Feds' latest Columbia River plan: Play me an old-fashioned melody

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The federal government has just come out with a new biological opinion (BiOp) on how to conduct the operations of its Columbia River system dams. The feds have been issuing Columbia River BiOps since Bill Clinton sat — and did whatever else he did — in the White House. And for all that time, the federal courts have been slapping them down.

The newest version was unveiled on January 17. It looks remarkably similar to the last one, which was prepared by the administration of George W. Bush and repackaged with little substantive change by Obama officials.

LINK (via: Crosscut)

Bill would expand wilderness area at Olympic National Forest

For the second time in two years, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray is taking a stab at greatly enlarging the portion of Olympic National Forest that would receive highest federal protection as a designated wilderness.

Murray and fellow Washington Democrat Rep. Derek Kilmer, of Gig Harbor, on Friday introduced a bill to put logging, dams and other development off-limits on 126,554 acres of federal lands on the Olympic Peninsula.

Currently, 88,002 acres of Olympic National Forest’s 630,000 acres have been declared wilderness areas. The forest surrounds the Olympic National Park.

The legislation also would designate 19 rivers, including the Elwha, and seven major tributaries as wild and scenic, ensuring congressional protection to preserve their flow-flowing nature.

LINK (via: The Seattle Times)

Sea Run Mapping

Sea Run was founded on the singular mission of creating beautiful, functional maps that appeal to anglers and other river enthusiasts.

LINK

"And tubing would be great on the Gros Ventre on a hot day"

A new bill introduced by Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis would nullify longstanding federal regulations that prohibit hand-propelled boating on rivers and streams in Yellowstone National Park and on some waters not currently open in Grand Teton National Park.

Not everyone agrees that opening more park waters to paddlers is a good idea.

LINK (via: Yellowstone Gate)

Who Owns the Water

Georgia, Alabama and Florida are locked in an epic battle over the fresh water from their once bountiful rivers.

They call it the "Water Wars." It's a conflict once unthinkable in the deep green South.

But is it all about high-stakes politics and legal action?

Two brothers decide to find out more. David and Michael Hanson paddle the three rivers for 30 days to ask the big questions, at water-level.

From the North Georgia Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, everyone wants to know Who Owns Water.

Your Daily Moment of Zen - Firehole In the Morning

NPS Photo J. Schmidt.