Public lands: Feds finalizing management plan for wildlife refuges in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

Restoration and public use among the key focus areas Staff Report FRISCO — After years of planning and public input, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials this week said they’ve completed all the environmental studies and a conservation plan for the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex, in south-central Colorado. The plan covers about

New GAO report details effects of environmental lawsuits on government agencies

‘The real story is that Republicans are angered by the success of environmental groups in enforcing environmental laws and ensuring public health and safety …’ FRISCO — Claims by Republican leaders in Congress that environmental lawsuits prevent federal agencies from doing their job are unfounded, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Colorado: Yet another Gunnison sage-grouse lawsuit

Wildlife advocates say dwindling birds need full protection of Endangered Species Act Staff Report FRISCO — Dwindling Gunnison sage-grouse will have to wait a bit long to find out what kind of endangered species protection — if any — they will get. Following the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to list the birds as

Rebuilding biodiversity: Feds release whooping crane chicks

Project aims to restore migratory flock in eastern U.S. Staff Report FRISCO — Efforts to boost a self-sustaining flock of migratory whooping cranes in the eastern U.S. got a boost last month with the release of four chicks that were raised in captivity at a U.S. Geological Survey research center in Maryland. The crane chicks

Colorado: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledges lynx mistakes in Breckenridge Ski Area’s Peak 6 expansion plan

Federal approval missed a key step in addressing requirements of Endangered Species Act Click here to read all Summit Voice Peak 6 stories By Bob Berwyn FRISCO — Federal biologists have acknowledged that they left out a key step in their approval of the proposed Peak 6 ski area expansion at Breckenridge, a project that

Ptarmigans to be considered for endangered listing

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rule on status of alpine bird in one year By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Shrinking alpine habitat and declining mountain snow cover may push ptarmigans to the brink of extinction, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which announced this week that it will do an in-depth

Biodiversity: Bat-killing disease now west of the Mississippi

Conservation advocates seek western cave closures, more funds for research and prevention By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — With bat-killing white nose syndrome now documented in Missouri, conservation advocates say more action and more funding is needed to try and stop the spread of the disease, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week

Urban wildlife refuge planned near Albuquerque, New Mexico

Feds say new site will boost economy, help urban residents connect with nature By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — Working closely with local partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the go-ahead to establish a new 570-acre wildlife refuge on the site of a former dairy farm just a few miles south of New

Colorado: State research shows robust plover populations

Partnership between state wildlife agency and private landowners enabled researchers to get good data on habitat and breeding; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decides threatened listing isn’t needed By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — A partnership between the Colorado Division of Wildlife and private ranchers enabled researchers to show that mountain plovers are not as

Opinion: Pikas, polar bears and global warming

By Bob Berwyn SUMMIT COUNTY — The courts get it, but apparently the various agencies responsible for managing and protecting the country’s wildlife don’t — many species are facing the threat of extinction from global warming impacts, and we can’t just stand by and watch. That’s the message sent by a couple of recent court