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June 15, 2018 CapitalPress.com 9 Amendment defunds grizzly transport, delists wolves By DAN WHEAT Capital Press The U.S. House Appro- priations Committee has passed an Interior Depart- ment appropriations bill that includes an amendment by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., denying fund- ing for transporting grizzly bears into the North Cascade Range. The bill, approved June 6, provides annual funding for Interior, the Environ- mental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Indian Health Service and other agencies. The bill next goes to the House floor. “I have heard my constit- uents loud and clear on their opposition to transporting grizzly bears to the North Cascades and the rest of the federal government should take note of local communi- ties’ voices as well,” New- house said. Meanwhile, Eric Rick- erson, Washington state su- pervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the USFWS and National Park Service will meet this week to discuss comments received on the Draft Envi- ronmental Impact Statement of North Cascades grizzly bear plans. Soon thereafter, he said, staff will make a recommendation to superi- ors in the agencies. The agencies will choose between taking no action or one of three action alterna- tives for relocating grizzlies to the North Cascades, he said. A final EIS will come out at the end of September. Newhouse’s amendment also includes taking the gray wolf off the list of pro- tected species by the end of fiscal year 2019, preserving the North Cascades Smoke- jumper Base in Winthrop, Wash., research on the dis- ease transmission risk be- tween domestic and bighorn sheep and greater USFS transparency in grazing per- mit monitoring. The bill fully funds the 10-year average of Interior and USFS wildland fire- fighting and prevention at $3.9 billion, an addition- al $500 million for USFS fire suppression and $655 million for hazardous fuels management, which is $30 million above the fiscal year 2018 level. The bill provides $500 million for payment in lieu of taxes — $35 million more than the budget request — for local governments in 49 states to help offset losses in property taxes due to nontax- able federal lands within their boundaries. Grizzly bear Binomial name: Ursus arctos horribilis Capital Press File Height: 3 1 / 2 feet at the shoulder, 7-8 feet tall standing upright Idaho State Capitol Weight: 300-800 pounds depending on age, sex and season Idaho draft legislation would help water rights holders after flood-control releases Average life span: 20 -25 years Appearance: Unlike black bears, grizzlies have a concave face, rounded ears, high-humped shoulders and long, curved claws. Their fur ranges in color from light brown to nearly black. Diet: Omnivores, about 80 to 90 percent of their diet consists of green vegetation, wild fruits and berries, nuts, and bulbs or roots of certain plants. A portion of their diet may include insects, fish and small mammals. Grizzlies will sometimes take larger game such as elk or moose calves and have been known to take livestock. By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Behaviors: A grizzly must eat enough to build up huge stores of fat to sustain it through hibernation. They typically den in Novem- ber and emerge in April. Known for: Their impressive size and strength. Grizzlies can sprint 50 yards in 3 seconds, faster than a race horse. Range: Today the grizzly bear is found in about 2 percent of its historic range in the lower 48 states; in pockets of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Large populations remain in Alaska and Western Canada. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Bears attack Montana researcher, llamas By DAN WHEAT Capital Press A grizzly bear researcher for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is recovering from serious injuries following a bear attack in Montana, and a rancher says one or more griz- zlies killed two llamas 12 days earlier elsewhere in the state. Amber Kornak, 28, of Lib- by, Mont., was working alone near a stream in the Cabinet Mountains south of Libby. She was collecting grizzly hair samples from bushes for DNA testing, said Jennifer Strickland, a USFWS spokes- woman. Kornak, a seasonal em- ployee, was just a couple of weeks into her “dream job” when she was attacked from behind, suffering two skull fractures and severe cuts to her head, neck and back, her friend, Jenna Hemer, wrote in a GoFundMe post soliciting money for her recovery. Kornak sprayed the bear with repellent and walked two miles to her vehicle and drove Associated Press File A bear attacked a researcher in Montana 12 days after a grizzly killed two llamas elsewhere in the state. for help, Hemer wrote. She underwent four hours of surgery at Kalispell Region- al Medical Center, including removal of bone fragments from her brain and is home facing a long recovery, Hemer wrote. “She aims to make a full re- covery and get back to doing what she’s passionate about, working with grizzly bears and other wildlife,” Hemer wrote. Strickland said Kornak was following USFWS work pro- tocols, and that those protocols are being reviewed. Officials speculated noise from the stream may have pre- vented Kornak from hearing the bear approach, the Associ- ated Press reported. Dillon Tabish, a Mon- tana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman, said the incident is under investigation and the department will confirm the type of bear. Generally, black bears are less prone to attack humans than grizzlies. The incident follows an- other attack 12 days earlier more than 100 miles south- east of Libby, when one or more grizzlies broke through a fence at mid-day and killed two trained pack llamas worth about $4,500, the rancher who owned them told Capital Press. Ten other llamas were not injured, he said. He asked not to be identi- fied for fear of reprisals from environmental extremists. Since the attack, he’s been locking his llamas in his barn at night and is installing elec- tric fences to protect them and his family, he said. Their near- est neighbor is a quarter-mile away. “We’ve had grizzlies in our yard occasionally but this was the first kill and it’s spooky to have them come in broad day- light,” he said. “We don’t go too far away from the house without bear spray. I used to carry a Ruger 454, but it gets heavy and I think spray is more effective.” Idaho’s seniority-based rights system of allocating water, and how flood-control releases from reservoirs im- pact it, is the focus of draft legislation supporters see as a key first step to resolving longstanding conflicts among types of water uses in the growing southwest region. Irrigation districts, munic- ipal water systems, natural resource managers and others in the greater Boise area want to make sure they continue receiving their rights-backed water allocations amid the increased competition that population growth brings. The parties have gone to court in recent years, and the Idaho Supreme Court as of early