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ESA TODAY

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

ESA bills, lawsuits and litigation

Silvery Minnow Table of Contents

Klamath Basin ESA stories and reports---how the ESA has impacted them
COMING TO A HABITAT NEAR YOU!
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Publishes Updated List of Candidate Species 5/4/04

California Natural Resources Group
This is a great website regarding the ESA

Wallawa
This is the beginning of the destruction of Wallawa agriculture
 
Endangered Species Act Congressional Hearing in Klamath Falls 7/17/04
notices, hearing, articles, photos and testimonies

Articles

Unconstitutional origins of the Endangered Species Act, Times Digest July-Aug 2001
The Many Facets of The Endangered Species Act, by Julie Smithson, posted to KBC 9/7/05. This well-researched document details getting species listed, methods used, United Nations ESA mandate, examples, species recovery success rate, etc. A must-read for the objective student of environmental science.

Farmers Losing Crops to Endangered Fish, FOX, posted to KBC 5/18/09

Calif. Central Valley - People or fish: Who gets water under ESA? by M. David Stirling, Guest comment 5/7/09, Capital Press.

Schwarzenegger declines to endorse lifting ESA protections, Capital Press 4/17/09

Science and its proper role, Democrat Herald posted 12/26/08

Advocate: Watch your water rights, Capital Press 11/24/08. "Right now the Supreme Court has made the determination that we are going to protect species at any cost. ... It won't make a difference if 25 million people in Southern California are without water."

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sucker Recovery Public Meeting Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Shilo Inn, Klamath Falls. Posted 10/5/08

Comments due by Sept 15 regarding ESA proposal.

The August 15, 2008 Federal Register has posted Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne's changes to portions of the ESA regulations regarding section 7 of the Act. Here for > Interagency Cooperation Under the Endangered Species Act
Send comments by September 15, 2008 to ensure their full consideration in the final decision on this proposal.

Revised Critical Habitat Designated for Northern Spotted Owl, FWS 8/12/08. "This includes the designation of approximately 1.8 million acres in Washington, 2.3 million acres in Oregon and 1.2 million acres in California."

JULY 4th - Letter to KBC from Kristine Cook, San Joaquin Valley, where a judges ruling devastated thousands of people because of an "endangered" little fish. (KBC NOTE - This is deja vu 2001 in the Klamath Basin, and brings back memories of despair when our land, formerly a lake since time immemorial, was dewatered by a draft opinion later to be ruled wrong. Lives were devastated--auctions, suicides, mass exodus of resident farm labor families, wildlife died. Pray for Central Valley)

Sucker revision under way, H&N, posted 6/20/08. "...an appointed group of stakeholders, meetings and consultation from Desert Research Institute researchers will guide the revisions...A fisheries biologist from the Klamath Tribes, the Nature Conservancy and individuals from Oregon State University and the U.S. Geological Survey will participate as stakeholders...Commissioner Bill Brown was concerned to not see a representative from the irrigation community in the stakeholder group and asked if that could be changed. Buettner said the group was established by regional director Steve Thompson..."

County farmers could lose water, Willows Journal, posted 6/10/08

ESA - Julie MacDonald Defends Interior Role, Family Farm Alliance 3/08

U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether ESA Listing Exceeds Federal Power, Environmental News, 4/1/08 issue.

Supreme Court: ESA can be be trumped, News With Views, posted 1/23/08

More than one to blame on ESA rulings reversal, Editorial Capital Press 11/30/07, followed by related article by Dan Keppen, Executive Director Family Farm Alliance

Snowy Plover Comments by Oregon Coos County Commissioner John Griffith 11/8/07
 COMMENT PERIOD: Habitat Conservation Plan for Western Snowy Plover and Related Environmental Impact Statement Released for Comment Plan Covers Recreation and Management on 32 Miles of Oregon’s 230 Miles of Beach, posted to KBC 11/8/07

Florida hurricane victims may not rebuild because of endangered mice that don't live there, Pacific Legal Foundation 11/8/07

NOAA Fisheries asks judge for more time on coho listing case, CB Bulletin, posted 10/27/07

When Man Is Endangered, Investor's Business Daily 10/23/2007. "That would be the 1973 Endangered Species Act. It's the same law that cut off an irrigation project earlier this decade along the California-Oregon border that 1,400 farmers were counting on."

PRESS RELEASE: Fish and Wildlife Service October 9, 2007. Petition Seeking Endangered Species Act Protection for the Giant Palouse Earthworm Does Not Establish Need for Listing. (KBC NOTE: Oh No! If the worm is not to be listed as endangered, roads will stay open, water will continue to go to farmers, dams won't come out, economies won't be destroyed, property can not be confiscated, mining and logging banned, fishing won't be curtailed, more millions of dollars will not go to studies.)

The Endangered Species Act Out of Control, by John R. Lott Jr. and Sonya D. Jones September 04, 2007. "...does it really matter if a fish’s ancestors are from a hatchery or are naturally spawned? As it is, many so-called "wild" or naturally spawned salmon were all but gone and brought back through the use of hatcheries. Given that hatcheries have been around for over a hundred years, it's likely that all naturally spawned salmon have at least some hatchery-spawned ancestors."

Judge sides with smelt; California water supplies in question; Ruling would restrict pumping to 25 Million Californians, CVBT 9/2/07

Guest Opinion: Are salmon really endangered? Sonya D. Jones, Pacific Legal Foundation, and John R. Lott Jr., author of Freedomnomics and senior research scholar at the University of Maryland, Statesman Journal 8/2/07

Recovery Plan for Pacific Coast Population of the Western Snowy Plover To Rely on Strong Volunteer Effort Plan Covers Entire Pacific Coast of California, Oregon and Washington, USFWS, posted 9/26/07

Supreme Court Says ESA Is No Trump Card, NW Fishletter 7/2/07

Bald Eagle to be Removed from Endangered Species List, American Bird Conservancy 6/27/07.

Supreme Court limits the Endangered Species Act,, posted 6/26/07, Environmental News Service

Timber cuts in spotted owl habitat proposed, H&N, posted to KBC 6/15/07

Water crisis looms for Westlands farmers, posted 6/15/07, Capital Press.

The wrong owl is winning the fight, so the feds plan to take a hand - and a gun, The Daily Courier, Grants Pass, posted to KBC 6/10/07. "FWS unveiled last week plans for spotted owl recovery that include shooting 216-576 barred owls in 18 "study areas." Implementing all of its plans would take $198 million and 30 years, the department estimates...why should the FWS - or any human, for that matter - take sides in an owl brawl and thus interfere with natural selection?...

Delta pumps halted; If shutdown is long, agencies may order conservation or rationing, Sacramento Bee, 6/1/07. "Jennings said his group planned next week to seek a restraining order against state pumping operations to protect the smelt."

  

Fish threatened with extinction shuts Delta water pumps, Sacramento Bee 5/31/07. "State water officials Thursday morning stopped exporting water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect the threatened Delta smelt, a tiny native fish that appears to be on the brink of extinction... The Delta supplies 23 million Californians with a portion of their drinking water, as well as to 5 million acres of farmland."

