Free Republic

Are the ices of the Arctic north about to melt away for good? Rami Abdelrahman gets the views of a range of Swedish researchers. Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria is one of a number of Scandinavian royals making for the Arctic archipelago on the Swedish ice-breaker Oden this weekend to participate in an event to coincide with and promote International Polar Year. But will there even be a need for such ice-breaking vessels in years to come? Many commentators would have us believe that glaciers and ocean ice are about to go the way of the dodo. Upon their arrival at...

Traps. Fences. Poison. Ranchers have tried everything to keep predators from their livestock. But guard llamas? At Thirteen Mile Ranch near Belgrade, Mont., llamas have kept watch over the sheep for a decade. The result: No losses from coyotes - the bane of sheep ranchers. "Our llamas have developed some kind of an understanding with a local and fairly stable coyote pack," says Becky Weed, who runs the ranch with her partner, David Tyler. "They know the ropes, and we know the ropes, and I think they understand that we don't bother them. We like to have them around because...

Several from ag named to enviro task force By ALI BAY California Staff Writergotali@sbcglobal.net SACRAMENTO — Gov.-Elect Arnold Schwarzenegger is again tapping into the state’s agricultural leadership for some advice as he makes his transition into the Capitol. This week, Schwarzenegger’s Environmental Advisory Task Force met for the first time, charged with helping the new governor put his ideas into workable policies. At least 50 environmental, business and agricultural leaders will serve on the task force. “I was pleased that not only were we invited to the table, but so were other people who had some positive things to say...