Rapid City Journal from Rapid City, South Dakota • A8

A8 Wednesday, a pril 25, 2018 Rapid Cit Jou 00 1 KEN MILLER Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY Ong oing drought and wildfires have cattle ranchers in at least five Southwestern U.S. states scrambling or hay or pastureland, while others are selling off some of their herds. Extreme and exceptional drought conditions have contributed to wildfires in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, delaying the growth of or destroying grass and wheat used to feed cattle in spring. hay out here in this part of the state is next to according to rancher Darrel Shepherd of Custer, about 80 miles west of Oklahoma City. is really hard to find right now the wheat, with the drought and all, the wheat is no Northwestern Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Panhandle nearly 20 percent of the state are rated in exceptional drought, the most severe category.

Excep tional drought is also reported in parts of the Texas Panhandle, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and in Utah and Arizona. Federal agriculture officials in New Mexico said ranchers may not have feed to maintain their herd sizes and that some are already trimming their herds, while farmers along the Rio Grande are bracing for less water to irrigate their crops. In northwestern Oklahoma, two large wildfires that burned about 545 square miles destroyed pastures, but rains this past weekend helped firefighters bring the flames under control and began the process of restoring grassland. last weekend was a godsend not enough to erase the said Oklahoma State University agricultural economist Derrell Peel. a first step and the time of year is right for the grass to green up in the next few Rains are needed to continue through at least the beginning of June in order to prevent Oklahoma ranchers from being faced with downsizing herds, Peel said, but even if that happens, he expect any impact on the price of beef.

think this area is big Peel said. still seeing an increase in beef nationwide. Both Shepherd and Woods County Extension Agent Greg Highfill said ranchers in surrounding states are donating as much hay as possible to help keep livestock fed. of the drought there as much extra hay to be donated as in other according to Shepherd. are being very generous and giving what extra hay they Shepherd said he know where the hay is coming from, but is thankful for what has been provided.

a lot of hay from out of state being shipped in. We have all we need but getting more in each he said. just thank those people a ssociated ress writer usan Montoya Bryan in a lbuquerque contributed to this report. Drought, wildfires force ranchers to scramble for feed AP OGROCKI Cattle are herded into a sale arena at the Oklahoma ational tock yards in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. anchers in the outhwest are already running short on food for their cattle as range conditions have deteriorated and warm-season grasses have yet to start growing due to drought.

REGION ASSOCIATED PRESS OMAHA, Neb. A a tive American tribe is suing Nebraska officials, alleging that state regulation of the tobacco production is unconstitutional. Two subsidiaries of the Winnebago Tribe filed a lawsuit last week against Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton, the Sioux City Journal eported. The subsidiaries, HCI Distribution and Rock River Manufacturing, argue that tribal commercial activities are protected under federal law and that Nebraska has no regulatory authority over the cigarette operations. The attorney office declined comment.

The lawsuit alleges that the largest American tobacco manufacturers are pressuring Nebraska and 45 other states to expand their jurisdiction onto Indian reservations. The manufacturers are leveraging a 1998 settlement of lawsuits with the states, according to the allegations. The tobacco companies have threatened to withhold millions of dollars in settlement payments to coerce states to unlawfully regulate tribal tobacco operations, the lawsuit said. attack has damaged our tribal economy and in turn threatens our sovereignty, self-determination and said Winnebago Tribal Chairman Frank White. The economic development branch, Ho- Chunk, operates the Rock River facility that manufactures cigarettes, which are available in more than 25 states and on most reservations across the country.

Federal agents in January raided sites owned by Ho- Chunk and seized records related to the tobacco operations. White said the action was sparked by state regulators to leverage an ongoing tax dispute with the tribe. The cigarette plant has been operating at a reduced output since the raid, said Ho-Chunk spokesman Sam Burrish. The tax dispute began after the Nebraska Department of Revenue issued tax assessments against some reservation-based cigarette retailers in 2014. The department alleged the retailers made sales that are subject to cigarette taxes.

