Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 4

A4 ffi Ti 0 ffi (0 Casper Star-Tr "ribune Friday, February 20, 2009 Idaho forest managers write to loggers By The Associated Press JACKSON Conservation groups are questioning an effort by several U.S. Forest Service managers in Wyoming and Idaho taf court logging in -terestsinthename of improving forest health. Bridger-Tetpn forest supervisor Kniffy Hamilton, Shoshone forest supervisor Rebecca Aus and Caribou -Targhee forest supervisor Lawrence Timchak signed a letter dated Jan. 28 to loggers noting that forest health is being threatened by insects and large wildfires. "Budgets and environ -mental restraints have reduced the number of acres that have been treated, primarily on national for -est system lands," the let ter says.

"This has im- pacted the local wood products industry. Several local mills have closed and the capacity to improve forest land health through treatment and utilize the wood fiber has been reduced." (The letter and an accompanying questionnaire asks loggers and wood in dustry officials for infor mation about their operations in order to gauge their ability to remove dead and dying trees. The questionnaire asks loggers and wood industry officials about their current annual wood use, their potential annual wood use, the species of wood they prefer and the size of the material they prefer. George Wuerthner, ecological projects director for the Foundation for Deep Ecology, said if the three forest supervisors really wanted to improve forest health, they would leave the forest alone. Wuerthner said about twd-thirds of all wildlife species depend on dead trees at some point in their life.

Those species include a number of insects, cavi ty-nesting birds, bald eagles, pine martens, bats, fish and salamanders. Even if logging did work to promote forest health, Wuerthner said the associated impacts wouldlike-ly negate any positive effects. For instance, logging roads not only contribute to soil erosion but also aid in the spread of noxious weeds. TAX mine complexes in the country. For the past few years, officials with the South Pass City State Historic Site have been working with the Abandoned Mine Lands Division of the Wyoming Depart -ment of Environmental Quality and the Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails to stabi -lize and restore the Carissa Mine.

The AML Division began haz -ardous material cleanup at the site in 2004 as part of the four-phase, $3 million reconstruction project. Thus far, the division has re -stored the Carissa Mine's mill house and hoist house to their 1929 appearance, a period that represents the last significant modernization of the facility. The work included the refurbishing of the 1929 head frame, hoist house and shaft house, and overhead trestle, which moved miners and ore from the underground mine to the surface DAMAGE Continued from A3 along the Oregon Trail, which gave the city its name. South Pass city's glory days were over by the early 1870s, but some gold mining continued in the region. The Carissa Mine was the chief mine at South Pass City and served as the main economic engine for the tiny community for nearly 80 years.

The mine is located about two miles south of Wyoming Highway 28, south of Lander. In 2003, the state of Wyoming bought the 201-acre Carissa Mine site through funding allocated by the Legislature. The purchase included nine his -toric structures and 17 significant mine features at the site, which some consider one of the most complete and unspoiled historic The vandals also broke into the main operating shaft in the mill house, which was sealed with a polyurethane foam closure. "It goes about 25 feet down and they got into that somehow" but how they got out, we really don't know," Ellis said. He said the perpetrators also took one of the ore cars, which had been placed on the tracks of the trestle, and used it as a "battering ram" on one of the doors, eventually knocking the car of the rails.

Ellis said the state's insurance carrier most likely will foot the repair bill. "What's kind of interesting is all of the damage was to the new work that was done last summer," he said. "There really wasn't any damage to the historic material there, but it was still brand -spanking new and not even six months old yet." Good old time Ellis said the vandals apparently used a fairly large truck to ram the chained security gate on the property to access the com -pi ex. "They tried to get in some other buildings first, but the snow was too deep for it, so they just backed the truck up to the security fence that's on the inside and crawled over from the bed of the truck," he said. "It looks like they first broke out one window and then just had a good old time throwing stuff out of windows using anything they could get their hands on.

