U.S. Department of the Interior - Radio News Service

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Interior Radio Department News Service - 2005 Stories

The Interior Department Radio News/Podcast Service features stories and event actualities about land, water, and resources for download to your newscasts or just informative listening to find out what's happening in the BLM, FWS, NPS, USGS, BOR, MMS, OSM and the BIA. This is a free service of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Feedback on usage is welcome at Interior_News@ios.doi.gov

Audio News Release PSAs Press Release Podcasts

12/15/2005	Programmatic EIS a Major Step Forward in Promoting Wind Energy Production on Public Lands
11/15/2005	Interior Announces Proposal to Delist Yellowstone Grizzly Bears
10/31/2005	ANWR Equals Jobs and Economic Security
10/06/2005	Secretary of the Interior Reports Economic Impact of National Wildlife Refuges
10/05/2005	Secretary Norton Reports on Gulf of Mexico Energy Status
10/04/2005	Secretary Norton Awards 2005 National Take Pride In America® Award Winners At Department of Interior Ceremony
09/27/2005	Norton Commends Resources Committee on Passage of "The Threatened And Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005"
09/14/2005	Assistant Secretary Watson Discusses Efforts to Meet America's Natural Gas Demand
09/09/2005	Minerals Management Service Fully Operational but Shut-in Continues
09/07/2005	Department of Interior Gives Offshore Status to Senate Subcommittee
09/02/2005	Minerals Management Begins to Assess Damage, Give Aid
08/19/2005	White House Selects Outstanding Examples of Cooperative Conservation
08/15/2005	White House Selects Outstanding Examples of Cooperative Conservation
08/12/2005	Interior Department Awards $32 Million in Conservation Grants
07/28/2005	No Fraud Found as Interior Reforms Indian Trusts
07/25/2005	Drought Easing for Most Western States but It's Not over Yet
07/18/2005	The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act; Improving on a Good Idea
07/06/2005	New Grazing Rule Underscores Proper Use of Public Lands
07/06/2005	Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program Alive and Well
06/22/2005	Environmental Impact Statement Supports Wind Energy Development on Public Lands
06/03/2005	Secretary Norton Adds 37 New National Trails
06/01/2005	BLM Reveals Discovery of New Cave on New Mexico Public Lands
05/27/2005	Fire potential for much of the West is expected to be above norm
05/18/2005	Secretary Norton Addresses American Wildlife Conservation Partners
05/04/2005	Norton Decides to Maintain Level of Colorado River Water Releases at Lake Powell
04/29/2005	Secretary Norton Announces New Owners for Lighthouses Refuge
04/28/2005	Once-thought Extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Rediscovered in Arkansas Refuge
04/21/2005	Interior Secretary Norton Celebrates Cooperative Conservation at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
03/07/2005	Fish Wildlife Service Announces $62 Million in Grants to States
03/04/2005	Interior Secretary Gale Norton Goes to ANWR to See Oil Drilling Technology
03/03/2005	U.S. Coral Reef Task Force; Partnerships in Protecting Imperiled Coral Reef Ecosystem
02/25/2005	DOI and MMS to Help Dedicate World’s Largest Floating Offshore Oil Platform
02/16/2005	Gulf of Mexico Oil Production at 93 Percent after Ivan
02/10/2005	FY 2006 Interior Budget Emphasizes Commitments and Cooperation
01/10/2005	Greater Sage Grouse Not Warranted for Listing Under ESA
01/06/2005	New U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regulation Allows Maximum Management of Gray Wolves For the States of Montana and Idaho

1/6/2005: New U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regulation Allows Maximum Management of Gray Wolves For the States of Montana and Idaho
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has unveiled a new regulation expanding the authority of States and Native American Tribes with Service-approved wolf management plans to manage gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains population. Only two States, Montana and Idaho, where there are about 550 wolves, presently fit that category. While the wolves have recovered from near extinction, detailed management plans must be in place before they can be taken off the Endangered Species list. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: The new rule give ranchers, Indians and biologist management options on private, public and reservation lands. It's an emotional issue from both sides according to Ed Bangs, the Wolf Recovery Coordinator for the Northwest United States. The proposed rule stimulated more than 23,000 comments after it was published in March 2004. (text)	:35
	SOUNDBITE: Gray wolves were reintroduced in the Northern Rockies as nonessential experimental populations under the Endangered Species Act in 1995 and 1996. The return of the wolf to the top of the food chain has had a ripple effect throughout the ecology of the region. (text)	:36
	SOUNDBITE: According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, giving more management options to states and reservations is good practice for when the gray wolf is eventually de-listed. (text)	:19

