1/14/04

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1. USDA Publishes BSE Guidelines
2. Private Stewardship and Biobased Product Opportunities 
3. Some Are Stewards, Some Are Not
4. Global Warming Comes to the Weather Channel

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1. USDA PUBLISHES BSE GUIDELINES 

The USDA this week officially released its new guidelines in response to the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a cow in Washington state. The Food Safety and Inspection Service published three new interim final rules in the Federal Register on Monday, January 12, and is seeking comment on each. 

The first rule forbids meat produced using automated meat recovery systems to "significantly incorporate" bone or to contain any central nervous system material. A second rule prohibits skulls and vertebrae from any cattle over 30 months of age in the human food supply and also prohibits "downer" cattle to enter the food supply. The third rule prohibits the use of bolt stunning devices that can force brain material into the cattle's circulatory system. 

The FSIS also announced that meat from animals sent for BSE testing would not pass inspection until the test result came back negative. The three rules are open for comment until April 12, 2004. 

Get copies of the proposed guidelines.

2. PRIVATE STEWARDSHIP AND BIOBASED PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week announced that it is soliciting proposals for the Private Stewardship Grants Program, which "provides grants and other assistance on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in private, voluntary conservation efforts that benefit species listed or proposed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), candidate species, or other at-risk species on private lands within the United States." PSGP proposals are due March 8, 2004. 

The USDA has also announced proposed guidelines for the designation of biobased products for preferred federal procurement, as mandated in the 2002 farm bill. Comments on the new guidelines are due February 17, 2004. Read the proposed rule for biobased product procurement.

3. SOME ARE STEWARDS, SOME ARE NOT 

The Preble's meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius preblei, lives along stream side meadows from the foothills of southeastern Wyoming down to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The majority of its habitat is privately owned. When the species was listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Agency, a study was done to determine the attitudes of private landowners towards protection of the habitat the jumping mouse depended on. 

As reported in the December issue of National Geographic News, 25 percent of the landowners in the study area said that they had improved habitat since becoming aware of the mouse's plight. These efforts were in effect cancelled out by owners of 26 percent of the land in the study area who admitted to poorly managing or wrecking habitat to minimize chances of the mouse settling there, and therefore avoid restrictions on land use. 

According the article, "Those who said they held nature in high esteem and had received information on the mouse from personal contacts and conservation organizations, were most likely to have improved habitat." 

4. GLOBAL WARMING COMES TO THE WEATHER CHANNEL 

With heightened global concerns about changing weather patterns and global warming, the cable network station "The Weather Channel" (TWC) has recently begun discussing the effects of global climate change in a new show dubbed, "Forecast Earth." 

As a step towards establishing itself a credible source on climate change, the station, which is watched in 87 million U.S. households, hired climate expert hired Heidi Cullen from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Since arriving, Cullen has been putting together three two-minute climate change packages each week and has produced a five-part climate change series that aired last fall. With her input, TWC has recently run stories debating whether tropospheric temperatures have been rising along with atmospheric temperatures, to the tale of an Atlanta resident who chose to run his 1979 Mercedes on biodiesel fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Tune in to the Weather Channel for "Forecast Earth" listings in your area.

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Scotty Johnson and Aimee Delach
National Rural Community Outreach Campaign
sjohnson@defenders.org