The Ranch Post

The bison industry is booming and the president of the National Bison Association, Dave Carter, says that more ranchers need to get involved to meet the growing demand.

“It takes five years to get a bison from pasture to plate,” and since the industry does not “allow growth hormones or antibiotics, these animals grow slower.” In the end, bison bring in $2,000 - $5,000 per head, making them a solid investment. Read more…

In related news, Idaho’s Shoshone-Bannock tribe will return to the Jackson Hole area for a limited ceremonial bison hunt. “The tribe recently entered into an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will allow the killing of up to five bison on the National Elk Refuge as part of the tribe’s traditional ceremonial activity.” Read more…

According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, action is being taken to protect the Snake River and the Wyoming Range. The Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy Act “would protect 387 miles of rivers and streams in the Snake River drainage under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.” And the Wyoming Range Legacy Act “would prohibit further energy leasing in the Wyoming Range south of Jackson Hole and would allow conservation groups to buy and retire existing energy leases.” Both bills were passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, and now goes to the Senate floor for a vote before going on to the Wyoming House.

Renewed interest in nuclear power is creating an increased demand for uranium. “In the five Western states where uranium is mined in the U.S., 4,333 new claims were filed in 2004, according to the Interior Department; last year the number had swelled to 43,153.” The Grand Canyon, as well as some wilderness areas in Utah and Colorado might be part of this uranium mining boom. Read the article in the Los Angeles Times for more information.

William Victor Milenski, a real estate appraiser, has been suspended from the Colorado Board of Real Estate Appraisers for “inflating the value of properties” under evaluation for conservation easements. This is the third appraiser suspension in an investigation prompted by “conservation easements that generated millions of dollars in tax credits.” According to Erin Toll, Director of the Colorado Division of Real Estate, the excessive tax credits were created by “gross overvaluations of land.” Read the Rocky Mountain News article for more information.

In other news, the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts is telling us that HB 1353, a bill created to increase the accountability and oversight of the state’s conservation easement tax credit system, passed the Colorado Senate and House this week, and is on it’s way to Governor Ritter’s desk.

On the front page of the Wall Street Journal this morning, “grain companies prices soar as global food crisis mounts.” Farmers are making incredible profits since many grains and vegetables are in high demand. “The crisis stems from a combination of heightened demand for food from fast-growing developing countries like China and India, low grain stockpiles caused by bad weather, rising fuel prices and the increasing amount of land used to grow crops for ethanol and other biofuels rather than food.” Grain companies have responded by saying they will put the extra money towards technology development that will increase productivity.

NBC’s Today Show kicked off its annual “Where in the world is Matt Lauer?” segment this week, and Lauer started off in the majestic city of Buenos Aires. The Patagonia region was featured as part of Monday’s show, showcasing the history, estancia culture, fly-fishing and recreation of the area.

Photo: Estancia El Palenque, an estancia (ranch) for sale in Patagonia.

The Denver Business Journal is reporting that corn farmers in Yuma County are looking to a $71 million water project to sustain their businesses.

Colorado is obligated to send a certain amount of water from the Republican River downstream to Nebraska and Kansas, and many farmers /ranchers are unable to properly irrigate their fields under that requirement. If ranchers take more water than allowed, neighboring states can take their case to the Supreme Court and shut down all wells in the Republican River Basin. If ranchers can’t access water, they can’t grow corn, which forces them to turn to “non-irrigated crops or grazed cattle,” decreasing the value of the land by as “much as 80 percent.”

Read more about the proposed water project in today’s Denver Business Journal.

The Conservation Fund, Colorado Open Lands, Nature Conservancy, Trust For Public Lands and Colorado Conservation Trust have recently joined forces to form a new coalition, named Keep it Colorado. “The group will focus attention and preservation efforts on 700,000 acres of land in 24 different regions of the state, from the San Juan Valley to the Eastern Plains,” and are proposing a $800 million plan to accomplish just that. Read about how the coalition expects to fund the plan in today’s Rocky Mountain News.

Last month the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a new national limit for smog. “Under the EPA’s old limit, set in 1997, air was unhealthy if it had an average of more than 84 parts per billion of ozone. The new limit is 75 parts per billion or more.”

According to an analysis performed by USA Today, “smaller metropolitan areas” as well as wilderness areas — “are the most likely to be labeled as smoggy” under the new limit. So much so, that the number of small counties (with less than 250,000 people) in violation of the limit would change “from five to 47.” Read about the analysis in today’s USA Today.

In honor of Earth Day (which is today), a report on smog related deaths will be released by the National Research Council.  Stay tuned…

Fishing is expected to be better in 2008 than the last few years in Southeast Colorado according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife. In a recent Denver Post article, DOW Fisheries biologist, Jim Ramsay, says that there will be “greatly improved prospects where water is more plentiful.”

To read highlights of the recent CDOW forecast report in the Denver Post article, click here.

To read the full CDOW 2008 Fishing Forecast for the Southeast region of Colorado, click here. (The report includes a 2008 fishing forecast for South Park as well.)