Archive for the 'Mountain-Prairie Region' Category

Nov 07, 2009

Utah Photographer Wins Refuge Photo Contest

The Salt Lake Tribune ran an article about Ted Steinke, the winner of the 2009 Refuge Photo Contest run by the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
Ted Steinke won with an amazing photo of two northern harriers competing for a dead duck at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.
In the Salt Lake Tribune article, [...]

Oct 02, 2009

Baca NWR Court Ruling and Drilling Noise

The excellent blog National Parks Traveler has posted an interesting entry regarding the recent ruling by a U.S. district court judge that stopped drilling at Colorado’s Baca National Wildlife Refuge (near Great Sand Dunes National Park) because the judge said environmental groups gave compelling evidence that drilling would cause harm to the refuge (see Refuge [...]

Sep 04, 2009

Judge Halts Drilling at Baca NWR

The Associated Press is reporting that a federal judge has blocked exploratory oil and gas drilling at Baca National Wildlife Refuge, which is close to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
U.S. District Court Judge Walker Miller stated that environmental groups gave compelling evidence that drilling would cause harm to the refuge.
This blog [...]

Apr 15, 2009

Army Corps Project Threatens Seedskadee NWR

According to the Little Chicago Review in Fontenelle, Wyoming, the Army Corps of Engineers recently held hearings to get input from the public about a water development proposal by Aaron Million, who is an entrepreneur from Colorado.
From the Review:

The proposal, which would call for the development of a pipeline from southwest Wyoming to the [...]

Apr 08, 2009

Blue Goose Alliance Sues Interior Dept. over Bison Range Management

On January 13, 2009, this blog reported on the nonprofit Blue Goose Alliance threatening legal action regarding the Execution of the Annual Funding Agreement with the Consolidated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), which will lead to the tribes taking over much of the management at the National Bison Range Complex in Montana.
As a follow-up to [...]

Apr 01, 2009

Sandhill Crane Migration at Monte Vista NWR

ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) recently did a piece on the sandhill crane migration at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado. From the GMA story:

“The cranes arriving signify that spring is here,” said Michael Blenden, project leader at the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge. “The Rocky Mountain population of greater Sandhill cranes spend [...]

Feb 17, 2009

Drilling on Baca NWR Halted for Now

The San Luis Valley Water Protection Coalition is reporting that the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, Lexam Exploration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have reached an agreement to “cease all construction activities” related to drilling on Colorado’s Baca National Wildlife Refuge until August 2009.
On December 7, 2008, this blog reported that the [...]

Feb 06, 2009

Photo Friday: Ice Fishing

Waubay National Wildlife Refuge, located in northeastern South Dakota, was established in 1935. The refuge is located in the prairie pothole region, the largest duck production area in the continental United States. The refuge includes 4,650 acres of lakes, marshlands, grasslands, and woodlands, which support diverse and abundant wildlife.
Ice fishing is a popular family [...]

Jan 13, 2009

Blue Goose Alliance Threatens Lawsuit Over Bison Range Agreement

The nonprofit Blue Goose Alliance served notice on January 5, 2009 to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service H. Dale Hall, and Region 6 Regional Director Steve Guertin of their intent to file suit in 60 days for violation of Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act [...]

Dec 19, 2008

Photo Friday: Sleigh Rides at Elk Refuge

It’s that time of year again, and sleigh rides are now available at the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming. The rides run tentatively through the end of March — weather and herd conditions permitting — and offer visitors a great view of the many elk.
Learn more on the National Elk Refuge website.
 

 

Dec 07, 2008

Environmental Groups Go to Court Over Drilling at Baca NWR

In past posts (October 25, March 30, March 8, January 20, and September 21), RefugeWatch has followed the ongoing controversy of potential drilling by a Canadian energy firm — Lexam Energy Exploration — at Baca National Wildlife Refuge in southern Colorado.
On December 4, 2008, a new wrinkle developed when the San Luis Valley Ecosystem [...]

Oct 25, 2008

USFWS Rejects Further Environmental Analysis for Drilling in Baca NWR

In the past, this blog has reported on the ongoing controversey about drilling in Baca National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado (see post here and here).
On October 24, 2008, The Valley Courier in Colorado reported on the recent announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that said exploratory drilling at the refuge will [...]