The Salt Lake Tribune THE WEST Thursday, January 31, 2002 Shrub May Be Oldest Organism on Earth Scientist makes find in California desert BY ANREW BRIDGES 11,000 or more years ago, the scientist said, meaningit could ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS rival in age another creosote bushgrowing 50 miles away in the Mojave Desert. Tf confirmed, the bush — re- PALM SPRINGS,Calif. — Along an unremarkablestretch of desert on the outskirts of town Jim thinks he has found the world’s oldest living ing. ally a 38-foot, arrow-straight line of genetically identical bushes connected at the roots — could Radiocarbon tests riow un- trump another creosote bush, der way may reveal the unassuming creosote bush sprouted dubbed “King Clone.” That bush, found in 1980 to be 11,700 years old, is considered the old stuck outlike a sore thumb. est living thing on Earth. “I don’t think anyone ever thought a bush would be that old,” said Cornett, curator of natural science at the Palm Springs Desert Museum. A box huckleberry colony in Pennsylvania, spread over about 1 square miles,is believed to date back as far as 13,000 years. Cornett and his colleagues first spotted the linear bush while flying over the northern outskirts of Palm Springs. It Idaho’s Governor Expected to Veto Legislature’s Repeal of Term Limits ‘THE’ASSOCIATEDPRESS East Coast members of ConBOISE, Idaho — Idaho's "gress such as Sen, Edward Legislature becamethefirst in Kennedy. But the state GOP the nation to voteto repeal term madethe repeal part ofits platlimits Wednesday, with Repub- form twoyears ago. licans leading the charge to Party leaders say local undo a measure they them- elected officials were never selves had’championed during supposed to be the target and the GOP’smesurgence in 1994. that term limits take away Gov. Ditk Kempthorne has critical experience from govpromised to veto the measure, ernment, especially in sparsely but the 27-8 Senate vote Wed- populated rural areas. They nesday and last week’s 50-20 also argued that Idaho voters House vote were three votes were misled in the early 1990s more than the two-thirds ma- by the big-money campaigns of jority neededto override veto. outside organizations such as “It's an igsue that good peo- U.S. Term Limits. ple approach and view differThe term limits measure, ently,” Kempthorne, a Republi- approved by voters in 1994,recan, said after Wednesday’s stricts county commissioners yote. “I believe I haveto affirm and school board members to the right of the people to estab- six years in office during the lisha rule.” The Idaho Republican Party Once endorsed term limits as a previous 11 years and all other elected state, county and city officials to eight years in the eeeee) reeiog Theeight-year limit on leg- islators is one of the shortest in the nation. Term limits advocates ac- Hepa Filter ¢ Electric Hose lands Institute in Tucson,Ariz. The creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, is the hallmark perennial of the warm deserts of North and South America. Whencrushed,orafter a rainfall, its small, waxy leaves give off the pungent, petroleumlike smell thatgivesit its name. Teoan The sored Pres Jim Comett, curator of the Palm Spings Desert Museum,stands by a creosote bush.A similar bush may be 11,700 years old. CUT AWAY FROM: the Olympian Traffic Tang cused their opponents of ignor- ing the electorate andcalled the repeal unconstitutional. “This is a law made by the people,” Senate \ Bring in this Ad and get Democratic floor leader Clint Stennett said. 15% OFF “That process is superior.It’s irresponsible, it’s arrogant for } us to ignore it.” Supporters have already promised to put term limits before voters again thisfall if the YOUR PURCHASE Saleitems excluded. Expires 2/24/02 repeal is approved. Currently 18 states limit the terms of state lawmakers. Unless Idaho’s term limits SPOONSn SPICE are repealed, 158 county gov- ernmentofficials and theattorney general will be barred from filing for re-election this year. 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