The futures of tourism, wildlife and ranching in Mono County are now at the mercy of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power - according to environmental groups - now that a court has upheld the agency s authority to cut irrigation water. For about 100 years, the agency has leased its land and provided water for ranchers to graze cattle in Long Valley and Little Round Valley. But Wendy Schneider, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of the Inyo, said the damage from allowing less water to irrigate these valleys would be widespread. .
Another important U.S. Supreme Court ruling this month has been overshadowed by the controversy about overturning abortion rights. Legal experts say the court has weakened the rights of people who ve been arrested in its 6-3 decision in the case Vega v. .
June is National Rivers Month, and supporters are calling for greater protections of the Olympic Peninsula s rivers and landscapes. The Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in Congress would protect more than 126,000 acres as wilderness and designate 19 rivers and their tributaries as wild and scenic. The legislation has received support from local elected officials, tribes, businesses and conservation groups. .
Nevada may become a magnet for abortion seekers from around the country, since the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban the procedure. Voters enshrined the right to an abortion in Nevada state law in 1990, so it is legal up to 24 weeks of gestation, and later with some health exceptions. .
June is National Rivers Month, and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) is getting ready to nominate Lake Tahoe and likely some of the state s mountain streams for special protection. The state has been working for two years to come up with a list of Extraordinary Ecological, Aesthetic, or Recreational Waters, as required by the Clean Water Act. Pam Harrington, field coordinator for Trout Unlimited, said the Silver State is playing a bit of catch-up. .