Reps. Young & Sali's Statements from Today's Hearing, "ESA Implementation: Science or Politics", posted 5/10/07.

Federal government defends decision not to list Oregon coho, 4/16/2007, by Tim Fought, The Oregonian

Turning off the flow, Modesto Bee 4/17/07. "Millions of Californians would lose at least a portion of their water supply and 750,000 acres of productive Central Valley farmland would dry up if the state cannot satisfy an Alameda County judge...Water flowing down the aqueduct has transformed California's once dry and barren interior into an agribusiness powerhouse that pumps an estimated $300 billion into the state's economy." More ESA Today go HERE.

Oral arguments set Monday on Oregon coho ESA listing case, posted April 14, 2007 Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Bulletin

ESA: Too Broke to Fix?, New West, posted 4/3/07 Problems with ESA:
No real guidelines for listing or delisting.
No way of tracking costs, needs transparency
No way to mitigate negative impact to other species
Inadequate planning and follow up
Costs of restorations being imposed on individuals and states targeted for listing a species

Species Protections Should Be Based On Current, Not Historic Range,Memo Says, DOI, posted to KBC 3/30/07
The Meaning of "In Danger of Extinction Throughout All or a Significant Portion of its Range, by Dept of Interior, posted to KBC 3/30/07

Judge Orders California Water Project Shut Down Because of Violation of California Endangered Species Act,  March 23, 2007 California Progress Report

Good Neighbor Forum ---- ESA misused, speakers say, Fort Morgan Times, posted to KBC 3/5/07

Tax breaks proposed for saving animals, 2/28/07 Sacramento Bee. Feds defend salmon ESA listing policies in court cases, CB Bulletin, posted to KBC 2/18/07

Policy Experts Reject Proposal to List Polar Bears as Threatened, Environmental News, posted 1/27/07. "According to the World Wildlife Fund, about 22,000 polar bears exist worldwide in 20 distinct populations. The group acknowledges on its Web site that "the species is not currently endangered," but it expresses concern that the bears' "future is far from certain" because the bears are not protected "against the biggest man-made threat to their survival: global warming."

Briefings debate how hatchery salmon fit with ESA listings, CB Bulletin, posted 1/27/07

Wall Street Journal praises PLF's bald eagle lawsuit, posted 1/7/07

VIDEO: Behind the Green Curtain, or http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7934453684194357754 . Doug on our Discussion Forum found and shared this video with us. The film unveils the truth behind the ESA, wetlands on private land, and other tools to take private land away from landowners, posted 12/27/06

Bald eagles may fly off endangered list, Salt Lake Tribune, posted to KBC 12/27/06

90-day finding on a petition to list the tricolored blackbird as threatened or endangered, posted 12/18/06

GAO Report on USDA Conservation Programs, Stakeholder Views on Participation and Coordination to Benefit Threatened and Endangered Species and Their Habitats By: Government Accountability Office  Dec 14, 2006

A million here; a million there, Mountain States Legal Foundation, 11/29/06 "Thus, a win-win proposal, which would have generated more  than enough water for the species, created jobs and  revenues, preserved forest health, and secured local  economics, at no additional cost, was rejected.  In its  place is a multi-million dollar scheme that creates losers  all around, beginning with those ranchers in Colorado and  Wyoming."

Designation of Critical Habitat for the Contiguous United States Distinct Population Segment of the Canada Lynx, FWS: "1,841 square miles fall within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation, in three units in the States of Minnesota, Montana, and Washington."

Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment and Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the Oakmont Industrial Group Development, City of Ontario, San Bernardino County, CA, Nov 30, 2006, for Delhi Sands flower-loving fly. Rachel Thomas: "Back about 10-12 years ago this same little fly cost about $3 million and a delay of about 3 years in the building of a hospital facility. It almost caused the closure of Interstate 10 at one time."

Revised Critical Habitat for the Tidewater Goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi), FWS 11/28/06 "We are proposing to revise the critical habitat for the tidewater goby to a total of approximately 10,003 acres (ac) (4,050 hectares (ha)). This is an increase of approximately 8,422 ac (3,408 ha)..."

San Francisco Bay area: PG&E intends to request a permit to cover 66 species federally listed as threatened or endangered and 23 unlisted species that may become listed during the term of the permit, posted 11/25/06.

Court: BLM Violated Rodent's Protection, Washington Post, posted 11/20/06 (wildlands project shuts down more timber harvest)

Endangered Species Act:The Greatest Con Game of All by Allyn J. McDowell, MD, posted 11/20/06

156,350 acres Critical Habitat Designation for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, FWS, posted to KBC 11/18/06

Thousands of acres in Oregon designated habitat for butterflies with ESA, FWS, posted 11/18/06

Designation of Critical Habitat for the Contiguous United States Distinct Population Segment of the Canada Lynx, USFWS release 11/9/06.

FWS: Proposed Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly Along the Central Coast, Lane County, OR, 11/9/06

Proposed Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly Along the Central Coast, Lane County, OR, 11/9/06

Sucker fish return in droves, Herald and News 11/2/06, "In August, the Klamath Project's A-Canal fish screen and bypass facility at the southern part of the lake recorded 4,000 juvenile suckers per hour entering the lake. About 50 per hour were counted in 2004."

Judge tosses out decision to reduce vernal pool habitat, Enterprise Record 11/5/06

Kempthorne likely to seek Endangered Species Act changes, Great Falls Tribune 10/16/06

ESA Commentary Lompoc Record 9/15/06, "The way the feds figure, over 4 million acres of land in California alone is necessary to ensure the survival of the red-legged frog."

Bill Kennedy, Chairman of the Board for the Family Farm Alliance, traveled to Redmond, Oregon and spoke to an audience that included Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Dale Hall (Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Mark Rey (Under Secretary of Department of Agriculture), Rick Otis (EPA Deputy Associate Administrator,Office of Policy Economics and Innovation) and Bob Lohn (NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator). Attached is Bill’s written testimony, which was submitted for the record on behalf of the Alliance. Posted to KBC 9/2/06

Alliance Responds to Misguided CBO Report regarding water allocation, Family Farm Alliance, posted to KBC 9/2/06

Re August 22nd U.S. Department of Interior “Listening Session”  at Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond, Oregon, by Senator Doug Whitsett, Oregon District 28, August 27, 2006. " Our forests are burning out of control, our coastal salmon fishery has crashed, and the Biological opinions that the National Academy of Sciences discovered were not based on accurate and reproducible science five years ago continue to be enforced in the Klamath Basin with catastrophic economic and cultural consequences...Unfortunately, the print media coverage of the event was virtually non-existent."

Oversight field hearing July 7th on "Electricity Costs and Salmon: Finding the Balance, 6/21/06
 ESA Bill 4857 Summary, 6/21/06
ESA Transparency Bill 4857 6/21/06.
ESA Bill 4857: Give consumers the right to know how much the endangered species act is costing them, 6/21/06.

