly Supports Bill to Improve Border Security
on Public Lands
Border Policies Continue to Jeopardize National Security
KSVP Interview With Erik
Ness, New Mexico Farm Bureau on Border Issues |
|
05/04/10 |
Latest Violence Spasm Claims 25 Lives Near Mexico-US Border
New Report On Rancher's Killer Irks Cochise Sheriff
Update From Chochise County, AZ
Mexico's Illegals Laws Tougher Than Arizona's
Obama's Border Breakdown
Hearings Revive Border Violence Debate As Troops Requested
Armed Narco-Terrorists Caught On Tape Where Arizona Deputy Shot On Friday
A Border-Area Home Invasion Has Forced Residents To Take Action |
|
04/04/10 |
Grijalva Declines To Answer, Walks Away When Asked If He's
Committed To Sealing Border Against Drug Traffic
Senator Sylvia Allen Responds to SB1070 |
|
05/02/10 |
Deputy Shot; Illegal Immigrants Suspected
17 Caught in Search for Ariz. Deputy's Attackers
Drug Violence Kills 14 in Mexico Border State
Women - Victims of Silence And Invisibility Along U.S., Mexican Borders
Mexico's Crime Syndicates Increasingly Target Authorities In Drug War's New
Phase
Border States Deal With More Illegal Immigrant Crime Than Most, Data
Suggests
Mexico: The Real War Next Door
How Arizona Became Center of Immigration Debate |
|
04/29/10 |
Why is Ken Salazar Hiding Memo on New Monuments, Wilderness Areas?
The Krentz Bonfire
Justice Department: Three Border Patrol Agents Assaulted Per Day; Someone
Kidnapped Every 35 Hours in Phoenix
Border "Secure as Ever", DHS Chief Says |
|
04/28/10 |
Earth Day Predictions from 1970 - a very interesting read!
Wildland Fire Leadership Council
Death of a Rancher
Giffords Town Hall Focuses on Border
Aerial Drone Will Fly on Texas Border Soon, Napolitano Says |
|
04/27/10 |
Praising Arizona (In Border Battle)
Hidden Gems Wilderness Unsafe
Lawsuit to Be Launched to Protect Endagered Species in Arizona and New
Mexico National Forests |
|
04/26/10 |
Police Ambushed in Juarez; 8 People Killed
Gunmen Kill 4, Wound Top Security Official in Michoacan
Arrests in Killings of Consulate Worker, 2 Others
Ciudad Juarez: War Against Los Zetas, Along the Gulf and Into America
"Murder City: Cuidad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields" by
Charles Bowden
Sen. Cornyn Says Feds Have Failed, Offers Support for Local Law Enforcement
U.S. Training Mexican Feds
Violence Temporarily Closes Camargo Bridge
Suspected Drug Runner, Worker Square Off With Guns |
|
04/25/10 |
Sen. Cornyn Says Feds Have Failed, Offers Support for Local Law Enforcement |
|
04/24/10 |
John Hummer: Significant Consequences of Proposed Border Wilderness |
|
04/23/10 |
Burglary Suspect May Have Info in Krentz Killing
Arizona Gov. Calls for More Border Protection
Cattle Ranchers are Some of the World's Real Environmentalists |
|
04/22/10 |
Wilderness on the Border 4/22/10 - 9 Articles on Border Violence
Why Ranchers Fear for Their Safety, and What Lawmakers Want
Arizona Sheriff Says Cops Are Being Killed by Illegal Aliens; Joins Call for
U.S. Troops at Border
Napolitano Cites Actions Since Death of Robert Krentz |
|
04/19/10 |
State
Must Organize to Fight Cross-Border Crime
Securing the Border is the First Priority |
|
04/18/10 |
The Wilderness Border and its Implications on American Security |
|
04/17/10 |
Las Cruces Sun News -
Border Security Proposals Worthy of Investigation
Las Cruces TEA Party
Brochure on
Border Security and the Krentz Murder |
|
04/15/10 |
Let Border Patrol in Wilderness Areas, Bishop Says
Fox News - GOP Reps Offer Bill to Ban Interior Dept From Hindering Border Agents
Arizona Ranchers Urge Crackdown on Border Violence
Wilderness on the Border 4/15/10 - 6 Articles on Border Violence |
|
04/13/10 |
There Won't Be Another Guy Like Robert Krentz
Arizona Ranchers Caught Up in Mexican Drug Violence
A Bordertown Drug-Murder Mystery
Southern Arizona Ranchers Demand Action
Rancher's Death Prompts Challenge to Cell Phone Companies
Two Earlier Video Reports on Border Death
New Nature Conservancy Atlas Aims to Show the State of the World's Ecosystems |
|
04/12/10 |
Wilderness On The Border - 9 Articles on Mexican Border Violence
Our Lawless Mexican Border - Wall Street Journal
Las Cruces Sun News - " Let's
Beef Up Border to Prevent More Violence"
Schiff Calls for Review of U.S. Forest Service's Nighttime Flying Policy
Landowners Win Lawsuit Seeking Colorado's Appraiser Files
Idaho Rancher May Lose Grazing Permit |
|
04/09/10 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - " Stormwater
Authority Sought - Task Force recommends a regional approach to watershed issues"
and Part 2 |
|
04/08/10 |
Krentz Services/Memorial/Reward
LC Sun News - " Fears
of Repeat of 2006 Flooding Spur Talk of Control Authority"
Off-roaders in Search of Trails
Judge Hears Grazing Arguments |
|
04/06/10 |
Mexico Drug Gangs Turn Weapons on Army
2 Children Killed in Mexico Border State Shootout
Mexican Cartels Cannot be Defeated, Drug Lord Says
2nd Mexican Helicopter Sighted in U.S. Airspace
A Growing Border Crisis is Opportunity for Terrorists
Armed Men Storm Mexico Border Prison to Free 13 Inmates
Mexican Army Sending Four Helicopters to Border
Fleeing Violence, More Mexicans Seek U.S. Asylum |
|
04/05/10 |
Ranchers Alarmed by Killing Near Border - NY Times
Border Fence Under Renewed Fire After Rancher Killing |
|
04/04/10 |
Krentz family statement
Feds Have Fiddled Too Long as Border Security Failed
Why the Silence From Janet Napolitano About Putting Troops on the Border
Arizona AG: Rancher's Slaying the Work of Cartels
Rancher Robert Krentz Didn't Deserve to Die on His Own Land in the USA
Border Security Debate Intensifies in Arizona
Mexican Border Town on High Alert as Mexican Drug Cartels
Threaten to Start Killing Children
Journals of Texas Students Reveal Horrors Across the Border
Border Security: What is the Appropriate Response?
Border Drug War: Violence Wears on Valley of Juarez Residents |
|
04/03/10 |
Death and Dishonor in Cochise County |
|
04/02/10 |
The Krentz Tragedy - Murder on the Border
Giffords Holds Ranchers' Meeting
Luna Co. Sheriff Calls Meeting on Border Security
Border Patrol Agent Urges Calm as Fears in Texas Town Rise
GOP Lawmaker Calls for Hearing Into Border Security After Rancher's Murder
Mexicans Facing Drug War Violence Could Seek Political Asylum in U.S.
Mexico Asks More U.S. Cooperation on Border Violence
Janet Napolitano Lied
White House Responds to Guard Deployment Call
Las Cruces Bulletin - " Arizona
Death Heightens Concerns in Border Area" |
|
04/01/10 |
New
Mexico Boosts Law Enforcement On Border
Violent Mexican Gangs Pose Risk to Americans
States Boost Border Security as Pleas to Washington Go Unmet
Richardson Orders National Guard to Patrol Mexican Border
Rancher Warns of Growing Border Danger
Border Lawmakers: Humanitarian Aid Just the Start in Fighting Drug Violence
Slain Arizona Rancher Mourned by Friends, Neighbors
Rancher's Killing Draws Citizens, Officials
Rancher's Murder Prompts Town Hall In Apache
Robert N. Krentz, Jr. - June 3, 1951 - March 27, 2010 |
|
03/31/10 |
Fox News & Local TV Video Coverage of Krentz Murder
Many Ranchers Will Be Cautious
Reward Offered As Ranchers Arm Themselves in Wake of Murder
NM Rancher Concerned With Border Safety, Video Report
The Westerner - Politicians Respond, I Comment
Las Cruces Sun News - "Bootheel
Murder Spurs Call for Greater USBP Presence", "Governor
Steps Up Security Along Border" |
|
03/30/10 |
Cochise Ranch Area Outraged by Killing
Arizona Reacts to Murder of Douglass Rancher
Bootheel Murder Spurs Call for Greater USBP Presence
Border Patrol Officers Avert "Booby Traps" in NM, Seize Drugs
NM Delegation's Response
Krentz Family: Homeland Heros |
|
03/30/10 |
Gov Approves Use of Eminent Domain to Take Federal Land |
|
03/30/10 |
White House Outdoors Conference to Urge Conservation, Quell Rumors |
|
03/30/10 |
Michelle Malkin - "The
death of an Arizona rancher" |
|
03/29/10 |
The Westerner -
Cochise County Arizona Rancher Rob Krentz is murdered on his borderlands
ranch, presumably by a drug smuggler. Our deepest condolences go out to
his family. Fox News - "Arizona
Rancher's Killing Sparks Calls to Beef Up Border Security", "Arizona
Rancher Found Dead on Property" |
|
03/28/10 |
The Westerner - "Wilderness
on the Border 3/28/10 - 10 Articles on Border Violence" |
|
03/20/10 |
Alamogordo Daily News - "Feds
discuss county land - Gov. Richardson urges protection for Otero Mesa" -
"Otero County
Commissioner Ronny Rardin briefly commented on the governor's request. His view
is that making Otero Mesa into a national park could affect Otero County
residents' land use rights. "You have government, like the federal
government, coming down on county land without considering our land use," Rardin
said." |
|
03/18/10 |
"Wilderness
on the Border 3/18/10 - 8 Articles on Border Violence" |
|
03/18/10 |
"Salazar
touts beefed-up border security; Bishop calls it a 'photo op'" |
|
03/16/10 |
"100's
of emergency 9-1-1 calls follow cartel shootout (watch and listen to two video
reports)" |
|
03/16/10 |
The Westerner - "Interior
Sec., Ariz. congressman visit border" |
|
03/16/10 |
The Westerner - "Salazar
to tour dangerous border area" |
|
03/13/10 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Salazar
to tour dangerous border area - Utah congressman calls on Interior boss to do
more to help patrols." -
"Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar will tour the U.S.-Mexico border Saturday at a national
monument that has been deemed so dangerous more than half is closed to the
public....
DHS and the Interior and Agriculture departments signed an agreement in 2006
that allows border agents to access sensitive public lands in pursuit of
immigrants or criminal suspects, but Bishop contends that those patrols still
are being hampered." |
|
03/13/10 |
The Westerner - "Wilderness
on the Border - 12 More Articles on Border Violence"
|
|
03/13/10 |
Natural Resources Committee - "As
Secretary Salazar Visits Border, Dept of Interior Must Stop Obstructing Border
Patrol" |
|
03/13/10 |
Natural Resources Committee - "850,000
Acres & 34 Wilderness Area Designations = No Access, No Jobs, No Recreation for
Coloradans" |
|
03/13/10 |
Fox News - "Federal
land grab on the way?" |
|
03/11/10 |
Glenn Beck - "Land
Grab By the Federal Government" - |
|
03/11/10 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Senate
approves bill to condemn federal land" |
|
03/11/10 |
"MTS Standard" - "No
plans for new national monuments in Montana" |
|
03/11/10 |
Aspen Times - "Forest
Service assesses effects of Wilderness on firefighting"
- "Turning Basalt Mountain into Wilderness wouldn't prohibit firefighting there
but it would eliminate opportunities to reduce dead trees and fuels that have
built up for decades, the top official in the White River National Forest said
Wednesday. ... Fire Chief Scott Thompson said that, with all due respect to the
Forest Service, the written rules and the application of rules aren't always the
same. Written rules that appear to provide flexibility can actually provide an
extra hurdle." |
|
03/11/10 |
The Nation - "The
Wrong Kind of Green" |
|
03/11/10 |
The Westerner - "New
Green Curriculum Unveiled for USDA Forest Service Job Corps" |
|
03/11/10 |
Testimony added on S 1689 from
Bud Hettinga and Kent Evans |
|
03/05/10 |
The Westerner - "Wilderness
On The Border - 8 Articles on Border Violence" |
|
03/04/10 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Utah
House mounts new federal lands challenge", and LA Times - "In
Utah, a move to seize federal land" |
|
03/04/10 |
Washington Times - Demint - "White
House Land Grab - Proposal to seize land would favor animals over Americans" |
|
02/28/10 |
The Westerner - "Wilderness
On The Border 2" - more articles and news on border/wilderness issues. |
|
02/27/10 |
The Westerner -
Wilderness On The Border - a collection of articles and news on
border/wilderness issues. "Al
Qaeda eyes bio attack from Mexico", "Mexican
Police Capture 18 Tons of Stolen Explosives Headed to U.S. Border", "Battle
against Mexico's Drug Lords Could Threaten America", "Thousands
of Mexicans Come to El Paso Fleeing Violence in Mexico", "270
Somalies Illegally Enter Across Mexican Border". |
|
02/27/10 |
Save the Trails article "Enviro
Litigation Gravy" - "Reports show Enviro Groups like the Wilderness
Society, Forest Guardians and Center for Biological Diversity have been paid
over $4 BILLION of your tax dollars to file lawsuits from 2003-2007." |
|
02/25/10 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "Wilderness
Bill Debated - Opposing sides pack hearing on legislation" |
|
02/24/10 |
Las Cruces TEA Party testimony submitted for S 1689 -
Las Cruces TEA Party,
Attachments
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8 |
|
02/23/10 |
Letter to the editor by Jerry Schickedanz "Wilderness
for the Country Club" |
|
02/23/10 |
"Judge
rejects suit to block wilderness landings" - "The use of helicopters for
any other purpose would be extremely difficult to justify under the Wilderness
Act," Winmill wrote in his 12-page ruling." "Given that this project is
allowed to proceed, the next project will be extraordinarily difficult to
justify," the judge wrote. |
|
02/22/10 |
"Wilderness
Bill Could Lead to Increased Drug and Human Trafficking Across Border" |
|
02/19/10 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "Wilderness bill gets local debate"
Page
1,
Page
2
Las Cruces Bulletin - "Wilderness
opponents come to BIA-SNM" - "We can't have wilderness in the Potrillos,
and we can't have wilderness on the border" |
|
02/19/10 |
PFPOWH Coalition supporting
alternative to Wilderness grows to over 800 businesses and organizations. |
|
02/19/10 |
Billings Gazette - "Chorus
of Protest - Critics of secret BLM meetings share diverse backgrounds,
conflicting interests" |
|
02/18/10 |
Fox News - "Obama
Eyes Western Land for National Monuments, Angering Some" |
|
02/18/10 |
NMSU Roundup - "TEA Party
protests federal wilderness act" |
|
02/18/10 |
Otero Residents Forum - "S
1689 Wilderness Opens Portal to Crime, Drugs and More Invasion" |
|
02/18/10 |
Buffalo Bulletin - "Commissioners
oppose Rock Creek Wilderness" - "“We consulted Forest Service officials,
and officials at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute on the effects
of wilderness designation.” Domek said that the study concluded that in
instances of wilderness designation in areas similar to Rock Creek
visitor usage actually declined after designation." |
|
02/17/10 |
"Pearce
comments Bingaman for holding overdue field hearings" |
|
02/17/10 |
Doyle Pruitt - "Creation
of an eco-terrorist" and "Understanding
wilderness meaning needed" |
|
02/15/10 |
The Westerner - "Hundreds
attend congressional field hearing about wilderness areas"
Las Cruces Sun News
coverage |
|
02/13/10 |
"Wilderness
Bill Field Heaing in Las Cruces" by Steve Pearce This page also
contains a guest column written by Mr. Pearce for the Artesia Daily Press on the
Wilderness issue. |
|
02/13/10 |
The Westerner - "Internal
DOI Document; Secret Plan to Create 14 National Monuments? $Billions for
Land Acquisition" |
|
02/13/10 |
National Rifle Association - "Congressional
Field Hearing to Consider Significant Wilderness Expansion" |
|
02/13/10 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Bingaman
to host wilderness hearing" |
|
02/13/10 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Federal
ruling saps some favor from Chile Challenge" |
|
02/10/10 |
"Environmentalists
to lose land linked to preserve" - "An environmental group stands to lose
land linked to its signature Idaho wildlife preserve because federal land
managers contend they've been misled over how the site would be managed." |
|
02/08/10 |
Doyle Pruitt blog - "Wilderness
Area Fabrications and Lies" |
|
02/05/10 |
Washington Examiner - "Turf
battle endangers national security and the environment" |
|
01/17/09 |
"Las
Cruces Deserves a Field Hearing on the Wilderness Bill" by Steve Pearce |
|
01/06/10 |
National Geographic begins the new series "Border
Wars" this Sunday, 7pm. |
|
12/19/09 |
"Billions
paid to Enviro Litigants" - "... eight environmental groups have filed at
least 1596 federal court cases against the federal government. Every one
of the groups are tax exempt, non-profit organizations. Every one of those
groups receives attorney fees for suing the federal government from the federal
government." |
|
12/13/09 |
Las Cruces Sun News letter to the editor by Richard Johnson, former supervisor
on the Gila National Forest, "Organs
don't fit original concept of Wilderness" |
|
12/13/09 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "Chamber
Supports Wilderness Areas" by David McCollum |
|
12/11/09 |
Tuscon Weekly - "Threats
and Degradation - A congressman uncovers two buried studies showing the impacts
of illegal immigration, smuggling" |
|
12/11/09 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Documents
identify terrorism threat in border gaps" |
|
12/02/09 |
LOCAL COMMUNITY REQUESTS FIELD HEARING ON S.1689: Read the
Letter from
local community leaders requesting a field hearing. |
|
12/02/09 |
Las Cruces TEA Party "print
& mail postcards" on S.1689. |
|
11/24/09 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Wilderness
bill opponents map out alternative plan". |
|
11/20/09 |
Center for Immigration Studies - "Immigration
and Crime - Assessing a Conflicted Issue" |
|
11/19/09 |
Fox News - "Green
organizations suing Uncle Sam" - Environmentalists using taxpayer dollars to
sue the government. |
|
11/18/09 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Bishop:
Environmental rules impeding border security" |
|
11/16/09 |
Washington Times - "Environmental
laws put gaps in Mexico border security" - "The conflict between the
environment and border security has raged for the past decade as better
enforcement in urban areas has pushed the flow of illegal immigrants into
Arizona and straight into some of the nation's most remote and fragile desert.
A major problem is wilderness - lands deemed so pristine that they should be
maintained in that condition, free of man-made structures. ... According
to e-mails obtained by Mr. Bishop, Park Service officials at Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument and at the Denver office that oversees the park said they will
not allow the Border Patrol to place electronic surveillance towers on parts of
the park that are designated wilderness. ... In one 2008 e-mail, officials tell
the Homeland Security Department to "pursue alternative tower locations." In
another 2008 memo, the superintendent of Organ Pipe says Park Service officials
could reject towers even beyond wilderness areas if they deem the effects would
spill over into wilderness. Organ Pipe has 32 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border on
its land, and 95 percent of the park is designated wilderness.
Officials have shut down much of the western side of the
giant park, saying the threat of encounters with illegal immigrants and drug
smugglers makes that land not safe enough for visitors." |
|
11/13/09 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "Wilderness
Alternatives Sought" |
|
10/29/09 |
Washington Times - "In
Immigration War, Environment is a Neglected Casualty" - "Mark
South, a former Forest Service employee who decades ago wrote the guidelines for
some of the wilderness designations here, now thinks efforts to write new
wilderness into law go too far. "Tell me, which is doing more damage to
the environment: the fence or the people coming through, the trails, the litter,
the water bottles?" he said. "I think now, with what we're seeing along the
border, trying to preserve anything beyond the existing laws now is pointless.
Are wilderness needed? Yeah. How much is too much?" " |
|
10/22/09 |
Some new information has been added to
our "Reference & Research" page on
environmentalism and eco-terrorism. |
|
10/16/09 |
Las Cruces Bulletin article by Jerry
Schickedanz - "Why
lock up so much acreage in Dona Ana County? - Many parcels fail to meet the
original wilderness criteria" |
|
10/08/09 |
Press release from hearing testimony:
"Chairman of Land
Use Group Testifies Before Congress" -
"Jerry Schickedanz told Sen. Jeff
Bingaman (D-NM), who chairs the full Committee, that his organization wants the
committee to hold official field hearings in Dona Ana County where the issue
impacts hundreds of thousands of people and the future of the county. “Senator
your legislation will have a major impact on over 200,000 citizens and 560
square miles of our county. We strongly suggest that this committee hold a
hearing where the land and the people exist so that all interests and issues can
be fully aired and discussed by the folks most affected,” Schickedanz said. The
former NMSU Dean of Agriculture also told the committee that his organization
has “grave concerns” about the proposed legislation which he said would
jeopardize security on the U.S./Mexico border." |
|
10/07/09 |
Westerner - "IG
Finds BLM Employees Had Improper Ties to Greens" -
"Our investigative efforts revealed
that communication between NLCS and a few specific NGOs in these circumstances
gave the appearance of federal employees being less than objective and created
the potential for conflicts of interest or violations of law,” the report
states. “We also uncovered a general disregard for establishing and maintaining
boundaries among the various entities.” |
|
10/06/09 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Hearing
set for wilderness protection bill" - "Schickedanz said he plans to
elaborate on concerns of his group, including that the opposition isn't made up
of a handful of ranchers but includes 791 businesses and other groups from the
community. He repeated a concern from the group that the legislation might
hinder law enforcement access to any protected lands near the border.
Schickedanz said his group isn't opposed to protecting the Organ Mountains, but
"we just feel there are other ways to protect the lands," such as through
existing administrative procedures. "You can provide some of the same
protections, but not as severe as locking the lands up for access," he said." |
|
10/04/09 |
Article for the Las Cruces Sun News by
Dr. Jerry G. Schickedanz - "The
true consequences of the Wilderness bill" |
|
10/03/09 |
Track Bingaman's wilderness legislation
on
GovTrack |
|
09/29/09 |
"Wilderness On
The Border" - This
presentation presents information obtained from a National Park Study and a
Department of Interior Threat Assessment report about the devastating
impacts of designated federal Wilderness on our country's southern border.
|
|
09/25/09 |
"Administration
Will Cut Border Patrol Deployed on U.S.-Mexico Border". New Mexico is
specifically described as a "ideal smuggling corridor" (see
NM
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis and
NM HIDTA Region Transportation Infrastructure) |
|
09/22/09 |
"On
The Border: Wilderness Causes Degraded Environmental Quality & Security" |
|
09/19/09 |
Interesting commentary from
Congressman
Bishop (Utah) requesting information from DOI and DHS. |
|
09/02/09 |
"Border
Expert Explains Consequences of Illegal Immigration on the Environment" and
related video from the
Arizona border. |
|
08/05/09 |
New Mexico Stockman "The
Border and a Modern Cowboy" |
|
07/17/09 |
National Day of the American
Cowboy honors W.W. Cox family |
|
07/03/09 |
DuBois Wyoming destroyed |
|
06/26/09 |
Las Cruces Bulletin Guest Column - "A
close look reveals problems with wilderness proposals - Open spaced best
preserved by viability of ranches" |
|
06/25/09 |
Wilderness & Border Security - An Amendment to Interior Appropriations |
|
06/21/09 |
"NM
Ranchrs worry that sick cows could cross to US", also on
Fox
News |
|
06/20/09 |
New Mexico Stockman - "Implications
of the Big Hatchet Mountain Wilderness Proposal" |
|
06/16/09 |
"BLM
completes major land swap with New Mexico" |
|
06/12/09 |
"Colorado
Landowners Tell Their Story" |
|
06/09/09 |
Forest Service
Cuts Grazing |
|
06/09/09 |
Idaho Court
Grazing Decision Adds to Economic Woes, Fails to See Whole Picture |
|
05/22/09 |
Border Invasion |
|
05/21/09 |
East Oregonian: "Environmentalists
threaten livestock industry in state" |
|
05/21/09 |
Aspen Times: "In
bowels of Conundrum, poop bags for backpackers" |
|
05/21/09 |
New West: "Hikers,
Mountain bikers and Wilderness, Afterthoughts" |
|
05/20/09 |
RANGE Magazine - "The
Potrillos - The border and a fight for heritage" |
|
05/01/09 |
New West - "Hikers,
Wilderness Groups Should Re-think Mountain Biking", and part 2 - "Branding
Wilderness Lite" |
|
04/28/09 |
New Mexico Stockman -
"Range
Management - The Tools, Rules and Benefits of Grazing" by Christopher D.
Allison |
|
04/14/09 |
From an April 9, 2009 press release from the BLM - "BLM
Cautions Public Regarding Border Violence" - "The
international border with Mexico is becoming of increasing concern to the U.S.
Government due to an increase in dangerous illegal activities and an escalating
trend in border violence." |
|
04/08/09 |
Forbes - "Public
Land Mismanagement - Environmental, fiscal and economic irresponsibility in the
name of protection" |
|
04/08/09 |
Fresno Bee - "Cows
create homes for tadpole shrimp" |
|
04/01/09 |
Investors Business Daily: "Lost
in an Energy Wilderness" - As Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., points out: "We
are not suffering from a lack of wilderness areas in the United States.