1/10/2005: Greater Sage Grouse Not Warranted for Listing Under ESA
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed its status review of the greater sage-grouse throughout its range and determined that the species does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act at this time. The decision follows a recommendation made by agency senior regional scientists and managers that the sage-grouse does not warrant listing under the ESA. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: 92 percent of the known active leks (traditional sites where males and females congregate for courtship) occur in 10 core populations across eight western states. Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Steve Williams, says that five of these populations are large and expansive and were important factors in the Service's decision. In addition, approximately 160 million acres of sagebrush, a necessary habitat for sage-grouse, currently exists across the western landscape. (text)	:27
	SOUNDBITE: FWS Director Williams's points out that the ESA only allows for a scientific judgment that does not consider what the impact of listing a species may have on other uses of the land or habitat. (text)	:25
	SOUNDBITE: The conservation efforts of federal agencies, state agencies and private landowners, their efforts to improve Sage brush habitat for Sage Grouse is something that really did make an impact on the status of the species across its entire range according to Mr. Williams. (text)	:20

2/10/2005: FY 2006 Interior Budget Emphasizes Commitments and Cooperation
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: President Bush's proposed fiscal year 2006 budget of $10.8 million for the Department of the Interior continues to meet his commitments to Interior's strategic goals and uses the power of cooperative conservation to help Interior work more efficiently. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: The budget includes $381.3 million for Interior's cooperative conservation programs, which leverage limited federal funds, typically requiring a nonfederal match of 50 percent or more. Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Lynn Scarlett, says these partnerships provide a foundation for cooperative efforts to protect endangered and at-risk species; engage local communities and organizations in conservation and achieve conservation goals while maintaining working landscapes. (text)	:27
	SOUNDBITE: The success of Water 2025 was confirmed with a request for a $10.5 million increase over 2005's funding for a total of $30 million. Water 2025 is a challenge-grant matching program that funds innovative water supply projects in areas where conflict among water users either exists or is likely to occur in the years ahead. (text)	:20
	SOUNDBITE: The budget proposal calls for $313 million in forest and range health programs as part of the President's Healthy Forests Initiative. Fuels treatment projects have removed hazardous fuels from 11 million acres as of last year, mostly in the wildland urban interface. (text)	:20
	SOUNDBITE: The Wildland Fire Rural Fire Assistance program has been terminated. Partnerships with local fire departments will be addressed through FEMA with plenty of input from the Interior Department. However, Interior will still be training with local firefighters out of its preparedness funds. (text)	:26

2/16/2005: Gulf of Mexico Oil Production at 93 Percent after Ivan
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: Last September's Hurricane Ivan may be a distant memory for some but the effects are still being felt by the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico. Thirteen pipelines were damaged by mudslides and remain shut-in and another four pipelines with a diameter of 10 inches or more were damaged by other forces. All remain off production. MMS recently gave notice to the industry to complete repairs by June 1 2005, the beginning of the next hurricane season. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: MMS estimates that, of the approximately 4,000 structures and 33,000 miles of pipelines in the gulf, 150 platforms and 10,000 miles of pipeline were in the direct path of Hurricane Ivan. This path brought Hurricane Ivan across the shelf and through the waters of the Mississippi River delta, the area most susceptible to underwater mudslides in the gulf. (text)	:17
	SOUNDBITE: Deep water platforms account for 60 percent of the remaining shut-in oil. MMS says underwater structural damage assessments are still ongoing but updated projections tentatively have all remaining deep water facilities being back online by April 2005. MMS regional spokesman Joe Trahan says time is of the essence.(text)	:25
	SOUNDBITE: The cumulative delay of oil production since the shut-in comes to 43,841,245 billion barrels, equivalent to 7.246% of the yearly production of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, which is approximately 605 million barrels. The cumulative shut-in gas is 172.259 billion cubic feet, equivalent to 3.871% of the yearly production of gas in the Gulf, which is approximately 4.45 trillion cubic feet. (text)	:22

