Subject: FW: BIODIVERSITY ALERT #232



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             CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

           <www.sw-center.org>      4-5-00      #232
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§  BLM REMOVES LIVESTOCK FROM OVER A QUARTER MILLION
    ACRES OF WILDERNESS, DESERT TORTOISE HABITAT

§  ENDANGERED BUTTERFLIES, 5,000 YEAR OLD NATIVE
    AMERICAN SITE PROTECTED ON SAN BRUNO MOUNTAIN

§  COALITION TO SUE FOR N. AMERICAN CUCKOO PROTECTION

§  SUIT SEEKS END TO CALIFORNIA DRIFT NETTING

§  JUST FOR KIDS: JOIN CONTEST TO NAME SOUTHWEST WOLF
    PUPS

BLM REMOVES LIVESTOCK FROM OVER A QUARTER MILLION
ACRES OF WILDERNESS, DESERT TORTOISE HABITAT
In response to public pressure and a threat to sue by the Center for
Biological Diversity, PEER, Friends of Mojave National Park, and NRDC,
the Bureau of Land Management has decided to permanently cancel
all livestock grazing on the Granite Mountains Grazing Allotment. This
276,125 acre allotment is within the Bristol Mountains Wilderness, the
newly created Mojave National Preserve and the University of
California's Granite Mountains Natural Reserve. Given the immense
biological importance of the area to wildlife, scientific research, and
recreation, the BLM could not justify continuing to subsidize it's
trampling by cattle.
     ____________________

ENDANGERED BUTTERFLIES, 5,000 YEAR OLD NATIVE
AMERICAN SITE PROTECTED ON SAN BRUNO MOUNTAIN
San Bruno Mountain Watch and the Center for Biological Diversity
have settled a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over
the Terra Bay Development on San Francisco's San Bruno Mountain.
The Corps approved a Clean Water Act permit for the development
despite its impacts to endangered species and Native American sacred
sites. Under the terms of the settlement, a 25 acre area - previously
slated for a 14-story office tower and a 300-room hotel - will be set aside
to preserve a 5,000 year old Ohlone Indian shell mound and habitat
for the endangered Callipe silverspot and Mission blue butterflies.

The suit was argued by Debbie Sivas of Earthlaw (Denver and Palo
Alto), Brian Gaffney and Celeste Langille.
     ___________________

COALITION TO SUE FOR N. AMERICAN CUCKOO PROTECTION
On 4-5-00, the Center for Biological Diversity and a coalition of
environmental groups filed a formal notice of their intent to sue the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service over the agency's refusal to consider listing the
Yellow-billed cuckoo as an endangered species throughout it's range in
North America. The cuckoo has been extirpated from most of western
North America where it formerly occurred from southern British Columbia
to northern Mexico. Its western "strongholds" are Arizona and Mexico.
In a mirror to that decline, populations east of Continental Divide have
been crashing since the 1960's and at an increasing rate since the 1980's.
East of the Continental Divide, the cuckoo ranges from southern Canada
to Florida. It is declining most dramatically in the northern portion of this
range. It's remaining strongholds are primarily in the Southeast.

The Fish & Wildlife Service has issued a positive initial finding on the
Center's petition to list the cuckoo as an endangered species west of the
Continental Divide, but has refused to consider the species' impending
collapse in eastern North America. It apparently wants to wait until the
cuckoo is nearly unrecoverable in the East before taking action.

Joining the Center in the petition and notice of intent to sue are: the
Maricopa Audubon Society, Wildlife Damage Review, the Biodiversity
Legal Foundation, Wetlands Action Network, Oregon Natural Desert
Association, Sky Island Alliance, and the Klamath- Siskiyou Wildlands
Center.
     __________________

SUIT SEEKS END TO CALIFORNIA DRIFT NETTING
The Sea Turtle Restoration Project and Center for Biological Diversity
have filed suit against the National Marine Fisheries Service to shut
down California's drift gillnet fishery. The fishery, which targets swordfish
and thresher sharks-- two species which themselves are facing serious
declines--also kills numerous dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, sea turtles,
sharks and sea birds. This fishing industry is among the worst in terms of
bycatch of any on the West Coast. Of greatest concern is that the fishery
has been killing large numbers of the critically endangered Leatherback sea
turtles. The industry is also in violation of the Endangered Species Act for
killing protected Sperm whales.

The suit was applauded by the Recreational Fishing Alliance, which also
supports a complete ban on drift gillnet fishing. The Alliance has 70,000
members and affiliates nationwide.

The suit is being argued by Brendan Cummings (Berkeley) and Debbie
Sivas of Earthlaw (Denver and Palo Alto).
     _________________

JUST FOR KIDS: JOIN CONTEST TO NAME SOUTHWEST WOLF
PUPS

Teachers, parents, and students,

We're inviting you and your class to welcome the Southwest's newest
wild born wolf pups into the world. Pregnant females of the Mule and
the Pipestem Packs are expected to deliver their pups between April 1
and May 1. They need names and we need your help to name them!

                NAME A WOLF PUP CONTEST RULES
1. Entry must include a drawing of a Mexican Gray Wolf in the forest.
2. Contest is open to all NM and AZ students in grades K thru 8.
3. One entry per person.
4. On the back of your drawing, please include
    a. Your wolf pup name.
    b. Your name, grade in school, name of school, and teacher's name,
    c.  Tell us why it's important to have wolves in the wild.
            Grades K-1 please tell us in one sentence;
            Grades 2-3 a few sentences;
            Grades 4-8 please submit a short 50-100 word essay.

All entries must be post marked by May 1, 2000.

Mail entry to: Center for Biological Diversity
                    POB 710 Tucson, Arizona 85702
For more information call Stephanie at  520.623.5252 x 305

We want to make sure that each pup born to the Pipestem and Mule
Packs gets a name. There will be as many winners selected as there
are new born pups. Teachers of all winning students will receive a
special wolf print to display in their classroom. Three top prizes will be
awarded to the most original artwork and wolf name. These three 1st,
2nd and 3rd prize winners' and their families will be treated to a weekend
in Wolf Country!
_____________________________________________________________

ENDANGERED TOTEMS. Eleven of the twelve western states have adopted
imperiled species as their state fish: New Mexico (Rio Grande cutthroat
trout), Arizona (Apache trout), Colorado (Greenback cutthroat trout), Utah
(Bonneville cutthroat trout), Nevada (Lahontan cutthroat trout), California
(Golden trout), Oregon (Chinook salmon), Washington (Steelhead trout),
Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (Cutthroat trout).

Kierán Suckling                           ksuckling@sw-center.org
                                                  520.623.5252 phone
Center for Biological Diversity        520.623.9797 fax
<http://www.sw-center.org>          POB 710, Tucson, AZ 85702-0710