According to the Census Bureau, we have 106 million acres of developed land and
107 million acres of (officially declared) wilderness land." Note: The
Census Bureau defines "developed land" as land with more than 10 residents per
square MILE. |
|
03/30/09 |
White Sands International Film Festival Announces Program for 2009 - "Also
included in the program is “How the West Was Lost,” a documentary about the
locking up of 300,000 acres of New Mexican land, written and directed by Las
Crucesan Erik Ness." More information on this event coming soon! |
|
03/27/09 |
Idaho Statesman - "Unlikely
partners savor victory, but work's not done to protect Owyhee Canyonlands" |
|
03/27/09 |
NY Times - "Polluters,
Beware: These Eco-Police Officers Are for Real" |
|
03/26/09 |
The Westerner: "House
Votes to Protect 2 Million Acres of Wilderness",
"For
local cattle grazers, bill may bring painful transition",
"Two
more cows found mutilated" |
|
03/26/09 |
High Country News - "Western
Repubs remain split as Omni wilderness deals pass" |
|
03/26/09 |
Campaign for America's Wilderness - "Congress
Passes Major Public Lands Bill" This site has a map of the areas. |
|
03/26/09 |
New West - "Crapo's
Public Lands Bill Passes" |
|
03/23/09 |
New Mexico Stockman - "The
Case for Rangeland Preservation Areas" - "Rangeland Preservation Area is
an alternative federal land use designation that allows productive utilization
with appropriate limitations. It prescribes the allowable uses at a local
level, which may be modified from ecosystem to ecosystem. It differs from
Wilderness by recognizing the presence of human activities, past, present, and
future, in a resourceful and positive manner." - Jerry G. Schickedanz, Ph.D.,
Range Science, University of Arizona, NMSU College of Agriculture, Dean Emeritus |
|
03/23/09 |
Silver City Sun News - "Group
pushes for more Western wilderness" |
|
03/23/09 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Group
pushes for more Gila wilderness, grazing buyout" |
|
03/17/09 |
See The
Westerner for current news updates on the Omnibus bill and other federal
lands issues |
|
03/10/09 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "NY
Times: Extensive lands protection bill could thwart new energy development"
"Gray
Wolf Will Lose Protection in Part of U.S." |
|
03/10/09 |
Santa Fe New Mexican - "Valles
Caldera: A turning point" |
|
03/10/09 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Bighorn
battle could doom sheep ranchers" |
|
03/10/09 |
"Wyoming Groups Unveil "Thank a Rancher" Campaign" |
|
03/10/09 |
Articles by Judy Keeler on
The
Wildlands Project |
|
03/03/09 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Judge
rules in southwest Idaho grazing case" |
|
03/02/09 |
The Westerner - "Ranchers
meet conservationists" |
|
03/02/09 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "How
do we manage to manage public lands?" |
|
03/02/09 |
KansasCity.com - "Attempt
to move Forest Service could spark turf war" |
|
02/28/09 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "Governmental
Affairs Initiative works for members" |
|
02/25/09 |
The Westerner - "The
long road of contention: Forest Service gets an earful from county residents
over Travel Management Plan" |
|
02/24/09 |
The Westerner - "Salazar
to implement $3 billion interior economic recovery plan"
"Forest
Service, Elko County at odds over roads"
"Wilderness
bill seeks to protect portion of San Gabriel Mountains"
"Glenwood
Canyon eyed for protection; water users wary" |
|
02/24/09 |
USA Today - "Mexican
drug gangs wage war" |
|
02/23/09 |
Westerner - "Rancher
ruling adds to border debate" |
|
02/23/09 |
NM Federal Land Council - "Nationalizing
the cars and bikes of rock collectors - Pending Omnibus land bill's forfeiture
provision has broad reach" |
|
02/19/09 |
Los Angeles Times - "Border
drug war is too close for comfort" |
|
02/19/09 |
The Westerner: "Environmental
provisions of stimulus bill", "Forestry's
share of stimulus bill will go to jobs, fire prevention", "Stimulus
Bill Promises Environmental, Public Lands Jobs", "Army
removes Pinion Canyon manager", "Grazing
bill seeks to cap value of state leases", "Ranchers
in Colorado's Pinon Canyon fight a massive Army land grab", "Rancher
cleared of violating rights of illegal immigrants" |
|
02/19/09 |
Good Neighbor Law - "Stop!
Read this before you get tangled in conservation easements" |
|
02/17/09 |
Washington Times article - "Wildlife
areas on border let in outlaws" - "Numerous Border Patrol agents
interviewed by The Washington Times said drug smugglers and human traffickers
are using ecologically diverse sanctuaries to evade law enforcement officials,
whose access is limited in some areas to foot patrols and horseback. Zack
Taylor, a retired agent and supervisor who spent 26 years patrolling the Texas
and Arizona border, said the creation of federally protected wilderness areas
threatens to keep "the agency in a reactionary mode rather than proactively
tackling the increasing dangers on the border." |
|
02/16/09 |
Grand Junction Sentinel - ""Conservation
Areas lauded to protect lands" |
|
02/16/09 |
The Westerner - "122
Jurisdiction Questions Submitted to DOJ & DOI" |
|
02/13/09 |
The Westerner - "Bill
would designate 23M acres of wilderness"
"Nature
Conservancy buys Idaho ranch"
"Green
Enough?"
"Lawsuit
Inc. strikes again"
"Clean
Water Act and Nonpoint Source Pollution: Implications for Agriculture" |
|
02/10/09 |
New Mexico Stockman - "An
Alternative to Wilderness Designation" |
|
02/10/09 |
The Westerner -
"Environmental
Protection, in Name Only"
"The
Klamath Basin: The Tricky Business of Water Rights in the West"
"Conservation
group plans to sue feds over Nevada water project" |
|
02/09/09 |
The Westerner - "Oregon
ranchers sue Forest Service in dispute over grazing"
"Forest
Land Area from 1630 to 2002" - "The total forestland acreage has remained
stable since 1900."
"Alliance
with feds proposed" - "A plan to coordinate natural-resource planning
between Flathead County and the U.S. Forest Service and ultimately make forest
management more efficient was unveiled this week by the county's Natural
Resource Committee. ... A process for federal and local government coordination
is outlined in numerous federal laws such as the National Environmental Policy
Act and the Clean Water Act, the committee noted. The letter to Barbouletos
would formally "invoke" that under-utilized coordination process in those
laws..." |
|
02/08/09 |
The Westerner - "Catron
County, Wolves & APWE" - "Americans for Preservation of the
Western Environment (APWE). “Our object is two fold - educate the public in New
Mexico about what the wolf program is doing to their state, and start a fund to
help anyone who has legal problems related to the wolf program,” he said. “We
have presentations we take to schools, civic groups, business organizations and
sporting clubs. We haven’t been turned away yet.” Included in the presentations
are the facts and figures that have been causing Wehrheim, his friends, and
neighbors so much frustration. “The wolf program has cost the American taxpayer
$303,000 per wolf." See the
Americans for Preservation of
the Western Environment website for more information. |
|
02/08/09 |
Heath Haussamen - "Land
commissioner says Steinborn wants his job" - "Responding to lawmakers'
reform bills, Lyons says 'anti-growth' agenda includes electing Steinborn as
land commissioner in 2010" |
|
02/07/09 |
The Westerner - "Environmental
concerns roadblock to renewable energy" |
|
02/06/09 |
The Westerner - "Pending
GAO Study on Off-Highway Vehicles Fatally Flawed" |
|
02/06/09 |
Conservation System Alliance - maps of the NLCS and a breakdown of local
impacts. Here is the information on
New Mexico. |
|
02/06/09 |
MSNBC - "Woman
gets 22 years for eco-terror crime" |
|
02/05/09 |
The Westerner - "National
Landscape Conservation System" |
|
02/05/09 |
USDA 2007
Census of Agriculture released. |
|
02/05/09 |
Blue Ribbon Coalition - "Difficult
Challenges Ahead" |
|
02/04/09 |
Napa Valley Register - "Environmental
costs have real impact" |
|
02/04/09 |
Palm Beach Post - "Two
get jail time for FPL protest" and "Picketers
argue jail sentence for FPL protesters too harsh", TC Palm - "FPL
power plant protesters sentenced Monday". - "Members
of Everglades Earth First! and the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
said sentences handed down Monday by County Judge Laura Johnson to protesters
Panagioti Tsolkas and Lynne Purvis were excessive. Tsolkas was given a 60-day
jail sentence and Purvis was given 30." |
|
02/03/09 |
The Westerner - "Ecoterrorists
& the bugs of war", "Two
Utah counties lose again in monument grazing fight" - "Two southern Utah
counties have lost another round in their fight to reverse the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management's decision to allow conservation groups to buy grazing
allotments on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.",
"Trial
begins for Douglas rancher, 16 undocumented immigrants" |
|
02/02/09 |
The Westerner - "Judge
rules bear-attack suit can proceed", "Two
children should be limit, says green guru" |
|
01/30/09 |
The Westerner - "Salazar
to take preservation nationwide", "Salazar
vows review of Interior scandals" and "County
suing federal government to get road" |
|
01/29/09 |
Boise Weekly - "Unlikely
Allies - Owyhees Initiative unites warring factions" |
|
01/27/09 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Kane
County, BLM can't agree on road-maintenance solution - 'Mad as hell' -
Commissioner says court took away right to maintain roads on bureau lands" |
|
01/27/09 |
The Westerner - "Ag
Secretary's News Conference", "Stimulus
Policy and Western Politics", "DOD
- The Largest Landlord in the World", and "Change
Agenda for Animals" |
|
01/27/09 |
"Silver
City Paper to Tour Ranches" |
|
01/27/09 |
Sacramento Bee - "Environmentalists
push for massive north-state conservation area" |
|
01/27/09 |
NPR - "Nature
Conservancy Fights Planned Border Fence" |
|
01/25/09 |
Capital Press - "Monumental
end to grazing near Soda Mountain - Federal legislation sets stage for buyout of
ranchers' permits" |
|
01/25/09 |
Open Market - "Land
Grab Bill: Senators Check Principles at the Door" |
|
01/25/09 |
Choteau Acantha - "Coalition
seeks more protection for Front" |
|
01/25/09 |
Santa Fe New Mexican - "Conservation
bill great, but cut out the pork" |
|
01/25/09 |
Grand Junction Free Press - "Grand
Junction area ranchers ruminate Dominguez, Escalante proposal" |
|
01/25/09 |
CS Monitor - "Could
cows heal the West? - By grazing them in a way that mimics the pattern of wild
herbivores, advocates say, rangeland improves." |
|
01/16/09 |
New York Times - "Interior
Department Nominee Pledges Reform" |
|
01/16/09 |
RGJ.com - "Through
the back door..." |
|
01/16/09 |
New Mexico Stockman - "Dona
Ana County Wilderness - Proposal at adds with current ecological science" |
|
01/16/09 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Senate
approves wilderness bill, 73-21" |
|
01/16/09 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Bush
administration funds wilderness purchase" |
|
01/15/09 |
Las Vegas Review Journal - "Editorial:
It will be nice for them to know... Pork-filled 'wilderess' bill gets Senate
approval" |
|
01/15/09 |
Millard County Chronicle Progress - "U.S.
Senate moves to increase wilderness lands" |
|
01/15/09 |
Idyllwild Town Crier - "Senate
moves wilderness bill forward" |
|
01/15/09 |
AP Texas News - "Settlement
reached over critical habitat in NM" |
|
01/14/09 |
Summit Daily News (CO) - "Colorado
Senators propose land-protection bills" |
|
01/14/09 |
Rocky Mountain News - "Environmental
groups appeal to Obama for shift in land use" |
|
01/14/09 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Robledos
national monument on track" |
|
01/13/09 |
Summit Daily (CO) - "Colorado
Senators propose land-protection bills" |
|
01/13/09 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Wilderness
bill moves forward in the Senate" |
|
01/13/09 |
Heath Haussamen - "A
new delegation, a new chance for wilderness" |
|
01/13/09 |
LC Sun News - "Wilderness
bill moves forward in the Senate" |
|
01/13/09 |
Idaho Statesman - "Crapo
nears validation for his patience on the Owyhee collaborative process" |
|
01/13/09 |
Philadelphia Inquirer - "Wilderness
protection plan clears hurdles in Senate" |
|
01/12/09 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Partisan
friction mars Senate wilderness bill", and "Wilderness
bill moves forward in the Senate", Silver City Sun News - "Wilderness
bill moves forward in the Senate" |
|
01/12/09 |
Santa Fe New Mexican - "Partisan
wrangling mars Senate wilderness bill" Similar article at
KOAT Albuquerque and
KDBC El Paso. |
|
01/12/09 |
Greely CO Tribune - "Controversy
clouds wilderness bill" |
|
01/09/09 |
The Westerner - "Lands
Bill Update From Senator Coburn" |
|
01/09/09 |
Arizona Daily Star - "Loaded,
concealed guns become legal in national parks" |
|
01/09/09 |
Colorado Independent - "Grijalva,
Dombeck to push Obama administration for national roadless rule" |
|
01/09/09 |
News Blaze - "Congress
Moves to Protect American Wilderness" |
|
01/08/09 |
"Congress
Gets an Early Start to a Banner Year for Wilderness" |
|
01/08/09 |
News Blaze - "Groups
protest first road built in border Wilderness area" |
|
01/08/09 |
"New
Regulations Proposed for Valles Caldera" |
|
01/06/09 |
Recordnet.com - "Grazing
dustup brewing in Lode - Stanislaus National Forest set to renew several
allotments" |
|
01/06/09 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Land-auction
meddler has a new plan" |
|
01/06/09 |
Rhinelander Daily News - "Man
sentenced to jail for role in attack on Forest Service facility" |
|
01/04/09 |
Alamogordo Daily News letter to the editor by Charles Dennett - "Isn't
it time to discuss options other than wilderness areas?" |
|
01/04/09 |
Del Albright, BlueRibbon Ambassador - "A
New President! Now What?" |
|
12/30/08 |
Washington Post - "Californians
Shape Up as Force on Environmental Policy" |
|
12/30/08 |
Summit Daily News - "Bidder said it was easy to rig government auction" -
"Tim DeChristopher, 27, a University of Utah economics student and environmental
activist, showed his driver’s license, picked up bidding paddle No. 70 and
quietly seated himself in the bidding hall on Friday. He snapped up 22,500
acres of parcels between Arches and Canyonlands national parks that he doesn’t
plan to develop or even pay for. He also drove up prices on other bids by
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nobody else has infiltrated a government
auction to cause so much turmoil, according to officials at the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management." |
|
12/30/08 |
Wyoming Tribune - "Environmentalists
petition EPA over ozone concern" |
|
12/29/08 |
Deseret News - "Oil
drilling possible in wilderness study areas" |
|
12/23/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Election
alters wilderness fight outlook" |
|
12/22/08 |
Agusta Chronicle - "Foreign
pot growers ruining U.S. parks - Armed illegals are killing wildlife and
poisoning the environment" |
|
12/22/08 |
New West - "What
to Expect When Ken Salazar Takes the Interior" |
|
12/18/08 |
See The
Westerner for a collection of articles on the appointment of Senator Ken
Salizar as the Secretary of Interior. |
|
12/17/08 |
New Mexico Stockman article by Dr. Jerry G. Schickedanz, Dean Emeritus College
of Agriculture and Home Economics, NMSU - "What
are the True Costs of Wilderness?" - "Every proposal must be scrutinized
for its true cost to the citizens. The protection of lands is one thing,
but associated risks to national security and public safety stemming from
reduced ability to protect the border is another, even greater, concern." |
|
12/17/08 |
"Wilderness
Act Hijacked" by William Rice. |
|
12/17/08 |
KTVZ.com - "FBI
boosts reward for Central Oregon eco-terrorists" |
|
12/16/08 |
AP - "Report:
Endangered species decisions tainted" - "A high-ranking Interior
Department official tainted nearly every decision made on the protection of
endangered species over five years, a new inspector general report finds,
concluding she exerted improper political interference on many more rulings than
previously thought."
Click here for the full report. |
|
12/13/08 |
The Case
for Rangeland Preservation Areas - an overview of this new and innovative
land use designation. |
|
12/03/08 |
KTAR - "Ranchers
using plan to help endangered species" |
|
12/01/08 |
RANGE Magazine article "The
Gila Wilderness and a Ranch Family History" - This article tells the
story of how federal Wilderness designation affected the Peter McKindree Shelley
ranching family and gives the reader a good understanding of the true impacts of
federal Wilderness designation. |
|
12/01/08 |
There are numerous articles of interest on The Westerner, so instead of linking
to each article separately, here is a link directly to
The Westerner. |
|
12/01/08 |
Billings Gazette - "Wilderness
creation opposed - Big Horn Basin counties submit comments on BLM plan" -
"If grazing is reduced, "the highest value of these lands ... is to sell to
developers and 'hobby' ranchers," they wrote. "With large ranches being
subdivided into smaller tracts, many unintended consequences emerge. Our
wildlife corridors and habitat are forever altered. We are witnessing urban
sprawl creeping into these special places, and our landscapes and viewsheds are
being chewed up by housing, roads and rural businesses at alarming rates."
Protecting ranches means protecting open spaces, the commissions stated.
"Ranchers and farmers can be great stewards of the land," they said. "The
benefits of keeping working landscapes from being subdivided and developed
should be considered in the (plan)." |
|
12/01/08 |
United for a Sovereign America - "BP
Local 2544: Raul Grijalva for Secretary of the Interior?" - "Putting
Grijalva in charge of the Department of Interior would be a disaster for border
security." |
|
12/01/08 |
Reno Gazette Journal - "Two
Cents Worth: Fighting for survival; Stakeholder 'reality' frustrations are
understandable" |
|
11/25/08 |
Idaho Statesman - "Property
Rights Guru Fathered Unlikely Wilderness Bill" |
|
11/25/08 |
Ag Week - "Technology
reduces ag's environmental footprint" |
|
11/25/08 |
Gallup Independent - "Final
version of federal energy corridor plan released" |
|
11/24/08 |
Arizona Republic - "Contention
growing over public lands" |
|
11/24/08 |
Grand Forks Herald - "Wolves,
elk destroy farmers' animals, property" |
|
11/24/08 |
Oregon Live - "Tree-sitters:
Remote sits prove to be less effective" |
|
11/24/08 |
"[US Forest Service]
Arson Investigator Suspected of Setting Fires" |
|
11/24/08 |
Great Falls Tribune - "Program
created to help keep an eye on forest land" |
|
11/23/08 |
New West - "Fees
Keeping People Off Their Land" - "The wild proliferation of
new and increased recreation fees has contributed to a similar if not steeper
decline in the public use of public forests. With this aggressive, if not
abusive, fee-charging policy, Forest Service bosses have done a stellar job of
discouraging people from using their own land, the national forests." |
|
11/23/08 |
Western Business Roundtable - "Roundtable-Led
Effort Backs Senate Leadership Down on Lame Duck Consideration of Omnibus Lands
Bill" -
“Certainly, for Westerners, there are always
very real trade-offs involved with any public lands designation. We believe such
bills need to be considered individually so each can evaluated carefully,” said
Weygandt. "Bulk packaging of legislation has a checkered record for Congress. It
doesn't work well on Appropriations bills. It certainly doesn't work on land
designations, where such designations can mean the difference between economic
health and peril for Western communities. We hope the 111th Congress will do
this the right way, letting each of these measures rise or fall on their
individual merits." |
|
11/22/08 |
NM Business Weekly - "Greens
thwart oil/gas development in sensitive areas" |
|
11/22/08 |
Seattle PI - "New
environmental cast in D.C. signaled by election today of Waxman, Stevens' defeat" |
|
11/21/08 |
Idaho Statesman - "Wilderness
bills will have new allies, new foes next year" - "Sen. Mike Crapo's
Owyhee Canyonlands plan to protect 500,000 acres of wilderness and help ranchers
in Owyhee County was one of more than 100 provisions in a sweeping lands bill
now delayed until January. And Rep. Mike Simpson's proposal to protect 319,000
acres in the Boulder and White Cloud mountains in Central Idaho never even got a
start in the Democratic-controlled House. ... The leader of The American Land
Rights Association, a private property coalition that opposed the comprehensive
lands bill, said Monday he would support the Owyhees bill if it were to be
reintroduced separately. "But for now, it must not be supported as part of
the omnibus package," said Charles Cushman, executive director of the group." |
|
11/21/08 |
Washington Post - "Changes
to Species Act Are Said to Be Near" |
|
11/21/08 |
KOAT Albuquerque - "Young
Boy Recovers From Mountain Lion Attack" - "Family hopes state Game
Commission will take action" |
|
11/21/08 |
ABC - "FBI
Ups Reward for Alleged Eco-Terrorists" |
|
11/20/08 |
Oregon News - "Reward
doubled in federal eco-terror investigation" - "The FBI and the U.S.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives doubled their rewards this
morning for information leading to the arrest of four fugitives for their roles
in a string of arsons by the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation
Front." |
|
11/19/08 |
Oregon News - "National
Forests See Fewer Visitors" - "Total forest visits dropped from 204.8
million in 2004 to 178.6million in 2007, a 13 percent decline." One
comment on this article stated: "Two things that have made me visit the
national forests and parks less are: the seemingly unending volume of new rules,
regulations and restrictions on what I can do and where I can do it; and, the
fact that lots of the national forest trail head parking lots are now meth-head
shopping centers where you are surprised if your vehicle is not broken into."
and another commented "We don't go because our national forests in this
state have a bad reputation for bad people....your car gets broken into if you
go hiking/fishing,etc. We just don't feel safe anymore.". |
|
11/19/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "EPA
Proposes 'Cow Tax'" |
|
11/19/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Ranchers
brace for change in Washington" |
|
11/19/08 |
National Center for Public Policy Research - "New
Poll Finds that Majority of African-Americans Oppose Public Lands Bill" |
|
11/18/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Owyhee
Initiative Bill to be Presented in New Congress" |
|
11/18/08 |
Washington Times - "Environmentalists'
hysteria loses" - "Last Wednesday, the
United States Supreme Court overturned a 9th U.S. Circuit injunction
prohibiting certain Navy training exercises in the Pacific Ocean. The decision
was a big win for the Navy and for America´s national security interests.
The court's ruling was an ever bigger victory for the role of common sense in
the realm of environmental regulation." |
|
11/17/08 |
Know the facts: Read the
CRS (Congressional Research Service) Report for Congress on the Omnibus Public
Land Management Act of 2008: Senate Amendment 5662 as Submitted on Spetember
26, 2008. |
|
11/17/08 |
"Highlighs of Senator Reid's Omnibus Lands Grab and Energy Restrictions Act
Scheduled for Debate Next Month" - "Reid's Emergency Session on Congress
to Focus on His Priorities, Not American's" |
|
11/17/08 |
"Dr.
Coburn Says Upcoming Special Session of Congress Should Focus on Economic
Crisis, not Trivial Lands Bill" - "Federal Land Grab Bill Laden with
Earmarks and Anti-Energy Exploration Provisions" |
|
11/15/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Threat
of filibuster endangers lands bill" |
|
11/15/08 |
Seattle Times - "Plan
for Columbia Gorge wilderness looks dead" - "A massive lands bill that
would have created new wilderness areas in five Western states — including a
wilderness designation in Oregon at the Columbia River Gorge — is likely dead
for the year, a victim of a filibuster threat in the Senate, supporters said
Friday." |
|
11/14/08 |
New Mexico Stockman - "Border
Wilderness in the Potrillo Mountains?" |
|
11/13/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Property
Rights Group Asks Members to Fight Crapo's Owyhee Bill" |
|
11/13/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Dorgan
says Forest Service to scrub grassbank plan" |
|
11/12/08 |
Las Vegas Sun - "On
Gold Butte, a tug of war between access, protection - Plan to give area
strict federal protection would also shut many out, critics say" |
|
11/12/08 |
Oregon's KTVZ - "Threatening
note found at Sisters-area logging site" - "The U.S. Forest Service is
investigating a threatening note scrawled in red marker on a road grader at a
logging site west of Sisters - signed with a heart and the letters ELF, which
might indicate ties to the eco-terror group, the Earth Liberation Front." |
|
11/11/08 |
Pueblo Chieftan - "Landowners
urge action on [conservation] eastment" |
|
11/11/08 |
Environment & Energy Daily - "BLM
employees, advocacy groups worked together on lands bill, docs show" |
|
11/09/08 |
UK Guardian - "Police
warn of growing threat from eco-terrorists" - "Officers from a specialist
unit dedicated to tackling domestic terrorism are monitoring an eco-movement
called Earth First! which has advocates who state that cutting the Earth's
population by 80 per cent will ease pressure on other species. ...
Earth First! says its mission is 'about direct action to halt the destruction of
the Earth' and advocates 'civil disobedience and monkeywrenching', tactics that
include sabotage and disruptive behaviour. The movement has links to US
environmental extremists which have waged a campaign of violence in America,
including the firebombing of a string of 4x4 car dealerships in California in
2003 and alleged arson attacks on other property." |
|
11/03/08 |
Gallup Independent - "Rift
widens among area tribes, private landowners" - "Private
landowners and businesses here have a double threat from state and federal
traditional cultural property regulations. They are trying to stop the temporary
designation of Mount Taylor as a traditional cultural property from becoming
permanent, which they say has already violated their rights and stopped them
from using their land for any commercial purposes. If made permanent, they say
the Grants area economy will be destroyed." |
|
11/03/08 |
Southern Oregon Mail Tribune - "Omnibus
land act includes wilderness designations" |
|
11/03/08 |
Billings Gazette - "Missoula
County appeals to get forest papers" - "The U.S. Forest Service has
withheld information sought by Missoula County officials as they looked into
road easement negotiations conducted privately between the federal agency and
Plum Creek Timber Co., the county said in documents Friday." |
|
11/03/08 |
"1.1
million Utah acres of public land closed to off-highway vehicles" |
|
11/03/08 |
Press Enterprise - "SB
County supervisor wants Marines to expand into wilderness areas, not off-roading
site" |
|
10/30/08 |
PFPOWH Coalition reaches 750 businesses and
organizations! Click here to see the
Coalition supporters. |
|
10/30/08 |
New Scientist special report "How
our economy is killing the Earth". Comments on
The Westerner
blog related to this article state
"There
are either environmentalists who mistakenly believe free markets and property
rights are harmful to the environment, or there are socialists who are using the
environmental movement to bring about the government they want."
