Southwest News
Utah House panel sends wolf-bill along to the full House [
Tue Feb 09 15:08:00 EST 2010]
Legislation that asks that gray wolves in Utah be taken off the federal endangered species list and allow the state to manage the species has already passed in the state Senate, and a House committee voted Monday to move the bill to a vote of the full House.
Salt Lake Tribune
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Roadside signs in Wyoming park don't protect wildlife [
Tue Feb 09 15:08:00 EST 2010]
Four years ago, Grand Teton National Park made a pact with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation to address wildlife-vehicle collisions with the placement of message boards that flash warnings to motorists, but the effort appears to have made little impact, with an average of 38 elk, seven moose, 10 bison, two bears, a wolf and 33 deer dying every year on the park's roadways.
Billings Gazette (AP)
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EPA needs to stop tinkering with air-pollution standards [
Tue Feb 09 15:08:00 EST 2010]
Utah has made great strides in addressing what pumps pollution into its skies, but the federal Environmental Protection Agency's decision to include "natural and exceptional" events--such as dust storms and wildfires--puts attainment out of Utah's hands, and the federal agency needs to cut the Mountain West states some slack on air pollution standards.
Deseret News
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New endangered pronghorn site eyed in Yuma County [Tue Feb 09 14:55:00 EST 2010]
A handful of endangered Sonoran pronghorns could be moved to theKofa National Wildlife Refuge in Yuma County next winter under anew federal recovery plan.
Coroner identifies woman, 21, killed in I-215 crash [Tue Feb 09 14:55:00 EST 2010]
The Clark County Coroner's Office has identified one of two drivers killed in a collision Saturday on Interstate 215 in Henderson as 21-year-old Abigail Gallegos of Las Vegas. The coroner's office said Gallegos died of multiple traumatic injuries as a result of the crash.
Avondale police: Robbers tie up truck driver, empty trailer [Tue Feb 09 13:46:13 EST 2010]
Gunman approached driver at truck stop south of 99th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
Application Deadline is Today [
Tue Feb 09 13:11:45 EST 2010]
Hunters are reminded that the application deadline for the elk and pronghorn antelope draw is 7 p.m. (MST) this Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Remember, applications must be received by the department by that time; postmarks don?t count. If you haven?t yet submitted your application, it is recommended you hand deliver it to one of the seven Game and Fish offices across the state.
There is no online application service available.
What you need to know about phosphine [Mon Feb 08 22:04:18 EST 2010]
What is phosphine? Phosphine is a colorless gas with a fishy or garlicky odor released when aluminum phosphide pellets, which are used as a pesticide, come into contact with moisture.
Frontier history comes alive at national muzzle loader shoot [Mon Feb 08 19:25:56 EST 2010]
Woman's body found on Fort Huachuca [Mon Feb 08 13:35:00 EST 2010]
An Army soldier hiking in a wilderness area on Fort Huachucadiscovered a woman's body Saturday afternoon.
The Shot Heard Round the West [
Fri Feb 05 03:55:27 EST 2010]
Twenty years after the SouthWest Organizing Project accused conservation groups of ignoring environmental justice, diversity in the movement remains elusive.
Still evolving 40 years later [
Fri Feb 05 03:55:25 EST 2010]
High Country News continues to evolve along with the conservation movement itself, especially in the thorny area of environmental justice.
The Group of 10 respond [
Fri Feb 05 03:50:17 EST 2010]
Two decades after the SWOP letter, the big environmental groups report their progress on the issue of environmental justice.
Heritage Fund webcast now available for on-demand viewing [Thu Feb 04 13:12:54 EST 2010]
Learn what the loss of the Heritage Fund would mean to Arizona and you [
Mon Feb 01 19:24:14 EST 2010]
The Arizona Game and Fish Department will host a public presentation and live webcast tomorrow evening (Tuesday, Feb. 2) to discuss the potential ramifications to Arizona from a proposed elimination of the Heritage Fund.
Disappearing Ducks? North America's Prairie Potholes Vulnerable to Warming Climates [
Mon Feb 01 09:30:00 EST 2010]
The loss of wetlands in the prairie pothole region of central North America due to a warmer and drier climate will negatively affect millions of waterfowl that depend on the region for food, shelter and raising young, according to research published today in the journal BioScience.
The new research shows that the region appears to be much more sensitive to climate warming and drying than previously thought.