Commentary: Forestry may hold key to spotted owl's existence, CFBF 6/14/06.

ACTION ALERT: Game Wardens are in Trouble – you can help, Endangered Species and Homeland Security are not protected  Klamath Courier, posted to KBC 6/13/06 WRITE OR EMAIL BY JUNE 15TH!

Timber Salmon plan gets federal go-ahead, Seattle Times, posted to KBC 6/7/06

Silent Springs, by Rudy Hiley, June 1, 2006. "It really struck me when we got out of the car at my folk’s place; the mill sounds were all but gone...No, there hadn’t been a plague, or a title wave, or a war, it wasn’t a holiday, there were no celebrity visitors in town; the simple fact was that a vital industry had been flattened by a bird; a Spotted Owl...regardless of whether or not the bird was really endangered..."

Species on endangered list challenged, USA Today, posted to KBC 6/1/06.  

PRESS RELEASE: Listing of California Spotted Owl not warranted, 5/24/06

Here Nessie!Nessie the woodpecker, by Jim Beers "after three years there is no proof of the existence of a single ivory-billed woodpecker. Congress has appropriated millions of dollars." posted to KBC 5/22/06

Finally, a habitat even a frog can live with, Inside Bay Area 4/29/06 "At one point during a 10-year bureaucratic and legal battle, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated more than 4.1 million acres as critical habitat for the frogs. That 2001 fabrication would have created a barrier to further development in almost all of the greater Bay Area. But this month, Fish and Wildlife decided to impose restrictions on 450,000 acres in 20 counties that biologists consider critical to the frogs' survival and recovery."

(Endangered Species) Act has not performed its mission, by Congressman Pombo, Rollcall, 4/26/06

Finally, a habitat even a frog can live with, Inside Bay Area 4/29/06 "At one point during a 10-year bureaucratic and legal battle, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated more than 4.1 million acres as critical habitat for the frogs. That 2001 fabrication would have created a barrier to further development in almost all of the greater Bay Area. But this month, Fish and Wildlife decided to impose restrictions on 450,000 acres in 20 counties that biologists consider critical to the frogs' survival and recovery."

 PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finds protections for Siskiyou Mountains and Scott Bar salamanders are adequate, Service concludes two species do not warrant additional protection under Federal law  4/25/06

Western Snowy Plover to Retain Threatened Status, FWS, posted to KBC 4/24/06

HRC PRESS RELEASE: GAO Report Shows Agencies Fail to Plan Adequately for Species Recovery; Lack of planning has led to the ESA's failure to recover species 4/7/06

Congressional Requesters: Subject: Endangered Species: Time and Costs Required to Recover Species Are Largely Unknown, GAO-06-463R Endangered Species Recovery, Government Accountability Office, posted to KBC April 7, 2006

KLAMATH: Scott Bar Salamander petitioned for protection under CA ESA, posted to KBC 4/7/06

Of Mice and Men, Wall Street Journal, 3/23/06 "31,000 acres of local government and privately owned land in the state and stretching into Wyoming--an area larger than the District of Columbia--was essentially quarantined from all development so as not to disrupt the mouse's natural habitat. Even the Fish and Wildlife Service concedes that the cost to these land owners could reach $183 million." "It turns out that not only is the mouse not endangered, but it isn't even a unique species." More on ESA price tags, go HERE.

ESA TODAY Doubts cast on superstar woodpecker's return, New Scientist 3/13/06. "The apparent rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in 2005 – hailed as one of the great conservation triumphs of recent times – may be merely a case of mistaken identity....the US government moved quickly to appoint a recovery team and commit more than $10 million to try to rescue the species.....The problem is that the video – still the best evidence of the woodpecker's existence – contains no more than a blurry, four-and-a-half-second glimpse of a distant bird as it takes off from a tree and flies away into the forest."

Owl Be Damned, Wall St Journal posted to KBC 2/22/06

KLAMATH: Eagle Myths from Jim Beers, Retired Wildlife Biologist, Refuge Manager, Special Agent US Fish and Wildlife Service, followed by A winter sky alive with bald eagles, Oregonian letter  2/19/06

NOAA, state seek to maintain funding for coastal coho despite non-re-listing, posted to KBC 2/10/06

NOAA does not list coho, Pressure by Grange aids decision, Pioneer Press posted to KBC 1/27/06. " 'NOAA is still ignoring the court’s decision on the Southern Oregon and Northern California coho, so they are still breaking the law,' said Bergeron."

Northwest - Oregon Coast Coho Avoids ESA Listing, NOAA Fisheries Service Fishnews, posted to KBC 1/24/06

Pombo the Great, The power behind the changes in the ESA by Tim Findley, Range Magazine, posted to KBC 1/23/06, pdf file. rangemagazine.com

Endangered species controversy rages on the Klamath River, Indian Country posted to KBC 11/15/05. "Many, including environmentalists, are confident that Klamath Chinook will be listed in the near future."

A Study Shows Cattle Grazing May Help Endangered Species, All Headline News posted 10/15/05.

Endangered salmon numbers hurt by fishing, Corvallis Gazette-Times 10/12/05

KWUA PRESS RELEASE: ESA educational tour slated for Columbus Day weekend, posted to KBC 10/8/05

Feds cut back habitat for snowy plover, AP posted to KBC 9/29/05

Pacific Legal Foundation: Fish and Wildlife Service Agrees to Perform Status Reviews for 194 Species in California, posted to KBC 9/25/05

National Water Resources Association newsletter for 9/23/05. Includes Secretary Norton's additional funding for more wetlands, and ESA updates.

Being listed under the Endangered Species Act "is like the Eagle's song 'Hotel California;' you can get in and you can't get out." Congressman Greg Walden

Put Blame in right place, Herald and News letter by Ed Baley, Tulelake Irrigation District board of directors president, posted to KBC 9/20/05

Endangered Species Act Reform Project, Pacific Legal Foundation 8/30/05

Conservationists seek protection of rare salamanders, Center For Biological Diversity 8/23/05. "Wildlife advocates want to extend endangered species safety net to imperiled salamanders in Southern Oregon and Northern California"

Letter to the Oregonian editor regarding Pombo and ESA improvement, by Arlene Kovach, Oregon Women for Agricujlture 8/22/05 "The Endangered Species Act only has less than a 1% success rate in 30 years, while costing farmers, ranchers and other businesses (and ultimately, you) billions of dollars trying to comply with nonsensical rules."

Republicans in both chambers preparing to tackle the ESA, CQ Today, Capital Hill 7/17/05

ESA Has Always Been About Land Use Control, Not Species Aid, Livestock Weekly 8/1/05.

OTHER PLACES: Lewis County, OR - Federal judge has bilked ratepayers with ruling on fish, posted to KBC 7/24/05. "Redden is playing their (the environmentalists') game in the face of solid science that spilling under current conditions is worse for salmon, not better."