In a similar vein, see the article "Earth
on course for eco 'crunch' - The planet is headed for an ecological "credit
crunch", according to a report issued by conservation groups." |
|
10/30/08 |
CATO Institute article "Global
Warming Fantasies Meet Financial Contraction" - "Whoever is elected
president, global warming legislation is going to be passed in Washington next
year. Legislation proposed by both John McCain and Barack Obama will
require that the cost of energy to become so high that people will avoid using
it. The serious question is: why would we do this in the current economic
environment?" |
|
10/29/08 |
"Forest
Service needs saving from itself" |
|
10/28/08 |
"Reid's
Deadly Land Grab" |
|
10/28/08 |
"Omnibus
Land Package: More Energy Off Limits" |
|
10/27/08 |
Fox News Junk Science - "Greens
Aim to Take Us Forward to the Past" - "If
you need more evidence that the Greens intend to destroy our standard of living,
you need not look further than the Oct. 18 issue of New Scientist magazine — the
cover of which reads,
“The Folly of Growth: How to stop the economy killing the planet.”
The issue features eight articles that New Scientist editors believe
justify their editorial entitled, “Why economic growth is killing the planet and
what we can do about it.” ... The editorial concludes that “the science tells us
that if we are serious about saving the Earth,” economic growth must be
limited." |
|
10/25/08 |
WL Tribune - "Green
spaces, grasslands, are casualties of the ranching industry's woes" |
|
10/25/08 |
The American Thinker - "The
Green Religion" |
|
10/25/08 |
"A
Solution to Overgrazing - The Quivera Coalition brings together cattle ranchers
and environmentalists to help preserve Western grasslands" |
|
10/24/08 |
"Government
Betrays Landowners with Conservation Easements" |
|
10/23/08 |
Rio Grande Foundation article "Elected
Officials on the Payrolls of Environmental Groups" -
"Deanna
Archuleta is Vice Chair of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners and
Southwest Regional Manager for The Wilderness Society. State Representative Jeff
Steinborn of
Las Cruces is the Southern New Mexico Director
for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA). Las Cruces City Councilor Nathan
Small is also on NMWA’s payroll as a “wilderness protection organizer.” The mission
of these groups is to influence public policy to preserve wilderness and other
public lands." |
|
10/23/08 |
"Public-lands
affairs - Where the presidential candidates stand on public-lands issues" |
|
10/23/08 |
Bismark Tribune - "Forest
Service credibility at issue" |
|
10/23/08 |
Mercury News - "Park
bond stirs open space debate" |
|
10/23/08 |
Mercury News - "Two
horses shot dead in their corral in rural Livermore" |
|
10/23/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News "WSMR
remembers patriarch Robert C. Cox". Read the
speech delivered by Rob
Cox at the dedication of the J.W. Cox Range Control Center from May of 2000. |
|
10/23/08 |
Fox News "Hunters
Discover Marijuana Farm Worth Millions in Utah Mountains" |
|
10/21/08 |
Tulsa Today - "Dr.
Coburn says land grab bill laden with earmarks and anti-energy" -
Please read this informative article, and contact
your Senators! "U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D.
(R-OK) released the following statement regarding the Senate Democrat Majority’s
plan to devote a week or more of the Senate’s post-election special session
debating a 1,082 page, $3 billion earmark-laden omnibus bill that expands
federal land control over millions of acres of U.S. property, and restricts
energy exploration over millions of acres of U.S. territory. “Congress’ approval
ratings are at an all-time low because the American people understand that never
before in our nation’s history have the priorities of the United States Congress
been more at odds with the priorities of the American people. The majority’s
willingness to spend a week or more debating a lands bill loaded with frivolous
projects and radical environmental provisions when we are facing our greatest
financial crisis since the Great Depression is a case study in Congress’
misplaced priorities,” Dr. Coburn said. “While the Senate would prefer to pass
this omnibus package after the election, the American people have a right to
understand the Senate’s post-election agenda before they go to the polls,” Dr.
Coburn said." See also: "Highlights
of Senator Reid's Omnibus Lands Grab and Energy Restrictions Act Scheduled for
Debate Next Month" |
|
10/21/08 |
Times-News - "Sen.
Craig skeptical of grazing report" - "He said grazing could
have decreased the extent of burning of riparian areas - often an eco-friendly
interface between land and streams that provides wildlife habitat. "Would
grazing have helped that? Changed that scenario? More than likely it would've
helped it some," Craig said, noting the lands take much longer than open space
to recover. "If you use it responsibly, grazing is a substantial component in
controlling the fuel loads in upland grazing lands that the state of Idaho is so
well known for." |
|
10/21/08 |
"Guilty
Plea Entered in 2001 Eco-Terrorism Attempt at Michigan Technological" |
|
10/21/08 |
Wall Street Journal - "U.S.
Forest Service Turns to Cow Power" |
|
10/17/08 |
News Canada - "Eco-terrorism
feared in Alberta" -
"The RCMP's national terrorism unit is investigating a second explosion along a
sour gas pipeline in northern B.C., a "deliberate" act that has residents and
workers in the region's growing oilpatch fearing more attacks." |
|
10/16/08 |
The
New Mexico Stockman ran a condensed version of this article in their October
issue. Here is the article in it's entirety: "The
Gila Wilderness and a Ranch Family History" |
|
10/16/08 |
Canada Free Press - "Eco-terror
feared in pipeline blast" -
"Eco-terrorism is feared as a possible motive after a bomb exploded on a natural
gas pipeline owned by Calgary energy giant EnCana." |
|
10/15/08 |
Silver City Sun News - "Forest
Service needs your help fighting litter in the Gila" -
"The Gila Wilderness is falling victim to illegal activity and the U.S. Forest
Service needs the community's help to right the wrongs committed against it.
According to a prepared statement from the Forest Service, littering, illegal
dumping, vandalism and irresponsible shooting are just a few of the abuses that
the forest roads and wilderness takes from careless visitors." |
|
10/15/08 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Former
BLM chief slams long-term plan" |
|
10/13/08 |
"Anti-grazing
activists take on BLM - Critics say grazing plan threatens some ecosystems" |
|
10/13/08 |
Fox News - "Environmental
Issues Take Back Seat in Economic Crisis" |
|
10/13/08 |
AP - "3
BLM workers held at gunpoint at Nev. pot patch" |
|
10/12/08 |
Fox News - "Officials:
Mexican Pot Growers are Polluting American Wilderness" -
"National forests and parks — long popular with Mexican marijuana-growing
cartels — have become home to some of the most polluted pockets of wilderness in
America because of the toxic chemicals needed to eke lucrative harvests from
rocky mountainsides, federal officials said. ...
"What's going on on public lands is a crisis at every level," said Forest
Service agent Ron Pugh. "These are America's most precious resources, and they
are being devastated by an unprecedented commercial enterprise conducted by
armed foreign nationals. It is a huge mess." ... Scott Wanek, the western
regional chief ranger for the National Park Service, said he believes the
eradication efforts have touched only a small portion of the marijuana farms and
that the environmental impact is much greater than anyone knows." |
|
10/09/08 |
LC Sun News - "State
Representative District 37: County Commissioner Challenges Freshman Rep" |
|
10/08/08 |
Jackson Hole Star Tribune -
"Congress
probes BLM environmental review process" |
|
10/08/08 |
Law.Com - "Supreme
Court Argument Report: Environmental Groups Out on a Limb?" |
|
10/08/08 |
"10th
Circuit Dismisses NM Grassland Appeal as Moot" - "Nathan
Newcomer, associate director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, said
Wednesday the important thing is that the leases will not go forward, giving the
group time to push for the area to be wilderness. "What this does for us
is give us an opportunity to recommend enhanced protection for the Nutt
Grasslands, which in our opinion would be wilderness designation," he said." |
|
10/03/08 |
Las Vegas Review Journal - "Gold
Butte land bill too limiting" - "In regard to hunting, fishing and
trapping, the bill initially reads, "Nothing in this title affects the
jurisdiction of the State of Nevada with respect to fish and wildlife, including
hunting, fishing and trapping in the conservation area." This might be enough to
make most believe their hunting, fishing or trapping activities won't be
curtailed if this bill is passed. Then a few pages later comes the weasel
clause: "The Secretary of Interior may designate, by regulation, areas in which,
and establish periods during which, for reasons of public safety,
administration, or compliance with applicable laws, no hunting, fishing, or
trapping will be permitted in wilderness areas designated or expanded by this
title." This is the same kind of language that has enabled land managers
to bypass the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and arbitrarily close
public lands to public access. The bill goes on to say, "Except in cases of an
emergency, the secretary shall make such designations in consultation with the
appropriate agency of the State of Nevada." That "emergency clause" is the
loophole that enabled the local BLM manager to close all nonpaved roads on the
outskirts of Las Vegas to vehicle travel." |
|
10/03/08 |
Reno Gazette Journal - "Congressman
Heller tells Coalition for Public Access (CPA) wilderness should be designated
sparingly, and in areas that actually deserve it" |
|
09/28/08 |
World Net Daily article - "Enviro
groups 'wolves in sheep's clothing'" - "A new investigation reveals
charitable and environmental organizations claiming to be nonpartisan may be
using donations to funnel money to Democratic Party politicians.
"Campaigns to 'save the cuddly animals' or 'protect the ancient forests' are
really disguised efforts to raise money for
Democratic political campaigns," Inhofe said while speaking on the Senate
floor Saturday. "Environmental organizations have become experts at duplicitous
activity, skirting laws up to the edge of illegality, and burying their
political activities under the guise of nonprofit environmental improvement. ...
Inhofe accused the environmental groups of "fleecing the American public's
pockets," by using scare tactics to obtain donations for Democrats in an
election year. "We also find exhausting litigation, instigation of false
claims, misleading science, and scare tactics to fool Americans into believing
disastrous environmental scenarios that are untrue," Inhofe said." |
|
09/27/08 |
GAO Report highlights - "Wildlife
Refuges - Changes in Funding, Staffing, and Other Factors Create Concerns About
Future Sustainability".
Click here
for the full report. |
|
09/26/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Congress
Should Shelve Public Lands Bill Due to Enviro Lobbying Scandal". For a
copy of the letter from the Western Business Roundtable to Senator Jeff
Bingaman,
click here. For a letter from Americans for American Energy,
click here. |
|
09/26/08 |
Las Cruces Bulletin article with questions on candidate
positions on the wilderness issue in Dona Ana County.
Page 1,
Page 2 For
information on the NM House of Representatives race, see
Pg 1 and
Pg 2 of the articles
spotlighting the candidates. |
|
09/25/08 |
"More
on IG Investigation of BLM NLCS Staff" -
"The main groups involved appear to be the
Wilderness Society and the National Wildlife Federation, a House GOP aide
said. At some point NLCS officials had weekly meetings with these and other
groups, often at the Wilderness Society's office, to coordinate lobbying
strategy and messaging, the aide said. E-mails show that NLCS
officials requested environmental groups to write budget language, the aide
added. E-mails also talk about coordinating lobbying efforts, setting up
NLCS events, sending out draft memorandums for each other to review and
preparing for congressional hearing. The federal and advocacy
officials exchanged resumes and job announcements in their respective
organizations and BLM, the aide said. Travel documents are still being
collected and reviewed and will be part of the investigation, the aide
added."
More on NLCS Probe - "Congressional
Probe of Enviro Groups Urged Over Lobbying Of Interior Department Agency"
- "Potential illegal coordination between U.S. Interior Department
officials and several national environmental groups, currently being
investigated by the Interior Inspector General, should also be investigated
by Congressional oversight committees, according to Americans for American
Energy. Americans for American Energy Wednesday asked U.S. Rep. Nick
Rahall (D-WV), Chair of the House Resource Committee, and U.S. Senator Jeff
Bingaman (D-NM), Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,
to convene oversight hearings on the matter." |
|
09/24/08 |
Idaho Falls, ID KIDK.COM - "Cattle
Shootings" - "In the last few months, cattle and horses have been
shot in the back country. ... 'This is not someone needing food, this is
someone killing for fun,' says Bonneville County Sheriff, Paul Wilde." |
|
09/24/08 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "3
Utahns with animal-rights group claim they freed minks" - "Three Utah
members of the Animal Liberation Front claimed credit Monday for breaking
into a Kaysville farm early Sunday, destroying property and releasing
thousands of minks. A statement posted on the ALF Web site states that the
group entered the farm, released the minks and destroyed all breeding
records. It states that they destroyed an electrical fence, vandalized
trucks and equipment and cut about 100 holes in the perimeter fence.
The FBI has labeled ALF a domestic terrorist organization. The group has
resorted to arson and the use of explosives to protest what they call the
exploitation of animals for fur, food and lab testing." |
|
09/23/08 |
Salt Lake Tribune - "Bishop
wants federal workers under scrutiny to 'step aside' for now" - "The
Interior Department's inspector general has started a probe into
inappropriate ties between environmental lobbyists and the National
Landscape Conservation System, according to Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah.
Bishop - ranking member of the national parks, forests and public lands
subcommittee - called for quick action and demanded that federal employees
under scrutiny be removed, at least temporarily. "The department must
insist that any employee [under investigation for possible] violations of
the anti-lobbying law step aside until the inspector general or the Justice
Department has reviewed his or her conduct," Bishop said. 'We will not
tolerate misconduct by public officials.' " |
|
09/18/08 |
Committee on Natural Resources - "Inspector
General Starts Investigation Into Improper Coordination Between NLCS
Employees & Environmental Advocacy Organizations" - "Emails and other
documents being reviewed by the Department show extensive coordination
between top NLCS officials and lobbyists for environmental groups." |
|
09/17/08 |
Reno Gazette Journal - "Grazing
sheep to protect Carson City from wildfire" |
|
09/16/08 |
New Mexico Stockman - "The
Little Bill That Could, And Should, Become Law" |
|
09/16/08 |
The Independent (England) - "Cleared:
Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law" -
"The threat of global warming is so
great that campaigners were justified in causing more than Ł35,000 worth of
damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict
that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone
Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage." |
|
09/15/08 |
Redding Record Searchlight - "Land
board would amplify local voices" |
|
09/13/08 |
Times Online (Britian) article - "Green
activists 'are keeping Africa poor'" -
"Western do-gooders are impoverishing
Africa by promoting traditional farming at the expense of modern scientific
agriculture, according to Britain's former chief scientist. ... “For
example, Friends of the Earth in 1999 worried that drought-tolerant crops
may have the potential to grow in habitats unavailable' to conventional
crops. The priority of providing food to an area of the world in greatest
need appears to not have been noted. For decades, approaches to
international development have been dominated by this well-meaning but
fatally flawed doctrine.” |
|
09/11/08 |
Tucson Weekly article "The Chiricahua Corridor"
examines the damage to public lands, private property and local residents by
illegal immigrants.
"Much of
the badly impacted land, like Burro Springs, is in the 87,700-acre
Chiricahua Wilderness. It offers a preview of what could be in store for the
Tumacacori Highlands northeast of Nogales, if Rep. Raúl Grijalva gets his
way and wins a wilderness designation for that land. Trash dumps will grow.
Underbrush will expand. Trails won't be maintained. The land will fall out
of the control of the people who should be managing it and under the control
of those who don't belong there." Illegal immigrants will go where
the Border Patrol can't. Designation of federal Wilderness and other
"protective areas" along our borders makes it impossible for federal and
local law enforcement to perform their duties. |
|
09/09/08 |
Working Ranch Magazine article "Political
Rancher".
Click here for the Working Ranch magazine website. |
|
09/08/08 |
World Net Daily article "What
Happened to Freedom?" - "With the advent of sustainable development
and the notion of "smart growth," zoning has grown into comprehensive
planning that encompasses the entire county, region and state. The people
who promote comprehensive planning are convinced that a planned community,
designed to protect the environment, is far more important than the private
property rights of any individual member of the community. ... Sustainable
development is social engineering, imposed and enforced by government.
This is what happened to freedom." |
|
09/01/08 |
New - Quotes from the environmental
community - understanding their position and philosophy. |
|
08/29/08 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "From the
Chair - Chamber Works For You" - "The Chamber also took an interest
in the protectino of our environment, wilderness areas and Western way of
life by endorsing the innovative Ranchers' Proposal and adding a new
agricultural committee." |
|
08/29/08 |
Arizona Republic - "Time
to fight invaders" - "If scriptwriters need ideas for a horror movie,
they should check out the new statewide invasive-species management plan.
Some of the descriptions of the non-native plants and animals threatening
Arizona can make your skin crawl." |
|
08/28/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News letter to the editor by Gene Wood, Border Patrol Chief
Patrol Agent (Ret.) - "What
Price Wilderness" - "What
price are we as American citizens prepared to pay for the ongoing efforts to
open up additional wilderness designations along our southern border.
The El Paso Times, in a front page article dated Aug. 13 begins with this
alarming statement "more than two dozen times a day, on average, the U.S.
Northern Command is alerted to possible terrorists probing for "seams' that
can be exploited for attacks on the homeland." ... I know of no better way
to describe wilderness designations on our national borders except as a
"seam." Historically, these designations have been eagerly exploited by
human and drug smugglers as well as by thousands of unidentified individuals
destined to various parts of our country. There is good reason to conclude
that news of any new seam will be received with enthusiasm by those who
would do our country harm. A more serious concern identified by NORTHCOM
Deputy Commander Lt. General William Webster, Jr., revealed the chilling
information that NORTHCOM responds to as many as 40 events in a 24-hour
period. He further attested that any of those events could be a homeland
security incident. How then do proponents of additional wilderness
designations i.e.., an additional 325,000 acres in Dońa Ana County including
areas adjacent to our southern boundary, justify this reckless effort to
reduce our country's ability to defend itself?" |
|
08/28/08 |
Blue Mountain Eagle (Oregon) - "Grazing
lawsuits spawn talks" |
|
08/28/08 |
"Lawsuit
resurrects wilderness issue" |
|
08/21/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council post "Ranchers
seek Smith's help in grazing battle" |
|
08/21/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council post "Editorial:
Ranchers, county need solution to monitoring gap on national forest" |
|
08/21/08 |
Wahpeton, ND Daily News article "Grazing
Talks Bog Down" |
|
08/19/08 |
New West article - "Co-Opting
the Conservation Movement". This article references another
article on the Canyon Country Zephyr website - "The
Greening of Wilderness - How the Mega-Rich are Co-opting Environmentalism &
Turning IT into a Big Business" |
|
08/19/08 |
ABC News "DEA
Unearths Illegal Marijuana Operation in National Parks" - "Marijuana
is being grown illegally on national park land in seven states ... The
dealers hide the marijuana deep in the forest, on land often accessible only
on foot." |
|
08/19/08 |
Mercury News - "7
arrested in forest marijuana plantations" - "Authorities arrested
seven people and seized about $20 million worth of marijuana in a series of
raids on marijuana plantations in the San Bernardino National Forest,
officials said Monday." |
|
08/14/08 |
INFORUM News "Judge
rules roadless ban violates federal laws" - "'The Forest Service, in
an attempt to bolster an outgoing President’s environmental legacy, rammed
through an environmental agenda that itself violates the country’s
well-established environmental laws,' Brimmer wrote." |
|
08/14/08 |
Fox News "Most
Wanted: Josephine Sunshine Overaker on Eco-Terrorism Charges" |
|
08/14/08 |
Wenatchee World article - "Fourth
raid this month - Investigators say Mexican drug cartels behind pot farms"
- "Moore noted, however, that the vast majority of
marijuana operations in Chelan County are found on public lands." |
|
08/13/08 |
Mario Burgos article "Martin
Heinrich Appeals to EcoTerrorists" (Scroll to the Monday,
August 11, 2008 entry.) "...I find it very
troubling that Martin Heinrich, candidate for New Mexico's 1st Congressional
District, has a long history of accepting campaign funds from self-described
EcoTerrorists. ... Just how far is Martin Heinrich willing to go to protect
the environment? Apparently far enough to get EcoTerrorists Dave Foreman and
Nancy Morton to open their wallets." |
|
08/08/08 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "Chamber
of Commerce revives ag committee" |
|
08/06/08 |
TCS Daily -
“Teddy
Roosevelt vs. the Noisy Environmentalists” – “I
wished that they had actually stopped for a moment to read the memorial,
especially the part where TR admonishes us that, "Conservation means
development as much as it does protection." That's probably the thing that
mob needed most (even more than "Order without liberty and liberty without
order are equally destructive.") Maybe if they came to understand that Teddy
was not an early version of themselves; that the founders of their movement
fought him, they might have a moment of self-doubt about whether the earth
really should be put first. Teddy certainly didn't think so. He thought
people came first. Teddy was a conservationist, not a preservationist.
Not surprisingly, this meant that he wanted to conserve natural resources,
not preserve them."
|
|
08/06/08 |
Washington Times article “Border
patrol agent held at gunpoint – Officers fear Mexican military encounters
will turn violent”
|
|
08/05/08 |
New Mexico Stockman article "New
Mexico's 'Wilderness Advocates' - Their Faces and Their Agendas - An
attempt to follow the old adage, to 'know who you are dealing with'".
This article is an eye opening look
at some of the key players advocating federal Wilderness in New Mexico. |
|
08/05/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News letter to the editor by Steve
Wilmeth - "American
Cowboy" |
|
08/05/08 |
Miami Herald - "University
researchers firebombed, animal rights activists blamed" |
|
08/04/08 |
From the
National Park Service - The following announcement is posed on the
website for the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument:
"Due to an increase in illegal border activity, all backcountry areas
are closed indefinitely to both hiking and overnight camping. Please check
with the staff at the Kris Eggle Visitor Center for current information.
We anticipate this will be a temporary closure, though we are not certain
when we can expect areas to reopen." |
|
08/04/08 |
Discovery Communications, Inc. "How Stuff Works" 6 part
series - "How
Eco-terrorism Works" |
|
08/04/08 |
Helena IR - "Bison
buffs aim to seed West with new herds" |
|
08/02/08 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - Peggy Bogart Letter to the Editor
- "Supports
Pearce bill" |
|
08/01/08 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "All-American
cowboy - For a lifetime of work, Frank DuBois is honored as our
distinguished American cowboy for 2008" by Dave McCollum, and "Chamber
honors Frank DuBois -
Part 1,
Part 2" by
Marvin Tessneer |
|
07/31/08 |
The Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) has two new articles
available. "New
Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce proposes innovative land-use legislation"
and "Wilderness
is a child of the 60's -- that never grew up". These articles are
re-printed with permission from the BlueRibbon Magazine. Learn more
about BlueRibbon Coalition at
www.sharetrails.org. Also see their most recent
legislative alert. |
|
07/30/08 |
AP - "Feds
indict 3 in Wisconsin attack on US Forest Service" - "Three
environmental activists were indicted on charges that they helped vandalize
a U.S. Forest Service research station in northern Wisconsin, prosecutors
said Tuesday. A recently unsealed indictment said members of the Earth
Liberation Front and Earth First damaged the property in Rhinelander in 2000
because they erroneously believed that scientists were performing genetic
research on trees. ... ELF took responsibility, describing it as an attack
on bioengineering. In a statement, the group said: "We are everywhere and
nowhere and we are watching. For wildness and an end to industrial
society."" See also: Seattle Times "Feds
indict 3 for attach on U.S. Forest Service" and "Olympia
man indicted in Wisconsin for ELF forest vandalism" |
|
07/30/08 |
Investor's Business Daily - "A
Country at the Mercy of Environmentalists" |
|
07/29/08 |
TAKE 5 MINUTES!
- use the new
letter writing tool provided by the
Save The Trails
organization to let your voice be heard on protecting the lands in Dona Ana
County. |
|
07/29/08 |
Investor's Business Daily - "Had
Enough of Eco-Lobby's Energy Prices?" |
|
07/29/08 |
Craig Daily Press - "Problems
on the range" |
|
07/28/08 |
Linebery Policy Center on Natural Resource
Management - "Livestock
Grazing on Public Lands: A National Treasure" |
|
07/28/08 |
A new site -
New Mexico Liberty - has been created. The site states "A free
& open discussion of governmental & private actions that affect the lives,
liberties & economic well being of the state's citizens." |
|
07/27/08 |
Las Cruces Sun-News letter to the editor by Ken
Thiessen - "Stop
the environmentalists" |
|
07/25/08 |
Las Cruces Bulletin - "DuBois
named county's top cowboy - Former Ag secretary to be honored Saturday" |
|
07/25/08 |
Delta County Independent - "Commissioners
support Dominguez-Escalante NCA, but rancher has questions" |
|
07/24/08 |
KJCT8 news story and video - "Mountain
bikers say they're being left out" |
|
07/23/08 |
New West article by Rebecca Powell - "To
Clean a Dirt Tank and the Real Loss" |
|
07/23/08 |
Wall Street Journal - "The
Lawnmower Men" |
|
07/22/08 |
New West article by Rebecca Powell - "Wilderness,
Wilderness Everywhere" |
|
07/21/08 |
New Mexico Independent - "New
Mexico jumps to No. 2 for immigration-crime prosectution, feds say." |
|
07/21/08 |
The Oregonian - "Home
home on the holistic range" - "The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
just ordered the federal
Bureau of Land Management to take a look -- again -- at how it's managing
more than 4 million acres in eastern Oregon. The court's message was
clear: The BLM better bear in mind the rising wilderness values of our
state's shrub-steppe range. " |
|
07/21/08 |
Brookings - "Mountain
Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to
Help Them Prosper" Related articles: New West "Report
Analyzes Booming Megapolitan West", Arizona Republic - "Sun
Corridor may be 'new heartland'" and "Panel
to debate growth strategies for Valley" |
|
07/21/08 |
KUTV.com - "Utah
Court Says Rivers and Streams are Public, Regardless of Location" -
"Utah's highest court has ruled
that streams and rivers are public even where the land under them is
privately owned." |
|
07/19/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "'Storm
Over Rangeland' still rages 17 years later" |
|
07/18/08 |
NM Stockman article "The
Wilderness Man (Likely) cometh!" |
|
07/17/08 |
GET THE FACTS: View the
map of identified BLM
disposal lands in Dona Ana County. |
|
07/17/08 |
Jim Scarantino article on Heath Haussamen blog - "Pearce's
conservation bill: What's not to like? (Part 2)" -
"So what’s not to like about Pearce’s
bill? He’s found a way to protect Dońa Ana County’s open spaces while
accommodating the needs of law enforcement, water authorities and
agriculture. He has imposed restrictions on the BLM’s land-disposal process
that give local governments funds for environmental projects and prohibit
sales that violate local growth controls. Instead of spewing venom,
environmentalists should be sitting down to try to work with him." |
|
07/15/08 |
Frank DuBois named 2008 American Cowboy
of Dona Ana County. Celebration scheduled
7/26/08. |
|
07/15/08 |
NEW
-
See our "Legislation
Information & Facts" which provides a comprehensive overview of HR
6300. |
|
07/15/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News - Jerry Schickedanz -
"Wilderness
debate clarification" -
"I
submit that if concerned citizens with open minds would read closely what is
in HR 6300, they would find that the bill will provide for an orderly and
agreed upon disposal of federal land and adequate protection for lands that
are important for open space in Dońa Ana County. The bill will allow access
for those who want to experience, use and recreate in these open spaces." |
|
07/15/08 |
Haussamen blog - "McCain
talks about wilderness, economy, immigration" |
|
07/15/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council - "Court:
Ore. land plan should consider wilderness" -
"The bureau, the court said, insisted
that its wilderness study ended in 1980 and didn't need to be reopened. A
trial judge agreed. But, the appeals court said, "Wilderness
characteristics are not simply a checklist" to be used for a one-time
inventory. Instead, the court said, the bureau is obligated
continuously to manage land with wilderness characteristics. It said that
even if the Congress hadn't designated such land as wilderness, the bureau
could protect it against damaging uses such as mining, grazing and off-road
vehicle use." |
|
07/15/08 |
"Pearce
Opposes Ruling to Lock Up Grazing Lands" -
"Out of desperation, farmers contacted
U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce to intervene. Pearce said that besides wasting
the farmer’s money, the government is forcing them to spend valuable fuel
mowing areas instead of allowing the grazing. "This is another case of
out-of-state environmentalists trying to damage the New Mexico economy, New
Mexico jobs and our rural culture,” Pearce said. “I’m committed to doing the
right things for New Mexicans and to keep the government’s first promise to
the farmers that they can and should be able to graze their lands." |
|
07/14/08 |
CNSNews.com - "Environmental
Bills Called Pretext to Loosen Border Security" -
"Open-border advocates operating under
the guise of environmentalism are prepared to push for legislation that
could result in an accelerated flow of illegal immigration, drug smuggling,
and human trafficking from Mexico into Arizona, according to law enforcement
experts familiar with the terrain." |
|
07/14/08 |
Daily Dispatch - "Forest
Service official to focus on agency support for border issues" |
|
07/13/08 |
Alamogordo News - "Heres
the other side of Pearce's HR 6300" |
|
07/13/08 |
Las Cruces Sun-News - "LOWV
opposes Pearce wilderness bill".
