Wolf Hunts & Growing Breakfast A New Way

Protecting endangered species… sometimes.

This is the Environment Report. I’m Lester Graham.

On its way out the Bush administration ruled big federal construction projects really didn’t need Fish and Wildlife Service biologists to see how endangered species might be affected. The agency building the project had its own biologists and that was good enough. New Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has now rescinded that rule. The Bush administration also was afraid the Endangered Species Act could be used to put restrictions on greenhouse gas pollution that’s causing global warming… and destroying the polar bear’s habitat. Salazar has not rescinded the polar bear rule.

Speaking of the Endangered Species Act… the US government is taking gray wolves off the federal endangered species list in two places – the Great Lakes and several Rocky Mountain states. It’s supposed to take effect next Monday.

Rebecca Williams has been covering this – so what’s this going to mean?

RW: It’ll mean states will have control over the wolves. And how states are intending to manage wolves depends a lot on the state. In some states – like Michigan –state officials can kill problem wolves. And livestock and pet owners can kill wolves, but only if they’re attacking animals. But in other states... like Idaho – there are plans for a hunting season for wolves.

RW: Jonathan Lovvorn is chief counsel for the Humane Society of the United States. His group and several others are planning to sue.

“Essentially what we’re worried about is that this is basically going to be open season on animals that have been protected for decades.”

So… shooting wolves for sport, huh?

That’s the plan in some states.

Thanks Reb.


(((STING)))


This is The Environment Report.

If you had cereal this morning… or maybe a muffin… you ate flour from an annual crop. They’re planted. They’re harvested. Then planted again the next year.

Shawn Allee has been hanging out with some researchers who think we really only need to plant every few years if we have the right kind of plants.

So Shawn… who are these people?

- one of the most famous is Jerry Glover
- Land Institute of Kansas
- annual plants serve us pretty well - not so good for soil
- situation farmers are familiar with

GLOVER: It's spring, the soil's bare and there's a heavy rain storm. That rain starts washing basic nutrients for plants downstream so in a few minutes, thousands of years of soil building processes are washed away in a single rain-storm.

LG: what's their solution?

- develop grains you don't have to plant every year
- wheat, corn, and rice and other crops into perrenials
- maybe every 3, 5 years ... more?

- spoke with another researcher named Sieg Snapp, Michigan State University
- explains why they do a better job of holding onto the soil

SNAPP: So, the roots of traditional crops including annual wheat are usually 1-2 feet. These root systems might be down 6 feet. They can use fertilizers more efficiently, so they can pick it up from deep and then move it up where we want it, into the grain.

LG: Sounds like it'd be great for soil ... maybe farmers won't have to use so many chemicals on their plants. If these perennial grain crops take off, what's the difference for me?

- Jerry Glover hopes you won't notice.

Glover: the end product we're shooting for isn't going to be discernably different to the consumer than what they're eating now

- one researcher I talked to baked some cookies with perennial wheat flour
- colleague said 'great ... but a little nutty"
- a WAYS off, though
- have to prove they can thrive first


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