2/25/2005: DOI and MMS to Help Dedicate World’s Largest Floating Offshore Oil Platform
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY:The world’s largest and most advanced semi-submersible oil platform, which will soon be used to tap into a huge reserve of oil and gas deep under the Gulf of Mexico. The Thunder Horse platform is about 50 percent larger than the next largest floating semi-submersible rig in the world. It will enable it to process 250,000 barrels of oil and 200,000 million cubic feet of natural gas per day – enough energy to provide daily energy needs for 6.5 million American homes. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE::21 Long safety records go unnoticed but according to the National Academy of Sciences, Gulf of Mexico production platforms have a remarkable winning streak. Johnnie Burton, Director of the Minerals Management Service says it’s due in part to regulation by the MMS. (text)	:21
	SOUNDBITE: Thunder Horse has the potential to produce approximately 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent over the life of the field. At its peak, the facility is designed to process 200,000 million cubic feet of natural gas, and 250,000 barrels of oil per day. That oil can be refined into 125,000 barrels of gasoline, or about 5 million gallons. With the 5 million gallons of gasoline, you could drive an SUV 8 million miles — to the moon and back more than 16 times. .(text)	:17
	SOUNDBITE: Under the President’s National Energy Plan, the Interior Department has been providing incentives to energy companies to take the financial risk of exploring in deep-water and deep-shelf areas of the gulf. These incentives, which take the form of royalty relief, ensure taxpayers a fair return while making it worth the risk for companies to explore hard-to-reach reserves. (text)	:22
	SOUNDBITE: 19 Minerals Management Service’s Regional Director for Gulf of Mexico, Chris Oynes, says MMS inspectors are very involved with the launch of the Gulf’s largest submersible platform. (text)	:17
	SOUNDBITE:The Thunder Horse area, which is 150 miles offshore of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico, has the potential to produce approximately 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent over the life of the field, making it the largest discovery in the gulf to date. (text)	:16

3/3/2005: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force; Partnerships in Protecting Imperiled Coral Reef Ecosystem
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: The Coral Reef Task Force was established by Executive Order in 1998 to develop and implement a comprehensive program of research and mapping to inventory, monitor, and identify the major causes and consequences of degradation of reefs. Interior Secretary Gale Norton directs the active participation of five bureaus within the Department of the Interior in the activities of the task force. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: The Coral Reef Task Force actively encourages states and territories to implement Local Action Strategies for conserving the coral resources off their shores. In each jurisdiction, decisions on what actions to undertake are based on community input, generally through extensive public meetings. The result is a locally-driven set of priorities. Elements from the coral reef plan were also made part of the President's Ocean Action Plan(text)	:21
	SOUNDBITE: Since 1994, Fish and Wildlife Service has protected more than one million acres and restored another 100,000 acresof wetlands and coastal areas. Thursday Secretary Norton announced that Fish and Wildlife Service would be opening a new office Puerto Rico to build on that success. (text)	:19
	SOUNDBITE: Since 1994, Fish and Wildlife Service has protected more than one million acres and restored another 100,000 acresof wetlands and coastal areas. Thursday Secretary Norton announced that Fish and Wildlife Service would be opening a new office Puerto Rico to build on that success. (text)	:19

3/4/2005: Interior Secretary Gale Norton Goes to ANWR to See Oil Drilling Technology
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: Interior Secretary Gale Norton is on Alaska's North Slope this weekend along with a delegation of U.S. Senators, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Council on Environmental Quality Chairman James Connaughton (Con'-uh-ton). The group will visit the 10-02 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a press conference Thursday, Secretary Norton emphasized that any oil and gas exploration in the small portion of the refuge will be meeting the highest standards ever set for environmentally responsible energy production. (text)	:19
	SOUNDBITE: The 10-02 Area is the 1.5-million-acre portion of the 19-million-acre and was set aside in 1980 by President Carter and a Democratic-controlled Congress for potential future oil and gas development. The US Geological Survey's mean estimate is that the area contains 10.4 billion barrels of oil.(text)	:31
	SOUNDBITE: This weekend's trip to ANWR is Secretary Norton's third since becoming Interior Secretary in January 2001. She says she's eager to make another winter trip -- despite the wind chills of 70 below zero. (text)	:34
	SOUNDBITE: Secretary Norton intends to use the trip to highlight the potentially vast resource potential of the 1002 Area. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 1.5 million acre 10-02 area represents America's greatest onshore prospect for future oil. (text)	:20