Note: Unfortunately, the LOWV letter to the
Sun-News contains many statements that are inaccurate and grossly
misrepresent the language of HR 6300. Please see our
legislation page for the factual
information about this bill and to read the actual language of HR 6300. |
|
07/11/08 |
Michael Swickard "No Thought Left Behind"
column from Heath Haussamen's blog - "Feathering
nest activities by elected officials".
"I do not know Councilor Small nor have I
spoken to him. I have no opinion about his role with the Wilderness
Alliance. This is not a column about wilderness issues; it is about the
legitimate role of elected officials in our society. The entire issue is:
Can elected officials use their elected positions to enhance their financial
positions? And whether their desire is to sell more houses or save more
wilderness areas is irrelevant."
This column was also published in the Las Cruces Bulletin. |
|
07/11/08 |
Economist article "Out
of the wilderness - People are shunning the great outdoors. Blame
conservationists, not video games" - "Earlier this year a federal
court ruled that the National Park Service must limit human use of Yosemite
Valley. That may mean a daily cap on visitor numbers. If the park imposes
one, the example is likely to spread across America. This will create
pressure to solve environmental problems by turning more people away.
This is a shame, and a self-defeating exercise. America’s environmental
movement emerged in the 19th century to push for national parks. In the 20th
century it sold them to the public through photographs and writing. It now
seems bent on driving people away from them." |
|
07/11/08 |
"BLM
asks for public comment regarding grazing on Ore. monument" |
|
07/10/08 |
Oregon Mail Tribune - "BLM
finds grazing harmful to protected monument" -
"In a long-awaited assessment expected to
be released today, the agency found that cattle grazing on the monument,
created by presidential proclamation in 2000 to protect its rich
biodiversity, does not meet the proclamation's intent, said Howard Hunter,
the monument's assistant manager. ... Eleven ranchers currently hold grazing
leases for 2,714 animal unit months on nine grazing allotments within the
monument. ... The BLM's determination that cattle grazing harms the monument
mirrors a study by environmental groups released last year. ... The agency's
conclusion didn't surprise Dave Willis, chairman of the Soda Mountain
Wilderness Council, which wants the cattle off the monument and federal
wilderness designation for it. The proclamation language leaves the agency
with no wiggle room if grazing is determined to be incompatible with the
goals, he said. "It's a national monument — not a national cow
pasture," he said." |
|
07/08/08 |
New West article by Rebecca Powell - "Small
Defends Wilderness Proposal" |
|
07/08/08 |
Las Vegas Review Journal Editorial - "Montana
greens to loggers: Come back!" |
|
07/08/08 |
Jackson Hole Star Tribune - "Public
prompts changes in roadless plan" |
|
07/08/08 |
The Hub - Ouray, Ridgway, Ouray County
article - "CSA
opposes wilderness" |
|
07/07/08 |
Nathan Small, a paid wilderness advocate
with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, wrote an article for
Heath Haussamen's blog, outlining the issues related to wilderness
designation from his perspective.
In the comments section, Michael
Swickard writes "Hey Heath - Is
Nathan Small a Las Cruces City Councilor or a Wilderness Alliance employee?
While the column talks straight from the point of view of the Wilderness
Alliance, he is an elected and paid Las Cruces City Councilor. The Las
Cruces City Councilors represent the citizens 24/7. So, where is his
fiduciary relationship, is it with the City of Las Cruces where he is paid a
good sum of money or is it with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance where he
is also paid money? It cannot be both. Much like in real estate an
agent must decide the fiduciary relationship and not represent both sides of
a transaction. Nothing of Nathan Small’s job with the Wilderness Alliance
can seep into his job as city councilor or it is an ethics violation.
Since he always represents District 4, he must not publicly speak of
Wilderness issues. And, he must recluse himself from all votes that have any
bearing on areas of interest in his other job with the Wilderness Alliance.
Otherwise, his election as city councilor is enriching his job at the
Wilderness Alliance. Councilor Small can privately cheer on the Wilderness
activities and work for them privately, but not publicly. I would hope this
is his last statement about Wilderness issues while serving as a Las Cruces
City Councilor. This column by Nathan Small appears to me to be an ethics
violation."
Jim Scarantino wrote
"I will deal with what Mr. Small calls
"truths" in my next column, when I go through the actual wording of Mr.
Pearce's legislation rather than throwing rhetoric and hyperbole across the
path of progress on this issue. As for Mr. Small's claims that I have
misrepresented specific facts, I point out:
1) Two governments have switched from supporting the wilderness proposal,
the village of Hatch and La Union Soil and Water Conservation District. The
Dona Ana Wilderness Coalition, however, still includes La Union in its list
of endorsers.
2) 712 business and 22 local, state and national organizations have endorsed
the proposal of People for Preserving Our Western Heritage, including the
chambers of commerce of Las Cruces and Hatch Valley. That is not a "shaky
claim at best" of substantial support. By comparison, the most the paid
organizers for the wilderness coalition ever amassed was a group of just
over 200 businesses, some of whom have since written the wilderness
coalition asking that their names be removed from their list.
3) Not mentioned in Mr. Small's article is the fact that when Dona Ana
County, the city of Las Cruces and other governments were asked to endorse
the wilderness proposal, no other ways for preserving Dona Ana County's open
space, while avoiding conflicts with law enforcement, water authorities and
agriculture, were presented. Indeed, an opposing position was not even
present at some of those hearings.
Further, as two Hatch village trustees have written to the Congressional
delegation and as Rep. Pearce has also pointed out, representations were
made that the agricultural community, particularly ranchers, supported the
wilderness proposal when that was untrue. Indeed, it is undisputed that the
ranching community wasn't contacted until after the government resolutions
had been obtained and the wilderness campaign had been underway for more
than two years. My next column on Rep. Pearce's conservation bill for
Dona Ana County will appear in its regular schedule. An open and full debate
on the two competing bills, rather than competing articles and/or press
conferences, should be considered by both sides of this issue as a better
way of making progress on this matter." |
|
07/07/08 |
Las Cruces Sun-News - "Sabinoso
moves closer to wilderness designation" |
|
07/07/08 |
Arizona Daily Star - "Tower
sites planned for protected public land - Virtual fence to run through
Cabeza Prieta, Organ Pipe" - "Conditions at the refuge aren't ideal for
the pronghorn. In addition to being mired in a prolonged drought, the
trash, trails and roads left behind by nearly a decade of heavy
illegal-immigrant and drug-smuggling traffic have landed the refuge on two
dubious lists in the past four years. This year, a report by Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility named Cabeza Prieta one of the 10
most imperiled national wildlife refuges in the country. In 2004,
Defenders of Wildlife named the refuge one of the 10 refuges most at risk." |
|
07/07/08 |
AP - "5
arrested in Rainbow Family clash with feds" -
"Officers began to leave the gathering
site with the subject and were circled by more Rainbow participants that
began to physically interfere," Vollmer said. About 400 Rainbows
surrounded the officers trying to leave, she said. "The mob began to
advance, throwing sticks and rocks at the officers," Vollmer said." |
|
07/02/08 |
"Off the Leash" by Jim Scarantino - "Pearce's
conservation bill: What's not to like?" |
|
07/02/08 |
New West article by Rebecca Powell - "People
for Preservation of Our Western Heritage Catches Praise" |
|
07/02/08 |
Durango Telegraph - "Coming
under fire - Mismanagement of federal firefighting funds alleged" |
|
07/01/08 |
New Mexico Independent - "Domenici's
staffer blames wilderness group for lost opportunity" |
|
07/01/08 |
New West - "New
Mexico Wilderness Alliance Catches Blame" |
|
07/01/08 |
FBI - "Putting
Intel to Work Against ELF and ALF Terrorists" -
"Together,
eco-terrorists and animal rights extremists are one of the most serious
domestic terrorism threats in the U.S. today." |
|
07/01/08 |
World Net Daily - "Czech
prez: Environmentalism is new communism" - Czech President Vaclav Klaus:
"As someone who lived under communism for most of my life I feel obliged
to say that the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and
prosperity at the beginning of the 21st century is not communism or its
various softer variants," said Klaus, responding to questions posed by the
two
lawmakers. "Communism was
replaced by the threat of ambitious environmentalism." |
|
06/30/08 |
Albuquerque Journal letter to the editor
by Tom Cooper and Jodi Denning - "Protect
N.M. Land and Its Many Uses" - "We can protect our land, our natural
resources and our open space without federal wilderness designations. This
proposal protects not only the land itself, but also the access to the land
and the beneficial stewardship and use of the land." |
|
06/30/08 |
"Additional
Restrictions Announced in Sandias and Manzanos" |
|
06/29/08 |
New Mexico Federal Lands Council - "Pearce
Introduces Land Protection Measure - Plan based on community input, would
result in a balanced approach" -
"The issues are complex, and we have
worked diligently to find a middle ground that is acceptable on all sides of
the issue," said Pearce, a former small businessman. Over 700 businesses and
organizations have formed a Coalition supporting this proposal. We believe
it offers a compromise that would greatly benefit southern New Mexico and
has great potential across the western states struggling with these issues
for providing appropriate protection without creating unnecessary hardships
on surrounding communities." |
|
06/27/08 |
Congressman Steve Pearce letter to the
editor, Las Cruces Sun-News - "Wilderness
bill". "The editorial ("Wilderness bill deepens gap between
groups", 6/25/08) regarding my recent legislation establishing Rangeland
Preservation Areas for Do-a Ana County ignores critical parts of the bill.
... The RPA bill combines
conservation, limited use and public safety in a common sense way to
preserve our landscape for future generations." |
|
06/27/08 |
The
Las Cruces
Bulletin contained two pieces on the Dona Ana County wilderness issues,
but their website does not allow for linking directly to articles.
Publisher David E. McCollum writes "Also heating up is the “wilderness ”
issue in Dońa Ana County. U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce introduced House Resolution
6300. The proposed legislation parallels the recommendations put forth by
area ranchers and is supported by more than 700 organizations and
individuals. If approved, the bill will create new law regarding how we will
protect our natural resources such as the Organ Mountains. Pearce’s proposal
offers an alternative to the current wilderness protection designations that
many local people feel may be too restrictive for our high desert area with
vast open spaces. It will be interesting to watch the battle between the
ranchers and those who support the creation of several wilderness areas in
the county. The political rhetoric has already begun with the latter group
implying that only through an official wilderness designation will our
public lands be protected. On the other hand, the ranchers and Rep. Pearce
contend that the new law will offer a more reasonable alternative to
protecting the Organ Mountains and other public lands that should be
preserved. Both groups have noble intentions. Hopefully, they can find
a way to sit down together and work out their differences." There
is also an article by Todd Dickson titled "Wilderness backers rally against
Pearce bill - Ranching group praises legislation as a 'strong stand'". |
|
06/27/08 |
Post from Haussamen blog "Udall
says he can win in Pearce's 2nd District" |
|
06/27/08 |
"Ousted
Rural Families Fight for Heritage" |
|
06/27/08 |
Silicon Valley Mercury News article "Biologists,
ranchers hope cows will help lure back butterflies" -
"The cows eat
the invasive grasses but leave the native plants alone," said Craige
Edgerton of the Silicon Valley Land Conservancy. "In order for the butterfly
to survive, it needs cows." |
|
06/27/08 |
Rocky Mountain News letters to the editor
"Browns
Canyon hardly a 'wilderness'" and "Canyon
hasn't suffered". |
|
06/26/08 |
New West article by Rebecca Powell - "More
Than a Yes or No to Wilderness" |
|
06/25/08 |
Cibola county Beacon - "Senator
Domenici assails forest plans" |
|
06/25/08 |
Jackson Hole News & Guide - "Forest
may examing cattle fence in detail" |
|
06/24/08 |
New Mexico Independent - "Property
rights over preservation" |
|
06/24/08 |
Albuquerque Journal - "Conservation
groups bash Pearce's bill" |
|
06/24/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News - "Pearce
wilderness bill draws fire" |
|
06/23/08 |
New West article by Rebecca Powell -
"Pearce
Submits People's Proposal to the House" This is part 3 in a
series. The previous two installments are:
"For
Some, Wilderness is Simple" and "A
Biased Observer of the Dona Ana County Wilderness Debate". |
|
06/23/08 |
See our "At
a Glance Comparison Chart" - Federal Wilderness designations & Rangeland
Preservation Areas. |
|
06/23/08 |
PFPOWH
Press Release "PEARCE SUBMITS
INNOVATIVE LAND PROTECTION LEGISLATION --- Coalition of over 700 Businesses
and Organizations Support Measure" |
|
06/20/08 |
New West article by Rebecca Powell - "Overstatements
and Mythical Ranchers" |
|
06/20/08 |
NM Federal Lands Council post - "U.S.
Forest Service cuts grazing on National Grasslands" |
|
06/19/08 |
New West article (part two in a series)
by Rebecca Powell - "For
Some, Wilderness is Simple" |
|
06/19/08 |
New Mexico Independent article "No
Slam Dunk - Ex-New Mexico Wilderness Alliance staffer accuses Sen. Jeff
Bingaman of being "one of the worst" for not delivering on a bill last year
for a Taos County national conservation areas." |
|
06/18/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News article "Trap
laid for USBP uncovered on patrol path" -
"U.S. Border Patrol agents
have discovered a booby trap of thin wires stretched along a patrol road in
a remote stretch of desert in southern New Mexico, and say it could injure
or kill border patrol officers. Saturday's discovery is the second
wire trap found at the U.S.-Mexico border this year. The trap — two
sections of thin wire strung tight across the road — was spotted Saturday
night by a local rancher, Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier said Tuesday." |
|
06/17/08 |
New West article (the
first article in a series) by Rebecca Powell - "A
Biased Observer of the Dona Ana County Wilderness Debate". |
|
06/16/08 |
Los Angeles Times article
- "Nevada
rancher wins property rights award - Forest Service took his water rights,
judge says." |
|
06/16/08 |
New Mexico Federal Lands
council blog: "American
Ranching Family Wins 17-Year Battle with the Federal Government - Landmark
decision in Hage v U.S. Issued by Federal Court of Claims" -
"An epic 17-year battle
between an American ranching family and the federal government has ended in
favor of the family. The estates of Wayne and Jean Hage can finally claim a
Fifth Amendment precedent-setting property rights victory. The court ruled
that the Hages owned the water rights, ditch rights of ways, and range
improvements on the federal grazing allotments. The court made clear that
the government has the right to authorize grazing, but does not have the
right to prevent the plaintiff from accessing their water rights on federal
lands. Loren A. Smith, Senior Judge for the US Court of Federal Claims said,
"As government seeks to change its policies concerning the purpose and use
of public lands, private landowners have a valid claim to preserve their
vested rights...the notion of private property is fundamental to the
existence of our Nation...if private property is taken for public use, those
citizens should be justly compensated." |
|
06/16/08 |
Las Vegas Review Journal -
"At the
time, they said he was crazy - Government loses case involving late Nevada
rancher" |
|
06/13/08 |
Range Magazine article "Dust
Devils - Cynical Politics is the Hot Wind that Powers Environmental Radicals".
This article features information on Dave Foreman, founder of the New Mexico
Wilderness Alliance. "Dave Foreman is founder of EarthFirst, former
lobbyist for the Wilderness Society, and author of 'A Field Guide to Monkey
Wrenching and Ecodefense', that details how to sabotage equipment,
industrial projects, roads and vehicles in the name of environmental
protection. Foreman is credited with saying: 'An Ice Age is coming and
I welcome it as much-needed changing. I see no solution to our
ruination of earth except for a drastic reduction of the human population."
According to the
June 2008 "Wild News" from the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance website,
Mr. Foreman will be a featured speaker at their "Building Community Series"
on June 17, 2008. |
|
06/13/08 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star
Tribune article "Late
Nevada rancher wins $4.2M after judge finds Forest Service took water rights". |
|
06/10/08 |
The estate of Wayne Hage
(Pine Creek Ranch in central Nevada) was awarded over 4 million dollars plus
interest in the takings case. The case was caused by the US Forest
service actions, and was in US Court of Federal Claims, Case No. 91,1470L.
See the attached Decision for details. |
|
06/10/08 |
Letter to the editor from
the Hatch Citizen
newspaper, written by Tom Cooper. |
|
06/01/08 |
Nevada Appeal guest column
"Nevadans
should wake up and stop wilderness proposal" - "In the end, this
really isn't about the loss of millions of acres of land that we all enjoy
playing or working in, it is about the loss of LIBERTY, the right to
determine our own destinies and the destiny of the land that we love and
call home." |
|
05/29/08 |
Fresno Bee - "Court
rulings resolve little in packhorse flap - Neither side seems happyp with
rules governing Sierra wilderness areas" |
|
05/29/08 |
Oregon - "ONDA
wins grazing injuction" |
|
05/28/08 |
Bend Bulletin - "Millican
ranch owners fight to put house on their land" |
|
05/28/08 |
Utah KUTV.com - "Small
Utah Town Takes on Federal Government Over Wetland Project" |
|
05/28/08 |
Las Vegas Sun - "Wilderness
road upgrade has to wait" |
|
05/28/08 |
Range Magazine article "Best
of Both Worlds" about the efforts by ranchers to protect lands in Dona
Ana County. |
|
05/28/08 |
Las Cruces Bulletin
editorial by Tom Cooper - "Ranchers
have no confidence in wilderness designation - Group disputed label as
'radical fringe ranchers', draws attention to growing coalition of support" |
|
05/28/08 |
Silver City Sun-News
editorial "Reasonable
alternatives" |
|
05/28/08 |
Grand Junction Sentinel
article "Allard
still uncertain on conservation area support" |
|
05/28/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News
editorial by Greg Carrasco - "Sounds
like Reagan" - "Congressman Pearce understands that responsible
utilization of natural resources includes protection for special areas. The
PFPOWH proposal will protect areas from sale, development and mining. It
would protect the San Andres and Organ Mountains from the state line on the
south to the county line on the north, including the western foothills,
while providing special protection to 300,000 acres in the Dońa Anas, Las
Uvas, Robledos, Picacho Peak, Aden Lava Flow, and West Potrillos." |
|
05/28/08 |
"Conservancy
district sues NM Game and Fish over rodents" |
|
05/28/08 |
Las Cruces Sun-News
article "Senate
candidates spar over Border Patrol funds" |
|
05/28/08 |
Flathead Beacon article "Western
Ranchers Fight for New Deal on Wilderness" |
|
05/28/08 |
"Landowners
Beware - the Government's Found a New Way to Control Your Land" |
|
05/28/08 |
The Oregonian article "Wyden
proposes Badlands wilderness area near Bend" |
|
05/20/08 |
Alamogordo Daily News "Bingaman
sponsors 'Cowboy' bill; passes in Senate" - "According to Bingaman,
approximately 800,000 ranchers are in business across the country, with New
Mexico ranchers having generated about $900 million in sales in 2006, the
most recent year for which statistics are available. In terms of production,
only dairies are a larger industry than ranching. "Ranching plays an
important role in New Mexico's economy and is an important part of the
state's history," Bingaman said Tuesday. "This resolution pays tribute to
the hard working men and women of the American West." |
|
05/20/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News "NM
judge to consider legality of endangered falcon decision" |
|
05/20/08 |
Wyoming Star Tribune
article "BLM
struggles to find balance on Green Mountain allotment" |
|
05/20/08 |
Gillette News Record
article "BLM
mulls grazing, drilling limits" |
|
05/19/08 |
Center for Biological
Diversity press release "In
Precedent-setting Decision, Federal Court Denies County's Right to Build
Roads Through National Monument" |
|
05/17/08 |
Nevada RGJ article "Two
Cents Worth: We're not alone in rejecting lands bill. Is it possible
we hayseeds don't know what's best for us?" - "Environmentalists and
proponents of wilderness would have us believe that little ole Lyon and
Mineral Counties are the only areas in the entire U.S. that have turned
thumbs down to wilderness designations. Not ture. ...
While Lyon and Mineral county have not proposed a designation of their own,
the battle raging here sounds all too familiar to the fight in New Mexico.
Each and every county in Nevada will now take a closer look at future lands
bills that include wilderness designations--thanks to Lyon and Mineral
Counties." |
|
05/16/08 |
BLM Announces Revisions to Handbook Designed to Make
Environmental Reviews More Efficient |
|
05/15/08 |
The new issue of RANGE
Magazine has a 4 page article on People for Preserving Our Western Heritage.
As soon as the article is available on the
RANGE website, we
will provide a link to it. In the meantime, if you aren't a
subscriber, pick up a copy and check it out. |
|
05/15/08 |
Las Vegas Review Journal
Editorial "Desert
critters and the Endangered Species Act" |
|
05/11/08 |
Arizona Daily Star letter
to the editor "Pima
buys land, lots of land" |
|
05/11/08 |
Idaho Statesman article "Owyhees
bill hits new snag" |
|
05/10/08 |
New Mexico Federal Lands
Council article "Grazing
Buyout/Wilderness/S.2833" |
|
05/09/08 |
Seattle Times article "Bush
signs Wild Sky wilderness bill in Washington state". For some
commentary, see the
National Center for Public Policy Research blog May 8, 2008 entry. |
|
05/09/08 |
Coalition of Arizona/New
Mexico Counties For Stable Economic Growth endorses the Dona Ana County
Planned Growth, Open Space and Rangeland Preservation Act. |
|
05/08/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News Letter
to the Editor by Tom Mobley - "Balanced
proposal" - "Which is more radical? Is it the dogmatic commitment to
wilderness only? Or should we take an objective look at every area, see what
needs to be protected, and then consider measures that provide the
protection in a manner that allows sustainable management of natural
resources and reasonable access to everyone?" |
|
05/08/08 |
Oregonian article "Senate
committee approves buyout of cattle ranchers" - "Rep. Greg Walden,
R-Ore., said he would introduce legislation in the next week to add federal
payments to ranchers who give up their grazing rights. The original
agreement called for federal money, but it was removed during Senate
consideration. Walden called it a "bait and switch" that shortchanges
ranchers who are walking away from a valuable asset.
... The federal payment
was deleted at the insistence of committee chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.,
who worried about setting a precedent if federal money was used. Sen.
Pete Domenici, R-N.M., also objected, arguing that using federal money to
buy grazing rights could lead to a wholesale buyback that would seal federal
lands from grazing." Also see Southern Oregon's Mail Tribune
article "Soda
Mountain Wilderness bill clears key committee".
Click here for the language of the pertinent sections of the two bills. |
|
05/08/08 |
Montana KTVQ - "Senate
panel approves Idaho wilderness bill" - "The
bill, introduced by Republican Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, would create an
807-square-mile wilderness. It also would open 300 square miles of
previously off-limit areas to motorized recreation, livestock grazing and
other activities." |
|
05/08/08 |
Investor's Business Daily
article "Environmentalists
still can't get it right" |
|
05/08/08 |
Newsmax article "Conservationists,
Developer Reach Major California Land Deal" -
"A group of environmentalists and the owners of a large stretch of
wilderness have reached a deal that would set aside the largest parcel of
land for conservation in California history." Note that the Tejon
Ranch is PRIVATELY owned, not federally owned. For information on the
Tejon Ranch, go to their
website. |
|
05/07/08 |
Fox News article "Groups
Struggle to Clean Up Mess Illegal Immigrants Leave Behind" -
"The latest battle in the war on illegal immigration isn't over the
smuggling of undocumented workers, it's over the trash they leave behind.