“The impact to the millions of wetlands that attract countless ducks to these breeding grounds in spring makes it difficult to imagine how to maintain today’s level of waterfowl populations in altered climate conditions,” said Dr. Glenn Guntenspergen, a U.S. Geological Survey researcher and one of the report authors. “Parents may not have time to raise their young to where they can fly because of wetlands drying up too quickly in the warming climate of the future,” he added.
A new wetland model developed by the authors to understand the impacts of climate change on wetlands in the prairie pothole region projected major reductions in water volume, shortening of the time water remains in wetlands and changes to wetland vegetation dynamics in this 800,000-square kilometer region in the United States (North and South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and Iowa) and Canada.
Many wetland species -- such as waterfowl and amphibians -- require a minimum time in water to complete their life cycles. For example, most dabbling ducks -- such as mallards and teal-- require at least 80 to 110 days of surface water for their young to grow to where they can fly and for breeding adults to complete molting, the time when birds are flightless while growing new feathers. In addition, an abundance of wetlands are needed because breeding waterfowl typically isolate themselves from others of the same species.
“Unfortunately, the model simulations show that under forecasted climate-change scenarios for this region (an increase of 4-degrees Celsius), the western prairie potholes will be too dry and the eastern ones will have too few functional wetlands and nesting habitat to support historical levels of waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species,” said Dr. W. Carter Johnson, another study author and a researcher at South Dakota State University.
The authors noted that their model allowed a more comprehensive analysis of climate change impacts across the northern prairies because it simultaneously examined the hydrology and vegetation dynamics of the wetland complex, which are both important for the wildlife that depend on the prairie potholes for part or all of their life cycles.
“Our results indicate that the prairie wetlands are highly vulnerable to climate warming, and are less resilient than we previously believed,” said Guntenspergen. “All but the very wettest of the historic boom years for waterfowl production in the more arid parts of the prairie pothole region may be bust years in a 4-degrees Celsius warmer climate.”
These findings may serve as a foundation for managers and policy makers to develop management plans to prepare for and adapt to climate change in the prairie pothole region.
The article, Prairie wetland complexes as landscape functional units in a changing climate, was published in BioScience (60[2]:128-140) and authored by researchers with South Dakota State University, the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Montana, St. Olaf College, The Desert Research Institute-University of Nevada, and the University of Idaho.
[Access images for this release at: <a href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2010_02_01" mce_href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2010_02_01">http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2010_02_01</a>]
Elk and pronghorn application deadline almost here [
Fri Jan 29 17:16:08 EST 2010]
The application Feb. 9 deadline to submit elk and pronghorn hunt applications is rapidly approaching ? don?t procrastinate any longer. There is no online application service available. Applications must be submitted to the Arizona Game and Fish Department by U.S. mail to P.O. Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052 or hand-delivered to any department office by Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010 by 7 p.m. (MST) ? postmarks do not count.
Governor?s office approves AZGFD request to pursue certain rulemakings [Fri Jan 29 17:10:48 EST 2010]
Limited javelina tags remain [Fri Jan 29 17:02:56 EST 2010]
Time is running out to get one of the limited spring javelina tags remaining before the last two hunting seasons close for the year. The hunt permit-tags are available for purchase in person at any of the seven Arizona Game and Fish offices.
Annual Bald Eagle Workshop set for Flagstaff [Tue Jan 26 15:38:29 EST 2010]
Arizona Intentionally Snared Last Jaguar, Inquiry Finds [
Sat Jan 23 00:00:00 EST 2010]
State game and fish employees acted inappropriately in intentionally snaring the last known jaguar in the Southwest last year, a federal report says.
Arizona Game and Fish responds to IG report on jaguar [Fri Jan 22 20:25:03 EST 2010]
Wildlife populations in Arizona are not jeopardized by storms ? so far [Fri Jan 22 17:07:11 EST 2010]
Outdoorsmen should be prepared for the major winter storms [Wed Jan 20 21:29:08 EST 2010]
Inside-outside expos coming soon [Wed Jan 13 18:41:19 EST 2010]
Get involved in the future of Arizona?s wildlife [Wed Jan 13 17:26:21 EST 2010]
USGS Announces Mineral Research Grants for 2010 [
Wed Jan 06 06:55:52 EST 2010]
New research on a range of minerals important to our economy, national security, and land-use decisions has been funded through grants awarded by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Recipients of the 2010 USGS Mineral Resources External Research Program grants will study copper, lithium, rare earth elements, uranium, and phosphate in the United States. The principal investigators and a brief description of the successful proposals are provided below.