Pombo delays ESA rewrite to court Democrats E&E Daily reporter, 7/20/05

Puyallup to track fish with radio transmitters - Bull Trout, Indian Country 7/31/05

News from South Dakota Secretary Larry Gabriel on the ESA, posted 7/18/05 Does the king have clothes?

Pombo Seeks Bipartisan Bill On Endangered Species Act, CQ by Darren Goode 7/12/05

Pombo's draft ESA bill, pdf file, obtained from Center for Biological Diversity press release 7/8/05.

Five Oregon species up for review under Endangered Species Act, 7/8/05

Letter to Pombo regarding ESA reform posted to KBC 7/8/05, PRFA

Herger wants ESA changed; Lawmaker says landmark law lacks flexibility, Redding Local News 7/6/05

Endangering Species, Wall Street Journal 7/3/05

Committee on Resources, The ESA, posted 7/3/05

Pombo on verge of unveiling new species law, Lodi News, posted to KBC 7/1/05

KLAMATH BASIN: Conservationists seek protection for rare salamanders, Center for Biological Diversity 6/25/05

House Resources Committee report on ESA Implementation 6/25/05

PRESS RELEASE: ESA Compliance: Limiting Water Supplies and Driving Up Costs? Water & Power Subcommittee to hold hearing 6/21/05.

TESTIMONY June 22 Subcommittee on Water and Power agenda, including Dan Keppen, Family Farm Alliance and Russell Brooks, Pacific Legal Foundation.
Testimony of Dan Keppen for House Resource Committee, on Environmental Regulations regarding the Klamath Basin and the ESA.

NOAA'S ESA salmon, steelhead 'status review' likely delayed, CBBulletin posted to KBC 6/14/05

Reality vs rhetoric, Save Our Species Alliance response to Eugene Register-Guard, posted to KBC 6/14/05 regarding Congressman Pombo and improving the ESA. HERE is the explanation of the response. Both are pdf files.

Coho costs timber company $10 million-- Public has lost vehicle access to local trailheads, Pioneer Press 6/2/05

PRESS RELEASE: Water & Power Subcommittee to Hold Field Hearing on ESA, Snake River Dams 6/2/05

Democrats and environmentalists express support for Pombo-style ESA reform, Winningreen 5/26/05

After 32 years, what's endangered? Tracy Press 5/23/05

The Government Accountability Office, GAO,  released this testimony on the ESA today. "since the Bureau of Land Management eliminated sheep grazing on more than 800,000 acres in tortoise habitat in California, neither the Bureau or the Fish and Wildlife Service had ensured that necessary research was conducted to assess whether this action had benefited the tortoise." 5/19/05

The Sucker Scam The feds might remove the Chiloquin Dam which caused the decline of suckers. Send comments by May 27th, Klamath  Courier 5/16/05 See Chiloquin Dam Page

Mississippi ESA field hearing report, 5/18/05.

PRESS RELEASE: Pombo Releases Oversight Report on ESA Implementation 5/17/05

Enviros prepare challenges to protect ivory-billed woodpecker Parallels with Klamath Basin, Greenwire 5/4/05
followed by 'Woodpecker Upstages Lawmakers; As U.S. House Resources Committee Meets in Mississippi to Update Endangered Species Act, 'Extinct' Woodpecker Shows up in Arkansas' U.S. Newswire 5/4/05

PRESS RELEASE: Umatilla Electric Co-op CEO Testifies Before Congress on Need to Modernize ESA 5/4/05

Tribes ask states to deal with sea lions, AP Seattle Times 5/3/05

PRESS RELEASE: Oversight Hearing on "Stabilizing Rural Electricity Service Through Common Sense Application of the Endangered Species Act" 5/3/05

PRESS RELEASE: ESA Compliance Represents Up to 20 Percent of Western Hydropower Costs,  Water & Power Subcommittee to hold hearing 5/3/05

Appeals court rules plaintiffs must prove harm to invoke Endangered Species Act, Capital Press posted to KBC 5/1/05.

Pombo fires back at critics report on species act, Lodi News, posted to KBC 4/30/05.

ESA Report to the Chairman, Committee on Resources, House of Representatives by the General Accountability Office, April 2005, pdf. GAO recommends that Fish and Wildlife Service keep track of where their funds go toward endangered species. This is an interesting document.

Activists Must Prove Harm to Species, Not Just Allege It, to Invoke Endangered Species Act, Pacific Legal Foundation posted to KBC 4/27/05

PRESS RELEASE: GAO Endangered Species Report: Little Reason to Expect Poor Recovery Record To Improve, House Committee on Resources 4/26/05

News from the Front #82: Cutting Off Irrigators Again, Buchal 040805

Congressman Richard Pombo Commentary: 'ESA has a zero percent rate of success', AgAlert California Farm Bureau 4/6/05.

Agency proposes to list southern green sturgeon as threatened, Mercury News 4/6/05.

Endangered Species Act: 30 years of Endangering People and Animals is Enough! conservativevoice.com posted to KBC 3/22/05.

Justice Dept. Says ESA Law 'Pretty Much Inoperable', Greenwire 3/21/05

PRESS RELEASE: Walden Cosponsors Bipartisan Critical Habitat Legislation to Update ESA 3/15/05

Nature Undisturbed. The Myth behind the Endangered Species Act  PERC March 2005

$117,500 goes to legal fees, Pioneer Press by Liz Bowen 3/2/05

SOSS explains water issues, posted to KBC 3/1/05, Pioneer Press by Liz Bowen.

OTHER PLACES: Oregon gets money to restore salmon habitat, Curry Pilot 2/27/95

PRESS RELEASE: New Approach to endangered species, Pombo, Walden, Crapo, and Chafee announce House-Senate partnership,  Congressman Walden's office 2/10/05.

Ruling revives endangered status for wolves, Oregonian 2/3/05. "Oregon's state Endangered Species Act does not give ranchers that freedom".(to shoot wolves killing your livestock.)

Bush Drive to Shift Species Protection to States May Begin in Oregon, newhousenews.com 1/30/05

Group making a point with 'endangered' snakehead, hometownannapolis.com 1/26/05 "We don't know what the problems with snakeheads will be and we don't want to use the Chesapeake Bay watershed as an experimental tank to find out," said Jonathan McKnight, associate director of habitat conservation for the DNR."

Oregon State University--The Daily Barometer, An Endangered Act 1/21/05, followed by KBC Commentary, which has been posted to the Daily Barometer. Where oh where are these 'educated' people coming up with their ideas??

Endangered Humans, Investor's Business Daily, 1/20/05. "Environment: A judge has ruled that coho salmon have been illegally listed as an endangered species, a victory that comes too late for the farmers of the Klamath River Basin and the families of four young firefighters."

Media attack proponents of strengthening the Endangered Species Act, Gretchen Randall 1/20/05, Issue Alert from Winningreen -- great myths and facts!

Governor Owens pleased with ESA summit, NWRA news 1/11/05.

