May 16, 2008

Arizona: Off roaders booted from Arizona monument due to abuses

Filed under: Outdoors — Mike @ 1:16 am

PEER was kind enough to send me this email the other day, so here you go:

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Under orders to be published this week in the Federal Register, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages the monument, will declare nearly 55,000 acres (approximately four times the land area of Manhattan) off-limits to all ORV traffic for “up to two years or more, depending on the restoration success,” according to the acting monument manager. An estimated 90 miles of ORV routes will also be closed to motorized use. This no-ORV zone lies southeast of the North Maricopa Mountains wilderness.

Bush to weaken air pollution laws for national parks, national forests

Filed under: Outdoors — Mike @ 1:15 am

The original title says “eased”, but that is “wise use” speak, giving the false impression the rules were too tough and we needed relief.

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The Bush administration is on the verge of implementing new air quality rules that will make it easier to build power plants near national parks and wilderness areas, according to rank-and-file agency scientists and park managers who oppose the plan.

Wyoming: Wolf illegaly shot

Filed under: Outdoors — Mike @ 1:13 am

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Wyoming Chief Game Warden Jay Lawson says the state agency takes its wolf management responsibility seriously and is offering a $3,000 reward for information about the illegal killing.

Michigan: Wilderness Act introduced for Beaver Basin

Filed under: Outdoors — Mike @ 1:11 am

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MUNISING — U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow introduced the Beaver Basin Wilderness Act Wednesday, which would permanently designate 11,739 acres as wilderness at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Montana: Workers prepare for summer cleanup

Filed under: Outdoors — Mike @ 1:09 am

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It’s not a glamorous job - and one that’s gotten tougher under the Forest Service’s budget constraints - but it’s essential for creating a wholesome atmosphere for the millions of Americans who pitch a tent or toast a marshmallow in their national forests, agency officials said.

California: Federal court upends plan to boost Sierra logging

Filed under: Outdoors — Mike @ 1:08 am

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Environmental groups heaped praise on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opinion shortly after it was announced, saying it’s a step toward the environmentally friendly forest policies proposed years ago by the Clinton Administration.

USFS lacks preservation funds

Filed under: Outdoors — Mike @ 1:07 am

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