3/7/2005: Fish Wildlife Service Announces $62 Million in Grants to States
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: The State Wildlife Grants are designed to assist State-specific programs that benefit declining wildlife and their habitat. The Grants are funded under the 2005 Interior Department Appropriations Act. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: The Service is works closely with State planners to develop comprehensive wildlife conservation strategies. The main goal is to keep species from reaching the level of needing to be listed as endangered according to Matt Hogan, the Deputy Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. (text)	:11
	SOUNDBITE: Some examples of ongoing projects the grants will be used for include restoring 90 acres of tallgrass prairie and 70 acres of wheatgrass playa. These plant communities provide important habitat for an array of sensitive prairie species according to Mr. Hogan. (text)	:16
	SOUNDBITE: In the Midwest the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is partnering with the City of Chicago to purchase 102 acres at Hegewisch marsh. The new purchase provides optimum nesting for the little blue heron, yellow-headed blackbird, pie-billed grebe and the common moorhen. (text)	:13
	SOUNDBITE: The state of Maryland will use its grant money to gather wild Atlantic sturgeon and analyze their genetic profiles in an effort to restore their species. (text)	:21
	SOUNDBITE: The need for cooperative conservation grows as the nation grows. Mr. Hogan points out traditional conservationists such as hunters and anglers aren't enough to keep species going. (text)	:16
	SOUNDBITE: Working landscapes are often habitat also. Hogan says grant programs often help farmers to stay on the land and share it wildlife. (text)	:29

4/21/2005: Interior Secretary Norton Celebrates Cooperative Conservation at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: The results of President Bush's Cooperative Conservation and Healthy Forest Initiatives are not unique to the Western United States. In advance of Earth Day 2005, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton experienced nearly the entire spectrum of those efforts at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland. (text)	1:01
	SOUNDBITE: Secretary Norton spent a morning planting Loblolly Pine trees and marsh grass and also toured part of a 900-acre hazardous fuels reduction project at the refuge. The project is the largest project of its kind in the Fish and Wildlife Service's Northeast Region. The Secretary also visited a volunteer fire department where federal money has beefed up first responders in Dorchester County. (text)	:17

4/28/2005: Once-thought Extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Rediscovered in Arkansas
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: Responding to the dramatic rediscovery of the Ivory-billed woodpecker at the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced Thursday a proposal to commit more than $10 million in federal funds to protect the bird. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: The money will create what Secretary Norton calls "The Corridor of Hope Cooperative Conservation Plan" throughout a huge swath of an area known as the Big Woods of east Arkansas where the bird was spotted. (text)	:28
	SOUNDBITE: A major detail of the plan will be to beef up law enforcement in the area. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker is said to be the "Holy Grail" of bird watching, but the Secretary cautioned that the species will need time for habitat protection to be put in place as well as further study. (text)	:35
	SOUNDBITE:Since February 2004 there have been only seven confirmed sightings and just a few frames of video and moments of audio of the Ivory Bill's distinctive double knock pecking. Millions of dollars have already been committed to research and habitat protection efforts by private sector groups and citizens, an amount expected to grow once news of the rediscovery spreads. Secretary Norton says cooperative conservation will be emphasized throughout the recovery effort (text)	:20

4/29/2005: Secretary Norton Announces New Owners for Lighthouses
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton has announced her selection of four more candidates to receive ownership of four lighthouses under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act and announced that applications are being accepted for ownership of nine others. (text)	:55
	SOUNDBITE: 23 Recipients of lighthouses must meet the program's requirements. According to Jon Jarvis is the Regional Director for the Pacific West Region of the National Park Service, the program emphasizes stewardship of the lighthouses for public parks and recreation and for cultural, educational and historic preservation purposes rather than for private use. (text)	:23
	SOUNDBITE: The Coast Guard determines if the lighthouses are needed, while the General Services Administration acts as the nation's real estate agent. The National Park Service represents the Secretary of the Interior because most of the lighthouses are in the Registry of Historic Places or soon will be. Groups must prove that they can financially afford to preserve the structures. (text)	:29
	SOUNDBITE:So far 18 of 50 lighthouses have been transferred. It all adds up to another example of partnerships making a difference according to Jarvis. (text)	:32

