Maybe Rain, Sage Grouse Update & Diving to Assist Ag

Maybe Rain, Sage Grouse Update & Diving to Assist Ag. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Yesterday, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced the greater sage grouse is not warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act, a victory for western rangelands and livestock producers. Unfortunately, in conjunction with this decision, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service announced that their restrictive land use plans will be implemented. The Public Lands Council and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association have adamantly opposed these restrictive plans, which impede on conservation efforts and range management practices already in place.

I've been a certified diver for 40 years and one of the oddest dives I've had to do is to help clear irrigation intakes. Various invasive aquatic plants clog intake pipes and necessitate someone physically removing the offending plants. These plants spread easily and have been finding their ways into irrigation canals from rivers and lakes. In some cases farmers are working with researchers to some up with some kind of herbicide that will kill the plants without harming the fish or other aquatic plants.

One last note. USDA meteorologist, Brad Rippey, says there might be some rain in an otherwise dry forecast.

RIPPEY: The only exception being the Pacific Northwest where we'll see a few late week showers.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.