Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #100


Subject: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #100

     ******** SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT #100 ***********
       *                    11/4/97                      *
        *                                               *
         *  SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY  *
          *                                           *
           * silver city, tucson, phoenix, san diego *
            *****************************************

SALVAGE TIMBER SALE WITHDRAWN AFTER APPEAL

In response to an appeal by the Southwest Center, the Lincoln
National Forest (NM) has withdrawn the Sunspot Salvage Timber Sale.
Supposedly designed to "control" a round-headed pine beetle
infestation, the sale would log large live trees, including crucial
habitat for the threatened Mexican spotted owl.

Exploiting a loophole in Forest Service regulations, the Forest
planned the sale to be just under one million board feet, thereby
claiming no environmental analysis is necessary. The regulations,
however, say that an environmental analysis is required if
threatened or endangered species are present.


_____________________________________________________________________________

Kieran Suckling                               ksuckling@sw-center.org
Executive Director                            520.623.5252 phone
Southwest Center for Biological Diversity     520.623.9797 fax
http://www.sw-center.org                      pob 710, tucson, az 85702-710