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\ SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#142
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\
7-19-98
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\ SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
/
\__________________________________________/
1.
ENDANGERED WOLF SHOT WHILE STANDING STILL, KILLER LINKED
TO
ANTI-ESA GROUP
2. INVITATION TO SOUTHERN ARIZONA RIPARIAN TOUR
3.
GILA NATIONAL FOREST TO RAMP UP CATTLE NUMBERS-
CALLS AND
LETTERS NEEDED TODAY!
***** *****
***** *****
ENDANGERED WOLF SHOT WHILE STANDING
STILL, KILLER LINKED TO
ANTI-ESA GROUP
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service's investigative report on the
shooting of an endangered Mexican gray
wolf on the Arizona/
New Mexico border strongly suggests that the wolf was
murdered.
The wolf was shot broadside through both legs while
standing
still, contradicting the shooter's story that the wolf
was
charging his wife when shot. The report also shows that the
shooter
initially told the Arizona Department of Fish
and Game that the wolf was shot
because it attacked his dog, but
changed his story after newpapers explained
that it is only
legal to kill endangered species if they threaten human
lives.
After the shooting, the killer visited Tucson newspapers
with
members of the Safarhi Club, speaking out against the wolf
recovery
program. The Safarhi Club has lobbied against protecting
endangered species
from hunting. Members of have been convicted
of killing endangered
species.
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INVITATION TO SOUTHERN ARIZONA RIPARIAN
TOUR
The Southwest Forest Alliance and Sky Island Watch are
sponsoring
tours of southern Arizona. We will visit aproximatly
ten areas in 4 or 5
different mountain ranges on the Coronado
National Forest. July 31 - Aug. 2.
No charge, but space is
limited. Call David Hodges at 520-322-9819, for more
information.
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GILA NATIONAL FOREST TO RAMP UP CATTLE
NUMBERS-
CALLS AND LETTERS NEEDED TODAY!
The Gila National Forest has
released draft grazing plans on 30
allotments for public comment. Although
the vast majority of the
allotments contain crucial riparian habitat for
threatened and
endangered species, the Forest proposes to decrease cattle
on
only one allotment. The rest will be stocked either at
current
levels or higher. Two allotments will double in cattle
numbers.
Even worse, the Forest is proposing to restock four
allotments
which are currently empty, three of which contain threatened
and
endangered species, and one that lies entirely within the
Gila
Wilderness.
The XSX ALLOTMENT, located within the heart of
the Gila
Wilderness, has been ungrazd since 1984. The Middle and
East
fork of the Gila River flow through the XSX, supporting
populations of the federally listed spikedace and loach minnow.
The Gila proposes to use the north half of
this allotment as "relief"
for other badly degraded allotments.
The JORDAN MESA ALLOTMENT,
also located within the Gila
Wilderness, contains essential habitat
along the East fork of
the Gila River for spikedace, loach minnow, and
Southwestern
willow flycatcher. The Forest Service proposes to keep
stocking
on this badly degraded allotment at current levels,
despite
admitting that the carrying capacity of the land is half
that.
The BROCK CANYON and WATSON MOUNTAIN allotments are
currently
unstocked and leased by the Nature Conservancy.
The
allotments, which have exhibited steady riparian and
upland
recovery since being rested from cattle, contain
resident
populations of bighorn sheep, spikedace, loach minnow,
and
Southwestern willow flycatcher. The Gila is inexplicably
proposing to put over 30 cattle on each allotment.
Write,
call and fax the Gila National Forest today! Tell them
to keep all cattle off
these and all 30 allotments.
Able Camerina, Gila National
Forest
Supervisor
Phone
505.388.8201 Fax
505.388.8204
3005 E. Camino del
Bosque
Silver City, NM
88061
_____________________________________________________________________________
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