RMJfA- Denver Post items/headlines - Saturday, 5/7/11 & Thursday, 5/5/11

Saturday, 5/7/11

Page 3A (headlines only)
ZOO CAT MAULS KANSAS BOY WHO SCALED FENCE
Wichita ... A first-grader on a school field trip to a zoo was mauled by a deopard Friday after the boy scaled a railing and approached the animal's cage, a zoo spokesman said.....
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Page 4A (headlines only)
FEDS AFFORD ENDANGERED SPECIES MORE ROOM TO ROAM
by Bob Moen, Assoc. Press
Cheyenne ... The Obama administration will no longer consider state boundaries when determining endangered species protections, a decision that could mean more protection for endangered species over wider areas, officials said Friday.......
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Page 2B
GOVERNMENTS MAKE DEAL ON OPEN SPACE ALONG COLORADO 93
Elected officials from 3 jurisdictions - Jefferson and Boulder counties, and the city of Boulder - have agreed to a deal that calls for the entities to acquire and preserve as open space a 640-acre parcel of land along Colorado 93 on the west side of Rocky Flats Natl. Wildlife Refuge.  The 3 jurisdictions expect to acquire the land for about $10 million and turn it over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Svc. for inclusion in an expanded wildlife refuge. As part of the deal, the Boulder governments have agreed to drop opposition to Jefferson County's joint venture with Arvada and Broomfield that plans to construct the 10-mile Jefferson Parkway toll road in the area.
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Page 2B
PAIR SENTENCED IN RHINO-HORN SMUGGLING PLOT
Two Irish in-laws accused of trying to smuggle rhinoceros horns out of the country have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 6 months in federal prison, according to court records.  Michael Hegarty, 39, and his brother-in-law, 26-year-old Richard O'Brien, pleaded guilty to smuggling earlier this week in federal court in Denver. The pair, traveling antiques traders, were accused of buying 4 rhino horns from an undercover federal agent with the intent of sneaking them back to Ireland.
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Page 2B
DENS BARRED IN BLACK-BEAR HUNTS
The Wildlife Commission Also Readies For The Season By Setting Big-Game Licenses
by Jordan Steffen, Denver Post
     The Colorado Wildlife Commission unanimously approved a regulation Thursday banning the hunting or harassment of black bears in their dens.  Brett Ackerman, the Colorado Division of Wildlife's regulations manager, said the new regulation was prompted by an incident last fall when a hunter  shot a large black bear in its den near Craig, according to a news release.  The new regulation, which takes effect July 1, is designed to "maintain and increase public support for wildlife management by emphasizing safety and fair chase."  The commission, an 11-member board appointed by the governor, also set license numbers for most big-game species for the 2011 hunting season.  Division big-game manager Andy Holland presented the division's license number recommendations for elk,  deer, pronghorn and moose.  License numbers for elk are being cut in some areas to maintain population levels and accommodate complaints of damage to fences and crops. The largest cuts will be in areas near Craig, Meeker and east of Durango. The post-hunt elk population in Colorado is estimated at 282,000, about the same as 2009.  The 2010 post-hunt deer population decreased 7% to about 430,000.  In areas west of I-25, license numbers for deer decreased, due to higher mortality rates during the long winter of 2007-08. East of I-25, license numbers remain the same as plains deer herds are doing well.  Colorado's post-hunt pronghorn population is about 79,000, slightly higher than 2009. Pronghorn continue to do well on the Eastern Plains, but some herds are struggling in the west ad southwest portions of the state.  The state's moose population continues to increase, with a current population of about 1,690. This year the state will offer moose hunting in 36 game management areas, including 2 new units on the Front Range and Continental Divide.  There will also be additional bear hunting opportunities as the division plans to increase the number of licenses by 17%.  The commission also approved an emergency regulation lifting bag limits for all fish species at Bonny Reservoir. The regulation, which also allows the use of trot lines and jugs, will allow for anglers to catch more fish prior to the draining of the Yuma County reservoir this fall.  Staff are expected to transplant fish to other reservoirs before the reservoir is drained.
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Thursday, 5/5/11 - Page 7A
 
U.S. TO LIFT PROTECTIONS FOR GRAY WOLVES IN N. ROCKIES
(Photo): A pack of gray wolves roams snow-covered Isle Royale Natl. Park in northern Michigan. Besides the northern Rockies, about 4,200 gray wolves in the western Great Lakes are expected to lose their Endangered Species Act protections.
 
by Matthew Brown - AP
     Billings, MT ... The Obama administration on Wednesday moved to lift Endangered Species Act protections for 5,500 gray wolves in the northern Rockies and Great Lakes, drawing the line on the predators' rapid expansion over the past two decades.  Public hunts for hundreds of wolves already are planned this fall in Idaho and Montana.  Conservationists have hailed the animal's recovery from near extinction as a landmark achievement. But their return has stirred a backlash from agriculture and sporting groups angry over wolf attacks on livestock and big-game herds.  Many biologists say wolves recovered to sustainable levels a decade ago in some parts of the lower 48 states. But it took a rider to the federal budget bill inserted by Western lawmakers to overcome years of lawsuits and lift protections for 1,300 wolves in the northern Rockies.  The rider barred any courtroom challenges and marked the first time Congress has removed an animal listed under the endangered act. Protections for the Rockies wolves are to be lifted effective with a notice today in the Federal Register.  About 4,200 wolves listed as threatened in the western Great Lakes also are slated to lose protections. That could happen by the end of this year, following the review of public comments received on the proposal over the next two months.  "From a biological perspective, gray wolves have recovered," said Interior Secy. Ken Salazar. "That is a remarkable milestone for an iconic American species."  But Noah Greenwald, with the Center for Biological Diversity, disagreed. "In our view, wolf recovery is not done," he said. "We're disappointed with seeing the Fish and Wildlife Service attempt to get out from under it."  In addition to hunts, officials say, wolves that attack livestock will continue to be removed by wildlife agents. Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have plans meant to keep the populations at healthy levels while allowing government agents to kill animals that can't be driven away.  Wednesday's announcement leaves the fate of about 340 wolves in Wyoming unresolved. Wyoming was left out of attempts to restore state control over wolves because of a state law that would allow the animals to be shot on sight in most of the state.