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\ SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#129
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4-30-98
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\ SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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