Subject: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#110
******* SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#110 ***********
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1/13/98
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* SOUTHWEST CENTER
FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
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1. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
CONCLUDES SAN PEDRO RIVER IS DRYING
UP- WARNS FORT
HUACHUCA TO COMPLY WITH E.S.A
2. INJUNCTION SOUTH TO STOP FLOODING OF KERN
RIVER WILDLIFE AREA
3. ARIZONA FOREST AMONG BIGGEST TIMBER MONEY LOSERS
4.
AMIGOS BRAVOS JOINS CENTER IN WILD AND SCENIC RIVER
SUIT
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FISH
AND WILDLIFE SERVICE CONCLUDES SAN PEDRO RIVER IS DRYING
UP- WARNS FORT
HUACHUCA TO COMPLY WITH E.S.A
On 1/8/98, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
asked Fort Huachuca
to formally consult on the impacts of its growth and
operations on
the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher, Huachuca water
umbel,
Sonoran tiger salamander, Mexican spotted owl, Lesser
long-nosed
bat, and American peregrine falcon. The Southwest Center lost
a
lawsuit seeking to make the Fort consult, because the Fort claimed
it
was in "informal" consultation. The Fish and Wildlife Service
has now
determined that formal consultation is necessary, based on
a 10/28/97
hydrology workshop which demonstrated that the San Pedro
River is drying
up.
_____________________
INJUNCTION SOUTH TO STOP FLOODING OF KERN
RIVER WILDLIFE AREA
On 1/9/98, the Southwest Center requested a
preliminary injunction
against the Army Corps of Engineers, prohibiting them
from flooding
the Southfork Wildlife Area on the Kern River. The wildlife
area is
home to one the few remaining populations of the
critically
endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher. The Center is suing
the
Army Corps for illegally taking flycatchers and the Fish and
Wildlife
Service for allowing Congressman Calvin Dooley to strong-
arm the agency out
of its initial decision that flooding the
wildlife area would jeoparidize the
species. The case is being argued
by Niel Levine of EarthLaw (Denver) and
Larry Sanders of Berliner Law
Offices (Nevada City,
CA).
_____________________
ARIZONA FOREST AMONG BIGGEST TIMBER MONEY
LOSERS
According to a Wilderness Society Report, three AZ forests:
the
Kaibab, Coconino, and Tonto were among the nation's 10 worst forest
in
terms of losing money on timber sales. The Tonto timber program spent
one
dollar for every 3 cents it made selling timber. Overall, the
Forest
Service lost $240 million on timber sales in
1996.
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AMIGOS BRAVOS JOINS CENTER IN WILD AND
SCENIC RIVER SUIT
Amigos Bravos of Taos, NM has filed suit against the Carson
National
Forest for failing to review rivers and streams on the forest
for
protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The suit was filed
as
an amendment to an ongoing Southwest Center suit against the
Gila, Lincoln,
and Cibola National Forests. The three southern NM
forests have about 300
miles of river which may eventually qualify
for protection under the
Act.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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