5/4/2005: Norton Decides to Maintain Level of Colorado River Water Releases at Lake Powell
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced Monday that water releases from Lake Powell will go on at their scheduled level for the next five months because drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin have eased during the 2005 water year. Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Tom Weimer said the decision has four parts that add up to a path toward stability and certainty in the basin states (text)	:49
	SOUNDBITE: Norton's decision followed a mid-year review, a first of its kind, of the Annual Operating Plan for the Colorado River Reservoirs to determine if levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The National Weather Service's April 15, 2005 forecast indicates that the most probable April-July snowmelt runoff will be 106 percent of average. Weimer says that means roughly a third more water in storage this year. (text)	:35
	SOUNDBITE: The Secretary's decision means that by Sept. 30 - the end of the 2005 water year -- about 8.23 million acre feet of water will have been released from Glen Canyon Dam. A mid year review will take place in next years plan also. Weimer says that one good run-off year does not mean the drought is over. (text)	:09

5/18/2005: Secretary Norton Addresses American Wildlife Conservation Partners
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: The American Wildlife Conservation Partners, a consortium of 40 organizations representing more than six million individual hunters and conservationist, held a one-day meeting in Washington D.C. to discuss recommendations and ongoing cooperation with the Bush Administration on conservation issues. Interior Secretary Gale Norton called hunters the "backbone" of conservation in the U.S. (text)	:24
	SOUNDBITE: In 2001, the AWCP presented a report to the Bush Administration entitled "Wildlife for the 21st Century." Their follow-up report for Bush's second term acknowledged the Administration's implementation of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act and the announcement of no net losses to wetlands. Secretary Norton says cooperative conservation works, pointing to the re-discovery ofthe Ivory Billed Woodpecker. (text)	:25
	SOUNDBITE: President Bush signed an executive order on Cooperative Conservation last August. In it, he encouraged federal agencies to reach out and work with local governments, communities and groups like the AWCP. Secretary Norton says in doing so, it multiplies conservation efforts. (text)	:14
	SOUNDBITE: Norton pointed out that the agencies of the Department of the Interior make every effort to work with private and public partners to protect at risk species and prevent them from becoming endangered species, saying more is accomplished on the ground than in a courtroom.(text)	:33

5/27/2005: Fire potential for much of the West is expected to be above norm
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: The combination of very low snowpacks, some at record low levels, from the Pacific Northwest to the Dakotas and the continuing drought has escalated the risk of wildfires this summer according to Jim Hubbard, Director, office of Wildland Fire Coordination. (text)	:16
	SOUNDBITE: In past fire seasons aviation has been an area of focus due to tragic accidents. The primary mission of aviation is initial attack to slow the spread of fire so that ground forces can put it out. Hubbard says this year's season will be fought with a combination of aircraft and that will get the job done (text)	:25
	SOUNDBITE: Fire knows no boundaries and it is often local firefighters that respond to fires on public lands. Hubbard notes they are heavily relied local firefighters as well as another important fire fighting component, Indian fire fighting crews. (text)	:19
	SOUNDBITE: The Department of the Interior comes together with several land management and other types of agencies across government to form the National Interagency Fire Center. For example, constant updates from the National Weather Center provide input to the NIFC predictive service. While Mr. Hubbard doesn't expect fire season to begin early, he says resources are moved around constantly to counter possible problems.(text)	:11

6/1/2005: BLM Reveals Discovery of New Cave on New Mexico Public Lands
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: A small team of BLM volunteers found a cave near Fort Stanton, New Mexico in 2001 and have been researching it ever since, so far, mapping two miles of ariver frozen in time. The formation is made of white calcite and said to be the largest known formation of its kind in the world according to Jessie Juen, BLM New Mexico's Associate Director. (text)	:12
	SOUNDBITE: The site is being called Snowy River for the continuous white formation along the caves bottom. While Fort Stanton has multi-use recreation areas with some caves open to the public, the location of this cave is not going to be revealed for both safety and science reasons. (text)	:19
	SOUNDBITE: New Mexico Senator, Pete Domenici is already at work on legislation to preserve the cave for scientific and educational purposes. The cave has already yielded never-before-seen bacteria. (text)	:20
	SOUNDBITE: Cave explorers discovered the Snowy River portion of the Fort Stanton cave system after following airflows and breaking through an area that had fallen in. Evidence so far tells them it is a young cave. (text)	:12

