CHEYENNE - Gov. Dave Freudenthal told supervisors who manage 9 million acres of national forest land in Wyoming that he will keep pressing for removal of federal protection for grizzly bears and better monitoring of air quality in areas affected by natural gas development.

Tuesday's meeting with eight forest supervisors and other U.S. Forest Service officials was cordial, although Freudenthal repeatedly reminded them of the need to work with local and state officials in forest planning.

His frustration over the fact that grizzlies have not yet been removed from Endangered Species Act protection surfaced during a discussion with Becky Aus, supervisor of the Shoshone National Forest.

"I'm not gonna fund the Wyoming side of bear management much longer," he said, adding that he's at least the third governor in the state to whom the federal government has promised delisting would occur.

"We're spending a couple million bucks a year managing a species that's not ours," he said.

The bear, listed as threatened in 1975, has grown to a population of about 600 in the Yellowstone area, drawing concerns from people who live or recreate in bear country. Many conservationists, however, believe more habitat should be protected and larger populations established before the grizzly is taken off the list.

Freudenthal commended Aus and her staff for working hard to amend forest plans throughout the region to include direction for grizzly bear habitat conservation - a key component of any plan to remove protection.

Aus said delisting remains on track, and that the amendment will likely be signed by upper-level forest managers in six or seven months to coincide with the signing of an overall delisting document.

Each of the supervisors presented updates on issues in the forests.

* Larry Timchak, supervisor of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, warned of repercussions from efforts to expand phosphate mining just across the border in Idaho, including concerns about possible selenium contamination.

"It has all the makings of quite an epic struggle," he said.

* Kniffy Hamilton, supervisor of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, said she wanted to keep working with state officials on the Togwotee Pass road reconstruction project, oil and natural gas leasing, a natural gas pipeline into Jackson Hole, and monitoring of air quality in the Pinedale area - site of rapidly escalating drilling.

Freudenthal said he will ask lawmakers for a greatly expanded budget to help monitor air quality and determine how much is related to new development.

"It's in the state's best interest," he said. "We need some data. We need some monitoring equipment out there."

* The Wasatch-Cache National Forest is working with Uinta County on potential timber sales, Supervisor Faye Krueger said. On a few bids "we're getting some competition," she said.

* Craig Bobzien, supervisor of the Black Hills National Forest, said his staff is aggressively thinning stands of trees to reduce fire and insect risks.

At the meeting, forest officials presented Freudenthal with a gift of silver spurs.

"I know as we continue to work together cooperatively, I won't have to use these," he joked as the meeting ended.

Forest concerns

Some issues confronting national forest supervisors in Wyoming:

* Ashley: Recreation, fire reduction, timber sales

* Bighorn: Grazing, fire reduction, timbering, motorized use

* Black Hills: Fire reduction and sales of burned timber

* Bridger-Teton: Togwotee Pass road construction, oil and gas leases, natural gas transportation

* Caribou-Targhee: Phosphate mining, grizzlies, fisheries, roads

* Medicine Bow: ATV trails, prairie dog habitat, recreation

* Shoshone: Grizzly bears, lynx, fire prevention

* Wasatch-Cache: Timber sales, grazing

Source: Forest officials, Forest Service Web site

Capital bureau reporter Robert W. Black can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or robert.black@casperstartribune.net.