Reforming the ESA, Stay Awake, by Jim Beers 1/6/04

Congress may act on ESA, WashingtonPost 1/5/05

The Region Fiddles As Dam Burners Advance by James Buchal, January 3, 2005 "Judge Redden even struck down a rare Bush Administration initiative to reduce the fish taxes by roughly $60 million by reducing summer spill, notwithstanding proof that only a handful of endangered fish might benefit, including some of the same fish subject to a federally-approved harvest rate of over 30%"

ESA TODAY..Subject:  Critical habitat proposed for Pacific Coast population of western snowy plover, Public comment accepted for 60 days, FWS 12/19/04.

Snowy plover protection plan OKd, Oregonian 12/19/04. "The other 16 miles include "unoccupied" areas, where scientists believe the birds are most likely to establish new nests, Wright said." According to Coos County Commissioner John Griffith, "There's no shortage of plovers..."

Endangered Species Act Eyed for Change, FoxNews posted to KBC 12/18/04

Washington's salmon plan is first to state minimums to restore runs "Specifics on the number of fish needed for viable stocks in the lower Columbia Basin aim to guide federal decisions on delisting", The Oregonian 12/16/04. (What a concept! At our Klamath Congressional Hearing it was brought up numerous times that in the Klamath Basin the federal agencies will not count the suckers so they do not know how many there are, were, or how many they want. They will not remove the Chiloquin Dam blocking 95% of sucker habitat. They will not fund deep cold-water storage identified years ago in Long Lake. And they will not acknowledge the National Academy of Science report that stated that lake level/river flow management is not the way to increase fish or help water quality. KBC)

KLAMATH: Feds agree to consider Endangered Species Act protection for lamprey, NCTimes 12/3/04. 

PRESS RELEASE: No Listing Decision for Sage-grouse Good News for Species Recovery, Committee on Resources 12/3/04.

Fish and Wildlife service recommends not listing sage grouse as endangered, Congressman Walden's office 12/3/04

Pombo wants Schwarzenegger, other govs to help change Endangered Species Act, 12/1/04 SanLuisObispo.com

Study: Coastal coho sustainable, Capital Press 11/29/04. "In 1990, fewer than 20,000 wild coho returned for spawning in the 19 largest Coast Range basins. More than 240,000 returned in 2002, the peak of a resurgence credited to favorable ocean conditions, limited fishing in lean years and watershed restoration projects by the hundreds."

Letter by Julie Smithson to the Forest Service regarding introducing and protecting wolves in Oregon. Like regarding our irrigation water in the Klamath Basin in 2001, pay attention! This nightmare will come to your town if you do not stop it. Oregon Cattlemen Association has asked Julie to distribute this information widely.

Subject:  Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan Rulemaking Process, comments due 2/10/05

KLAMATH: Feds agree to consider Endangered Species Act protection for lamprey, NCTimes 12/3/04. 
Lamprey's beauty runs more than slime-deep, Tri-City Herald 12/1/04

Northwest – Critical Habitat Designations Proposed for Endangered Species, NOAA Fish News 12/3/04

Snake habitat under scrutiny 11/29/04 HMB Review

Subject:  Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan Rulemaking Process, comments due 2/10/05

FW Program spending shows $136 million average for 2003, 2004 cb bulletin 11/19/04

Amending the Endangered Species Act by Jim Beers posted to KBC 11/17/04

Feds propose re-listing coho, Pioneer Press 10/20/04.Coho salmon comments for federal ESA re-listing are due Nov. 12. "A federal appeals court found that not all of the coho salmon were counted the first time."

Lamprey: over $8million in 10 years for research, restoration, posted to KBC 10/19/04.

DOI Federal Register for Bull Trout, 10/8/04

An addendum to yesterday's Press Release regarding Greg Walden and bull trout, from Walden's office 9/23/04. "USFWS stated that “in 30 years of implementing the ESA, the Service has found that the designation of statutory critical habitat provides little additional protection to most listed species, while consuming significant amounts of scarce conservation resources.”  The Service went on the say that “The present system for designating critical habitat has evolved since its original statutory prescription into a process that provides little real conservation benefit, is driven by litigation and the courts rather than biology, limits our (USFWS) ability to fully evaluate the science involved, consumes enormous resources, and imposes huge social and economic costs.”  

PRESS RELEASE: Department of the Interior, Secretary Norton to Announce Grants to States For Endangered Species Conservation, 9/23/04

As flow of salmon surges, US moves to cut protections, Boston.com posted to KBC 9/23/04. ''It's going to be difficult to justify taking out the dams with large numbers of fish coming back," said James J. Anderson, associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at the University of Washington.

Shasta Tribal Chairman, Roy Hall, says that coho salmon are not native to the Klamath River system, Pioneer Press 9/01/04.

US Fish and Wildlife Service, 5 Year Review of Sucker Delisting 8/26/04

Farm leaders shocked at state's decision to list coho, AgAlert posted to KBC 8/26/04

Sturgeon info due Aug 17

Coho protection approved, Capital Press 8/17/04 "The listing is 'really disheartening for people who have been working cooperatively for many, many years,' she said. She said it’s frustrating for landowners who have been doing restoration projects on their land to promote coho habitat. Now those landowners could be viewed as criminals if they accidentally harm some of the fish, even though they’re helping the species in the long term. This is a pretty big incentive for landowners not to create (coho) habitat,' Giacomini said. 'And that’s not what we want.' ”

ESA TODAY.OTHER PLACES: .Thomas names ESA hearing witnesses, casperstartribune.com 8/16/04. "While we toil in lawsuits about species' habitats, we have lost sight of the real motivation of this act -- the recovery of species."
 ESA TODAY OTHER PLACES: Shrimp Pose Big Problem for LAX, KTLA.com, 8/16/04. "Fish and Wildlife Service officials say they had no choice but to propose designating 5,800 acres in five Southern California counties as a preserve for the Riverside fairy shrimp."

Endangered Species Act Sparks Battle, Fox News William LaJeunesse, 8/14/04.  "There has to be balance. If we continue down this road -- doing away with the ESA to solve this problem -- we are deceiving ourselves," said Allen Foreman of Klamath Tribes." (KBC: every witness at the congressional hearing voted that the ESA needs to be improved, and there should be peer review, because now there is not.. And not even one wanted to "do away with the ESA" as Foreman would have the media beleive. And regarding "knocking down dams", go HERE for Klamath Water Users assessment of that scenario.)

- ESA TODAY  OTHER PLACES: Endangered Species Act needs revising, Modesto Bee 8/12/04, by Grover and Mayfield, Stanislaus County supervisors.

Congressman Walden Shares Views with the NWRA on Improving Endangered Species Act July 20, posted to KBC 8/3/04. "...peer review and sound science. These are principles that we’ve used in developing research and health care, medicine, and in many other areas of science. It seems incredible to me that we don’t require that basic scientific principle in peer review in the decision as to whether or not a species is going to live or die; whether or not a community, economically, may live or die, based on the consequences of decisions."

ONRC using Basin issues, H&N 8/2/04

Thomas to chair endangered species field hearing, Casper Star Tribune 8/1/04.