HCI Distribution and Rock River disputed over whether the laws apply to their cigarette operations, but negotiations broke down two years ago. Tribe entities sue Nebraska cials for tobacco regulation ASSOCIATED PRESS BISMARCK, N.D. The family of a missing woman has renewed their search on a North Dakota reservation. Olivia Lone Bear, 32, was last seen in October in New Town, The Bismarck Tribune reported. Her brother, Matthew Lone Bear, said the Bureau of Indian Affairs has directed searchers to look over the Fort Berthold Reservation again after winter weather pulled volunteers back from the field.

Three Affiliated Tribes Police Capt. Grace Her Many Horses said tribal officers searched regularly throughout the winter and have also assisted the bureau. The bureau took over the investigation in February following months of searching by her family and tribal police. are moving in a good direction so said Matthew Lone Bear. Lone Bear said cities, including Minot, Stanley, Watford City and Williston, have not yet been searched for the vehicle his sister was driving.

He added that volunteers are currently searching Fargo and Mandan. Searches in Bismarck and Dickinson have been completed. try not to speculate (on disappearance) because the way that we handle this, going down all said Lone Bear. just go up and make sure no stone left The Lone Bear family is organizing volunteer search teams with the help of some tribal agencies and a few new searchers. Search for missing woman renewed on ND reservation JONATHAN DREW Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C.

The only wild population of endangered red wolves is unsustainable and could be wiped out within years after dwindling to a few dozen, government officials said in a report Tuesday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review of the status estimates that only about 40 wolves remain in the wild in eastern North Carolina, down from a peak of about 120 a decade ago. population cannot recover from their losses and overcome mortality resulting in a steadily declining the review states, predicting these wild wolves could vanish in as little as a decade. Another 230 wolves live in zoos and wildlife facilities in considered a more stable captive population.

Conservationists contend the wild decline is due to neglect by federal officials who have halted releases of captive-born wolves and other efforts to bolster their numbers, such as sterilizing coyotes that compete for territory. Last month, conservation groups asked a federal judge to order those efforts to resume, saying not too late to save the wild wolves. Leopoldo Miranda, an assistant regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the review draws on research showing the habitat support the wild population without he avy human intervention. Miranda said the ag ency spends about $1 million each year on the wolves, more than any other endangered species in the Southeast. conditions conducive to self-sustainability are not present at this time in eastern North he said in a phone interview.

Still, a chart released in a related federal report shows the leading causes of death for the wolves are manmade, with more than 80 dying from gunshot wounds over an approximately 25- year period ending in 2013. Vehicle collisions caused about 70 deaths during the period. The leading natural cause, health-related problems, accounted for nearly 60 deaths. The main purpose of the ve-year review was to evaluate the endangered species status, which it says should be maintained. It noted scientists ha ve disagreed in recent decades about whether the red wolf represents a species unto itself, a subspecies or a more recent hybrid.

The wildlife service said it will continue to recognize the species even as Congress has called for further study into its genetics. The review said government officials are continuing to develop their plan for the red wolves and would release more details later. The federal agency plans to take public comments this summer. Once common across the Southeast, the red wolf had been considered extinct in the wild as of 1980. Releases of captive-bred wolves started in 1987.

Sierra Weaver, a lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center, dis agreed with contention that the environmental conditions right for the wolves, noting they numbered 100 or more for a decade at the peak of the recovery effort. Fish and Wildlife Service is not taking the action that is required to recover the species, and indeed these documents indicate that going to continue down that she said in a phone interview. Weaver is one of the lawyers leading the lawsuit seeking to improve recovery efforts. Weaver argued in the March legal filing that the Fish and Wildlife Service shifted away from successful management strategies in the past five years because of pressure from a small but vocal group of landowners. Some landowners argue the wolves are nuisance animals that frequently wander onto their property.

Government: Wild red wolf population could soon be wiped out AP BROOME FILE i this June 13, 2017, file photo, the parents of this 7-week old ed wolf pup keep an eye on their offspring at the Museum of ife and cience in urham,.