... In 2006 alone, more than 1.18 million pounds of trash was collected
along the southern Arizona border...
Arizona officials have spent approximately $4.4 million over five years to
clean up the mess, that continues to build with each crossing. Nearly $1
million was spent for 2007 from a base BLM appropriation. Border
Patrol's Tucson sector, which covers most of the Arizona border, doesn't
have statistics about how many people cross through each year, but on
average, agents apprehend 1,500 people a day, with 378,000 undocumented
immigrants caught in 2007 alone." |
|
05/06/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News
article "Lawmen
tackle border security" |
|
05/04/08 |
Reno Gazette Journal
article "Two
Cents Worth: Reid pledges to preserve agriculture, too - Senator will also
honor our wishes opposing lands bill" - "U.S. Senator Harry Reid's
office pledged again this week to honor the wishes of the Lyon County
Commissioners in opposing wilderness and an all-encompassing lands bill.
Senator John Ensign and Congressman Dean Heller have followed suit." |
|
05/04/08 |
Western Horseman article "End
of Trail" -
"Across the United States, riding trails are at risk. More than ever,
backcountry horsemen must compete with hikers, mountain bikers, ATV riders
and others for public-land access. And, with increasingly restrictive—even
anti-horse—regulations in some locales, trails on which riders were once
welcome are now hostile environments for horsemen.
... The Shawnee
National Forest covers more than 277,000 acres, south of Harrisburg,
Illinois. Under its 2006 Forest Plan, the U.S. Forest Service enacted
regulations in the Big Grand Pierre Creek, Eagle Creek, Lusk Creek and Upper
Bay Creek watersheds to prohibit riders from leaving established trails,
with a $5,000 fine and six-month imprisonment for violators." |
|
04/29/08 |
Mesilla Valley
CowBelles letter
supporting the proposed Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space and
Rangeland Preservation Area Act. |
|
04/29/08 |
Washington Post article "From
Mexico, Drug Violence Spills Into U.S." |
|
04/29/08 |
Drovers article "North
of the border" about a rancher operating just north of the Mexico border
in Arizona -
“Their plight is terrible,” he says — the drug smugglers are another matter.
“They’re dangerous people. I wouldn’t leave the house without a sidearm,
just to protect myself if I get caught in the crossfire.” Besides the
workers and the smugglers, bandits roam the border area, waiting for a
chance to rob either group. It’s not unusual for Heilig and his wife to hear
gunshots from their front porch." |
|
04/25/08 |
"Enviros
Back Udall" -
"Several national environmental groups are joining forces this year to
try to elect Tom Udall and two other Democrats to the U.S. Senate, an
unprecedented level of coordination that aims to build off their success in
2006 in ousting a U.S. House member." |
|
04/24/08 |
Forbes
article - "Southern
Border Wall and Wilderness Border Bill to be Focus of Congressional Hearing" -
"Representatives of
Idaho's ranching and conservationist communities praised a bill Tuesday that
would create a wilderness in southwest Idaho's Owyhee canyonlands, while
opening other lands to motorized recreation and grazing." |
|
04/24/08 |
Capital Press
article - "Ranchers,
environmentalists praise Idaho wilderness bill" -
"Proposed Wilderness designation will create limited enforcement zone
along U.S./Mexico border declares former Border Patrol officer." |
|
04/23/08 |
National Review Online
article - "Will
Liberty Go Extinct?" -
"Over the course of nearly four decades, environmental regulation has grown
by leaps and bounds. Research conducted by the Competitive Enterprise
Institute shows that environmental lawmaking has proven to be the leading
area of government lawmaking activity for decades. For those who value
liberty and free enterprise, these trends should be disturbing. Surely, we
all want a healthy environment, but environmental regulation has become
synonymous with “command-and-control” regulation." |
|
04/22/08 |
"Support
for Alternative to Wilderness Designations Grows Dramatically - Over 700
businesses and organizations support coalition" - "More than 700
businesses, governmental entities, and community organizations have now
endorsed alternative legislation that would preserve open space and protect
rangeland in southern New Mexico without the designation of 'federal
wilderness'." |
|
04/22/08 |
Wall Street Journal
editorial - "Why
I Left Greenpeace" by Patrick Moore, co-founder and former leader of
Greenpeace.
"As I completed a Ph.D. in ecology, I
combined my science background with the strong media skills of my
colleagues. In keeping with our pacifist views, we started Greenpeace.
But I later learned that the environmental movement is not always guided by
science. As we celebrate Earth Day today, this is a good lesson to keep in
mind. ... We all have a responsibility to
be environmental stewards. But that stewardship requires that science, not
political agendas, drive our public policy." |
|
04/19/08 |
U.S. Senate Committee on
Environment & Public Works press release "Inhofe-Mica
United Against Federal Land Grab Legislation - Congressional Hearings Expose
Significant Opposition to Democrat Water Bill" |
|
04/18/08 |
Jackson Hole Star Tribune
article "Manager
backs plan to let cattle graze in E. Idaho park" - "The manager of a
popular state park in eastern Idaho has proposed letting cattle graze there
again, arguing it will make the park more like it was when it was a stop on
the Oregon Trail by eliminating invasive plants and allowing native plants
to return." |
|
04/14/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News
article "Rep.
Steve Pearce focuses on border issues during recent visit" - "He also
agreed that a proposed wilderness designation of local lands designated as
wilderness study areas was unwise. "The other side doesn't care
what the law is — they're already breaking it," Pearce said, adding such a
designation would not only make it harder for drug agents to locate
hundred-acre marijuana fields but also prevent emergency workers from fixing
dams after disastrous floods." |
|
04/13/08 |
Idaho Statesman article "Owyhee
Canyonlands protections back before Congress" |
|
04/12/08 |
Reno Gazette Journal
article "Congressional
reps say they don't endorse wilderness proposal" - "The message was
clear during last Wednesday's meeting in Smith Valley conducted by the
Coalition for Public Access (CPA): the vast majority of those present oppose
a current Nevada Wildenress Project wilderness designation proposal as part
of a public lands bill. But despite overwhelming opposition from most
of the about 750 in attendance--including a direct request that they drop
the proposal--a trio of representatives of wilderness groups that proposed
almost 700,000 acres of land in mainly Lyon and Mineral Counties be
designated as wilderness, remained firm in their stance on that proposal.
... Lyon County Sheriff Allen Veil also spoke about the impacts on his
office of trying to enforce the limitations of a wilderness designation,
saying the LCSO they would be called about violations, not the federal law
enforcement, and adding, "We've got some concerns." Veil also said the
designation could be a strain on Search and Rescue if people are lost in
areas where motorized travel is restricted." |
|
04/11/08 |
Cortez Journal article - "Public
land agencies could join services" - "Study measure proposal to move
U.S. Forest Service under management with BLM, National Park Service" |
|
04/10/08 |
Nevada Appeal article "Wilderness
advocates 'overplayed their hand'" -
"Rep. Dean Heller said a proposal by the
Nevada Wilderness Project will make it difficult to do a lands bill of any
sort for Lyon and Mineral counties. "This has played out very poorly,"
Heller, R-Nev., told The Record-Courier on Monday. "The special interest
groups have made this process very difficult. They've overplayed their hand
is the bottom line." ... "The Nevada Wilderness Project was supposed
to be negotiated between local cattlemen, county commissioners and the
people involved," he said. "It was supposed to be done in good faith and it
wasn't." ... "I've traveled around quite a bit over this issue," he said.
"People are very vocal and for good reason. They are very concerned about a
bill that doesn't have community buy-in. I believe they have every reason to
be upset." |
|
04/10/08 |
Pueblo Chieftain article "County
joins opposition to Pinion Canyon expansion" -
"The Pueblo County Board
of Commissioners made official its opposition to the U.S. Army's plans to
expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver site Tuesday. In a resolution passed
unanimously by the three-member board, the county joined ranchers and other
opponents of a plan to expand the Army's training grounds by 414,000 acres." |
|
04/10/08 |
The Washington Times
article "Environmental
hysterics" |
|
04/09/08 |
Mercury News article "Open
space district awards grazing lease for San Mateo property" -
"The old
paradigm was to kick cattle off property when acquired by conservation
groups. Overgrazed, eroded and trampled pastures had alarmed the region's
environmentalists. But further research brought a turnaround in thinking.
Removing cattle from San Jose's Silver Creek Hills in the 1990s, for
instance, led to depletion of wildflowers that are food for the endangered
bay checkerspot butterfly. Inspired by successful grazing on San
Jose's Coyote Ridge, district managers seek to reduce wildfire risk in an
area that is too big to mow and too dangerous to burn - and fend off the
encroachment of forest. The district's adoption of "conservation
grazing" - the use of livestock to boost the diversity of native plants and
animals, control the spread of invasive non-native plants and prevent fire -
may eventually reintroduce cattle to 5,000 grassy acres in Santa Clara and
San Mateo counties. " |
|
04/08/08 |
Reno Gazette Journal
article "Lawmakers
ease off on wilderness idea" - "A
proposal to designate a vast swath of rugged terrain in western Nevada as
wilderness has alarm bells ringing in several rural communities, with scores
of residents opposed and some of Nevada's congressional delegation
distancing themselves from the idea. ... But residents suspicious of
them and federal representatives are mobilizing to block a proposal they
said could damage their economy and cherished way of life. ... County
commissions in Lyon, Mineral and Esmeralda counties have approved
resolutions opposing wilderness designations." |
|
04/07/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News
Editorial by Dolly June Moore - "Wilderness
proposal brings back bad memories". |
|
04/07/08 |
2008 session State of Utah
resolution "Joint
Resolution Opposing Designation of Public Lands Currently Urged by Congress
and the Bureau of Land Management". "This resolution: urges
Congress not to enact federal legislation designating additional
"wilderness" on public lands within Utah without the unanimous support of
Utah's congressional delegation; urges the United States Bureau of Land
Management not to restrict access to existing public lands in Utah under its
jurisdiction through so-called "wilderness characteristics" options in
resource management plans; and reaffirms the Legislature's strong support
for continued public access and multiple use regarding public lands." |
|
04/07/08 |
Nevada group launches
website -
Coalition for Public Access |
|
04/06/08 |
Liberal, KS Southwest
Daily Times article - "Former
border patrol agent speaks on immigration".
"One
of the worries Taylor currently has about immigration are two bills, HR 3287
and HR 2593. The first would designate part of the United States/Mexico
border in Arizona as wilderness. The second would designate all of the
United States border with both Canada and Mexico as wilderness. 'A
wilderness designation in the United States is very restrictive as to what
you can do when you’re on the wilderness area,' he explained. 'You cannot
take any kind of mechanized equipment on there – not even a bicycle.'
A couple of weeks ago, a hiker discovered an illegal immigrant who had been
shot three times by bandits, called bajardoras. 'Groups of three to
six with automatic weapons go into these wilderness areas and they rob the
illegal aliens that are going through, and if they give them any resistance,
they just shoot them,' Taylor said. 'This is what a lot of people don’t
understand, that the victim is the person coming here.' Since the man
was found in an area designated as a wilderness, he had to be rescued by
foot – a group walked to him with a stretcher and carried him back out. From
the time he was found until he was taken to the hospital took 12 hours,
Taylor said. The bills are currently pending, he added, but if passed,
they would hinder the duties of the border patrol, because it would keep the
border patrolmen away from the border unless they were on foot or horseback.
'The congressmen that are supporting it know that this is going to make this
area more dangerous. It’s going to encourage the smugglers to use it more,
and they’re trying to cloak it as wilderness to get it passed,' he said.
'These wildernesses should never be considered on or near the international
borders.' But mainly, he said, the bills would keep border patrols
from being able to do their job. Part of what they do is to enforce
immigration laws. The purpose of those laws, he said, is to protect the
American economy and American jobs and to protect the public safety and
national security." |
|
04/02/08 |
Mesilla
Valley Sportsmen's Alliance, a supporter of our
legislative proposal and a member
of our Coalition, launched a new blog
this year - "To promote the interests of Mesilla Valley sportsmen and recreationists and to preserve and protect continued access to all federal
and state lands for multiple use by all citizens." |
|
04/02/08 |
Evansville Courier & Press article "Fliers
hint at I-69 resistance" - "The loosely-knit group Earth First has
circulated fliers in Evansville and posted information on its Web site about
"resisting" the start of construction this summer of the
Evansville-to-Indianapolis highway. Earth First was the same
organization whose members last July barged into the offices of I-69
engineering consultants, snatched items off employees' desks, tossed them
outside and fled. They claimed they were "evicting" the staff just as the
state would be evicting property owners along I-69's path." |
|
04/01/08 |
Mason Valley News - "City
to create resolution, send letters opposing wilderness proposals". "Last
week, the Board of Lyon County Commissioners voted to send a resolution to
state, and possibly, all of U.S. Congress, opposing this bill. The City
similarly voted to create a resolution opposing the bill and to send letters
to all state representatives stating the same. ... It was also noted last
week Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons is in opposition to the bill." |
|
04/01/08 |
BLM Statistics comparing pre-FLMPA (1976) to 2000. |
|
03/31/08 |
Western Livestock Journal
article: "New
Mexico faces possibility of new wilderness designation" |
|
03/31/08 |
Fox News: "FBI:
Eco-Terrorism Remains No. 1 Domestic Terror Threat" -
"Generally speaking, the Earth Liberation folks are motivated by a deep kind
of affective connection to nature that many of them would characterize as
spiritual or religious," said Bron Taylor, a professor of religion and
nature at the University of Florida. "They believe that the human species is
perpetrating a war on nature and that those who are connected to nature and
belong to it have a right to defend themselves."
Click here
for additional background on the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and
eco-terrorism. |
|
03/28/08 |
"Radical Tucson
environmentalist gets 1 year, 1 day for speech" - "A radical
environmentalist was sentenced Thursday to one year and one day in federal
prison for speaking publicly about how to make a homemade Molotov cocktail.
Rodney Coronado apologized for his past use of violent tactics in the name
of animal rights and the environment, and said he had cut his ties to
groups, including the Earth Liberation Front." |
|
03/27/08 |
Western Horseman magazine
article "This
Land is My Land".
"When the
Army’s map showed plans to acquire an additional 418,000 acres, with the
potential for expanding the site to more than 2 million acres, local
landowners were outraged and began organizing against the expansion.
Much of the proposed area is private property, and residents remember all
too well how the original maneuver site was acquired—the federal government
seized about half of it by condemning it and relocating 11 landowners." |
|
03/27/08 |
"Lyon
wilderness land request out of line" -
"People from the
Sierra Club have been quoted as saying this is no longer a matter of
quality, but is a matter of quantity. Simply because these Counties'
populations are not very large in comparison to other areas, the
environmentalist movement has been emboldened enough to run over us." |
|
03/26/08 |
Upcoming vote, April 2, on
Grijalva Wilderness Border Bills (HR 3287 and HR 2593). These
bills are a threat to Homeland Security and provide an open pathway for drug
smugglers and illegal aliens into the United States. CALL YOUR
CONGRESSMAN to oppose this bill. |
|
03/26/08 |
"Forest
Service May Move to Interior - Some see agency as out of place under the
USDA" |
|
03/25/08 |
Western Livestock Journal
- "Wilderness,
wilderness everywhere" |
|
03/22/08 |
Douglas County Record
Courier article "Wilderness
designation limits access".
"Sen. Reid was quoted as saying, "I don't
want people to be afraid of wilderness," as he pointed out the successful
lands bill county-by-county with Clark, Lincoln and White Pine counties as
examples. But, a wilderness designation for the newly proposed area in this
case should be greatly feared. The social and economic impact would be
devastating. ...
To fully understand what the potential impact a wilderness designation
would mean to the area now in question, one needs to understand what a
wilderness designation really means." |
|
03/21/08 |
Billings Gazette article "Ranch
agrees to end grazing near park - Depredations pushed Diamond G to accept
deal on federal land". "Stephen Gordon,
Diamond G Ranch president, estimated losses to predators in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars over the years. That includes cows, horses, family dogs
snatched from the front porch and a young colt killed in a corral, he said.
...
Gordon said they're now scaling back their ranch operation. The decision to
have part of the grazing allotment retired was done 'with some reluctance.'" |
|
03/20/08 |
Book review article "Death
by Environmentalism", reviewing the book "Eco-Freaks: Environmentalism
Is Hazardous to Your Health" by John Berlau. |
|
03/19/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News "Wilderness,
a sportsman's view" -
"Our group was formed because we have
differing opinions of what constitutes good management. We are not caught up
in the romance of wilderness and we believe that better results can be
achieved when all management options are available. We want stakeholder
unity and historical uses perpetuated. We believe in science and we want to
be able to implement that science on our grasslands. Wilderness will
disallow that. Water and cattle are united. Without the cattle in our
system, the water will go away. We want water distribution expanded.
Wilderness will disallow that. If the public believes in global warming they
had better be aware that carbon dioxide is a factor in brush expansion. We
want to control creosote, mesquite, and tar bush expansion. Wilderness will
disallow that. Protected structure and waters, enhanced management, and
limited seasonal access are needed for the health of wildlife. We want to be
able to partner with stakeholders and spread the cost of projects to
accomplish that. Wilderness will disallow that." |
|
03/19/08 |
"Packed
house unanimous in opposition to wilderness proposal" |
|
03/19/08 |
"Rural
Nevadans question size and timetable for wilderness proposal" |
|
03/19/08 |
"Mineral
County residents reject wilderness, Commissioners adopt resolution saying
'no'" -
"The congressional reps stressed that the
proposal did not come from the senators or congressman, but from the Nevada
Wilderness Project and the meetings being held are part of the democratic
process. ... MC Commissioner Richard Bryant said, 'We are scared to death of
these backroom deals that protect special interests at the expense of
everyone in this room.'" |
|
03/13/08 |
Letter from
James Scarantino, past
Chairman of the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness: "Underlying the
problems with the Dona Ana County wilderness campaign is the fact that the
persons ultimately calling the shots, behind the screen of a
legitimate-seeming coalition and local organizers, hail from the most
radical wing of the environmental movement. They include persons who
founded and participated in EarthFirst, the nation's first eco-terrorist
group. ... That is not the sort of mindset that makes legislation possible,
and helps explain why the wilderness community has produced so little new
wilderness legislation in New Mexico over the past two decades."
Click here
for additional background on the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and
eco-terrorism. |
|
03/13/08 |
Press release: "Pearce
Alone Stands Up for New Mexico's Interests" -
"Today, Congressman
Steve Pearce said the other members of the New Mexico delegation are wrong
to support legislation that would threaten private property rights and
severely limit the use of public lands." This is in relation to
H.R. 2016 - the
National Landscape Conservation System Act. |
|
03/12/08 |
More on the ELF arson
eco-terrorism events: Newsweek: "From
Green to Black - A look at the eco-terror movement." Tahoma,
WA News Tribune "Woodinville
arsons look like eco-terror reborn".
"The Earth Liberation Front isn’t al-Qaida,
but it’s too close for comfort."
FOX News "Federal
Jury Deadlocks in Eco-Terror Firebombing Trial". Boise, ID
editorial "Eco-terrorism
is a growing threat". UK Times "Eco-terrorists
top the FBI's threat list after wave of arson attacks". |
|
03/12/08 |
"NM
Governor Proclaims Ag Week"
"The Governor noted that agriculture has
always been a cornerstone of our state’s and our nation’s economy."
Click
here for the actual proclimation. |
|
03/04/08 |
Utah is really taking a
stand against eco-terrorism. Read the
letter from the Utah House of
Representatives to Mr. Hansjorg Wyss, Chairman, Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance (SUWA) questioning the organization about "coincidental criminal
activity" involving trustees of the organization. "Given Mr.
Ristow's position as Treasurer and the fact that these two individuals
interacted so closely through SUWA, the notion that they committed unrelated
yet similar, highly complex crimes involving such sophisticated financial
knowledge strains credibility. SUWA's own public
statements regarding these individuals' involvement in SUWA investment
activities now calls into question whether any SUWA funds may have found
their way into these schemes, and whether any proceeds from these crimes
found their way back into SUWA. ... very little had been done on SUWA's part
to put these questions to rest. These questions are not going away,
and given SUWA's large amount of financial contributions and outside sources
of funding, and especially SUWA's long-time association with these two
individuals, the citizens of Utah demand your accountability with regards to
these matters." |
|
03/04/08 |
Twin Falls Times-News
article "Western
Watersheds sues BLM over grazing, fence building". "The group
wants a judge to block the agency from building fences and allowing
livestock to graze on the habitat of sage grouse and pygmy rabbit... The
agency has authorized additional grazing in unburned areas and an additional
400 miles of fence repair while ignoring impacts to wildlife, Western
Watersheds alleges." |
|
03/04/08 |
Multiple articles on
eco-terrorist attacks on homes in Washington. Damage is estimated at
$7 million dollars. The FBI is investigating as a potential domestic
terrorism act. Associated Press "Luxury
Homes Burn in Apparent Eco-Attack" "The FBI has said the ELF
and a sister group, the Animal Liberation Front, have committed hundreds of
criminal acts. ELF is known for trying to cause economic damage to
companies or organizations it considers to be harming the environment."
National Post article
"Marni Soupcoff on the Earth Liberation Front". Seattle Times
article
"New houses becoming popular targets". The Earth Liberation Front
website is
www.earthliberationfront.com. |
|
03/04/08 |
Los Angeles Times: "Environmental
activist pleads not guilty". "Three days after his extradition
from Canada, environmental activist and ex-fugitive Tre Arrow pleaded not
guilty to arson and conspiracy charges in federal court Monday and was
ordered held as a flight risk and public danger pending trial." |
|
03/03/08 |
The Village of Hatch
unanimously passed Resolution No.
732 on March 3, 2008, endorsing the DONA ANA COUNTY PLANNED GROWTH, OPEN
SPACE AND RANGELAND PRESERVATION ACT - THE PEOPLE'S PROPOSAL. |
|
03/03/08 |
Albuquerque Alibi article
"The
Heinrich Maneuver" by Jim Scarantino. "Other entries on
Heinrich’s résumé are drawing scrutiny, particularly ties to radical
environmentalists and eco-terrorists." In this week's issue, under
"Correction" in the Letters section: "... while Heinrich did receive
campaign contributions from Dave Foreman and Susan Morgan, co-founders of
radical environmental group Earth First!, and has worked on the New Mexico
Wilderness Alliance board with Foreman, Heinrich says this does not imply
that he endorses Earth First!'s tactics or philosophies."
Dave Foreman was a founder of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.
Click here
for additional background on Mr. Foreman, NMWA and eco-terrorism. |
|
03/03/08 |
"Fugitive
activist extradited to United States" "Fugitive
environmental activist Tre Arrow is back in the United States to stand trial
on conspiracy and arson charges after nearly four years in a Canadian
prison." |
|
03/01/08 |
"Utah
Senate adds fuel to rapidly growing prairie fire against enviro 'elitists'". "In
an overwhelming 22-3 vote, the Senate approved legislation, H.R. Res. 10,
passed by the Utah House two weeks ago, that 'urges Congress not to enact
federal legislation designating additional 'wilderness' on public lands
within Utah without the unanimous support of Utah's congressional
delegation.' The resolution also 'urges the United States Bureau of
Land Management not to restrict access to existing public lands in Utah
under its jurisdiction through so-called ‘wilderness characteristics’
options in resource management plans.'" |
|
03/01/08 |
Mason Valley News article
"Yerington
to respond to ongoing lands bill actions"
"One concern the City
and County has is the federally proposed lands bill trying to encompass too
many items in one go. This includes water issues, which is also included in
this proposed bill. Yerington Mayor Doug Homestead said it has become an
all-or-none scenario. Another concern with this current incarnation is
Lyon and Mineral Counties do not believe they are being included in the
process of their own lands bill. Lack of adequate notice or inclusion of
local governments has made it appear the process is being circumvented on
the federal level, Paine said. Members of the City Council agree. "We're
getting all this stuff shoved down our throat," City Councilman Bill
Vicencio said Monday." |
|
02/29/08 |
Roger Hedgecock, San Diego KOGO radio talk show host interviews Zack
Taylor, retired Border Patrol officer, on his radio program about the proposed Tumacacori Highlands
Wilderness designation (HR 3287 & 2593) and how it would affect fire
fighting efforts and hamper the Border Patrol efforts to stop drug smuggling, human
smuggling, and terrorist activity on our borders. |
|
02/29/08 |
Southern Oregon Mail
Tribune article "BLM
backs Soda Mountain Wilderness".
"Although the BLM supports the goals of
the bill, it doesn't the grazing buyouts or the requirement calling for the
agency to construct and maintain fencing to exclude livestock from
allotments that are retired, Johnson said."
Well known anti-grazing and anti-livestock advocate
Andy
Kerr testified in this process. |
|
02/29/08 |
Fergus Falls Daily Journal
article "Waterfowl
area grazing benefits birds, cattle". "'Some
of these guys are damaging their pastures,' he says. 'There’s not enough of
a buffer, or litter material, to protect it. Cattle are feeding all day, and
taller grasses need to rest more.' At the same time, in the Waterfowl
Production Areas, the heavy litter layer is making the land less attractive
to ground-nesting
migratory birds. ... Working with local ranchers, cattle are allowed to
graze on certain Waterfowl Production Areas using a permit system. This
grazing closely mimics the effects native bison once provided to stimulate
plant growth." |
|
02/29/08 |
The Hub article "Snowmobile
group opposes wilderness expansion".
"CSA [Colorado Snowmobile Association]
opposes wilderness designations on several principles, according to Kukuk,
including the concept that wilderness effectively shuts out a large
proportion of the population from recreating in an area. In a letter
responding to ROCC member Al Berni, who invited CSA to comment on the
proposal, Kukuk noted that wilderness areas are closed off to "the youngest,
oldest and disabled." "Wilderness does not allow for any motorized and
mechanized access," wrote Kukuk. "This includes wheelchairs and
bicycles, so these methods that make traveling easier for so many are shut
out. It makes a very exclusive group that has access to an area, and we feel
that this is in direct contradiction to the multi-use mandate given to the
federal land managers to uphold." |
|
02/29/08 |
Fernley Leader article "Map
showing proposed wilderness land designation expansion causes concerns" |
|
02/29/08 |
"Y2Y
wildlife corridor bill to be heard Feb. 27" "Legislation to
authorize the creation of the Yukon to
Yellowstone wildlife corridor (Y2Y) that would engulf 2,000 miles of
land is scheduled for a public hearing..." This would create a
2,000
MILE WIDE swath that
includes the entire northeast corner of Washington, most of Idaho and much
of Montana.
