Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #130

 \       SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT #130          /
       \                    5-8-98                      /
        \                                              /
         \ SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY  /
          \__________________________________________/
         

1. MATE OF SLAIN WOLF RECAPTURED, BIRTHS PUPS IN CAPTIVITY

2. FIVE SALVAGE TIMBER SALES APPEALED

3. APPEALS COURT REJECTS CHALLENGE TO MANAGEMENT OF HOOVER DAM

     *****     *****     *****     *****
MATE OF SLAIN WOLF RECAPTURED, BIRTHS PUPS IN CAPTIVITY
The four year old mate of the wolf which was shot and killed in
the Blue Primitive Area of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
has given birth to a litter of pups in captivity. She was recaptured
by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists who feared she would not
be able to feed the pups in the wild without a mate or pack. The tragic
killing prevented what would have been the first wild born Mexican gray
wolves in the Southwest since the 1940's.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service continues to investigate the killing.
They apparently do not believe the shooter's story that the wolf
attacked his dog. Even if the dog had been attacked, it would not
legally or morally justify killing a severely endangered species. It
is looking more and more like the killing was malicious, however, not
just ignorant. Investigations continue, the name of the shooter has not
been released.
     ________________________________

FIVE SALVAGE TIMBER SALES APPEALED
The Southwest Center has appealed the "Sacramento Rim Project" on the
Lincoln National Forest in south-central New Mexico. The Forest plans to
log five salvage timber sales to control beetle outbreaks and to reduce
fire risk for two multi-million dollar solar observatories. The sales will
fell nearly 2 million board feet of mixed conifer and ponderosa pine.
They will needlessly cut thousands of large trees in northern goshawk,
flammulated owl, and Sacramento Mountain salamander habitat. Hauling
routes will pass within 1/2 mile of five goshawk nest sites, and within a
1/4 mile of three nest sites. 
     _________________________________

APPEALS COURT REJECTS CHALLENGE TO MANAGEMENT OF HOOVER DAM
On May 4, 1998, the 9th circuit court of appeals refused to overturn
a district court decision that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's
Biological Opinion on the management of Hoover Dam is sufficient to
keep the Southwestern willow flycatcher from going extinct. The
Biological Opinion states that continued flooding of 1,100 acres of
flycatcher habitat by Hoover Dam would jeopardize the flycatcher, but
that jeopardy would be avoided if the Bureau of Reclamation protects
1,400 acres of flycatcher habitat elsewhere, and the Lower Colorado
River Multi-Species conservation plan commits to restoring historical
flycatcher habitat on the Colorado River. The conservation plan team
members, however, are entirely dominated by water and power interests.
They have not agreed to restore historical flycatcher habitat. In fact,
they have refused every request by the Southwest Center and Defenders of
Wildlife to increase river protection.  It is ludicrious to hinge the
existence of an endangered species on the outcome of a plan which
mandates the maintenance of current and maximization of future water
development- especially since the plan is not under the control of the
courts or the Fish & Wildlife Service.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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