"There was a bunch of metal bolts and nuts that were used to put the trestle together that were left over from the project, and they used those and tools and just about anything they could throw as projectiles." Continued from A3 Larson, Sens. Cale Case, R-Lander, and Marty Martin, D-Superior. Voting no were Sen. John Schiffer, R-Kaycee, the chairman, and Sen. Drew Perkins, R-Casper.

Schiffer said the committee will hear House Bill 234, sponsored by Sen. JohnPatton, bill is designed to even out property taxes from year to year and eliminate the big jumps in value that alarm homeowners. It applies to commercial property as well as residential property. The bill appropriates $23.9 million from the state 's general fund to reimburse local governments for loss of property tax revenue. The committee has only two more meetings next week as the general session winds down.

LEGISLATIVE BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS that it could be offered elsewhere. The House has already approved the bill. Wyo: Don't list prairie dog A Wyoming House committee has approved a resolution urging the federal government not to list the black-tailed prairie dog as an endangered species. With the House agriculture committee's recommendation Thursday, Senate Joint Resolution 4 now moves to the full House for debate. The Senate already passed the measure.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the status of the black-tailed prairie dog in response to a petition by environmental groups. The Wyoming resolution said the animals are thriving in Wyoming and destroying grazing lands and grasslands. Lawmakers say Wyoming is better suited to manage the animals than the federal government. They also say landowners need to be able to control the prairie dogs on their properties.

Bill helps young smokers quit The House Education Committee has endorsed a bill that would allow minors who use tobacco to get counseling and support through Wyoming Quitline. Bill sponsor Sen. Kathryn Sessions of Cheyenne said the youth would have no access to drugs, such as nicotine patches. The bill has already passed the Senate. It must pass three readings in the House and receive the governor's approval to become law.

Marilyn Patton, of the Wyoming Department of Health, said when a counselor receives a call from someone under 18, the counselor must end the call under current law. The bills approved Thurs-day have passed both houses and will go to a committee to resolve difference between the two chambers. Senate passes Net hunting bill The state Senate has given preuminary approval to a bill that would prohibit Internet hunting in Wyoming. Sen. Bruce Burns, R-Sheridan, urged the Senate to approve House Bill 207, which would ban the practice.

Internet hunting, also referred to as cyber hunting, allows a person to log onto a Web site and shoot game with a remote-controlled rifle attached to a Web cam. Burns said the practice started in Texas, but since has been outlawed there. He said Wyoming needs to ban it because there's concern Insurance hills pass House The Wyoming House has passed two bills that aim to give health insurance holders more leverage over insurance companies. Senate File 95 establishes independent review boards that conduct hearings for insurance policyholders to appeal denied claims. Senate File 62 would remove so-called discretionary clauses, which can allow insurance companies to deny procedures covered in policies.

Some insurance representatives are concerned the legislation will drive up insurance costs for small businesses. But supporters say the new laws help insurance policyholders who are typically at a disadvantage if they have conflicts with insurance companies. STIMULUS Continued from A3 support for the bill back to their constituents," said Pickett, adding that those preliminary numbers are "ballpark at best." Pickett also said she did not know if the united opposition to the stimulus by Wyoming's congressional delegates would hurt the state's chances of receiving a fair share of the federal dollars. Sens. Enzi and John Bar-rasso, and Rep.

Cynthia Lum-mis, all R-Wyo. voted against the stimulus plan. An accountant by trade, Enzi has called the Democrat-supported stimulus "bailout baloney." "This legislation is the single most expensive bill in the history of the United States and is being sold to the American people as a compromise. Buyer beware," Enzi said in a statement released shortly before the Senate ap proved the bill. Early figures released by The Associated Press indicated that Wyoming could receive a $400 million share of stimulus funds, but later stories said the final number is unclear.

A release from the White House this week said Wyoming could see 8,000 new jobs as a result of the stimulus, but no confirmation of those numbers has been made available. Gov. Dave Freudenthal told reporters Wednesday that he intends to reject stimulus dollars for projects that aren't a good match for Wyoming. Freudenthal also said he won't release preliminary figures about the stimulus plan because they may raise unreasonable expectations. Seagrams 7 Crown Fibschumnn's Distilled Dry Gin I S2U.

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