"Representative Kretz believes the
corridor's creation would strangle rural communities with new regulations
and run families off out of their homes. 'A vast series of new land
regulations will be imposed to control land use, jeopardizing private
property rights and economic growth,' he said." |
|
02/29/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News
article "Annual Chile Challenge wraps up; event's future may be on the
rocks" "Some
trails used by Chile Challenge participants cross land that has been
proposed as part of a federally designated wilderness or a national monument
in the Robledo Mountains. "My guess is that sooner or later,
(environmental groups) are going to get it closed down," he [Las Crucen
Lance Harkey] said." |
|
02/19/08 |
Las Cruces Sun-News
article "Land
trade between BLM, state would protect land, help Santa Teresa" |
|
02/18/08 |
The
CNN program “American Morning,” which airs at 6 a.m. ET, is conducting an
online poll asking consumers: “Do you trust the safety of the U.S. food
supply?” During this morning’s broadcast, the results were just 16 percent
saying “yes” and 84 percent “no.” Currently the results are 47% yes, 53% no
(at 12:13 p.m. MST). Please take a minute to vote online at
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/american.morning/ and then encourage
other stakeholders and producers in your state to do the same. Although
these types of polls are not statistically valid, news anchors often fail to
make that point when reporting the results. CNN may continue to turn to the
poll results throughout the day as an indication of consumer confidence in
light of the recall so it’s important we make our voice heard.
This FYI is funded
by The Beef Checkoff |
|
02/17/08 |
Arizona Republic article "Migrant-smuggling
ring dealt serious blow" -
"The two suspects paid recruiters in
Mexico to find customers, paid Mexican police to allow smugglers to cross,
and paid trail guides to lead immigrants through the San Pedro Riparian
National Conservation Area in southeastern Arizona, Piano said." |
|
02/17/08 |
The documentary "Undue
Burden - The Real Cost of Living With Wolves" by Bruce Hemming has been
released and is now available for
purchase. |
|
02/15/08 |
Article from the January
08 issue of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch magazine by Erik Ness titled "Support
for Alternative to Wilderness Designations Grows Dramatically".
|
|
02/15/08 |
Reno Gazette-Journal
article
"Map showing proposed wilderness land designation expansion causes
concerns". |
|
02/14/08 |
The
Hatch
Valley Chamber of Commerce voted at their 2/14/08 meeting to endorse the
DONA ANA COUNTY PLANNED GROWTH, OPEN SPACE AND RANGELAND PRESERVATION ACT
- THE PEOPLE'S PROPOSAL |
|
02/14/08 |
GAO Report
"WILDLAND
FIRE MANAGEMENT: Federal Agencies Lack Key Long- and Short-Term Management
Strategies for Using Program Funds Effectively" summary.
"The nation’s wildland fire problems
have worsened over the past decade." |
|
02/14/08 |
Our website underwent
significant restructuring today to better facilitate linking directly to the
individual pages of our website. Please email us at
pfpowh@gmail.com if you encounter any
links that are not working properly or other problems. |
|
02/08/08 |
The
Coalition of Businesses and
Organizations supporting the DONA ANA COUNTY PLANNED GROWTH, OPEN SPACE
AND RANGELAND PRESERVATION ACT - THE PEOPLE'S PROPOSAL passes the 600
mark. |
|
02/08/08 |
Utah Policy Daily article:
"Resolution Urges
Congress to Leave Utah's Wilderness Alone"
"The future of 9 million acres of public land is in limbo.
Congress is considering declaring the Utah parcels federal wilderness,
including acreage in the Uintah Basin. In response, Utah lawmakers are
moving a resolution that sends a clear message to Congress - "keep your
hands off our land." "It's frustrating to me that so many of these
discussions come from people who are not from the West, (not) from Utah
certainly," Ogden Representative Kerry Gibson says. "I think that many of
these people would be highly offended if we came into their state and
designated large swaths of their state as unaccessable [sic]. It's quite
offensive."
Gibson and his colleagues on the House Natural Resources Committee voted
unanimously Wednesday for the resolution. |
|
02/06/08 |
NPR Article "Americans
spending less time in nature". "Every year, a smaller
percentage of Americans are fishing, camping or engaging in other
nature-based activities." |
|
02/06/08 |
The City of Las Cruces and
Dona Ana County are launching a project called "Vision
2040". This will result in a 30 year comprehensive plan for the
entire County. The outcome will be implemented through ordinances and
resolutions. Everyone in our county needs to stay informed in this
process, and be involved. This will impact everyone in our county. |
|
02/06/08 |
Omaha World-Herald article
"Turner
'almost done' buying up ranchland". "He
said he would like to reach 2 million acres nationwide before he dies" |
|
02/06/08 |
"Congress Moves To Seize Control Of All U.S. Waters" "They are
attempting to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 (HR2421 and
S1870) that would amend the 1972 Clean Water Act and replace the words
"navigable waters" with "waters of the United States." Further, it defines
"waters of the United States" with such breathtaking scope that federal
agencies would be required to regulate use of every square inch of the U.S.,
both public and private." To take action, go to
http://www.landrights.org
|
|
02/05/08 |
KVOA Tucson "Interior
Department plans to boost border security"
"The
Interior Department plans to boost border security by deploying more law
enforcement officers along the Southwest border to deter drug smugglers that
are endangering local residents and federal workers and damaging fragile
ecosystems." |
|
02/04/08 |
Las Cruces Sun News
article "How
do we preserve our natural resources?" by Jerry G. Schickedanz is dean
emeritus of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics, and Gerald W.
Thomas is president emeritus of New Mexico State University.
"When the
existing land designations are studied, every one of them centers on the
reduction or complete elimination of the presence of man. They afford
"protections" against man, accompanied by promises of future enjoyment by
man. The idea of Rangeland Preservation Areas counters that philosophy and
approach, and offers a new revelation in recognizing the historical fabric
of human involvement with the land and the expectation of continued
stewardship with the promise of permanent open space protection . . .
forever." |
|
02/04/08 |
Durango Herald article "Cyclists
weigh wilderness proposal".
"Tim Kral reflected the
concerns of many mountain bikers to a U.S. Forest Service proposal to
recommend wilderness designation for the Hermosa Creek area. "I think
we'd like to see protection," Kral said. "But we don't want to be
excluded." |
|
01/31/08 |
The
audio and video of the Las Cruces City Council meeting from Tuesday, 1/29/08 is
available on the city's website. Tom Cooper and Frank DuBois made a
presentation to the Council on our proposed legislation. |
|
01/31/08 |
There is a 4 part video
series titled "EARTHFIRST! The Politics of Radical
Environmentalism by Manes". Excerpts of this 1987 documentary appeared
on 60 minutes: "Part
1", "Part
2" and "Part
3" and
"Part 4". Featured in the videos are past and present NMWA Board Members Dave Foreman, Nancy Morton (Dave
Foreman's wife), and many other EarthFirst! followers. Mr. Foreman
has publicly stated that
their philosophy and purpose is to "destroy civilization and
technology, and eliminate the need for the word 'wilderness' because
everything will be 'wilderness'". The book "Coyotes
and Town Dogs" indicates that the current Chair of the Board of Directors of
the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, C. Wesley Leonard,
was also heavily involved with Dave Foreman in the inception of EarthFirst!.
Former NMWA Chairman Dr. Robert Howard has also been closely associated with
Mr. Foreman in NMWA and The
Wildlands Project and continues to be involved with Foreman's
Rewilding Institute. NMWA Board Member Todd Schulke also has
ties to EarthFirst!. |
|
01/30/08 |
The NMWA website reflects
several changes in the individuals serving on their
Board
of Directors, one of which is the addition of Nancy Morton to the Board.
Ms. Morton is recognized as a founding member of NMWA. She is also the
wife of Dave Foreman, and is listed on the "Working Group" for the
Rewilding Institute. Dave Foreman was listed on the Board of
Directors of NMWA through 2005, according to IRS Form 990 records, but he
did not appear on the 2006 Form 990. Mr. Foreman
has a long and well documented history in the environmental movement. He co-founded the
radical environmental group EarthFirst!, wrote the book "Eco-Defense, A
Field Guide to Monkeywrenching", and has been arrested by the FBI on
conspiracy charges, among many other "accomplishments". The New
Mexico Wilderness Alliance
Summer 2007 newsletter had an article on the founding
board members of NMWA. They stated in that article that Mr. Dave
Foreman "provided many, if not most, of the philosophical
underpinnings that guide the work of NMWA." For more
information, see our
Reference &
Resources section of our website. |
|
01/30/08 |
Article "New
U.S. Forest Service data reveals positive gains".
"The most recent USDA Forest Service data confirms that US forestland is
roughly as abundant today as it was 100 years ago. The Forest Services
Resource Planning Act 2007 (RPA data) reveals both state and regional
increases in forestland across the country." |
|
01/28/08 |
We've added a new tool to our
website. We now have
Home Page Index of
the sections on the home page, and a new
Website Index listing all the primary pages of the website. We
hope you find these new resources useful. |
|
01/28/08 |
Salt Lake Tribune article "Utah
guv stakes a claim on roads".
"People are going to be furious," McIntosh said. "What's driving this is
wilderness. That's something the counties have long tried to fight." |
|
01/27/08 |
Livestock Weekly article
"Gene Whetten Handles Usual Challenges, And Then Some"
-
"Many challenges accompany the running of a ranch of this size. He readily
recognizes the problems facing the beef industry as a whole, yet he says
he’s more concerned about being able to stay on the land, coping with
environmental activists and their organizations, than with any other single
thing. "Their goal is to remove us from the land," Whetten insists,
"and they’re getting it done. South of us, from here to Silver City, there’s
no one left. They’ve kicked all of them off and cancelled all the permits.
"This is the only country on earth where the people are attacking the very
people who are putting food on their table," he continues. "Someday they
will pay for it in the form of more expensive and lesser quality food." |
|
01/24/08 |
Advocates for Access
to Public Lands is a group working to preserve Multiple Use Lands and
preserve access to trails. For more information about this group, see
their website. They are also sponsoring a
petition to stop further inappropriate Wilderness Designation. |
|
01/24/08 |
Letter from
Bob Jones, Otero County
Rancher, President, Paragon Foundation, Past President, NM Cattle Growers
Association.
"The legislation is unique and innovative in its approach and comes from the
public and the ranchers faced with the possibility of enormously more
restrictive land designations in the presence of a growing community opposed
to such restrictions. It has huge implications for Dona Ana County,
but it doesn't stop there. ... The concept offers hope to those who
are impacted and hope to those who believe that certain land characteristics
need more specific management or protection." |
|
01/24/08 |
Elephant Butte Irrigation District
minutes from the 12/10/07 Board meeting. The Board unanimously
endorsed the Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space and Rangeland
Preservation Act. |
|
01/23/08 |
Durango Herald article "Wilderness
plan closes trails to bikes" -
"Many of the area's skilled mountain bikers are concerned about a proposal
that would ban them from some of their most-prized local trails, including a
segment of the Colorado Trail." |
|
01/23/08 |
Rocky Mountain News article "Court
Case a Threat to Farmers, Ranchers"
"Should landowners be forced to give up property under Colorado's eminent
domain law for open-space purposes, regardless of their desire to sell? ...
Communities looking to increase their tax base have certainly abused the
condemnation of private property across the country. In this case,
condemnation is being used to enhance the lifestyle of Telluride's residents
and vacationers rather than respecting the rights of a long-time landowner
whose property borders the town. Condemnation of agricultural land for the
purpose of creating a buffer around a town should cause the agricultural
community grave concern. If such condemnation is allowed, farmers might lose
their livelihood through loss of use and through deflated property values." |
|
01/22/08 |
"Park
Service Employee on Wilderness". Read this enlightening email sent
by a National Park Service ranger sent to our website, and the response from
The Westerner. |
|
01/20/08 |
Canadian Free Press article "The
Cowboys May Be Winning" |
|
01/19/08 |
World Net Daily feature
article: "The
Cowboys Score" by Henry Lamb.
"The cowboys are not simply opposing the "wilderness" designation. They have
put their heads together and consulted others in the community to come up
with an alternative proposal: The Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space
and Rangeland Preservation Act. This legislation seeks to incorporate common
sense into the idea of protecting open space while providing the flexibility
for ranchers to continue operations, and allow law enforcement officials to
use motorized vehicles in border regions and for emergencies. ...
Cowboy ingenuity has once again produced a way that may allow them to
continue to nurture the wide open spaces and provide water, not only for
their own livestock, but for wildlife as well. This common-sense
approach to protecting both the environment and the heritage of the West may
well become a beacon that guides other communities and states. Environmental
organizations have inflicted far too much "wilderness" on the West and have
buried far too many cowboys and the businesses that they support." |
|
01/15/08 |
View the documentary video
"How the West Was Lost - The Fallacy of Federal
Wilderness", and two commercial video clips. |
|
01/11/08
|
From a letter documenting the results of the January
La Union Soil and Water Conservation
District board meeting: “The La Union SWCD board voted unanimously
to rescind their support for the 2006 resolution developed by The New
Mexico Wilderness Alliance.” Additionally: “The La Union SWCD board
members unanimously voted to support “People for Preserving Our Western
Heritage” and their Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space, and
Rangeland Preservation Act of 2008.”
|
|
01/10/08
|
News release:
"Federal Wilderness Bill Pushed By Enviro Groups Draws
Heated Opposition In Utah" "This land-grab
is opposed by every single member of Utah's delegation in
Congress," they wrote. "In spite of this, it is being
pushed by an extremist political group right here in Utah -- SUWA
(Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance) -- with millions of dollars from
Eastern extremists and Hollywood elites. SUWA recently was in the
news after two of its long-term board members resigned following disclosure
of criminal activity. Board members Bert Fingerhut and Mark Ristow,
the group's former lone-time treasurer, pleaded guilty to federal fraud
charges, according to coverage in the Deseret Morning News in Salt
Lake City. The two men had served on the SUWA board for 18
and 20 years, respectively. The legislators said the bill "is
wrong for Utah and will hurt our citizens."
|
|
01/07/08
|
Letter from
Ernie
Torrez, Sandoval County rancher "The failed attempt of a
few years ago by NMWA at wilderness designation in the Cabezon/ San Luis
area is still fresh in our minds. Back then it became clear to everyone
that the negative impact outweighed any forecasted positive outcome of
wilderness designation. Tactics and statements by the wilderness advocates
dismissed the impact and severity of restrictions regarding roads and other
rights-of-way local residents have used for centuries to access areas of
traditional use. The job creation forecast was bogus with no factual or
historical data from other similar wilderness areas made available. ... The
village councils of Corrales and San Ysidro did not endorse nor support
wilderness designation."
|
|
01/07/08
|
Letter from
Billy
Prewitt and Becky Biggs, Outfitters in the Corralitos, Las Uvas and
Robledo areas. "To our knowledge, there is only one
naturally occurring permanent water source on the west side of the Mesilla
Valley from the Rio Grande to the county line. There are several
seasonal seeps, but they are not permanent in that they are reliant on
periods of rainfall to appear. All other waters, all of them, are
there because ranchers have been involved in placing them and maintaining
them. We rely on these waters in this business and we know the
significance of these waters to wildlife and livestock alike. ... The
Rangeland Preservation Area seeks to maintain these open spaces into
perpetuity. It allows the ranchers to manage these waters, and it
attempts to maintain a tie to the social fabric that these lands have
today. Give this a close look. Remember, in the eyes of the
visitor to our lands, wilderness and open space are one and the same.
Why not do something that has in mind the perpetuation of the true stewards
of these lands?"
|
|
01/05/08
|
Letter from I. Miley Gonzales,
New Mexico Department of
Agriculture Director/Secretary, stating their support of the Dona Ana
County Planned Growth, Open Space and Rangeland Preservation Act of
2008. "The proposed land designations, Special Preservation
Area (SPA) and Rangeland Preservation Area (RPA), provide for protection of
Dona Ana County's natural resources while also ensuring that multiple use
and proper management of federal lands is not restricted."
|
|
12/30/07
|
Fox News article: "Violent Border
Smugglers Scare U.S. Scientists" - "Marijuana smugglers, whose
cargo is smellier and bulkier than cocaine, are increasingly abandoning the
urban border ports of Texas and California in favor of the Arizona-Sonora
corridor, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says. U.S. authorities
seized 616,534 pounds of marijuana in the Tucson Sector alone in 2006, up
from 233,807 pounds in 2001."
|
|
12/28/07
|
Las Cruces Bulletin article "Tom Mobley: Working to
protect western heritage". "Real wildernesses were
designated years ago." Mobley said. "Now extremists want to
add federal land in wilderness areas designation under excessive
restrictions to control it. And if they can accomplish that, if
they're successful in getting additional federal land designated in
so-called wilderness, they could put ranchers out of business."
|
|
12/27/07
|
"Scientists fleeing border, smugglers - Outdoor studies
getting riskier, researchers say" from the Arizona Republic. "Organ
Pipe Cactus National Monument stopped granting most new research permits in
January because of increasing smuggling activity. Scientists must sign a
statement acknowledging that the National Park Service cannot guarantee
their safety from "potentially dangerous persons entering the park
from Mexico. ... Smugglers have responded with violence. Assaults on Border
Patrol agents are occurring at a record pace, with 250 attacks reported
from Oct. 1 to Dec. 16, an increase of 38 percent over 2006."
|
|
12/26/07
|
The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce directors
voted unanimous endorsement for the People for Preserving Our Western
Heritage proposal. “This decision was deliberated and debated
through a lengthy process and ultimately the Board was more comfortable
with the proposal offered by the People for Preservation of Western
Heritage,” said Chamber President Jim Berry. Read the
Press Release
|
|
12/26/07
|
"Wilderness
Mistake" - Las Cruces Sun News editorial by Dr. Jack Stauder,
Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Massachusetts. Mr.
Stauder grew up in Dona Ana County. "I teach environmental
studies, and for the past 10 years I have been doing research on the
ranching community of Blue, Ariz. The Forest Service lands around them are
administered as official "wilderness." What I have seen on the
Blue would happen to Do a Ana lands if they become "wilderness."
People are shut out from recreational opportunities. Motor vehicles of any
kind are kept out. Roads are closed. The government fails to maintain
trails. Ranchers can't keep up their water tanks and other improvements.
With less water, wild animal populations decrease. Once land becomes
official "wilderness," political pressures within the government
bureaucracy begin reducing, then eliminating cattle grazing a process
occurring on the Blue."
|
|
12/09/07
|
"Ranchers take land plan to Capital Hill" - Las
Cruces Sun News.
|
|
12/08/07
|
AAA Livestock Report magazine ran Jim Scarantino's
article titled "Green Cowboy Hats".
|
|
12/07/07
|
Press Release
12/07/07 -
"COALITION SUBMITS PROPOSAL TO PRESERVE OPEN SPACE AND PROTECT
RANGELAND TO CONGRESS"
|
|
12/07/07
|
"Rancher
group drafts alternate proposal", Las Cruces Bulletin
|
|
12/06/07
|
View the updated version of the Dona Ana County Planned
Growth, Open Space and Rangeland Preservation Act
legislative proposal, and the
current
Coalition of supporters.
|
|
12/05/07
|
Letter from a group of
Mesilla farmers: "As
a group we endorse this effort. We support the rancher group position
and their concept of Rangeland Preservation Areas, we strongly support the
idea of halting the attrition to our farmland, and we believe that local
control of the end result of this effort should have priority over outside
interests."
|
|
12/05/07
|
Letter of endorsement from Bruce McAbee,
Farm Credit of New Mexico. "It
is our belief that the legislation, when adopted by Congress, will provide
for the conseration, protection and enhancement of recreation, wildlife,
livestock grazing, and scenic values; conserve and protect the open spaces
and unique resources within specific areas; accommodate the long term
planned population and economic growth in Dona Ana County; and that such
legislation will allow for effective law enforcement and Homeland Security
activities."
|
|
12/05/07
|
"Otero County manager supports law prohibiting wolf releases"
- "Otero County is the second New Mexico county after Catron County
to pass an ordinance designed to protect its citizens, pets and livestock
from the endangered Mexican gray wolves."
|
|
12/03/07
|
Albuquerque Journal
Article: "New Mexico has millions of
acres of national forest land. But should everyone have
access to all of them? According to the New Mexico Wilderness
Alliance— folks who appreciate the quiet solitude of the forest and all
that has to offer— no."
|
|
11/30/07 |
Article covering a People for Preserving Our
Western Heritage presentation for the
Government Affairs
committee from the
Las Cruces
Bulletin. |
|
11/30/07 |
"Audience
skeptical of claim of wilderness's economic impact" "Meade County
Commissioner Dayle Hammock said while he favored preserving wild areas, he
feared federal government intrusion. 'I don't support wilderness areas
because of prior experience dealing with the federal government,' Hammock
said. He said he had a deep distrust of the federal government and
felt it imposed rules and forced costs on small government entities
without knowing the realities of the area under question. Hammock said as
he understood it, no mechanized equipment could be used in wilderness
areas, even in case of a search effort." |
|
11/29/07 |
Letter from
Phil Harvey, Valley Car Wash,
LLC. "There are viable
alternatives to wilderness that do not have the far-reaching ramifications
of federal wilderness designation, and will still protect open space.
... The draft legislation submitted by the PFPWH has many benefits
above and beyond what wilderness designation would accomplish. First, this
bill legislatively eliminates the development and disposal of the lands,
thus protecting open space and views. At the same time, law enforcement
and border patrol will have meaningful and effective access, allowing
National Security to be elevated to a prescribed character of the land
designation. Positive and productive use of the lands will be allowed,
while allowing proactive conservation efforts for rangeland and wildlife,
and ranchers will be allowed to continue their operations. Instead of
arbitrary, emotion-driven wilderness designations, science-based
conservation measures will be implemented, blending stewardship with
permanent retention of open space. Private property rights will be
protected, access to existing roads will be preserved, irresponsible
off-road vehicle use will be prohibited, and hunters, horseback riders,
and other recreationists will have access to the areas. This bill also
allows the community benefit of flood control devices and early warning
systems, as well as the improvement and expansion of water conservation,
water distribution, water capture, and water recovery projects.
Livestock’s importance in wildlife habitat will be recognized, allowing
ranchers to continue their practices that enhance and promote wildlife." |
|
11/29/07 |
Letter from Mesilla Valley farmer
Miguel Lucero. "As I
have learned about the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and their founding
members and alliance organizations, I know full well their historical
stance on cattle on federal lands and I am worried. ... Cattle
have long been the salvation of what little wildlife we have..." |
|
11/29/07 |
Letter from
I.G. Prieto, Mesilla Valley
farmer. "Since we are surrounded by federal lands, residential
development has come at the expense of farm land. Values have gone
up to the point that housing looks a lot more enticing than farming.
... We are self reliant people who ask nothing of you and expect
less, but we would like to know that somehow young farmers will have a
place in this country and are at least respected for their desire to
pursue a dying American art form. When I think of the young man who
burns from within to farm and the young man who burns within to create a
man made legacy of this wilderness lunacy, I am saddened." |
|
11/29/07 |
"Ted
Turner's Land Purchases Questioned" "Mike Phillips, executive
director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund, a Turner offshoot,
insisted his boss is just a "doggone serious rancher," though one
dedicated to preserving the environment. But Phillips' very presence
is making people wonder. He once worked with The Wildlands Project, an
environmental group that wants to create a continent-wide network of
nature preserves to save endangered species. The Turner Foundation, the
charity arm of Turner's empire, has contributed money to it and gives
millions to dozens of other environmental groups. Turner's
organizations also have been in discussions with the World Wildlife Fund
and the World Conservation Union about conserving bison." |
|
11/28/07 |
Letter from Dona Ana County
Undersheriff Chuck Franco.
"I am the Undersheriff of Dona Ana County and I have strong convictions
that wilderness created anywhere along the Mexican border is a threat to
our national security." |
|
11/28/07 |
Letter from
Jerry G. Schickedanz, Dean
Emeritus, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, New Mexico State
University. "... increased unnecessary regulations will be
mandated with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance proposal.", "The proposed
Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space and Rangeland Preservation Area
Act is a common sense production agriculture friendly proposal that will
allow controlled access and use for the lands in question. It will
provide the necessary protection and orderly disposal of land that local
citizens feel is important." |
|
11/26/07 |
Several new
letters have been added. |
|
11/23/07 |
Las Cruces
Bulletin Guest Column by Jim Scarantino: "Opportunity
for land preservation comes from unlikely source" Mr.
Scarantino was formerly the Chairman of the Coalition for N.M. wilderness
and the Executive Director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.
