Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT #190

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SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
                            http//www.sw-center.org
   6-22-99                                                             #190
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§ SUIT FILED TO LIST 10 PLANTS AS ENDANGERED-
   23 YEAR DELAY PUSHING SPECIES TO EXTINCTION

§ ENVIROS & CHRISTIANS SUE TO PROTECT PLANTS
   AND FISH FROM EXTINCTION

§ COALITION FORMED TO FIGHT MILITARIZATION OF
   BORDERLANDS

§ LETTERS NEEDED TO STOP OVERGRAZING ON
   MASSIVE NEW MEXICO CATTLE ALLOTMENT

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SUIT FILED TO LIST 10 CAL PLANTS AS ENDANGERED-
23 YEAR DELAY PUSHING SPECIES TO EXTINCTION
The Southwest Center and the California Native Plant Society
filed suit on 6-17-99 in San Francisco to force the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list and protect ten California
plants as endangered species:

Santa Cruz Tarplant (Santa Cruz, Monterey, Contra Costa)
Keck's Checker-Mallow (Tulare)
Baker's and Yellow Larkspurs (Marin, Sonoma)
Kneeland Prairie Penny-Cress (Humboldt)
La Graciosa Thistle (Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo)
Lompoc Yerba Santa (Santa Barbara)
Gaviota Tarplant (Santa Barbara)
Two subspecies of Purple Amole (Monterey, San Luis Obispo)

All but two of the plants were included in a 1975 Endangered
Species Act listing petition by the Smithsonian Institute. The
Fish & Wildlife Service proposed to list all ten in 1976, but
withdrew the proposals for technical reasons and allowed the
species to continue declining without protection because of
political pressure. In the ensuing 23 years, the Baker's
larkspur and the Yellow larkspur have been reduced to 50
individual plants.

The Center is represented by Brendan Cummings (Berkeley)
and Jay Tutchton of Earthlaw (Denver, Palo Alto).
     ____________________

ENVIROS & CHRISTIANS SUE TO PROTECT SOUTHWEST
PLANTS AND FISH FROM EXTINCTION
The Southwest Center and Christians Caring for Creation filed
suit on 6-16-99 in Denver to force the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
to list four imperiled UT, NM, and TX species under the Endangered
Species Act.

- The Deseret Milkvetch occurs only in Sanpete and Utah County,
Utah. The only known population has been reduced to 5,000-10,000
individuals growing in an area of less than 300 acres. It is
threatened by livestock grazing, urban sprawl and road expansion.

- The Pecos Sunflower is dependent on desert wetlands. It is
known from 22 sites in Cibola, Valencia, Guadalupe, and
Chaves Counties, New Mexico, and from two sites in Pecos
County, Texas. It is threatened by wetland draining and
destruction, livestock grazing and highway maintenance.

- The Zapata Bladderpod is known from four locations in Zapata
and Starr Counties, Texas. It is threatened by urban sprawl,
highway construction, increased oil and gas activities, and
overgrazing.

- The Devils River minnow is limited to three stream systems
in Val Verde and Kinney counties, Texas, and one drainage in
Coahuila, Mexico. It historic range was much larger and less
fragmented. It has declined dramatically in the past 25 years
because of groundwater pumping, dams and water diversion,
overgrazing and nonnative fish introduction.
 
The Center and Christians Caring for Creation are represented
by Geoff Hickcox of Kenna & Hickcox (Durango).
     __________________

COALITION FORMED TO FIGHT MILITARIZATION OF
BORDERLAND
The Southwest Center, the Southern Arizona People's Law
Center and other labor and human rights groups have formed
SWARM (Southwest Alliance to Resist Militarization), a coalition
committed to ending Joint Task Force-Six (JTF-6). JTF-6 is a
shadowy, little known domestic military operation, comprised
predominantly of the U.S. Marines and Army. Formed in 1989,
it is charged with spearheading the "War on Drugs" and the "War
On Immigrants."  Domestic use of the military is unconstitutional
and illegal under the 100 year old Posse Comitatus Act. Despite
this fact, military operations within our border have been
conducted since the Reagan years and are enthusiastically
promoted by the Clinton administration.

While JTF-6 has nationwide jurisdiction, the majority of its
operations are concentrated along the U.S.-Mexico border
between San Diego and Brownsville, Texas. Its operations
include extensive road building, low level helicopter flights,
construction of impenetrable walls, and ground troop deployments.
Many missions are conducted in National Wildlife Refuges,
including Cabeza Prieta, San Bernadino, and Buenos Aries in
Arizona, San Andres in New Mexico, and the Santa Ana and
Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR in Texas.  Endangered species-
including the Sonoran pronghorn, jaguar, and ocelot are being
harmed by JTF-6's indiscriminate activities.  Just as tragically, a
greatly increased Border Patrol and JTF-6 presence is pushing
would be immigrants into the remotest and hottest areas along
the border. Many die during the crossing.

The Southwest Center and SWARM are determined to end the
sacrifice of our borderland ecology and culture to unnecessary
militarization.
     ________________________

LETTERS NEEDED TO STOP OVERGRAZING ON MASSIVE
NEW MEXICO CATTLE ALLOTMENT
The Lincoln National Forest is accepting comments on its
proposed grazing plan for the Sacramento Grazing Allotment. 
This 111,000 acre allotment comprises 25% of the entire Sacramento
District, contains 36 miles of perennial streams and half of all
the riparian areas on the District.  Recent surveys indicate that less
than 10% of the streams on the allotment are in satisfactory condition.
Continued degradation will hurt numerous endangered species
including the Sacramento Mountain thistle, Sacramento prickly poppy,
Mexican spotted owl, peregrine falcon, and bald eagle.

The U.S. Forest Service admits that livestock reductions are needed
in order to recover the many riparian areas and imperiled species,
but is under intense pressure from cattle ranchers, bankers, and
county officials to retain the status quo. It is proposing small
reductions, when complete rest of the streams and riparian areas
is necessary.

Tell the Forest Service that 120 years of overgrazing is enough. All
cattle should be removed from all streams on the Sacramento Allotment
to allow the streams, the stream banks, the grasses, the willows, and the
endangered species to recover. Send comments by June, 30th to:

   Rick Newmon, Lincoln National Forest
   P.O. Box 288, Cloudcroft, New Mexico, 88317

_________________________________________________________________

Kierán Suckling                               ksuckling@sw-center.org
Executive Director                          520.623.5252 phone
SW Center for Biological Diversity   520.623.9797 fax
http://www.sw-center.org                 pob 710, tucson, az 85702-0710