Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #120

       ------ SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT #120 ---------
       \                    3/5/98                      /
        \                                              /
         \ SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY  /
           ------------------------------------------
         
1. TOP FOREST SERVICE BIOLOGIST BLASTS AGENCY MISMANAGEMENT- CALLS FOR
   DISMISAL OF KEY LEADERS, END TO LIVESTOCK GRAZING IN SOUTHWEST,
   SCIENTIFIC REVIEW OF DAMAGE TO WATERSHEDS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES

2. ARMY CORPS TO REVIEW EFFECTS OF SEVEN OAKS DAM ON ENDANGERED SAN
   BERNADINO KANGAROO RAT, TRIES TO LIMIT ANALYSIS TO CONSTRUCTION

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

TOP FOREST SERVICE BIOLOGIST BLASTS AGENCY MISMANAGEMENT

In a 2-23-98 letter to the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, the former
head of Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species for the Southwest
Region blasted the Forest Service for damaging watersheds, subsidizing
unsustainable grazing and logging, censoring critical reports, and
abusing dissenting biologists. Leon Fager, a 31 year Forest Service
veteran, called for the:

  -resignation of Jim Lloyd, Regional Director of Wildlife, Fish and
   Rare Plants,
  -resignation of John Bedell, Apache-Sitgreaves Forest Supervisor,
  -phasing out livestock grazing on Southwest National Forests, and
  -establishment of an independent scientific committee to review
   damaging effects of livestock on watersheds and sensitive species

See the letter: http://www.sw-center.org/swcbd/resources/fager.txt

See letter by former Deputy Forest Supervisor of the Apache-Sitgreave
National Forest, calling the livestock grazing program a comatose
patient whose plug should be pulled:
http://www.sw-center.org/swcbd/resources/barber.txt

Exerpts from the Fager letter:

"In December, 1997, I retired from the U.S. Forest Service, ending a 31
year career with an agency I once loved.  In my 31 years, I served as a
wildlife biologist on the Apache-Sitgreaves and Black Hills  National
Forests and Regional Fisheries Biologist for the Rocky Mountain Region.
Before retiring, I served as Program Manager for the Southwestern
Region's Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species Program. I chose
early retirement last December because of my growing concerns and
frustrations with the Southwestern Region. I could no longer stand by to
watch inept leadership take its toll on good employees, natural resources,
and public confidence. I would like to share some of my experiences,
hopefully giving you insight into why the Southwestern Region has spawned
an unprecedented amount of environmental litigation, an angry public, and
severely degrading natural resources..."

"Millions of taxpayer dollars are beginning to flow to the Southwest to
deal with the undeniable overgrazing problem. I fear the money will be
diverted to assure that unsustainable grazing continues at public expense,
instead of implementing cost effective, ecologically sound solutions. If
there is not a change in leadership personel and leadership philosophy,
this will surely happen..."

"The impact, past and present, of livestock grazing on Southwestern National
Forests is the major reason that ecosystems are deteriorating, species are
near extinction and watersheds have lost much of their ability to yield high
quality and quantities of water..."

"Fundamentally, the role of biologists in this Region is to support the
timber and grazing programs. They have little opportunity to design and
implement projects to recover listed and sensitive species. The main reason
so much energy and money is spent on endangered species now, is that the
Region has  been sued numerous times, with more litigation on the way, for 
its failure to follow the law and protect sensitive species and  watersheds.
Rather than seeing lawsuits as a sign that something  is wrong with
management, Forest Service leaders tend to view them  as attacks on core
programs- timber and range. The Region is now "circling the wagons" and
spending millions of taxpayer dollars to defend a livestock grazing program
that has outlived its value and needs to be phased out as an inappropriate
use of National Forests in the 21st century...."

"We have a leadership team which is not accountable for the conservation of
public resources, including taxpayers dollars. They do not have a passion
for the restoration of degraded ecosystems. They hinder rather than support
good biologists. I know of many biologists and one deputy forest supervisor
who were forced to leave the Forest Service, transfer, or resign because they
spoke out on resource and leadership issues. I know of a Southwest Fisheries
Biologist that is barred from working on some Forests and Regional Task
Groups because he criticized the Regions leadership in regards to riparian
degradation. I will be glad to furnish their names, if you would like. The
point, is that transferring millions of dollars to fix the grazing program,
establishing new management teams, etc. will not solve root problems as long
a management continues to be more committed to logging and grazing that
protecting species and watersheds."
     ____________________________

ARMY CORPS TO REVIEW EFFECTS OF SEVEN OAKS DAM ON ENDANGERED SAN BERNADINO
KANGAROO RAT- TRIES TO LIMIT ANALYSIS TO CONSTRUCTION

Following an official notice of intent to sue from the Southwest Center, the
Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service over the effects of the massive and nearly complete Seven Oaks Dam
on the San Bernadino Kangaroo Rat. The agency, however, is trying to only
consider the effects of constructing the dam, not the effects of the dam on
the river and wildlife habitats. Nor is it willing to review the effects of
the dam on other endangered species.

The kangaroo rat was recently listed as endangered under an emergency order,
because its small range on the Santa Ana River in southern California is
being
decimated gravel mines and other construction projects. Changes in river
hydrology due to the Seven Oaks Dam, however, is the biggest threat since the
species is highly dependent upon temporary habitats created by frequent
natural
floods.

The Southwest Center has informed the Army Corps that nothing short of a full
analysis of the dams effects on all endagered species will forestall a
lawsuit.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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