Mr. Scarantino also had a blogsite titled "New Mexico Wilderness". He
wrote
several posts which provide important background, perspective and
insight into
the environmental groups and individuals involved in the proposed
Dona Ana County wilderness areas.
|
|
11/22/07 |
Letter from
Terrell Shelley, Grant County
rancher. "'We will maintain the high ground in our steadfast
belief that this land must have stewards that are committed to the long
run. We arrived here before the Forest Service and we have prevailed, but
'where wilderness, land management agencies, environmental groups, and
ranchers collide, ranchers (one by one) lose.' It’s a fact." |
|
11/21/07 |
Letter from the
Mesilla Valley
Sportsman's Alliance (MVSA), representing over 700 hunters and
recreationalists in Dona Ana County, expressing strong opposition to the
proposed wilderness designation, and expressing support for the Dona Ana
County Planned Growth, Open Space and Rangeland Preservation Area Act. |
|
11/21/07 |
Letter from the
New Mexico Cattlegrowers Association
supporting the Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space and Rangeland
Preservation Area Act proposal. |
|
11/21/07 |
Las Cruces Bullentin article "Evans
announces run for Legislature". "Evans noted that while he
originally supported the Citizens Proposal to establish 300,000 acres in
Dona Ana County as wilderness, he now prefers a counter proposal from the
ranching community that would create special preservation areas while
allowing traditional motorized access." |
|
11/20/07 |
"Surprise
Ally of Conservationists: Ranchers" "Ranches and
other private lands are important in maintaining the biodiversity of
America’s West, suggests a new study." |
|
11/20/07 |
Letter from the
Krenz Ranch on the
Arizona Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Area – HR 3287. |
|
11/20/07 |
"State,
Military map out future" "'What we've uncovered
here always is that we have never had a good dialogue between our military
installations and state agencies, between the Army and the State Land
Office. At the same time (2006), we had the first-ever meeting between the
Corps of Engineers and Commissioner of Public Lands,' Scot said. '... So
we brought Fort Bliss up and, over a period of months, developed an
agreement for a buffer zone.' The buffer zone is located between
Chaparral residents and Fort Bliss." |
|
11/15/07 |
"Green
Cowboy Hats - Ranchers step up to protect federal lands" by Jim
Scarantino.
"Ranchers, though, are not playing the role of single-minded
obstructionists. It appears they meant what they said about wanting
to protect open space. They propose to do it principally by
protecting undeveloped land without calling it 'wilderness.' The
draft legislation, titled "Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space and
Rangeland Preservation Act," would prohibit the federal lands at issue
from ever being sold, mined or drilled. The proposal's innovative
"special preservation area" designations set aside vast stretches of open
space around Las Cruces but are flexible enough to accommodate law
enforcement, agriculture, recreational needs of a growing urban
population, and irrigation and floodwater authorities." |
|
11/15/07 |
"BLM
report shows border trash is major issue for So. Arizona land" -
"About 24 million pounds of trash cover thousands of acres of public and
tribal lands." See our
National Security Issues page
for more information on this topic. |
|
11/14/07 |
Ranch families working viable ranches that
sustain ecosystem services and contribute to the social fabric and local
economies are critical to a West that works, says Dr. Richard Knight in
his article "Ranchers
as a Keystone Species in a West that Works". |
|
11/14/07 |
The article "Environmentalists
want cattle off the Gila" states that a lawsuit has been filed in U.S.
Federal Court to reverse all grazing allotment decisions by the Forest
Service in Catron County. The suit was filed by Forest Guardians in
Santa Fe, and Sinapu, a carnivore protection group from Boulder, CO. |
|
11/11/07 |
We need your help! We have put
together a new "Letter Writing
Toolkit", to assist everyone in the important task of communicating
with our legislative delegation on this crucial issue. |
|
11/07/07 |
View some great
wildlife photos taken by a
camera stationed near a rancher's drinker. |
|
11/03/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News editorial by Tom
Hutchinson, business owner and former chairman of the board of the Mesilla
Valley Economic Development Alliance and the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of
Commerce: "An
argument for quality growth and prosperity". Mr. Hutchinson
states "It appears we are
witnessing an unprecedented effort by conservation/wilderness-related
organizations with slow-growth, open-space agendas to unwind the good
we've accomplished.". |
|
11/02/07 |
People for Prosperity
Ad on wilderness.
Click here
to go to their website. |
|
11/02/07 |
Editorial "Observations
on the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Proposal" by Zack Taylor.
Mr. Taylor has a degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of
Florida, and worked for the Border Patrol from 1976 to 2003. He
worked alien and drug smuggler traffic in the proposed Wilderness area
from 1988-2003. He states: "When the access road through Peck
Canyon was closed to vehicle traffic, the drug traffic increased.
When the vehicle access through Circulo Sombrero was closed the violence
and the drug traffic further increased to the point that Tubac is now
becoming world famous as a place where old west style killings are taking
place today. This is no coincidence and from my experience is directly
related to the lack of access to the area. Does Tubac want to be known as
the Tombstone of the twenty first century?" "To further restrict
lawful access to this area will, from my experience, increase the drug and
alien smuggling in the area and escalate the level of violence throughout.
As Mrs. Lowell so correctly pointed out it is not now safe to go afield
unarmed in this area. The armed smugglers are already prevalent in the
area. Lock it up and they will take control." |
|
11/02/07 |
Arizona Daily Star "Lawsuit
filed over feds' border fence construction waiver" From the
article: "Two environmental groups
(Defenders of Wildlife and Sierra
Club) on Thursday asked a judge to void part of a 2005 law that let
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff ignore various federal laws
to build a stretch of fence along the border." |
|
11/02/07 |
"Ontario
man killed in wolf attack, coroner's jury finds" |
|
11/01/07 |
San Jose Mercury article: "Cattle-grazing on
San Mateo County parkland to cut wildfire risk". "'We could never
hope to manage all that acreage without using cattle,' said Lenington. In
previous years, district maintenance staff has coped by creating fire
breaks next to roads to halt the spread of wildfires and done intermittent
spot removal of the most offensive patches of non-native species.
The district's board of directors is not alone in beginning to think
differently about the benefits of grazing in land management. A variety of
public agencies throughout California are starting to embrace the
technique. 'The general paradigm of the whole environmental culture
was that cattle were not a natural component of the land. But research is
showing that cattle provide an increasingly important role in properly
managed grassland systems,' said Lenington." |
|
11/01/07 |
A new group has formed in Las Cruces: "People
for Prosperity". |
|
10/30/07 |
Partnership for America: "Please
don't restrict access to Public Lands". "We believe that this
bill, if passed, will damage public access and recreation in many states
across the West. As you know, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection
Act would designate nearly 23 million acres across five states, which
would include 7 million acres in Montana, 9.5 million acres in Idaho, 5
million acres in Wyoming, 750,000 acres in eastern Oregon and 500,000
acres in eastern Washington.", "Not only do wilderness designations create
too much regulation and too many restrictions on the lands out West, but
they also deny access to many citizens who have a right to use our public
lands. These designations do not allow any mechanized vehicles in the
area, including bicycles and wheelchairs, as well as road building of any
kind, so access to these areas are severely restricted.", "We also have
concerns that this bill could negatively impact the West’s ability to
fight and prevent forest fires. Since fighting fires is banned in
wilderness areas, government agencies have to allow fires to burn
themselves out. So anyone or anything near these potential unmanaged
wilderness areas across the West could be in danger of future forest
fires." |
|
10/30/07 |
Heartland Institute: "How Environmental
Laws Serve Hidden Agendas". "Those who use the Endangered Species
Act to prevent timber harvests, protect wetlands, stop development, thwart
home-building, and impede the improvement of land for farming and other
uses have learned ESA is a powerful mechanism by which they can gain
control over the use of other people's private property.", "But the use of
ESA is actually more likely to burden a family farmer, rancher, or rural
homeowner who finds an unusual animal or plant and learns it is on the
endangered species list. As a result of ESA, ignoring the rare
species can improve or even save the livelihood of a family, while
reporting it could result in losing the use of the land forever." |
|
10/29/07 |
Idaho Examiner editorial: "Boo!
Expect a Wilderness Scare this Halloween" by Chris Cook, an avid
Mountain Biker and founding member of the Idaho Recreation Council.
"People pushing these wilderness bills try to claim that wilderness
designation is good for local rural economies. If that is true then why
are most or all of the rural communities adjacent to wilderness areas in
Idaho struggling economically." |
|
10/28/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article: "Ranchers
pitch land plan" |
|
10/27/07 |
AP Release: "Land Returned to Santo Domingo
Pueblo". In a land swap between the BLM and the State Land Office,
"The Land Office will get more than 6,500 acres near Truth or
Consequences and 400 acres of federally-owned land on Las Cruces' east
side." |
|
10/26/07 |
Statement of support by the
National
Association of Former Border Patrol Officers. "The National
Association of Former Border Patrol Officers (NAFBPO) supports your
initiative to insure Homeland Security access to areas on or near
international borders. As you know, national security issues are
properly among our nation's highest priorities." |
|
10/26/07 |
Article: "House
votes to create six new 'Heritage' areas". From the article: "But Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.),
who opposes the bill and in particular the Journey Through Hallowed Ground
NHA that runs through his district, said, 'All of our nation's founders
knew of the intimate connection between personal liberty, taxpayers'
interests and property rights. H.R. 1483 tramples over rather than honors
these hallowed principles.'". |
|
10/26/07 |
Article by Jim Scarantino from the
Albuquerque Alibi: "Where
the Wild Things Aren't - Howling for wolves in Albuquerque" |
|
10/23/07 |
People for Preserving Our Western Heritage
is pleased to announce our draft of the DONA ANA COUNTY PLANNED GROWTH, OPEN SPACE AND RANGELAND PRESERVATION
ACT.
Click here for the press release & details of this important
legislative proposal. |
|
10/23/07 |
Article from the North County Times - "Easterners,
Westerners argue over wilderness bill". "Utah Rep. Rob
Bishop, the top Republican on the subcommittee, called the bill 'absurd'
and 'stunning,' comparing the legislation to a Soviet-style land grab.
'The issue is the division between East and West. It's a division between
urban and rural,' he said. 'Most people here just don't get it.'
Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg of Montana testified before the committee,
bringing with him several boxes of letters from constituents who had
written him in opposition to the bill. He said he had heard from more than
7,000 Montanans in less than a week when he asked for comment on the
legislation. He said the legislation would ruin successful local
efforts that have brought different interests together to find solutions
on environmental issues." |
|
10/21/07 |
Video of Fox News report by Hannity & Combs
- "The
Price We Pay - The Smuggler's Highway". The Coronado National
Forest is 1.7 million acres, and adjoins the Mexican border.
According to this report, "The National Forests and Parks along the
southern border have turned into super highways for drug and immigrant
smuggling." Developed sites for recreation are well known to drug
smugglers, and used for distribution and load out. Drug smugglers
sometimes deliberately set fires to divert enforcement officers.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument also shares 31 miles with the Mexican
border. It is recognized as the most dangerous National Park in the
US. Park rangers spend an average of 80-90% of their time doing law
enforcement activities. Park Ranger Kris Eggle was killed by drug
smugglers in this park. In the Coronado National Forest alone, there
have been over 33,000 apprehensions of undocumented aliens to date in
2007, and 650 drug seizures totaling 182,000 pounds of processed
marijuana, with a conservative value of $182 million dollars.
Officials estimate each person leaves an average of 8 pounds of trash, and
they estimate there are hundreds of thousands of tons of trash in the
area. |
|
10/19/07 |
Idaho Statesman article "Rockies
wilderness bill gets mixed reviews at House hearing" and Bozeman Daily
Chronicle article "Congressional
panel debates controversial wilderness bill". This bill, Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection
Act (NREPA), would create 23 million acres of federally designated
wilderness in 5 northern Rockies states. "But Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said, "NREPA
threatens the Montana way of making land-management decisions." He
cited two examples -- projects on the Blackfoot River and Beaverhead
Deerlodge National Forest -- of Montanans working together to decide how
to manage lands, using something other than a “mythical, ‘the-way-it-was'
image.” He also said his mailbag was telling him the bill had little
support in Montana. After soliciting comments last week, he said 96
percent of 7,100 respondents told him “they think this bill, this idea,
this plan, is wrong.” |
|
10/16/07 |
Congressman Rehberg sent out this
announcement, urging the public to
join him in opposing wilderness expansion legislation. The hearing
on the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act is OCTOBER 18th.
Please take a couple minutes today to go complete
this short survey:
www.house.gov/rehberg/survey.shtml |
|
10/15/07 |
Email correspondence from
Bob Alexander,
Certified Professional in Rangeland Management and retired BLM Rangeland
Management Specialist in response to the recent
Las Cruces
Bulletin article by Todd Dickson titled "Retired BLM Official says
ranchers can live with wilderness". Mr. Alexander provides
helpful insight into the complexities of ranching within areas with
federal wilderness designation. He states "With a wilderness designation, many
tools that are often needed for ranching in harmony with nature may be
limited; firefighting, shrub control, erosion control structures, roads or
trails, fences and pipelines come to mind." and "it may not be possible for a rancher to
take action on unforeseen emergencies within the critical period."
He concludes by stating "There
may be exceptions, but I can not imagine that the typical ranching
experience and enterprise will improved by wilderness designation." |
|
10/11/07 |
Alpena News article "Judge
delays some border fence construction on Arizona-Mexico border" states
"The Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club had requested a 10-day
delay in a motion alleging that the Bureau of Land Management and other
agencies had failed to conduct a thorough study of the fence’s effect on
the environment." The article concludes with: "The Homeland
Security Department will review the decision and its options, spokesman
Russell Knocke said. ‘‘Arizonans and, quite frankly, Americans everywhere
have been clear that they want more border security. Today’s ruling will
not diminish our resolve to deliver it,’’ Knocke said." |
|
10/08/07 |
National Geographic featured a series of
articles on the Cabeza Prieta Wilderness along the border in Arizona.
The series is titled "Border
Patrol: Along the Devil's Highway". The article states
"Arizona's Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge used to be a pristine
desert. Now it's the front line in America's immigration battle,
rife with garbage, drug runners, and illegal aliens. Welcome to the
nation's most troubled wilderness." Like every visitor to the
Cabeza Prieta wilderness, the author was required to sign "Hold Harmless"
agreement indicating he understood the dangers of visiting this area.
"The agreement did not mention other morbid, even ghoulish,
possibilities, such as stumbling over dead bodies, witnessing ongoing gun
battles between Border Patrol agents and drug smugglers, being run down in
the night by a drug-laden vehicle speeding overland with no lights, or
having my own vehicle—including all of my water—stolen while I was off
hiking." The author also states
"Cabeza is now a prime spot
for drug runners." |
|
10/05/07 |
See
GAO statistics on
deaths of illegal immigrants along our southern border. |
|
10/04/07 |
Stratfor article titled "Informants,
Bombs and Lessons" on the charges against environmental activist Eric
McDavid, found guilty of conspiring to damage property by using
explosives. "...illustrates a couple of emerging trends in the
radical environmental and animal rights movements: the increasing use of
violence -- specifically the use of explosives and timed incendiary
devices -- and the growing disregard for human life." Click
here to for more background information on eco-terrorism. |
|
10/03/07 |
Know your local
candidates position on wilderness.
|
|
10/03/07 |
San Bernadino County Sun article
"Judge
halts cattle plan - A final ruling could increase grazing in turtle
habitat". The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the
Bureau of Land Management over a plan to increase cattle grazing to a
former level on land recognized as critical habitat for the desert
tortoise. "He [Anthony
Chavez, rangeland management specialist with the BLM] noted a
professional opinion sent to the BLM from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service that says an increase in cattle grazing will not jeopardize desert
tortoises or other critical habitat in the area." Click here for
additional information on environmental groups &
grazing issues. |
|
10/03/07 |
On 9/27/07, the US Senate Committee on
Finance held hearings titled "Border Insecurity, Take Three: Open and
Unmonitored". Transcripts of the testimony of Max Baucau (MT),
Charles Grassley (IA), Greg Kutz (Managing Director for Forensic Audits
and Special Investigations, US GAO), Mr. Ronald Colburn (Deputy Chief,
Office of the Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security), and Mr. Ken
Luongo (Executive Director of the Partnership for Global Security) are all
available on the
website. You can also view a
video of the testimony. See the entry below on 9/27/07 for the
GAO report. See the entry on 9/14/07 below for a letter and document
from the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers which state
their concerns about proposed wilderness areas and how the wilderness
designation impacts National Security.
For more information on how wilderness
designations impact National Security, see our "National
Security" page. |
|
10/01/07 |
Letter from
Mark Salopek, Dona Ana County
Rancher and Farmer, and another letter from
Benny Salopek, also a Dona
Ana County Rancher and Farmer. Mark Salopek states "...the
only truth in the issues is the environmental one. The one that this
group (NMWA) is financed to the tune of $630,000 per year in grants and
donations for the sole purpose of creating wilderness, the one that the
founders of NMWA are now the pushers of the Rewilding effort to displace
people for wildlife corridors from Canada to Mexico, and the one that
writes seriously that the human 'virus' has already overrun its natural
carrying capacity on this earth. How can you in all seriousness even
consider this argument and these people?" Benny Salopek writes
"What was once a valid intention [designating wilderness areas] will
become an ever increasing joke as the real long term agenda of this group
who is pushing this is uncovered and displayed. Shame on any
community leader or congressional representative who is being lead through
this maize of events by the likes of Earth First!ers, ALFers and ELFers.
There people are fundamentally against our way of life and we take great
exception to that. ... Take a stand on property rights, take a stand on
the social fabric of what is left of an agricultural industry, and
demonstrate to your constituencies that the separations of power in our
system recognize the individual and his plight." [NOTE: Both
letters are in the same PDF file]
Click
here to for more background information on the groups mentioned in the
above letters. |
|
09/28/07 |
Article from the Grand Junction Daily
Sentinel titled "Welcome
legacy or wild idea? - Wilderness bill would greatly affect county".
The article states "...all vehicles including bicycles would
be barred..." and “It’ll be a sad day if it does (pass),”
Mesa County Commissioner Craig Meis said. Wilderness designation
“comes with major setbacks with regard to multiple use,” he said.
... Such a sweeping wilderness bill, if passed, will have a “devastating”
effect on recreation in western Colorado..."
|
|
09/27/07 |
The GAO (US Government Accountability
Office) release a report today: "Security
Vulnerabilities at Unmanned and Unmonitored U.S. Border Locations".
They state "The possibility that
terrorists and criminals might exploit border vulnerabilities and enter
the United States poses a serious security risk... Congress is
concerned that unmanned and unmonitored areas between these ports of entry
may be vulnerable. ... In unmonitored locations, CBP does not have this
equipment in place and must rely on alert citizens or other information
sources to meet its obligation to protect the border."
In the summary, they indicate for
"Federally managed lands adjacent to border", that
"Investigators approached the U.S.-Mexico border",
and observed
"No visible law enforcement response, no observable electronic monitoring
equipment, investigators observed evidence of
frequent border crossings into the United States at this
location." In their
summary, they state "However, our
limited security assessment identified potential
security vulnerabilities on federally managed lands adjacent to
the U.S.–Mexico border; we did not observe monitoring or a law enforcement
presence during the time our investigators visited these areas. The
Department of the Interior (Interior) provided us with a memorandum of
understanding between itself; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
of which CBP is a component; and the Department of Agriculture (USDA)
documenting the agreed approach to protecting federal lands along U.S.
borders. Although CBP is ultimately responsible for protecting these
areas, officials told us that certain legal,
environmental, and cultural considerations limit options for enforcement.
... Our observations on the southern border showed a significant disparity
between the large law enforcement presence on state lands in one state and
what seemed to be a lack of law enforcement
presence on federally managed lands."
Click
here to learn more about how federal wilderness designation impacts
National Security. |
|
09/27/07 |
Arizona Daily Sun:
"Court upholds libel award to rancher". "The state's high court won't let an
environmental group out of a $600,000 judgment against it for defaming a
southern Arizona rancher. Without comment, the Supreme Court on
Tuesday left intact a jury's conclusion that the Southwest Center for
Biological Diversity libeled James Chilton with comments and photographs
on the group's web site and in a news release. ... The jury award included
$500,000 in punitive damages on the conclusion that there was "actual
malice" on the part of the organization and the staffer who took the
photos."
Click here for more on the
Center for Biological Diversity, and the Chilton lawsuit. |
|
09/25/07 |
Our second audio/visual presentation, "Wilderness...
Understanding the Impacts on Ranching" is now available. The "What
is Wilderness" was also updated to improve audio quality. A few
new photographs were also added in the presentation. |
|
09/24/07 |
Wall Street Journal article "Congress
moves closer to close land to development". "The Democratic-controlled Congress,
stepping up a push that gained little ground when Republicans were in the
majority, is on the verge of walling off as many as three millions more
acres of the nation's wilderness from commercial and recreational
development." |
|
09/20/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article by Kent
Lundgren, Chairman of the National Association of Former Border Patrol
Officers, titled "Wilderness,
Border Patrol and National Security". This article goes into
detail about the impacts of federal wilderness designation on National
Security. Mr. Lundgren states
"Those of us who have for many years been involved in Border Patrol
operations are well aware that any additional wilderness designations
would result in the loss of current authorization for the Department of
Homeland Security to enforce the law in those designated areas." |
|
09/20/07 |
People for Preserving Our Western Heritage
is releasing our first audio/visual presentation titled "What
is Wilderness". |
|
09/18/07 |
Editorial by Linda Rundell, State Director,
US Bureau of Land Management from the Albuquerque Journal titled
"Stop This Invader From Cheating N.M. Environment".
"The BLM, other agencies and universities
are conducting research into control efforts, which will include a variety
of approaches. One is to plow under cheatgrass before it seeds, followed
by reseedings of native grasses. BLM is testing an herbicide called
Plateau, which selectively kills cheatgrass, especially when applied in
the winter." Note: Control
of these invader plant species would in all likelihood not be possible in
areas designated as federal wilderness. |
|
9/17/07 |
The document from the National Association
of Former Border Patrol Officers added on 9/14/07 references an interview
by the El Paso Times in August with Michael McConnell, Director of
National Intelligence. For a summary of that interview,
click here. |
|
09/15/07 |
Arizona Republic article
"US
is sued over 'critical habitat' status of 500 miles of waterways".
The waterways
in question are 500 miles of rivers and streams in Arizona and New Mexico.
"The Pacific Legal
Foundation argues the department illegally moved to name the land a
'critical habitat' for two desert fish... The designation could lead to
flood dangers for landowners..." |
|
09/14/07 |
The National Association
of Former Border Patrol Officers has prepared a document which expresses
their concern about proposed wilderness areas. Current government
employees face many organizational and political pressures which can
heavily influence what they are able to say and put in writing.
Retired employees are not bound by those constraints and are at liberty to
speak freely.
In their
cover letter,
Mr. Kent Lundgren, Chairman, states "The
purpose of this document is to bring attention to the fallacy, and danger,
of efforts underway to further deny Federal Law Enforcement Officers
(Border Patrol Agents), access to areas necessary to defend our southern
borders by granting additional "wilderness area" designations. Our
southern border is today more vulnerable to terrorist activities than at
any other time in our National history. This is not the time to
consider additional designations as 'wilderness'. It may be
appropriate at this time for our Country to repeal some previously
approved wilderness designations to insure the best possible chance for
success in ongoing security activities."
Their
document, titled
"WILDERNESS,
BORDER PATROL, AND NATIONAL SECURITY", contains some very significant
information. In this
document, they state "This effort to create a
wilderness designation for a large portion of our southern border did not
originate from citizens of New Mexico and Arizona. It originated from the
NMWA and Sky Island Alliance. These groups share genesis and past board
membership from the environmental movement, Earth First!. The father of
Earth First!, Dave Foreman., is the founder of NMWA. It was Mr. Foreman
who wrote the book “Ecodefense; A Field Guide to Monkey Wrenching.”
These are the folks who promoted the spiking of trees, the burning of high
end condominiums, the destruction of new cars on parking lots, and the
sinking of whaling ships."
(Note:
NMWA is the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance) They go on to state
"The Tumacacori Highlands of Arizona, and the
Potrillo Mountains and Broad Canyon portion of the New Mexico proposal are
not just idealistic areas where “earth and its community of life are
undisturbed by man”. If they become wilderness, they will be heralded
not only by those who believe wilderness designation should be made at any
cost, but equally by human smugglers, drug runners, and those committed to
the destruction of our country." |
|
09/14/07 |
From the Alamogordo News,
"County
vows to fight for roads" and "Predatory
species to be opposed" |
|
09/14/07 |
Salt Lake Tribune article "BLM
allows claim, hands road to Kane County", centering on Revised Statute
2477.
Farmweek article "Proposed
one-word change worry for landowners". "House
Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar’s (D-Minn.)
proposed Clean Water Restoration Act would alter provisions for current
federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction of U.S. 'navigable' waters to control
over all 'waters of the U.S.'" |
|
09/12/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News
article "Home
builders, conservationists reach wilderness compromise".
"Steve Wilmeth, a Dońa Ana
County rancher, said he's concerned about the home builders decision to
endorse the conservationists' entire proposal, including the Broad Canyon
and Potrillo mountain areas. Ranchers and off-road vehicle users have said
they're worried the wilderness designation — which restricts most
mechanized travel — would keep law enforcement and Border Patrol from
easily accessing the land. 'This is a bigger issue than just ranchers ...
here,' he said. 'When there is a legitimate national security concern,
this is a reckless and irresponsible decision in the long run for our
community.'"
For a map of the proposed area,
click here. |
|
09/12/07 |
We received a document
from the Arizona Game & Fish Department titled "Historical
Perspective of Wildlife Management in Wilderness", which was written
to show the difficulty in managing wildlife in areas that have
special designations, such as wilderness, monuments, etc. The
department states "The Arizona Game and Fish
Department has experienced restrictions resulting from Special Land
Designations including project delays, increased costs, increased
man-hours, etc. This ultimately leads to decreased efficiency in
protecting and managing Arizona's wildlife resources. ... From a project
planning standpoint, it is extremely difficult to second-guess a
particular reaction to implementing a study, developing or maintaining a
wildlife project or requesting permission for emergency access to a
Wilderness area." |
|
09/11/07 |
Glenda Price wrote a research paper which was
presented at the
National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration in Lubbock, Texas on September
7. She was kind enough to allow us to reprint her compelling paper
on our website. The title is "What
- Exactly - is Wilderness?". |
|
09/08/07 |
The
Taking
Liberty website has several excellent multimedia presentations
that are very helpful in understanding the environmental movement. Their
"Introduction", "Environmental
Master Plan", "Where
America is Headed", "Why
Property Rights Matter" and "Region
by Region" links provide some very enlightening information on
the environmental trends occurring today. |
|
09/07/07 |
AZ Republic article "Group
seeks to overturn jury verdict" and AZ Star Daily article
"Environmental group appeals $600K jury verdict" are both about the
Chilton Ranch lawsuit. Arizona rancher
Jim Chilton, and Chilton Ranch & Cattle
filed suit against the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) for false
statements in their News Advisory, inaccurate descriptions of the Montana
Allotment, and misleading photographs. The jury awarded judgment in favor of Mr. Chilton and
Chilton Ranch, $100,000 in actual damages and $500,000 in punitive
damages. The CBD appealed and lost. The opinion fully upheld
not only the monetary award, but also the arguments that were presented by
the Chilton Ranch and Jim Chilton. From the AZ Republic article:
"But the organization has an uphill
fight: The verdict - and the size of the award - was not only upheld by a
trial judge, but the state Court of Appeals refused to set aside the
award.". Todd Schulke, a
founder and staff member of the Center for Biological
Diversity, is on the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Wilderness
Alliance. |
|
09/07/07 |
ABC News Article "More
Utah cattle shot with arrows":
"Just last week, six cattle near Clyde Creek outside Heber suffered the
same fate. Questions are still left unanswered. Who would do this? And
why? Crandall says, “I don't know if it's a random act of violence or if
they have an issue with livestock up there.” |
|
09/06/07 |
On August 16, 2007, the Village of Hatch
unanimously voted to rescind Resolution No. 669,
which supported the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA) proposals for
federal wilderness and NCA designations in Dona Ana County. |
|
09/04/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article "No
'critical habitat' for jaguar". The Center for
Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against the Interior Department
and Fish & Wildlife Service.
