Daily Wilderness News Clips

The last great underappreciated epic river in the Lower 48, the Owyhee weaves through Idaho's southwestern sage steppes, cutting deep canyons into cliffs of volcanic rhyolite. Surrounded by an ocean of three million acres (1.2 million hectares) of sagebrush desert, the Owyhee, as locals call the whole region, is rich with songbirds and sage grouse leks, ancient archaeological sites, and ruined homesteads.

For centuries, the American spirit of exploration and discovery has led us to experience the majesty of our Nation's wilderness.  From raging rivers to serene prairies, from mountain peaks slicing the skyline to forests teeming with life, our Nation's landscapes have provided wonder, inspiration, and strength to all Americans.  Many sites continue to hold historical, cultural, and religious significance for Indian tribes, the original stewards of this continent.  We must continue to preserve and protect these scenic places and the life that inhabits them so they may be rediscovered and

The first questioner at Sen. Jon Tester's Monday public forum in Missoula wanted to know how the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act was coming along.

"My wife and I just drove over through Lincoln, and there's crystal-clear evidence we need to manage in a different way," Tester said of the beetle-killed acres of forest. "We need to give the Forest Service some different tools to work with."

The Mount Hood National Forest will severely limit off-road vehicles in the woods under a decision announced this week. Responding to a Forest Service directive to get a handle on the noise, damage and intrusive nature of four-wheel-drive rigs and dirt bikes in the nation's forests, Mount Hood is limiting drivers to four areas.

LAS CRUCES - A report on the economic benefit of wilderness conservation is being touted by one local business group as proof of their claim that federal wilderness areas help bring in revenue, but the leader of another business organization called that claim "overreaching."

Four influential environmental groups are endorsing the new wilderness proposal put forth by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis that seeks to protect 170,000 acres of public lands in Eagle and Summit counties.

AMERICA'S most sparsely populated states were among its more resilient during the recession. Before the downturn, places like Montana and North Dakota poked along with slow growth and greying populations. When the wheels came off the national economy, they began to move up the rankings. They were doing well from commodities, had never known housing bubbles and were not especially vulnerable to the financial sector's troubles. In 2008 Montana's growth rate was the highest in the country.

They used to meet, it seems, only in court. Now they meet, too, at the bargaining table. They used to issue dueling news releases. Now they pen companion newspaper columns. They used to push competing bills. Now they sign cooperative deals.

In Washington County. In Nine Mile Canyon. Even along the Wasatch Front.

EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado - Four Colorado environmental groups Thursday urged support for U.S. Rep. Jared Polis' proposal to protect 170,000 acres of public lands in Eagle and Summit counties.

"Congressman Polis has worked hard to gather citizen input and craft a wilderness proposal," said Steve Smith, assistant director of The Wilderness Society in Colorado "He deserves credit for his willingness to take the desires of his constituents into account and create a proposal that is ready to be moved through Congress."

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Three former chiefs of the U.S. Forest Service are asking Montana's congressional delegation to protect the Rocky Mountain Front, a plea they say marks the first time they have united to urge passage of a land measure.

The request was made in a letter, sent earlier this month, that urges the delegation to "take a leadership role in the passage of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act."