6/3/2005: Secretary Norton Adds 37 New National Trails
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton announced the designation of 37 new National Recreation Trails in 23 states, as part of the National Trails System, in celebration of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 4th. The announcement adds about 580 miles to a system of more than 900 trails totaling more than 10,000 miles.	1:00
	SOUNDBITE: National Trails Day events are being held across the country to promote physical fitness and awareness of what a great resource our nation's trails are. National Park Service Director Fran Mainella says the National Park Foundation and corporate sponsor Unilever are helping promote the concurrent themes of "Trails Forever" and "Healthy Parks - Healthy Living."	:28
	STORY: One of the first events to kick off National Trails Day was in Washington D.C., a region with more than 717 miles of trails that often cover history and recreation at the same time. Covering nearly a fifth of Washington is Rock Creek Park.	:50
	SOUNDBITE: Rock Creek Park Superintendent Adrianne Coleman says that urban borders of the park mean a lot of community involvement.	:22

6/22/2005: Environmental Impact Statement Supports Wind Energy Development on Public Lands
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: In remarks Tuesday before the Congressional Renewable Energy EXPO in Washington, D.C., Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management Rebecca Watson announced the completion of an Environmental Impact Statement that could clear the way for wind energy to become an important part of America's energy portfolio. (text)	:16
	SOUNDBITE: The Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Wind Energy Development on BLM-Administered Lands in the Western United States,provides the environmental groundwork to speed up the permitting of wind energy and should pave the way for development of more than 3200 megawatts of wind energy on public lands in 11 western states. (text)	:25
	SOUNDBITE: Currently, wind energy provides only two percent of the nation's power with seven percent of that figure coming from projects on public lands. Assistant Secretary Watson says development of renewable energy sources, part of the President's National Energy Policy, is a matter of economic security. (text)	:19
	SOUNDBITE: 52 land-use plans will be amended to facilitate preparation and consideration of potential wind energy development right-of-way applications on BLM-administered lands, but will not eliminate the need for site-specific analysis of individual development proposals. Watson says the process addresses environmental concerns through best management practices. (text) The Final Programmatic EIS is posted on the Web at [http://windeis.anl.gov] and will be published in the Federal Register on June 24, 2005.	:27

7/6/2005: Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program Alive and Well
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: Bureau of Land Management Director Kathleen Clarke wants the country to know that the Wild Horse and Burro adoption program is ongoing. Nearly 32,000 wild horses roam rangeland in 10 Western states. Range management determines how many horses must be gathered each year. Clarke is concerned that the public may confuse changes in the BLM's sale authority with the adoption program which has not seen any changes (text)	:38
	SOUNDBITE: The BLM hopes to adopt out 7,000 horses duringthis fiscal year. Wild horse populations can double every five years and compete for grazing against other species and a continuing drought. Horses that are not adopted go into long-term pastures to live out their lives where the cost of care and feeding each animal is about $465 per animal per year. Director Clarke noted that Ford Motor Company and Take Pride in America, a national partnership program, have teamed to support the Bureau in its efforts to place in good homes the animals that must be sold and hopes others will step up also. (text)	:27
	SOUNDBITE: The BLM was able to resume its sales authority after revising its bill of sale and pre-sale negotiation procedures. A temporary suspension of sales occurred in response to two incidents involving the commercial processing of horses that had been re-sold or traded after being bought from the BLM. (text)	:18

7/7/2005: New Grazing Rule Underscores Proper Use of Public Lands
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: A process that began in March 2003 aimed at improving the management and long-term health of America's public rangelands will finally be in place later this month. The final Environmental Impact Statement supports BLM proposals that will help improve working relationships with Grazing Permit Holders according to BLM Director Kathleen Clarke. (text)	:24
	SOUNDBITE: The regulations, which combine to be called a rule, will advance the bureau's efforts in assessing and protecting rangelands and allow the grazing permittee or lessee to share title to range improvements. Tom Dyer is the BLM's Deputy Assistant Director for Renewable Resources and Planning and says the affects of the new rule won't be realized immediately. (text)	:14
	SOUNDBITE: The regulations will continue the role of BLM's Resource Advisory Councils, composed of citizens across the West who advise and make recommendations to the agency on public-land issues. According to Dyer, more than 18,000 comments were received on the draft version of the impact study. (text)	:25
	SOUNDBITE: BLM Director Clarke says the rule recognizes the ranchers as stewards of the land and that grazing benefits the land and other wildlife. (text)	:27