Mouse that Cost Economy $100 Million May Never Have Existed, Environment News 8/1/04.

Bush administration lightens pesticide reviews for endangered species, ENN.com July 30, 2004

ESA TODAY OTHER PLACES: Written Testimony on ESA Impacts In Missouri (Indiana Bat), from William Jud 7/26/04

ESA Incidental Take Permit Revocation Regulations: Comments due July 26, 2004.USFWS

ESA TODAYWildlife Service Reviews Survival Status of Klamath Fish, ENSnewswire.com. "The agency said the petition does not provide substantial new information to warrant delisting." (That is interesting in the fact that there was not enough information, and the fish counts were inaccurate, to list the fish in the first place.)

ESA TODAY Coastal folks like birds, not surprises, The Oregonian 7/26/04. "The rules at some beaches were innocuous, such as limits on camping. But at other beaches, the proposed rules were ridiculously strict. No dogs, not even on leashes. No walking on the dry sand. And in one Taliban-worthy flourish, no kite-flying." (This compares somewhat with NO FARMING in Klamath in 2001, and now taking 1/4 of our water in 2005, just because, even though the National Resource Committee says it wasn't, and isn't, justified. KBC)

Letter to KBC: "I have a question, why cant "We the People"  fire some of these jerks?  Or just get rid of some of the agencies like the BLM?  Do we still have the power?  No probably not, but government is not run by the people and anyone who still thinks it is should take a harder look.  Unless we all stand together against these agencies we wont have any free "public" lands or water for private lands.  Good luck!   Lisa...Washington."
KBC Response regarding Klamath, go HERE
Speaking of "free 'public' lands", check out the following bills to lock up hundreds of thousands more acres in wilderness--no logging, mining, fire fighting (fried owls and boiled salmon), or any uses of resources. Go HERE.

Suckers should not have been listed, Tri-County Courier 7/23/04. "Vogel used a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of an internal memo sent in 1986 from G.C. Kobetich, a USFW project leader in Sacramento, to USFW’s Portland office. In it, Kobetich states that his office chose not to pursue the listing of the Short Nose sucker due to its “larger population sizes and broader distribution. Despite the knowledge that the Short Nose sucker population was large and viable, the USFW listed the fish as endangered two years later, in 1988.”
For scientist David Vogel's complete testimony, pdf file, go HERE.

Divided House committee advances ESA reform bills, Environment & Energy Daily July 22, 2004

THE REAL SUCKERS ARE THE U.S. TAXPAYERS. Op-ed submitted to H&N by James Buchal, 7/21/04.
 FWS NEWS RELEASE: FWS to conduct comprehensive review of Klamath Sucker Populations, 7/21/04 ("rare fish"??? The USFWS has told us last week that they do not know how many suckers there were, there are, or how many they want, and there are tens of thousands more than they thought when they listed them, however, they want more money for 5 years more to study them. They presently have millions more dollars for more land acquisition to 'help' the suckers, although Dr William Lewis with the NRC science committee said that more swamp and more water and more land acquisitions will not necessarily help the suckers---KBC)
FWS Notice: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Revised  90-Day Petition Finding and Initiation of a 5-Year Status Review of the Lost River Sucker and Shortnose Sucker. 7/21/04

PRESS RELEASE: Walden Bipartisan ESA Modernization Bill Approved by House Resources Committee, 7/21/04

PRESS RELEASE: Committee Votes to Modernize Endangered Species Act, Brian Kennedy July 21, 2004

Written Testimony on ESA Impacts In Missouri (Indiana Bat), from William Jud 7/26/04

Wildlife Service Reviews Survival Status of Klamath Fish, ENSnewswire.com. "The agency said the petition does not provide substantial new information to warrant delisting." (That is interesting in the fact that there was not enough information, and the fish counts were inaccurate, to list the fish in the first place.)

ESA TODAY Coastal folks like birds, not surprises, The Oregonian 7/26/04. "The rules at some beaches were innocuous, such as limits on camping. But at other beaches, the proposed rules were ridiculously strict. No dogs, not even on leashes. No walking on the dry sand. And in one Taliban-worthy flourish, no kite-flying." (This compares somewhat with NO FARMING in Klamath in 2001, and now taking 1/4 of our water in 2005, just because, even though the National Resource Committee says it wasn't, and isn't, justified. KBC)

JULY 17 Resources Committee ESA Hearing - Klamath Falls, for agenda and information, go HERE.

ESA tragedy of today, July 8, 2004 Rumor today has it that, since the Klamath Basin has been forced to participate in a mandatory "voluntary" water bank with the threat of shutting down the Klamath Project if we don't idle land and pump our aquifer, wells are going dry. Lawsuits are beginning. Thank you government agencies for further damaging our community. Regardless of the "best available science", the National Academy of  Science report saying that higher lake and river levels won't help fish, the BOR/NMFS are demanding 1/4 or our economy, our water, next year. What happened to "the best available science" line they gave us when they shut off our water in 2001?  KBC.

PLF Exposes Multi-Billion Dollar Endangered Species Act Cover-Up, Pacific Legal Foundation July 2004. "Billions of dollars spent each year on Endangered Species Act projects never get reported to Congress, according to an audit requested by PLF."

Coho confusion continues, Pioneer Press 6/24/04. "On June 7, the listing of the Oregon coastal coho salmon to the federal Endangered Species Act was declared invalid. But on June 25, the Northern California coho may be listed to the California Endangered Species Act."

Panel: Nature poses more risk to owls  Some scientists find that logging is not the primary harm to habitat of the northern spotted owl  Oregonian 6/23/04 "Natural events such as wildfires eliminated more forest habitat of the threatened northern spotted owl on public land during the past decade than logging did, researchers reported Tuesday...The science panel said logging of the owl's forest habitat poses less threat to the species than a decade ago, but other dangers including an influx of aggressive barred owls, disease and wildfires in overgrown forests make its survival uncertain."

KWUA letter to CDFG (California Department of Fish and Game) Re: Supplemental Comments Regarding Proposed Addition of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to the List of Threatened and Endangered Species, 6/23/04

Critical bull trout habitat proposed for Jarbidge River, Times-News 6/23/04

Scientists plan study of sturgeon, H&N 6/22/04 "Federal scientists plan to take another look at the status of the green sturgeon in the Klamath River and are asking for information about the ancient fish from the public. The new study will decide whether the fish needs to be listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act and comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by the Oregon Natural Resources Council, the Environmental Protection Information Center and the Center for Biological Diversity last year."

Comments on the Draft SEIS/EIR on or before June 22, 2004--Trinity

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service News Release, Critical Habitat Proposed for Washington's Coastal-Puget Sound Population of Bull Trout 6/22/04,    followed by Critical Habitat Proposed for the Saint Mary and Belly Rivers in Northwest Montana: "The critical habitat proposal calls for a total of 2,290 miles of streams in western Washington to be designated as bull trout critical habitat, along with 52,540 acres of lakes and reservoirs and marine habitat paralleling 985 miles of shoreline." "The Service also proposed at that time to designate 396 miles of streams and 3,939 acres of lakes and marshes in Oregon as critical habitat for the Klamath River Basin population of bull trout. Those proposals are expected to be finalized in September 2004."

