Monday, December 1, 2008

Mexican Garter snake on endangered species waiting list From the AP (Amanda Lee Myers) via The Durango Herald: " Encroaching humans and an exotic bullfrog with a voracious appetite have taken such a toll on the Mexican garter snake that federal wildlife officials have deemed it worthy of being listed as an endangered species. The aquatic snake, which is found in Arizona and Mexico, is now one of 282 species awaiting approval to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. While authorities have not been able to estimate its current population numbers, the olive-colored snake with striking yellow stripes has been reduced to possibly less than 10 percent of its former distribution, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife officials say the snake is important because its health is an indication of the well-being of other species and the river systems that share their habitat. "cc" 5:48:42 PM     Adams recommends Obama adopt a bottled water tax Tucker Hart Adams puts in her two cents about bottled water and joins the people offering President-Elect Barack Obama advice in a column from Colorado Biz Today. From the article: [President-Elect Obama] You need to impose a high tax on bottled water. Five dollars is a nice, round number, don't you think? With the new tax, we'll get rid of the pollution caused by producing and disposing of the plastic containers. We have perfectly good water coming out of our taps; let's drink it. Tap water doesn't have to be shipped, so that will have the added benefit of reducing the number of big trucks on our highways. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 5:21:05 PM     Who will lead Interior under President Obama? Here's an update on the speculation around President-Elect Obama's choice to lead Interior from Joan McCarter writing on New West. She believes the president-elect should choose Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz for his progressive credentials and experience. McCarter points to this article from Juliet Eilperin writing in the Washington Post who writes: Grijalva's experience and background meshes nicely with some of the Obama team's top requirements. The son of a migrant worker who grew up in Tucson, Grijalva boasts a strong environmental record and chairs the House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. Choosing the congressman, who was just re-elected to his fifth term, would please both Latino advocates and the environmental community. Grijalva boasts a 95 percent lifetime score with the League of Conservation Voters, and he oversaw a federal study that linked oil and gas development on public lands with the decline in Western hunting habitat. He has also questioned the cheap grazing permits the Interior Department has leased to ranchers in the West. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 6:38:49 AM

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