A Technique for Identifying Hidden Copper Resources
John Dilles of Oregon State University will help provide a means to identify potential porphyry copper resources that are concealed from surface exposure. The research will look at the three-dimensional footprint of porphyry copper deposits and define the trends that occur in rocks from a deposit’s center to its margins. This will help in identifying the direction of the deposit’s center based on the nearby geologic characteristics.
Lithium Resources: Important for Alternative Energy Technology
LeeAnn Munk of the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and C. Page Chamberlain of Stanford University will study the formation of lithium resources in brine waters and clays, helping with estimations of resource potential in these environments. Lithium is an increasingly important commodity for alternative energy technology. This research will focus on brine resources at Clayton Valley in southwest Nevada and on clay resources at McDermitt Caldera in north-central Nevada.
Formation of Lithium and Rare-Earth-Element Deposits
Adriana Heimann of East Carolina University will investigate the formation of granitic pegmatite deposits that contain lithium and rare earth elements. Particular focus will be placed on understanding the variability of mineral compositions in barren versus metal-rich deposits. This study is expected to provide a clearer understanding of the conditions under which these types of deposits formed and help in identifying where these deposits may occur.
Uranium Resources in Sandstone
Craig Lundstrom and Thomas Johnson of the University of Illinois will help in understanding the formation of uranium deposits found in sandstone units and provide a means to assess their uranium resource concentration. Research will look at the character of uranium in groundwater to better understand the process that leads to formation of uranium deposits in sandstone. These types of deposits are the most common uranium deposits in the United States, and this study will focus on characterizing current conditions in an active sandstone aquifer system in Texas.
Thomas Monecke and colleagues at the Colorado School of Mines will research the three-dimensional variations in rock compositions found in sandstone-hosted uranium deposits using state-of the-art technology. Research will be conducted at the Lost Creek uranium deposit in south-central Wyoming. Findings are expected to help develop new means to direct exploration and assessment of these deposits.
Hidden Phosphate in Virginia
William Lassetter, Jr., of the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources will help identify the potential for concealed phosphate resources along Virginia’s coastal plain. Research will look at the characteristics of rock layers in Virginia, and findings are expected to be applicable to identifying the phosphate resource potential along other regions of the eastern U.S. coastal plain.
The USGS Mineral Resources External Research Program invited research proposals that will help ensure a sustainable supply of minerals for the Nation’s future; understand the relationship between minerals, the environment, and public health; provide information to make informed land-use decisions; and deliver mineral information critical to national security. Proposals were accepted from academia, state agencies, industry and other private sector organizations and scientists. For more information visit the Mineral Resources - External Research Program site.
Debate Grows Over Roundup of Wild Horses in Nevada [
Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2010]
Government officials contend that the roundup will save horses? lives and restore the balance of natural resources. Opponents say the horses should be allowed to stay put.
December Science Picks - Hot News about Cool Science [
Tue Dec 22 23:00:00 EST 2009]
In this edition of Science Picks, learn how scientists are forecasting hazards like volcanoes and landslides, and read about a wolf named Brutus, who emails scientists from the North Pole! Also check out research on ancient salt mines, scientists using high tech remote controlled airplanes to survey dangerous areas, and why the call of the yellow-billed cuckoo is getting quieter and quieter.
Click to subscribe to science picks or any other USGS news, and receive updates via email. Unsubscribe if you no longer want to receive it.
December Highlights:
- An Eruption of Volcano Monitoring Improvements
- The King of the North Pole: Brutus the Wolf Pictures
- Landslide in Colorado Feeling Pressure
- The Oldest Business in North America: Pictures
- Unmanned Aircraft Flying High Pictures
- Cuckoos are Coo-Coo for Native Trees
- Climate Change: Nitrogen Adds to the Equation
- Snowpack a Predictor of Lightning Ignitions and Flammability
- Red Alert! Valuable Mineral found in Alaska
- A Wave of Tsunami Research Pictures
- Research Takes Flight on Seabirds
Onetime Nevada Brothel Could Become Conservationists? Oasis [
Tue Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2009]
The Mustang Ranch?s presence on a parcel of land on the Truckee River kept development at bay, thus improving the chances of restoring the flora and fauna.
No ?Choice of Evils? Defense in Oil Lease Case, Judge Rules [Tue Nov 17 00:00:00 EST 2009]
A student who bid on federal oil and gas leases without the intent to pay will not be allowed to argue that he acted out of necessity to protect the environment.
Heading to Texas, Hudson?s Toxic Mud Stirs Town [
Sun May 31 00:00:00 EDT 2009]
Storing toxic sludge dredged from the Hudson River in New York could mean jobs in West Texas, as well as safety concerns.