7/18/2005: The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act; Improving on a Good Idea
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: Fees for use of recreational facilities on federal lands have always existed, but in the past those fees went into the federal treasury until the Recreation Fee Demonstration program began in 1996. It meant the fees would be applied to improve the facility where they were collected. The success of that program led Congress to pass the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, signed by President Bush last December. According to Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Lynn Scarlet, the measure has strong public support (text)	:21
	SOUNDBITE: The Act permits federal land management agencies to continue charging modest fees at campgrounds, rental cabins, high-impact recreation areas and at day-use sites that have certain facilities but it also states when fees will not be charged. For example, in areas where there are no improvements or infrastructure. (text)	:32
	SOUNDBITE: Another important part of the act is public involvement. Changes in fees or adding fees will be posted in the Federal Registry for comment and the act will establish Recreation Resource Advisory Committees in states and regions (text)	:30
	SOUNDBITE: Recreation fees provide crucial resources that allow the federal agencies to respond to increased demand on federal lands. The goal is to provide visitors with a quality recreation experience through enhanced facilities and service (text)	:28

7/25/2005: Drought Easing for Most Western States but It's Not over Yet
Audio	Summary	Length
	STORY: The July forecast for spring snowmelt runoff into Lake Powell shows users of the Colorado River getting a reprieve from the drought that has gripped the West for five years. However, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys says it's still too early to say the drought is over. (text)	:42
	SOUNDBITE:Some areas in the Pacific Northwest, while receiving much needed spring rain, began the year with very little water in storage. The Yakima basin is one of those hardest hit. (text)	:14
	SOUNDBITE: The area is the first to benefit from Interagency Drought Action Teams. Interior Department and Agriculture officials are working with those in Washington State to bypass red tape and focus a range of assistance programs. (text)	:17
	SOUNDBITE:The Drought Action Team initiative is a as part of Interior Secretary Gale Norton's Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflict in the West Program. The Challenge Grant Program invested $14.9 million toward 62 projects in 2004 and 2005. The investment grew to $57 million with matching non-federal contributions. (text)	:17

7/28/2005: No Fraud Found as Interior Reforms Indian Trusts
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE: Department of the Interior Associate Deputy Secretary Jim Cason and Special Trustee for American Indians Ross Swimmer were key witnesses at this week's Senate Indian Affairs hearing, called by Committee Chairman John McCain in an effort to prompt a resolution to questions over Interior's role in the administration of the land-based trust assets of thousands of individual American Indians across the nation. Cason says the Department's preliminary historic accounting work has not revealed any evidence of systemic fraud or significant error. (text)	:26
	SOUNDBITE:The Department of the Interior has focused its work on reforming the management of Indian Trust assets. Old legacy computer systems for tracking the leasing and use of Indian lands have been converted to state-of-the art data systems. Individual trust records, once scattered at locations throughout Indian country, have been gathered, indexed, and stored by the Office of Historical Trust Accounting at the new American Indian Records Repository, in Lenexa, Kansas. "This has been no small effort" said Special Trustee for American Indians Ross Swimmer. (text)	:37
	SOUNDBITE: Swimmer says the opening of a toll-free Call Center for Indian Trust beneficiaries is yet another key management reform which has already been a proven success. (text)	:21
	SOUNDBITE:One of the most important reforms has been Interior's efforts in training people in fiduciary trust responsibility. The growing staff brings private sector experience to the Office of the Special Trustee. (text)	:24

8/12/2005: Interior Department Awards $32 Million in Conservation Grants
Audio	Summary	Length
	SOUNDBITE:The Department of the Interior announced Thursday more than $32 million in cost-share grants that will help fund on-the-ground conservation projects undertaken by states, tribes, and private landowners in 49 states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, said grants primarily protect endangered species and their habitats (text)	:24
	SOUNDBITE:The announcement of the grants comes as the White House prepares for its first Conference on Cooperative Conservation which President Bush called for as part of his Executive Order on Cooperative Conservation signed last year. The conference will be held in St. Louis August 29-31. (text)	:16
	SOUNDBITE:The grants, awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under four grant programs, are part of President Bush's commitment to empowering Americans to conserve wildlife and its habitat in their local communities and tribal areas. (text)	:17
	SOUNDBITE:In the past five years, the Interior Department has dedicated more than $2 billion to cooperative conservation grant programs. Working with private landowners is imperative because species don't recognize property boundaries. Specific information on the recently announced grants can be found at www.fws.gov. (text)	:24

8/15/2005: White House Selects Outstanding Examples of Cooperative Conservation

The White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation will be held August 29 through 31, 2005 in St. Louis, Missouri. The purpose of the Conference is to "Strengthen Shared Governance and Citizen Stewardship." Thirty organizations have been selected to share their stories with 1,200 invitees from across the US and together learn about cooperative conservation including state, tribal and local governments, communities, private for profit and non-profit organizations, and private citizens.

