Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #180

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      SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
                                   http//www.sw-center.org
       #180
   4-20-99
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o CORPORATE TAKE OVER OF EARTH DAY BOYCOTTED, PROTESTED

o ALASKA OIL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT DELAYED FOR UP TO A YEAR

o FISHERMEN AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS THREATEN SUIT TO PROTECT
   CALIFORNIA'S THREATENED STEELHEAD TROUT

o BENEFIT FOR ARIZONA'S ENDANGERED DESERT SPECIES-
   INVITATION TO SLIDESHOW, PERFORMANCE BY CARLOS NAKAI

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CORPORATE TAKE OVER OF EARTH DAY BOYCOTTED, PROTESTED
The Southwest Center, Sierra Club, Earth First!, Arizona League of Conservation
Voters, the Arizona Green Party, and the Arizona Safe Energy Commission
boycotted Tucson's Earth Day celebration after being told that participants
are not permitted to criticize the event's sponsors, which just happened to
include Raytheon Missile Systems, Waste Management, and HBP Copper. For
$2,000, corporate polluters were not only able to buy a good greenwashing,
they
were able to ban public criticism.

The Earth Day organizers attempted to defend the assault on free speech by
saying that Earth Day is "not supposed to be political forum." Shane
Jimerfield, of the Southwest Center responded in the Arizona Daily Star saying
Raytheon is "part of the war machine and we know what the war machine is
doing to the planet. The military is one the largest global polluters." Earth
First! later decided to participate, crashing the downtown parade with
banner proclaiming "Raytheon Presents Kill The Earth Day."
     ___________________________

ALASKA OIL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT DELAYED FOR UP TO A YEAR
Development of the first underwater oil pipeline in America's arctic came to a
temporary halt this month when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contested the
Army Corps of Engineers' issuance of a permit for BP's Northstar project in
Alaska.  The Northstar project would develop a 145-million-barrel oil field off
Alaska's North Slope and involve a subsea pipeline snaking from an artificial
island created 7 miles offshore.  The project would severely impact habitat for
the endangered bowhead whale and the threatened Steller's eider and spectacled
eider. The Fish & Wildlife Service has proposed that BP choose a different
pipeline route that would be less catastrophic in the event of a spill.  BP had
already begun building ice-roads to the site of the island construction. The
agency's objections will likely delay the project for a year as BP can only
build in
winter when the Beaufort Sea is frozen solid.

The Southwest Center is currently suing the Fish & Wildlife Service to force
the agency to designate critical habitat for the Steller's and spectacled
eiders.
Critical habitat for these sea ducks would likely encompass the Northstar
project area, ensuring their habitat is protected from oil production.
     ____________________________

FISHERMEN AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS WILL SUE TO PROTECT
CALIFORNIA'S THREATENED STEELHEAD TROUT
On 4-14-99, the Southwest Center and a coalition of conservation and
fishermen's groups formally notified the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) of their intent to sue the federal agency for failing to protect
California's threatened steelhead trout. Joining the Southwest Center were
the Alameda Creek Alliance, the Pacific Coast

Federation of Fishermen's Associations, the Northern California Federation of
Flyfishers, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Turtle Island
Restoration Network, the South Yuba River Citizen's League, and the
Coastside Habitat Coalition.

Since steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in
August,1997, NMFS has refused to issue protective regulations for the species
as required by the ESA. While NMFS has delayed, steelhead continue to be
killed by water diversions, and habitat critical to their recovery
continues to be
destroyed. Abuses and fish kills have occurred in over 30 streams since the
species was listed as a threatened species. From Arroyo Grande Creek in San
Luis Obispo County to the Russian River in Sonoma County, water flows
necessary for steelhead migration, spawning, and rearing are being diverted.
>From the Carmel River in Monterey County to the Yuba River in Yuba County,
interruption of flows have resulted in large
fish kills. From Gazos Creek in San Mateo County to Lagunitas Creek in
Marin County, habitat has been bulldozed or degraded.

The coalition is represented by attorneys Larry Sanders and Brendan Cummings.
     __________________________

BENEFIT FOR ARIZONA'S ENDANGERED DESERT SPECIES-
INVITATION TO SLIDESHOW, PERFORMANCE BY CARLOS NAKAI
You are invited to a benefit to help the Southwest Center's campaign to protect
the Sonoran Desert and its many endangered species on May 1, 1999.  In
addition to cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and a slideshow in the beautiful Tucson
Mountains, R. Carlos Nakai will perform a sunset concert. Tickets are $65 for
members, $75 for the public. Please RSVP by 4-28-99, seating is very limited.
For more information contact Stephanie Buffum: 520.623.5252 x 305 ---
sbuffum@swcenter.org.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Kierán 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