Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #153

      ____________________________________________________
      \       SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT #153          /
       \                    9-22-98                     /
        \                                              /
         \ SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY  /
          \        http://www.sw-center.org          /
           \________________________________________/

1. ANTIs CONTAMINATE STREAM, TRY TO DERAIL GILA TROUT RECOVERY EFFORT

2. FOREST SERVICE REFUSES TO TURN OVER NAMES OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS TO
   DON YOUNG

3. Mt. GRAHAM GOSHAWKS GET REPRIEVE, CAMPGROUND PROPOSAL BEATEN
   DOWN FOR THIRD TIME

4. ART EXHIBIT EXPOSES IMPACT OF URBAN SPRAWL, BENEFITS SOUTHWEST CENTER

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ANTIs CONTAMINATE STREAM, TRY TO DERAIL GILA TROUT RECOVERY EFFORT
According to the Albuquerque Journal, opponents to Gila trout recovery
efforts purposefully placed non-native brown and rainbow trout in a
wilderness stream to sabotage a plan to reintroduce Gila trout there
in October. Non-native trout which compete with, prey upon and hybridize
with Gila trout are a major threat to the species. New Mexico Game and
Fish and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had planned to reintroduce
Gila trout to Black Canyon in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness after building
a barrier to keep the non-native trout separate from the Gila trout.
They recently discovered, however, that someone had purposely placed
brown and rainbow trout above the barrier, jeopardizing the entire
reintroduction effort.

The Gila trout was first recognized as imperiled in the 1920's. In 1967,
it and the Apache trout were listed as endangered in the precursor to
the Endangered Species Act. The species has continued to disappear
due to overgrazing and non-native trout introductions- of five relict
natural populations which existed in 1967, only three remain. Several
Gila trout populations have been contaminated in recent years. The
Southwest Center filed suit against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife in August
seeking a new, stronger recovery plan.
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FOREST SERVICE REFUSES TO TURN OVER NAMES OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS
TO DON YOUNG
On 9-21-98, the Southwest region of the U.S. Forest Service sent a
letter to Representative Don Young (R-AK) explaining that Privacy Act
prohibits the agency from tracking whether Forest Service employees
are members of environmental groups. Following two court settlements
which barred cattle from 350 miles of streams in the Gila River Basin,
Don Young demanded to know if the Regional Forester was aware of any of
its employees being members of the Southwest Center, Forest Guardians,
the Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society or other environmental groups.
Young's letter resulted in editorials across the nation denouncing his
McCarthyistic tactics.
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Mt. GRAHAM GOSHAWKS GET REPRIEVE, CAMPGROUND PROPOSAL BEATEN
DOWN FOR THIRD TIME
For the 3rd time in as many years, the Coronado National Forest has
withdrawn plans to log a goshawk nest stand to "improve" a primitive
campground on Mt. Graham. The Twilight Campground harbors a diverse
stand of large old trees and is home to one of only four nesting
Apache goshawk pairs in the Pinaleno Mountains. The Apache goshawk, a
subspecies of northern goshawk whose U.S. range is limited to southern
Arizona, is believed to be even more rare than the extremely imperiled
Cactus Ferruginous pygmy owl. The Coronado has stubbornly fought to
expand and "improve" the campground for years, despite the presence
of several alternative sites in less sensitive areas. This has lead to
numerous appeals, protests and a lawsuit.

The Forest was forced to rescind its latest decision because it "lost"
85 letters sent in opposition to the project, making it impossible to
fulfill its duties under NEPA to analyze those comments. Sky Island
Watch, the Southwest Forest Alliance, and the Southwest Center are
determined to protect all Apache goshawks remaining in Arizona.
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ART EXHIBIT EXPOSES IMPACT OF URBAN SPRAWL, BENEFITS SOUTHWEST CENTER
The national juried art exhibition, "Encroachment: Nowhere to Hide," is
on display in Tucson at the Central Arts Collective, 188 E. Broadway Blvd.
Inspired by the cancerous growth devouring our world-renowned Sonoran
desert, the show features art that stands up to all forces that are
bulldozing and paving wild places in every bioregion, and art that
documents the natural habitats we are striving to protect.

Gallery hours are from 12 to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday until
September 26th. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Southwest Center.
For more information, call the Central Arts Collective 623.5883.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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