Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #129

      ____________________________________________________
      \       SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT #129          /
       \                    4-30-98                     /
        \                                              /
         \ SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY  /
          \__________________________________________/
         
1. ENDANGERED GRAY WOLF SHOT BY ARIZONA CAMPER

2. DECISION TO CONTINUE LIVESTOCK GRAZING ON FOUR BLM ALLOTMENTS APPEALED-
   DESERT TORTOISE RECOVER PLAN VIOLATED, AGENCY BIOLOGISTS IGNORED

3. EDITORIAL: SOUTHWEST CENTER A POWERHOUSE, PYGMY OWL AND CHILDREN DESERVE
   PROTECTION

4. INVITE: SOUTHWEST CENTER CAMPOUT, VISIT WITH ARIZONA EXPEDITION TEAM

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

ENDANGERED GRAY WOLF SHOT BY ARIZONA CAMPER
One month after being reintroduced into the Gila Headwaters Ecosystem, a four
year old male gray wolf has been shot by a camper, who for some reason was
carrying a rifle. The wolf appears to have been "standing alone" according to
the Arizona Game and Fish Department, but details on the 4-28-98 shooting are
still lacking. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating.

Wildlife official fear the murdered wolf's mate is pregnant, and may not be
able to feed herself and her pups. In a normal population, she would be able
to find another mate, but the extremely small released population does not
provide many opportunities for remating.
     ____________________________________

DECISION TO CONTINUE LIVESTOCK GRAZING ON FOUR BLM ALLOTMENTS APPEALED-
DESERT TORTOISE RECOVER PLAN VIOLATED, AGENCY BIOLOGISTS IGNORED
On 4-17-98, the Southwest Center appealed four BLM grazing allotment
because of
their impact on the endangered desert tortoise. The Ord Mountain, Harper Lake,
Cronese Lake and Rattlesnake Canyon allotments were also appealed by NRDC,
the
Desert Protective Council, Desert Tortoise Council, and the Desert Tortoise
Preserve Committee.

The Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan expressly calls for an end to grazing
within
tortoise habitat because "there are no data showing that continued livestock
grazing is compatible with recovery of the desert tortoise." The BLM's own
biologists recommended closing the Ord Mountain allotment, but were overruled
by agency bureaucrats.
     _____________________________

EDITORIAL: SOUTHWEST CENTER A POWERHOUSE, PYGMY OWL AND CHILDREN DESERVE
PROTECTION
The editors of the Tucson Citizen penned the following editorial on 4-29-98
as the pygmy owl-Amphi high school trial began:

  Owls vs. Kids: Find a Way for Both to Win

  Developers hate it. Environmentalists love it. But both agree: When it
comes to protecting wildlife, the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity
is a legal powerhouse.
  Over the past five years, the center has filed 84 lawsuits, winning 77
percent of the cases that have been resolved.
  One of its most controversial battles- to protect the endangered pygmy
owl- is being waged in a courtroom this week.
  At stake is the fate of new high school that Amphitheater Public Schools
wants to build in owl habitat on the Northwest Side. It's unfortunate the
battle has turned into such an ugly contest between two highly polarized
groups.
  The dispute has been dubbed "kids vs. owls," when both sides should be
seeking a solution that harms neither. The kids' need for a new high school
is obvious and important. The need to protect endangered animals from
extinction is less obvious, but no less important.
  The extinction of a species often reflects a wealth of damage to the
environment that the public should take seriously.
   The school district's stubborn refusal to explore other options, once it
became clear it had purchased a problematic sit for a new school, has not
been helpful. The Southwest Center's apparent belief that nothing short of a
complete halt in development on the Northwest Side could save the owl has not
been helpful.
  Only a judge can decide the complicated legal issues fueling the
controversy.
  Regardless of which side prevails in court, the public should insist on
an eventual outcome that protects the owls while giving students the school
they need...It isn't too much for the public to expect a solution that serves
the interests of both owls and students.
     _______________________________

INVITE: SOUTHWEST CENTER CAMPOUT, VISIT WITH ARIZONA EXPEDITION TEAM
You are invited to join us on Saturday, May 2nd at the Molino Basin
Campsite on Mt. Lemmon for a potluck picnic, music, day hiking, bird
watching, stargazing and overnight camping. Festivities begin at noon.
We will be joined by the Arizona Expedition Team which will cross
Mount Lemmon on its 750-mile trek along the Arizona Trail. Sponsored by
the Southwest Center, the team has been hiking since early April to
raise awareness about environmental responsibility.

Directions: From Tucson, take Tanque Verde Rd east to Catalina Highway.
Turn north and drive 4.2 miles to the National Forest boundary. Then
continue on the Catalina Highway 5.7 miles to the campground. Turn west
into the campground.

For more information on the campout and picnic, or to carpool contact
the Southwest Center 623.5252 x303. For more information about the Arizona
Expedition Team, check our website http://www.sw-center.org. Events are
also scheduled in coming weeks for Oracle, Phoenix, and Flagstaff.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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