Endangered Species' Cost USA Billions, cns news 6/22/04. "The FSW report did not take into consideration lost jobs, lost business, and lost tax revenues. If it did, the ESA would be rescinded within days. One famous example was the hoax about the "endangered" northern spotted owl. "At least 130,000 jobs were lost when more than 900 sawmills, pulp, and paper mills closed in mid-1990 to protect" the owl."

Get serious about habitat and species protection, 6/22/04 The Oregonian, submitted to KBC by  The Tri-County Courier. "Over the next 10 years we witnessed rural Oregon's economy bludgeoned in an effort to protect this species -- and others added to the list. Once-thriving communities turned into ghost towns while their schools and community services suffered tremendously because of high unemployment and lack of local tax revenue."

PRESS RELEASE: Resources Committee to hold ESA Hearing on The Klamath Project, 6/21/04. Congressman Pombo: "The water shut-off in the Klamath Basin is a dramatic example of how, after 30 years, the Endangered Species Act has failed the species it was designed to recover.  Unintended consequences have devastated communities."

Jurassic fish will get closer examination, Times Standard posted to KBC 6/20/04, Followed by report regarding green sturgeon by NMFW and NOAA and comment deadline "A federal fisheries team will take another look at whether the green sturgeon -- an ancient denizen of West Coast rivers -- needs protection."

Species act hearing first in a series,  Herald and News June 18, 2004

ESA TODAY  Petition Filed to Protect Siskiyou Mountains Salamander as Endangered Species, ONRC 6/17/04.
 ESA TODAY Group proposes three Oregon species for endangered species listing, 6/17/04 Newsregister.com.

Hybrid owl upsets politics of threatened species, AP 6/21/04.

ESA TODAY 'Endangered' Vermin That Cost America $100 Million Never Existed, NewsMax posted to KBC 6/13,04.

Feds keep all ESA stocks listed, but upbeat about future, Fishletter 6/2/04.

NOAA PRESS RELEASE: Agency Praises Regional Efforts to Protect Salmon through Habitat Projects and Hatchery Reforms, 5/28/04 "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service(NOAA Fisheries) today announced its continued commitment to protect 27 Pacific salmon and steelhead populations listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)."

Bush Administration Salmon Policy Puts Politics Before Science, the Law and People, Pacific Legal Foundation 5/28/04. "Pacific Legal Foundation criticized the Bush administration today for its proposed policy that would leave in place 26 Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings for salmon throughout the West, and add yet another listing, despite the fact that salmon are not at risk of extinction"

Feds back protecting wild runs of salmon, 5/15/04 The Oregonian, "The Bush administration is concerned about looking politically correct," said Darryll Olsen, with the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association. "The heart of the issue, at least in our mind, is how much impact does the mainstem hydro-system have on salmon fisheries at this time. We would say it is very minor. They are responding to political pressure."
PRESS RELEASE: letter from NOAA, 5/14/04.

NOAA says will likely relist w5 of 26 fish stocks under review, 5/14/04, cbbulletin.
Redden gives NOAA until November 30 to complete new Biop, 5/14/04 cbbulletin

Endangered Species Act reconsidered 5/11/04, Bend Bulletin. "The Sound Science for Endangered Species Planning Act of 2003, sponsored by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., would require a peer review of all scientific data used to evaluate endangered species."

Tribes, others hope salmon can return over Oregon dams, Seattle Times 5/11/04 "Freeman wants to see hard scientific evidence salmon once spawned in the upper basin rather than relying on tribal histories -- an attitude that riles the tribes."

Feds to announce de-listing decisions for eight fish esu's soon, 5/11/04 NW Fishletter.

PRESS RELEASE: Administration Responds to Pombo's Request on Extension for California Tiger Salamander Listing, 5/17/04

PRESS ALERT from House Committee on Resources:  Pseudo environmental groups call on Bush administration to add 225 species to endangered list, 5/6/04, "...over the last 30 years only twelve species out of the 1304 species listed as endangered or threatened have been saved and those were not due to ESA. The peregrine falcon was saved by a private foundation and the American Eagle recovered when DDT was banned."

Activists want 3 species listed, H&N 5/5/04.

Governor assails salmon plan, H&N 050504

ESA TODAY, other places, Species act allies Cordoza with GOP; Bush supports (Modesto) Democrats efforts to change law, 5/4/04, chronicle washington bureau. "Particularly upsetting to Cardoza is the Fish and Wildlife Service's recent decision to designate 1.7 million acres in California and Oregon as critical habitat for the survival and restoration of vernal pool species....He said that if a species can be found across millions of acres it either can't be endangered or all that acreage can't be necessary to saving the species."  For ESA TODAY page go HERE.

ESA TODAY, other places, Another ESA scandal, posted to KBC 5/4/04, Colorado Springs Gazette. ."But his revelations concerning the creature's true genetic blueprint — it's indistinguishable from mice found in abundance elsewhere, raising potentially scandalous questions about the process leading to a federal listing ...It will likely be months before U.S. Fish and Wildlife reaches a decision about de-listing the mouse." {Does this sound familiar? In Klamath, there are abundant 'endangered' suckers in nearby reservoirs, the lake-level/river-flow management was proven flawed by the National Academy of Science, yet 75,000 acre feet of water are being taken from our farms this year regardless of precipitation, which will greatly impact our ground water, our refuges and our economy. All based on false science. KBC (jdk) }

Profile of Congressman Pombo, the champion of trying to improve the ESA, 5/3/04 sfgate.com and Chronicle Washington Bureau.

West Coast farmed salmon to be counted in endangered species decisions, posted to KBC 5/2/04, from Congressman Doolittle's office.

Agency wants salmon protection extension, The Oregonian 5/2/04. "'We're going to take a little more time, but the results are more likely to be accepted by all of the parties,' said spokesman Brian Gorman. He said election politics had nothing to do with the request for a delay.'

LEST WE FORGET 2001: Man, the endangered species, by Glenn Woiceshyn, May 1, 2001, Aynrand, regarding the Klamath Project shutoff.

PRESS RELEASE:  Bush Administration Contributes to Endangered Species Act Improvement Effort, 4/29/04, House Committee on Resources.

Plan seeks to limit 'critical habitat' cases, Salt Lake Tribune 4/29/04. "The present system for designating critical habitat is broken," Craig Manson, the Interior Department's assistant secretary in charge of endangered species programs, told the House Resources Committee."

Our posterity will laugh at us, Henry Lamb 5/2/04.

 

Judge orders NOAA to complete listing reviews within 30 days, CB Bulletin 4/30/04.

