Goodbye Young's Farm

Sad story out of the Arizona Republic (fairly painless registration required) about a fumbled chance to save what is described as a beloved landmark in a booming suburban area of Phoenix. It's really more about saving open spaces than a threatened ecosystem. It's about market forces, and nostalgia, and banking on one small piece of land to stay the same forever. Sometimes you really can't stop progress. Such as it is.
Here's an interesting take on the Bush budget plan. It's a press release from the organization REP America which describes itself as a grassroots coalition of Republicans for environmental protection (not to be a wiseguy, but who knew? Republicans for environmental protection?). The group describes the budget plan as a mixed bag, with a thumbs up for reducing agriculture subsidies and boosting Everglades and Coastal Wetlands funds, but thumbs down for cutting the Land and Water Conservation fund. The group says it was formed in the Republican environmental spirit of Teddy Roosevelt, and is based in Albuquerque. See what you can learn by reading this blog?