"According to a finding released on July 12, 2006, USFWS based its
decision to not designate critical habitat on 'the fact that U.S. habitat
is not essential to the conservation of the species.' The finding
further stated, quoting Benjamin Tuggle, acting director of the USFWS'
Southwest Region, 'Based on a thorough review of all available data, the
Service has determined there are no physical and biological features in
the United States that meet the definition of critical habitat as defined
under the Act.'" Todd Schulke is on the Board of Directors
for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, and is a founder and staff member
of the Center for Biological
Diversity. |
|
08/31/07 |
Denver Post article by former Colorado state
Senator Mark Hillman titled "Property
rights become privledges". Mr. Hillman states
"When a mere majority, which has no investment
of time or labor nor any legitimate stake in your property, can seize it
for their own purposes or regulate it into financial ruin, property
ownership has become a privilege, not a right.". |
|
08/31/07 |
Arizona Daily Sun article "Northern
Arizona (and New Mexico) could be home to jaguars".
"The
Center for Biological Diversity sued the Interior Department and Fish and
Wildlife Service earlier this month, asking the group to designate up to
62 million acres of habitat in Arizona and New Mexico and to take other
actions to restore the species a decade after the cat was first listed as
endangered. The Interior Department has repeatedly declined to
designate this habitat, saying it isn't prudent." |
|
08/31/07 |
Letter from
Jon Fugate, member of the Arizona Sportsmen for
Wildlife, to the chairman of the Arizona Game & Fish Commission expressing
concerns about the proposed Tumacacori Wilderness. Mr. Fugate states
"We firmly believe the Commission
only needs a few questions answered. Number One, Will Wilderness
designation adversely impact Wildlife Management? Number Two, Will
Wilderness designation adversely impact public uses that are currently
allowed by the United States Forest Service? And Number Three, will
Wilderness designation adversely impact the authority and mobility of the
United States Border Patrol (USBP)? Our organization has been
heavily involved with these three specific issues for over two decades. I
can assure the Commission, you can not write appropriate Wilderness
Legislation that will stand litigation pressures to assure the Department,
the Public and the USBP are not adversely impacted. Worse than that,
monies spent to defend Congressional Intent would be more appropriately
directed towards doing great things for wildlife and or protecting our
Border from illegal entry of people and drugs.". |
|
08/31/07 |
New information on the added on the
Grazing Issues and "References
& Resources" pages. |
|
08/30/07 |
Arizona Daily Star article
"Let's
not make areas too restricted" by Southern Arizona Sportsmen's
Alliance member Larry Audsley. Mr.
Audsley states "Only careless
thinking or lack of familiarity with existing Forest Service policies
could allow anyone to believe a wilderness designation is really about
preventing urban sprawl, all-terrain vehicle abuse, power lines,
development of National Forest lands or proliferation of forest roads.
These issues can be better addressed through other means that would yield
fewer unintended consequences.". |
|
08/28/07 |
Article in the Seattle Times: "Endangered-species
suit planned" - "The Center for
Biological Diversity said its formal notice of intent to sue the Interior
Department is the starting point for the largest legal action in the
history of the 34-year-old Endangered Species Act."
Note: According to their website,
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance Board of Directors member Todd Schulke is
the founder and a staff member of the Center for Biological Diversity. |
|
08/27/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News editorial by Jodi
Denning "Wilderness
- Gain or Loss?" |
|
08/23/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News
article "Domenici:
no hurry on wilderness",
"Domenici said he has backed the creation of other wilderness in the
state, but said there must be local support for him to decide to do so in
Dońa Ana County.",
"U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said during
a visit to Las Cruces last week his office is analyzing support for the
wilderness designation. He said he'll only pursue a wilderness plan if
there's enough consensus among stakeholders.",
"U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who
held two listening sessions on the issue this month, has said he has
concerns about how the wilderness designation would impact private
property rights and border security.".
Albuquerque Journal editorial by Steve
Wilmeth & Tom Cooper - "Dona
Ana Wilderness Plan Has Grown Out of Control"
Deming Headlight editorial by Steve Wilmeth - "Wilderness
designation too restrictive" |
|
08/22/07 |
Letter from
Village of Hatch Trustees Dave Sment and Lloyd Burns. Last week, the
Village of Hatch has unanimously rescinded their support for the proposed
wilderness. In this letter, the trustees state
"The issue of importance today is the emerging
awareness of who is behind this effort.",
in reference to Mr. Dave Foreman, founder of the environmental group
Earth
First, and one of the founders of the New Mexico
Wilderness Alliance. The 2005 IRS Form 990
for NMWA listed Mr. Foreman on the
Board of Directors. The
2006 Form 990 is not yet available. Mr. Foreman was a
featured speaker at the 2006 New Mexico Wilderness Conference, sponsored
by NMWA, on Nov. 11, 2006 in Santa Fe, and an article by Mr. Foreman was
published in the
Spring 2007 NMWA newsletter. He also co-founded the
Wildlands Project, and is also involved in
The
Rewilding Institude, along with NMWA Board Member Dave Parsons, NMWA
Executive Director Steve Capra, and NMWA Board Member Robert Howard
(Former Wildlands Proejct Board President). For more information on Dave Foreman, see
Wikipedia, or view the sites on a
Google search.
Note: The blogsite referenced in this letter has been discontinued,
but Mr. Scarantino graciously gave us permission to
reproduce his writings about the
wilderness proposals in Dona Ana County on this website. |
|
08/21/07 |
Statement made by
Jodi Denning
at the Anthony listening session held by Congressman Pearce, 8/15. |
|
08/17/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article "Sen.:
'Wilderness'
up in the air", indicating there is not the support Senator
Bingaman would like to see to proceed.
Las Cruces Bulletin article "Pearce
admits reservations about wilderness"
Letter from Steve Brown, President of the
Bank of the Rio Grande in Las Cruces. Mr. Brown states "Based
on the likely reduction and/or elimination of grazing within proposed
wilderness areas I am very concerned that designating areas in Dona Ana
County as wilderness would have serious repercussions to local ranchers
and potentially banks that have relied on the ranches as collateral. ...
During the recent stakeholder meetings there was little time spent on the
identification and disposal process of federal lands. This issue
could have a more profound affect on real estate values within the county
than the wilderness aspect and is worthy of separate discussion and should
not be tied to any wilderness legislation."
New information on the "Law
Enforcement" page. The US Department of State website contains
Information on the impacts of illegal immigration on federally owned
lands. They provide a report titled "Impacts
Caused by Undocumented Aliens Crossing Federal Lands in Southeast Arizona",
along with other
press releases on this issue. |
|
08/16/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article "Panelists
offer mixed views on wilderness", "Homeland
Security chief visits New Mexico, Texas", and "Congressman
holds wilderness forum"
Letter from Bishop Ricardo
Ramirez, Diocese of Las Cruces. |
|
08/15/07 |
There are always things of interest on
THE
WESTERNER blog, but there are some especially interesting and relevant
articles today (8/15/07) |
|
08/14/07 |
New
collection of articles on
law enforcement and border patrol issues |
|
08/10/07 |
Las Cruces
Bulletin article on the
Pearce Wilderness hearing.
Guest Column by Oscar
Butler
Editorial by Dale &
Sara Hopkins
Editorial by Rev.
David G. Humphrey
Letter from
John Chappell, former NMSU Extension
Agent |
|
08/09/07 |
Statement from
Mark Cox, local rancher, for the
Hearing held August 7 with Congressman Steve Pearce in Las Cruces.
Letter from
Larry Hooper, well service business owner and rancher. |
|
08/07/07 |
Letter from
Jim Summers
Las Cruces Sun News article "Panel
mulls over wild land election". |
|
08/04/07 |
John Berlau authored a publication titled "Eco-Terrorism:
When Violence Becomes an Environmentalist Tactic", which contains an
eye-opening overview of this trend in the environmental community.
|
|
08/03/07 |
Letter from
Max Pruitt and Dale Hopkins,
Dona Ana County ranchers. |
|
08/02/07 |
"Congressman plans Monday "Listening
Session" on environment" from the Las Cruces Sun News. For
details, see
Congressman Pearce's Website. |
|
08/02/07 |
Article by Jim Beers titled "Wolf
Ideology & Kenton Carnegie" about Kenton Carnegie, a 22-year-old
college student from Ontario who was killed by wolves in Canada in
November of 2005. In his conclusion, he states
"None of us should allow government to misuse
the important authority WE GIVE THEM to order society. The hidden agendas
driving these environmental and animal rights campaigns must be exposed
and discussed openly.". |
|
08/02/07 |
Article "Spawning
fish block William O. Douglas Wilderness access road" from the Las
Cruces Sun News. |
|
07/30/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article -
U.S.
BLM Director visits southern NM
Las Cruces Sun News editorial by Steve
Wilmeth -
History gives ranchers reason to oppose wilderness.
Great Falls Tribune article -
BLM monument planning process worries environmentalists.
"Additionally, some conservationists say
grazing is a problem in the new national monuments."; "The
Cascade-Siskiyou proclamation orders the Interior Department to study
livestock grazing impacts and retire the monument's grazing allotments if
grazing is found to be harming the area's biological assets."; "A common
problem in the draft plans is that they would allow too many roads — many
of which are just dirt tracks across the landscape — to remain open to
vehicle use, said Nada Culver, senior counsel for The Wilderness Society." |
|
07/29/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article by
Michael
Swickard on the link between wolves and wilderness issues.
Catron County hit with
frivolous lawsuit. Forest Guardians, an environmental group, is
claiming injury due to Catron County ordinance. |
|
07/27/07 |
Las Cruces Bulletin editorial by
Tom Mobley. |
|
07/26/07 |
Letters from Bruce McAbee, President and CEO
of Farm Credit of New Mexico, to
Senator Domenici,
Senator Bingaman,
Congressman Pearce,
Representative Udall and
Representative Wilson. |
|
07/25/07 |
View a
short video clip
of an impromptu interview by Erik Ness, New Mexico Farm Bureau and Jodi
Denning, People for Preserving Our Western Heritage.
Letter from
Charles Dickerson, owner of Dickerson's Barn. |
|
07/23/07 |
Letter from
Bobby Rankin, Ph.D. Dr. Rankin retired after 39 years at NMSU,
serving as
head of NMSU Animal and Range Sciences department for 15 years. Some selected
quotes from Dr. Rankin's letter include:
"I have heard or read about most of the reasons on both sides of the
wilderness issue, and in my opinion, a wilderness designation of the areas
in question would be a big mistake. It would not even serve the desires of
the pro-wilderness group, and it would be a disaster for the ranches
involved." ...
"I love the wildernesses we already have and
believe that the proposed areas in Dona Ana County do not qualify for
wilderness designation and would make a mockery of the Wilderness
Act. These areas have already been studied for years for potential
wilderness designation, but none meet the criteria outlined in the
Wilderness Act." ... "It appears that many who advocate for a Dona Ana
County Wilderness don’t understand that the restrictions regarding use of
wilderness would keep most people out of it." and "I speak as a
concerned citizen who is well acquainted with environmental issues and the
stewardship of our rangeland being provided by our ranchers. I don’t want
to see the criteria for “Wilderness” changed, just because poorly informed
citizens see an opportunity to use such designation to accomplish some of
their desires. The proposed areas should be considered separately and
protected by the most appropriate means available for each site.". |
|
07/23/07 |
Letter from rancher
Frank Holguin. Mr. Holguin has
a family heritage in ranching in this area that dates back many
generations, and owns an allotment in the Robledos. He states "...my family and I are very aware of what
happens when an area is designated Wilderness, regardless of what is being
said. Ranchers are not permitted to make new livestock grazing
improvements such as the construction of new fences and watering tanks,
and are also restricted as to when and how current improvements are
maintained. ... We have no hope at all in getting this done in a
Wilderness creation." and "... we are also concerned the general
public is not well educated of the significance to their personal life
when an area is designed wilderness. People embrace the idea of
preservation, but fail to understand how Wilderness will really impact
their personal access to and use of the area. The real story is
being framed in a method that is patronizing and misleading." |
|
07/23/07 |
Southwest Center for Resource Analysis' "Ecomonic
and Social Importance of Cattle Ranching in Southwest New Mexico".
This is a summary of the findings in the WMNU report. |
|
07/22/07 |
Read posts which provide very informative
and important background and perspective on the
environmental groups and individuals involved in the proposed Dona Ana
County wilderness areas. |
|
07/22/07 |
Valle Vidal
news release and
legislation. |
|
07/21/07 |
People For Preserving Our Western Heritage
Statement on Behalf of Members in
response to wilderness and NCA proposals. |
|
07/20/07 |
Todd Dickson wrote an article in the
Las Cruces Bulletin in
the July 20, 2007 issue titled "Wilderness preservation debate
heightens". Read Part 1
and Part 2. |
|
07/19/07 |
Statement by
Tom Mobley for the Press
Conference held at the Farm Bureau on 07/18/07. |
|
07/19/07 |
Statement by
Tom Cooper for the Press
Conference held at the Farm Bureau on 07/18/07. |
|
07/19/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News Article -
Ranchers, wilderness
advocates lock horns |
|
07/18/07 |
Letter from
Bill Rice, retired Deputy Chief of both the United States Forest
Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Bill served the
USDA for over 32 years in a succession of capacities. Twenty of those
years were spent in Washington, D.C. including three years on the staff of
the Secretary of Agriculture. Bill states "Each designation is a new Act of Congress
and each has specific requirements that have made the administration and
management of that area extremely difficult. There is such an absence of
consistency that Forest Service policy (and BLM and Park Service as well)
is essentially rewritten for that particular designation.". He also
states "The Dona Ana situation is really very complex. There is
already a retirement of several thousand sections of land for government
use, and there is a very real issue of national security along the Mexican
border. As a now retired, private citizen who has roots in that area for
nearly 125 years, I, too, would love to see the Organs preserved along
with the open space that makes southwestern New Mexico special. The
wilderness creation, however, is a divisive designation that has a better
alternative for those on both sides of the equation that must both
administer and live with the results.". |
|
07/18/07 |
Letter from
Dusty Hunt, Grant County rancher. Dusty states "We believe that what is happening in Dona
Ana County will eventually affect all of us on public lands where the New
Mexico Wilderness Alliance has inventoried wilderness candidates. We ask
that you review this issue very carefully. Our livelihood and future are
affected by your actions."
|
|
07/18/07 |
Letter from Pat
Hunt, Grant County rancher. Pat states "We are proud to be Southwest New Mexico
ranchers and we worry about what is going on in your county with this
effort to create wilderness.".
|
|
07/18/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News Article -
Wilderness proposal
worries ranchers |
|
07/17/07 |
Letter from
Bob Alexander, Certified
Professional in Rangeland Management and retired BLM Rangeland Management
Specialist, to Representative Pearce. Senator Domenici and Senator
Bingaman. He states "It
is now recognized by rangeland ecological science that rangelands often go
through thresholds and they will not return to the historic vegetation
conditions without significant physical management actions."
and "Keeping
areas that do not have the historic vegetation out of designated
Wilderness and Wilderness Study Area status is necessary because it is
likely that applying the required herbicides and mechanical practices will
not be allowed in areas designated as Wilderness or Wilderness Study
Areas. Thus, the areas that are not in the historic vegetation condition
would be doomed to remain without historic vegetation if put under
Wilderness or Wildemess Study Area designation". |
|
07/17/07 |
07/16/07 article from the Washington Times -
Cartels grow pot on 'national treasures'. " 'Our national treasures are now ground
zero for international and domestic drug cultivation and trafficking,"
said drug czar John P. Walters."
"America's public lands are under
attack,' Mr. Walters said." " 'Instead of being appreciated as
national treasures, they are being exploited and destroyed by foreign
drug-trafficking organizations and heavily armed Mexican marijuana
cartels.' " |
|
07/14/07 |
We have updated our "Rancher's
Concerns" with new information. A new Q&A section was also added
on the same page, outlining how public officials acted in support of
wilderness and NCA proposals in Dona Ana County without input from the
public and ranchers. |
|
07/12/07 |
Read
The Rancher's Perspective, which provides an clear presentation of the
issues related to wilderness and ranching. |
|
07/12/07 |
Letter from
Steve Wilmeth, Dona
Ana County rancher, to Representative Pearce, and a
separate letter to
Senator Domenici. |
|
07/11/07 |
Marvin Tessneer wrote an article in the
Las Cruces Bulletin in
the June 29, 2007 issue titled "Ranching group
wary of wilderness plans". |
|
07/11/07 |
Transcript of a
presentation by Tom Mobley
to the Dona Ana County Commission made on 07/10/07. This statement
outlines the reasons why the county's endorsement of wilderness is
premature at this time. |
|
07/11/07 |
For an interesting perspective on the Dona
Ana County wilderness proposals, visit Jim Scarantino's blog at
http://www.nmwilderness.blogspot.com/ Mr. Scarantino
provides some very interesting background on the New Mexico Wilderness
Alliance. (7/24/07 - note, Mr. Scarantino has discontinued his
blog site, but gave us permission to reproduce the relevant writings
here on our website) |
|
07/09/07 |
Letter from Steve Jones,
outfitter, expressing concerns about the proposed Wilderness. Note: The
original, signed copy of this letter was sent directly to Congressman
Pearce. Mr. Jones provided an electronic copy for our website. |
|
07/07/07 |
Letter from Gary
Schlothauer, expressing concerns about the proposed Wilderness. |
|
07/07/07 |
Letter from David Wortham,
owner of Caliche's frozen custard stores, expressing concerns about the
proposed Wilderness. |
|
07/07/07 |
Letter from Dan Lowry, expressing
concerns about the proposed Wilderness. |
|
07/07/07 |
Letter from Smokey Blanton,
expressing concerns about the proposed Wilderness. |
|
06/27/07 |
Letter from Richard Hays, retired
Chief of Air Operations for the Border Patrol, describing the threats on
the Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies. |
|
06/27/07 |
Letter from Sheriff Todd
Garrison and Undersheriff Chuck Franco expressing their concerns about the
negative impacts of any wilderness designations on law enforcement and
homeland security. |
|
06/27/07 |
Letter from the Dona Ana County
Sheriff's Posse stating their concerns about the reduced access for law
abiding citizens and law enforcement to the proposed wilderness areas and
the opportunities it will create for drug runners and coyotes and the
negative impact it will have on search and rescue operations. |
|
06/27/07 |
Letter from Jim Hill, former ranch owner
and current owner of Hill Equipment, stating his concerns about access to
the proposed wilderness areas as well as the negative economic impacts. |
|
06/27/07 |
Letter from Antonio Trujillo
Ortega, owner of Mesilla Valley Feeds, stating his concerns about the
impacts of the proposed wilderness designations. |
|
06/12/07 |
Letter from Gary Esslinger on behalf of the
Board of Directors of the Elephant Butte Irrigation District to Karen
Perez, identifying unresolved issues related to water management in Dona
Ana County. |
|
05/15/07 |
Article written by David Bowser
titled
Federals’
Ownership Of “Public”
Land Is Not Necessarily Total from the April 26, 2007 issue of
Livestock Weekly. |
|
05/02/07 |
Letter from Gary Esslinger on behalf of the
Board of Directors of the Elephant Butte Irrigation District. This
letter expresses serious concerns about the proposed wilderness
designations of lands which will be needed to provide flood control and
reliable capture of runoff water. In his conclusion, Mr. Esslinger
states "We urge everyone else to take into consideration the dynamics
of protecting future watershed resources without imposing such
restrictions in these designated wilderness areas that the water resources
cannot be used appropriately." |
|
04/18/07 |
Letter John Bigbee. John is a
rancher, served in the New Mexico House of Representatives, and worked in
the State Land office. |
|
04/15/07 |
Letter (via email) from Al Porter,
Executive Vice President of Farm Credit of New Mexico. |
|
04/11/07 |
Letter by the New Mexico
Cattlegrowers Association on Proposed
Wilderness Designations in Dona Ana County. |
|
04/11/07 |
Letter by Charles Glover on Proposed
Wilderness Designations in Dona Ana County. |
|
04/03/07 |
Letter by Greg Carrasco on Proposed
Wilderness Designations in Dona Ana County. |
|
04/03/07 |
Letter by Terry & Jodi
Denning on Proposed Wilderness Designations in Dona Ana County. |
|
03/22/07 |
The Gila Livestock Growers Association put
together a very informative and helpful
workbook on stockwater rights.
This was written for the Gila area, but the majority of the information is
applicable throughout the state. |
|
03/06/07 |
Tom Mobley sent the article "Forest Service
Won't Appeal Dam Decision" to Las Cruces Mayor Bill Mattiace, along with
relevant comments. |
|
03/06/07 |
Article from The Union Democrat -
Forest Service Won't Appeal Dam Decision - after Wilderness Watch
lawsuits, dams can no longer be maintained in the Emigrant Wilderness and
will be allowed to deteriorate. |
|
03/01/07 |
Thursday, March 8 - Seminar sponsored by the
Paragon Foundation on Property Rights
on Western Federal Lands Ranches. |
|
02/13/07 |
Back Country Horsemen of America articles "A
Position Statement On:
"Stock Free" Wilderness Recreation Opportunities" and
"A
STRATEGY FOR ADDRESSING THE “STOCK FREE” ISSUE". Both articles
discuss restrictions being placed on existing Wilderness lands to
eliminate horses and other stock use. |
|
02/13/07 |
Letter to the Editor by Phillip VanVeen
expressing concerns about limited access on areas with Wilderness
designation. |
|
01/23/07 |
Domenici
press
release on Dona Ana County land use plan |
|
01/23/07 |
Albuquerque Journal article "Group
can't agree on Dona Ana wilderness" |
|
01/23/07 |
Las Cruces Sun News article "Wilderness
plan lacks agreement" |
|
01/22/07 |
New links (on the
Other Sites page) to the U.S. Senate Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources,
the Energy and Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, the U.S. Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works and the new Environment and Public
Works
Blog |
|
01/20/07 |
Statement from
Dudley Williams, rancher, for the designation and use of the West
Portrillo Mountains area. |
|
01/20/07 |
Article in the January 2007 issue of
the New Mexico Stockman magazine: "Wilderness
lockup resolutions cause furor in Dona Ana County" by Glenda
Price. This is the publication of the
New Mexico Cattle Growers'
Association. |
|
01/20/07 |
Article in the Winter 2007 edition of
RANGE magazine: "Fatal
Encounter - When wild wolves become used to humans, bad things
inevitably happen" This article by Laura Schneberger is
about wolves attacking and killing 22-year-old Kenton Carnegie. |
|
01/14/07 |
Added new section "There
Are Alternatives", describing how we can protect our resources,
protect private property rights and preserve public access. |
|
01/11/07 |
The
Mountain States Legal Foundation has written a very informative
document containing comments to the Colorado Roadless Areas Review
Task Force. This document outlines some very important
information and gives substantial background information. In
their comments section, they have a section titled "By definition,
new wilderness may not be created" which is quite helpful to read
and understand. |
|
01/10/07 |
Added Todd Dickson's articles from the
Las Cruces Bulletin |
|
12/29/06 |
Added US
Bill of Rights, NM State Constitution Bill of Rights, NM Statutes
for Counties and Municipalities and the NM Oath of Office |
|
12/22/06 |
Link to articles and special reports
from RANGE
magazine |
|
12/14/06 |
Outline of
Frank DuBois' comments to 12/12/06 Regional Land Management
Planning Committee Meeting |
|
12/14/06 |
Letter
(email) from Tom Mobley to Nathan Small regarding an editorial
published in the Las Cruces Sun News |
|
12/13/06 |
Article by Angus McIntosh titled
"The Grazing Allotment, Privledge
or Right" |
|
12/13/06 |
Article by Fred Kelly Grant titled
"New Grazing Regulations, A Step
Forward" |
|
12/08/06 |
Added article by Wayne Hage titled
"What, Exactly, Are Public Lands" |
|
12/02/06 |
A new section for
Reference Material was
added. We will be expanding this area over the next few weeks,
but the initial offering includes Grazing Issues, Wilderness
Management Issues and Trail Closures & Removals. |
|
12/02/06 |
Letter
from Rebecca Campbell, Gila Hot Springs Ranch outfitter outlining
wilderness impacts to her family owned and operated business |
|
11/30/06 |
Statement from the Rancher Stakeholder Group
to the City Workgroup Meeting by Tom Mobley |
|
11/26/06 |
Las Cruces Sun-News Guest Editorial
on Wilderness issues by Tom Mobley |
|
11/22/06 |
Does Our
Ranch Meet Wilderness Criteria? by Tom Cooper |
|
10/31/06 |
Statement by
rancher Mark Cox |
|
10/30/06 |
Preliminary
position statement submitted to the City of Las Cruces by Tom Mobley |
|
10/27/06 |
Comments by rancher Tom Cooper
on regional land management issues, Wilderness and public lands |