Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #103


Subject: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #103

      ******* SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT #103 ***********
       *                   11/25/97                      *
        *                                               *
         *  SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY  *
          *                                           *
           *******************************************

1. POLL: ARIZONANS OF EVERY KIND WANT CATTLE OFF PUBLIC LAND

2. SUIT OVER ANOTHER CALIFORNIA DAM LOOMING

3. CALLS, LETTERS NEEDED TO SAVE ENDANGERED PYGMY OWL!

     *****     *****     *****     *****

POLL: ARIZONANS OF EVERY KIND WANT CATTLE OFF PUBLIC LAND
A poll by the Behavior Research Center shows that Arizonans of
every age and political persuasion support reducing the number of
cattle on public lands "for the purpose of  protecting natural
habitats and endangered plants and animals." Urban and rural,
liberal and conservative, Democrats and Republicans, young and
old all supported reducing cattle.  The poll cited a BLM plan to
reduce cattle on 15 allotments following a lawsuit by the
Southwest Center forcing them to consult on impacts to 42
endangered species.

                                                                Don't
                                        Favor     Oppose        Know
                                  ---------------------------
  Statewide                             53%     34%             13%

  Maricopa County (Phoenix)             54      31              15
  Pima County (Tucson)          57      33              10
  Rural                         48      41              11

  Republican                            45      42              13
  Democrat                              64      26              10
  Independent                           57      33              10

  Liberal                               71      24              5
  Moderate                              50      35              15
  Conservative                  50      39              11

  Under 35                              59      30              11
  35 to 54                              51      38              11
  55 or over                            51      32              17
     _________________________

SUIT OVER ANOTHER CALIFORNIA DAM LOOMING
The Southwest Center has officially informed the Army Corps of
Engineers that it will file suit challenging expansion plans for the
Seven Oaks Dam on the Santa Ana River in California. The dam
is already under construction- if completed, it will eliminate one
of the last and largest patches of California alluvial fan scrub-
habitat for the imperiled San Bernadino kangaroo rat and at least
three endangered plants. The dam will also destroy habitat for the
endangered southwestern willow flycatcher, least Bell's vireo,
coastal California gnatcatcher and southwestern arroyo toad.

Realizing that the days of building major dams are over, the Army
Corps and the Bureau of Reclamation have turned to increasing
the size of existing dams, and illegally using flood control dams
for water storage. The Seven Oaks Dam was authorized by
congress for "flood control," requiring that water levels be kept at
specific low benchmarks. After winning approval from the Fish
and Wildlife Service based on these low benchmarks, it changed
the design to store massive amounts of water for Orange County
agribusiness, destroying much more endangered species habitat
and radically altering stream flows and ecology on the Santa Ana
River.

The Southwest Center will sue the Corps if does not re-consult
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the effects of the new
dam on endangered species. The Center is currently suing to
change management of four other dams: Hoover Dam on the
Colorado River, Roosevelt Dam on the Salt and Tonto Rivers,
Blue Ridge Dam on East Clear Creek, and Isabella Dam on the
Kern River.
     ___________________________

CALLS, LETTERS NEEDED TO SAVE ENDANGERED PYGMY OWL
Calls are needed to save the severely endangered cactus
ferruginous pygmy owl from extinction in Arizona. Only 9 pygmy
owls are known to exist in Arizona, 7 in the urban sprawl zone of
northwest Tucson. Despite this fact, Senator Jon Kyl and the
Amphitheater School District are pressuring the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to allow the destruction of 73 acres of prime
desert habitat occupied by the pygmy owl. Other sites, which
don't impact endangered species or floodplains, and are cost
effective, are available for this much needed school.

The School District and Senator Kyl are pushing the Fish and
Wildlife Service to approve the destruction plan by December 30,
1997.

Contact:        JAMIE RAPPAPORT CLARK
                DIRECTOR, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
                1849 C STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20240
                FAX: (202)208-6916, PHONE: (202)208-4717
                j_clark@mail.sws.gov           
     
Tell her the Amphitheater School District can build its school
elsewhere, the pygmy owl has nowhere else to go. With only 9
birds left in Arizona, there is no excuse for killing even one.

Also, please call or write Congressman Jim Kolbe and Senator
Jon Kyl- let them know that building a school which would
contribute to the extinction of an endangered species is not an
appropriate way to educate children, especially when alternative
sites exist:

        CONGRESSMAN JIM KOLBE           SENATOR JON KYL
        1661 N SWAN RD                  7315 N ORACLE RD
        TUCSON AZ 85712                 TUCSON AZ 85704
        FAX: (520)322-9490              FAX: (520)797-3232
        PHONE: (520)881-3588            PHONE: (520)575-8633
        jim.kolbe@mail.house.gov        info@kyl.senate.gov

Defenders of Wildlife, the Southwest Center, and Desert Watch
have informed the School District, the Army Corps of Engineers,
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that it will file suit to save
the pygmy owl if necessary.