 

PRESS RELEASE: House Resource Committee, Critical Habitat Hearing Reveals Growing Consensus on Need for Modernization, "We've seen the effects of the Fish & Wildlife Service's questionable decision-making on critical habitat issues, causing unnecessary impacts to agriculture and other landowners, as well as to local governments and the economy.  It cannot continue."
Contra Costa's twist: Pombo's hearings start on environmental law, 4/28/04

 

PRESS RELEASE: Chairman Pombo Issues ESA Report, "A Mandate for Modernization" Resources Committee to begin efforts to repair broken law, 4/27/04

 

ESATODAY ESA needs to be friendlier to people, by Bonner Cohen, National Center for Public Policy Research, posted to KBC 4/26/04: "In the 30 years since its enactment, the Endangered Species Act has emerged as one of the most powerful, and ineffective, environmental statutes on the books."

 

ESATODAY Enviros propose motion to stop summer spill, 4/23/04, The NW Fishletter. "Coho fishing will also be allowed for the first time in 11 years off southern Oregon, with a 75,000-fish quota for the area. Wild coho stocks are building up and down the West Coast, but fishermen will only be allowed to keep hatchery fish with clipped adipose fins."

ESATODAY Bull trout could lose federal protection status, Register Guard 4/14/04.

American Rivers' top 10 list of "Most Endangered Rivers" is out. For the first time in 2 years, Klamath River is not on this list, The Oregonian 4/14/04. . HERE for story and list of endangered rivers.

Agency estimates bull trout costs, The Oregonian, posted to KBC 4/9/04, "The cost of protecting the bull trout and its habitat in the Columbia and Klamath basins could reach $230 million to $300 million during the next 10 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."

 

The General Accounting Office (GAO) today released the following regarding consultation and the ESA, 3/29/04. Go to http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0493high.pdf

 

From Oregon Congressman Walden's Office: Letters to Congressman Bonilla and Secretary of Agriculture Ann Venemon, posted to KBC 3/28/04, regarding the ESA listing of sage grouse.

 

ESATODAY Key rules are eased to boost logging, Oregonian 3/24/04. HOPE FOR OREGON? Oregon has the highest unemployment in the United States. The Spotted Owl hoax, Klamath sucker hoax, etc, have decimated our economy.  Bush hopes to relieve timber industry of spending millions of dollars searching for non-endangered species and to revive our economy.. Glen Spain, attorney-environmentalist-Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen (PCFFA), plans to challenge it.
 Agencies Sign Agreements to Continue Species Protection, 3/24/04 AgWeb

 

ESATODAY Water study data anxiously awaited, Tri-city herald 3/24/04. These hopeful unsuspecting farmers on the Columbia think the National Academy of Science (NAS) report, our countries 'best available science' will help them form policy. Glen Spain, attorney-environmentalist-PCFFA doesn't want more farmers despite whatever outcome. We Klamath Basin farmers had hope. Gail Norton, our Secretary of the Interior, ordered the NAS report for us, it said the fish are not helped by shutting down the Klamath Project or water-level management. So what good has it done us? The flawed Hardy-science hired by the DOJ/BIA/DOI to go against the farmers in the adjudication is still being used to take our water...this year 75,000AF (acre feet), next year 100,000AF, despite the NAS report and despite our precipitation. A mandatory agricultural downsize despite the NAS report.  Good luck Columbia Basin farmers! KBC (jdk)

 

ESATODAYFishermen want action to stop pinniped predation on chinook, CBB 3/19/04.  The REAL fishermen are battling the ESA gone wacko also.  When we met them last year, they support Klamath Farmers and we support them, despite what the green press would have you believe.  The same environmentalists shutting down our agricultural industry are shutting down commercial fishing for them, even when they know salmon runs are fine.

 

ESATODAY  OTHER PLACES: NOAA Fisheries seeks more time in salmonid ESA listing review, CB Bulletin, posted to KBC 3/20/04.

 

Pombo Calls for Changes to Endangered Species Act, by James M. Taylor;  Environment News
March 1, 2004,  The Heartland Institute - "The Pombo legislation would add “sound science” requirements demanding peer-reviewed justification for listing new species. The new approach would also attempt to remove penalties for creating and maintaining endangered species habitat, replacing them with incentives and cooperative relations with federal agencies. His approach is being applauded by ESA analysts."

 

Endangered Species Act endangers rights of landowners, www.townhall .com,  posted to KBC 2/17/04.

 

Bald eagle's range slows delisting as endangered, AP posted to KBC 2/17/04. "The bald eagle's territory...... stretches over much of the North American continent, with tens of thousands living in Alaska and British Columbia. The most recent survey in the contiguous United States counted nearly 6,500 nesting pairs in 2000 - up from just 417 in 1963."

 

Congress likely to take up peer review in ESA reform effort, westernroundtable, posted to KBC 2/14/04. "A National Academy of Sciences review of the situation later determined the (Klamath 2001 water) shutoff was unnecessary."

 

For the birds, Oregonian letter 2/23/04. "the state should focus on voluntary efforts and habitat restoration before it swings the hammer and forbids people to fly kites, run their dogs, build campfires and otherwise enjoy their beaches."

 

Other places, same war: ESA causes water stewards to change roles, Capital Press-Idaho Staff Writer, 2/12/04.

 

Grants to states for endangered species conservation, 2/12/04 USFWS

 

Feds seize family's ranch; Property owners fight government 'land grab', 2/10/04, New Mexico, WorldNetDaily. Klamath Basin is also on the wish list for 'wildland' designations.

More salmon apparently not what they wanted, EatFirst 1/04.

Species protection threatened by Water-rights ruling, 1/10/04 The SanDiegoChannel

State enhances protection for Coho , LA Times 2/11/04

 

State OKs coho plan, 2/7/04. YREKA - "The listing of the coho salmon as a California Endangered Species became law on Wednesday to the disappointment of Siskiyou County's grassroots Save Our Shasta and Scott Valley communities (SOSS) organization that has worked for years to prevent it from happening."

 

Congressman Walden's 2/4/04 statement on sound science before the House Subcommittee.

 

Republicans begin effort to rewrite endangered species act, 2/5/04

 

PRESS RELEASE: Walden Testifies on Need for Endangered Species Act Reform, 2/4/04. "We learned from the NAS that the decisions made either weren't based on adequate science or were made by misinterpreting the data they had. In either case, more than 1,000 farm families didn't receive vital irrigation water and nearly two-dozen farmers went bankrupt. I pledged then and there to pursue changes in the ESA to require outside, independent peer review of the decisions made by the government when it comes to listing or delisting a species and in formulation of recovery plans."

 

Walden PRESS RELEASE: Subcommittee to Convene Hearing on Peer Reviewed Science for Environmental Policy 2/4/04

 

Fish and Wildlife Service declines to list  California's midvalley fairy shrimp, 1/31/03

 

 For info.about the 'endangered?' owl, read Range article by Tim Findley. pdf file, page 2 article 'Refuge'--KBC

 

Disproved opinions driving assaults on Basin irrigation, H&N  by Dr. Doug Whitsett. We are re-running this recent article. It seems appropriate today, 1/28.