June was slated to hear argu- ments June 20. Draft legislation presented to an Idaho Legislature panel June 6 would amend Idaho water law to prioritize, during and following flood-con- trol operations, existing wa- ter-rights allocations over any sizable new storage capacity created by building or ex- panding a reservoir. The panel, including mem- bers of natural resource com- mittees in the Idaho House and Senate, voted unanimous- ly June 6 to ask Gov. Butch Otter to call a special session of the full Legislature. The panel stopped short of endors- ing the proposal, which would take effect immediately on passage. Several lawmakers said the legislation would benefit the entire state, though speak- ers focused on the Boise area primarily. The Boise River’s three- dam system releases water for flood-control purposes about seven years out of 10. The snowpack runoff that follows, combined with water already in the reservoirs, almost al- ways is enough to satisfy right-holder allocations. But population growth and the prospect of eventually adding significant storage capacity threaten that balance. Passing the legislation would be an important “step on the ladder” toward a rights-protecting settlement agreement among various types of water users, said Roger Batt, who heads the Treasure Valley Water Users Association. That’s because if it is put into statute, the ap- proach would gain universal acceptance, he said. The as- sociation includes irrigation districts, canal and ditch com- panies. Will Patterson, a director with Nampa-Meridian Irri- gation District, said the pro- posed legislation would help ensure rights holders get the water they are entitled to after flood-control operations are completed. “It gives us certainty that the water that is in the reser- voirs can be used to irrigate our crops, our lawns and our gardens,” he said. Idaho Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, said any solution should protect the stream- flow maintenance account — which makes sure Boise River flows don’t drop below a threshold in low-flow sea- son, benefiting fish and the riparian environment. House Speaker Scott Bed- ke, R-Oakley, said the “refill” issue has been more challeng- ing on the Boise River than on the Snake River in part be- cause there is more room for error in the nine-dam Snake system. Snake River water users entered a settlement agreement in 2014. Concerns among users in the Boise system have in- cluded transferring water to another river basin, possible future efforts to recharge the aquifer, and prospective new reservoir storage space jumping ahead of established reservoirs in the fill cycle, he said. The proposed legislation would benefit the growing state overall, Bedke said. No reservoir construction or expansion projects are imminent in the Boise River system, though expanding Arrowrock Dam has been discussed over the years. The other reservoirs are Anderson Ranch and Lucky Peak. USDA green lights California’s new federal milk marketing system Capital Press The USDA has put its of- ficial stamp of approval on California dairy producers’ desire to join the federal milk marketing order sys- tem, announcing that pro- ducers had embraced the move in a statewide refer- endum. Voting closed on May 5 with the state’s three largest dairy cooperatives, repre- senting at least 75 percent of the state’s milk produc- tion, voting in favor. But the outcome wasn’t official un- til USDA tallied the votes. The agency did not re- veal the breakdown of the vote, but dairy producer groups were confident that the bloc voting by the co- ops would clinch the deal. The official approval moves California’s dairy industry from the state milk pricing system to the federal system, which producers are hoping will increase their milk checks. “It’s good news and many years in the making,” Lynne McBride, executive director of California Dairy Campaign, said. For too many years, Cal- ifornia’s dairy farmers have received some of the lowest milk prices in the country. Joining the federal system will finally bring prices Capital Press File Following a referendum among dairy farmers, the USDA has given its approval of the new federal milk marketing order for California. in line with those in other milk-producing regions, she said. “We think it’s critical there’s a level playing field for California producers, especially given how de- pressed milk prices have been,” she said. The state system has been failing California pro- ducers for many years, and joining the federal system is a critical step to ensuring dairy producers in Califor- nia are paid an equitable price, she said. “It’s nice to get the of- ficial confirmation and get moving,” Geoff Vanden Heuvel, board member and economic consultant for Milk Producers Council, said. Producers have been “tremendously unhappy” with the California Depart- ment of Food and Agricul- ture, which continues to regulate milk prices below federal order prices, he said. The conflict goes back 10 years, with CDFA unwilling to make changes. There was a period when the price for milk used to make cheese got completely out of line, trailing prices in federal or- ders by as much as $3 per hundredweight, he said. Another issue is the state’s inability to regu- late interstate commerce, wherein revenue from out- of-state milk used in Cali- fornia’s fluid milk markets isn’t shared with Califor- nia producers through the state’s mandatory pooling system, he said. “The bottom line is Cal- ifornia dairy farmers got tired of battling the state over the regulatory system,” he said. With CDFA unwilling or unable to put California producers on a level play- ing field with producers across the country, a federal order was the only shot to do something different, he said. Military Vehicles, Halftracks, Tanks & Dodge Power Wagons 24-3/102 By CAROL RYAN DUMAS & pick up at your location 707-486-2882 Email: rattlecanjohnny@gmail.com Producers with Western United Dairymen are look- ing forward to a new system of milk pricing, Anja Raud- abaugh, the organization’s CEO, said. “Optimism is in the air. We are very hopeful it means better prices for pro- ducers,” she said. Processors are happy the issue is finally resolved, Ra- chel Kaldor, executive di- rector of the Dairy Institute of California, said. “At least we have some certainty going forward,” she said. The approved proposal reflects processors’ propos- al for an order that operates the same as other federal or- ders in regard to mandatory pooling and regulated pric- es, she said. Unlike the state order in which virtually all milk is pooled and regulated — a provision producers want- ed to maintain in a federal order — mandatory pooling and regulated prices will ap- ply only to Class I milk. With Class I milk ac- counting for 12 percent of California’s production, most of the state’s milk will not be automatically regu- lated by USDA — allow- ing manufacturers to decide whether they will partici- pate in the pool, she said. The new California order goes into effect Nov. 1. 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