Formerly "RangeBiome's Headlines", RangeTree County is the cyberspace equivalent of a "clipping service" providing a  periodic sample of news believed to be of interest to RangeBiome's audience.

February 20, 2005

• NCBA Remains Firm in Opposition to Grazing Permit Buyouts

• Interior report slams grazing deal

  • Judicial Nominee Criticized: Actions at Interior Dept. Questioned by Inspector General

  • Bush Judicial Nominee Involved in Controversial Grazing Deal

  • Freshman Dem senator's independent streak gets new test

  • Myers' position on public lands grazing, 2002 debate (RealVideo, 29 minutes, 48mb download)

    • Audio transcript of 2002 public lands grazing debate (RealAudio, 85 minutes, 7mb download)

• Grazing gets OK: Study says cattle on state land within refuge is acceptable

• Rangeland grazing fee committee meets Feb. 25 (OR)

• Panel plans for sage grouse future

  • BLM plan calls for more drilling

• Panel OKs fortifying Utah's land-use plan

• Forest Service grapples with Valle Vidal future

• Citizens hear overview of resource plan (Cascade-Siskiyou NM)

• Kansas Parks Trust takes over Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

• 2 million acres of New Mexico grasslands latest battleground over drilling

• Welcome back the wolves

• Prairie dogs focus of grass shortage dilemma: Ranchers, environmentalists, federal government at odds

• Federal officials say ... Habitat designation will have little effect (southwestern willow flycatcher)

• Controversy over cattle guard illustrates a growing problem

• Fight of the Condors

• Investigators say Agriculture Department allowed imports of questionable meat

  • Utah House approves sealing records on livestock and disease

    • Legislation in 2 states would let sick farms stay secret

  • Prosecution claims tonnes mad cow tainted meat eaten in Turkey

  • States fight to ban Canadian cattle

  • Canada, U.S. Urged to Test All Older Cattle for BSE

• Conditions easing in Fremont County, but drought not over yet (WY)

  • U.S. Drought Monitor (current map)

  • U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (current map)

  • Drought in the Interior West (multi-year chart)

• Do cows and tennis balls stoke global warming?

• Three Wilderness Bills Clear Senate Committee

• Can America's wild horses survive another four years of Bush?

• State suit says developer bladed protected plants, ancient ruins (AZ)

• Should Americans protect the 'Frankenfish?' Western county commissioners challenge the use of Endangered Species Act (Editorial Note: Their strategy is to attempt to intentionally misuse ESA in an attempt to kill it.)

  • Western officials seek species protection for Asian fish

• Forest Service Becoming Rogue Agency: Forty-Four Recent Court Rulings Find Environmental Lawbreaking

  • See the Forest Service summary of environmental cases it lost in FY 2003 and 2004 (PDF)

  • Forest Service Whistle Blowers

• Fish, wildlife scientists complain of interference

• European rights court condemns Britain in 'McLibel' case (Editorial Note: The euro is overtaking the dollar as the world's most desirable "reserve currency", and now it appears that maybe the EU is beginning to provide better protection of freedom of speech than the good old U. S. of A. Are we losing our position as "leader of the free world"?)