DOI Radio News Service interviewed some of the participants and compiled their stories below.

If you've seen the movie A River Runs Through It, you've experienced Montana's Blackfoot River. The area is a popular site for fishing, rafting and other outdoor activities. But land fragmentation from development was threatening the natural resources and rural lifestyle of its residents. In response, local landowners formed the Blackfoot Challenge, a 1.5-million-acre watershed organization. With 160 partner organizations and 500 private landowners, an 89,000 acre easement was formed across bureaucratic and property lines, uniting often diverse views into one landscape. Blackfoot director Tina Bernd-Cohen says trust is a main ingredient of building this kind of cooperation.

"It's building respect and trust for the diverse perspectives, they share a common vision that they want to conserve the natural resources and rural lifestyle. They don't want to be urbanized. So we work from the 80 percent we can agree on and with respect and trust and they have a lot of fun too (laughs) they're a fun group. People want to be in the Blackfoot."

Accomplishments include restoration of 32 miles of in-stream and 51 miles of riparian area and 2,100 acres of wetlands. No less than 37 tributaries have been, or are currently being, restored. Nearly 300 miles of fish passage barriers have been removed in the watershed and across the landscape satellite mapping helps manage thousands of acres for weeds control and grazing.

In Northeastern Maine, rising land values and forest land ownership changes are bringing hundreds of thousands of acres of land to the real estate market. Amos Enos Executive Director of the New England Forestry Foundation says the trend was aimed at waterfront property.

"For a number of congruent reasons the real estate market has been marching inland along rivers and lakes and had we not put in place these conservation easements the alternative would've been massive development of the lake frontage."

But when the Pingree family sold development rights to the New England Forestry Foundation, the largest privately held conservation easement in the United States was born. Bigger than the state of Rhode Island, the Pingree Forest Partnership meets the needs of fish and wildlife along with local economies that rely on working forests. The success of the Pingree has been joined by another similar project, the Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership. According to Amos Enos, both landscapes are supported by fundraising and grants.

"The nice thing about our two projects, for Pingree and Down East, you have 1.1 million acres in prime conservation and there's not a dollar carrying cost to the federal government or the state government. It's all private stewardship."

The resulting conservation equals a landscape that sustains livelihoods and wildlife and is accessible to the public.

In the early '90s the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acquired desert lands close to the Mexican border in a real estate exchange and filed an Environmental Impact Statement to extend grazing leases. When the process became litigious, the BLM drew together a large group of stakeholders, including federal, state, and local agencies, organized groups, and individuals. Jeff Williams of the Arizona Zoological Society says what remained afterward was the Sonoita Valley Planning Partnership.

"I think that the BLM literally did an artful job of enrolling all of this public/special interest and making them feel as if there was room at the table for them and that their contribution was going to be valued, and in fact it was. Once they realized that they weren't coming in after the fact and shooting holes in everything, they exchanged perspectives, opinions and interests in ways that sort of celebrated other people's perspectives."

Sonoita Valley, just 50 miles southeast of Tucson, is a vast, high desert basin of oak-studded hills, rolling grasslands, and the lush riparian corridor along Cienega Creek. It is an important wildlife corridor, connecting the Sonoran desert of the Southwest and northern Mexico.

For the first time in 100 years, the Walla Walla River flows year- round, thanks to a settlement among three irrigation districts, Tribes, and federal agencies. These flows supplement earlier Tribal, state, and landowner partnerships to improve fish passage and habitat, enabling reintroduced Chinook salmon to return to the river. Kevin Scribner, member of the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, says irrigators reached out to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and pledged to "help bring back their fish."

"The cultural component of it is when we take the lead from the tribes is that foods are a key part of tribal culture, their spirituality, their religion. With that depth of connection with salmon, a source of wild food, it then helps the rest of us think about well 'how does the land and water also figure into our sense of ourselves, our sense of being, our sense of meaning."