From: Kieran Suckling [ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2000 11:08 PM
To: Recipient list suppressed
Subject: BIODIVERSITY ALERT #237
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             CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

           <www.sw-center.org>      5-11-00      #237
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§ CENTER HIRES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

§ VOTE ON-LINE TO NAME WOLF PUPS: CHOOSE THE BEST
   KIDS' WOLF DRAWING- THEY GET TO NAME THE PUPS

§ SUIT CHALLENGES MASSIVE ARIZONA TIMBER SALE

§ SUIT FILED TO DOCUMENT ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION
   BY SHADOWY, BORDER MILITARY GROUP

§ JOIN US FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL SAN PEDRO RIVER
   AWARENESS WEEKEND AND RIVER CLEAN UP- MAY 20-21

CENTER HIRES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
After a year of searching, the Center has hired Scott Hoffman Black as
our new Executive Director. For the last decade, Scott has worked with
small activist groups and large coalitions advocating science-based
conservation on public lands. Prior to that, he worked as a toolman on
oil rigs in Wyoming, painted railroad boxcars, worked on a farm in
Nebraska, and bucked logs. In addition to his administrative and
conservation policy skills, Scott is an ecologist with a background in
forest ecosystems, wildlife, and water quality issues. He is now
completing a three-year tenure as Director of the Sierra Nevada Forest
Protection Campaign in Sacramento, California. This successful campaign
has protected over 1 million acres of forests across the Sierra Nevada,
and is now moving for permanent protection of ancient forests and
roadless areas through wilderness designation.

For the time being Scott will work out his current base in Sacramento.
He can be reached through our Tucson office at 520-623-5252 x310. His
email is sblack@sw-center.org.

Kieran Suckling will remain with the Center, taking on the role of Science
and Policy Director.
          ___________________________

VOTE ON-LINE FOR BEST KIDS' WOLF DRAWING AND "ESSAY"
CONTEST- THE WINNERS GET TO NAME NEW WOLF PUPS
Over 900 kids from 41 schools have entered the Center's "Name The
Mexican Wolf Pups" contest. Our judges have picked 12 finalists
from which three winners will be picked representing K-2nd, 3rd-5th,
and 6th-8th grades. Now YOU can help pick the winners by voting
for the best drawing, name and "essay" our wolf pup web page:
<http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/wolf/contest.html>

The winners will get to name the first wild-born wolf pups in New
Mexico in over 50 years. Vote soon, the contest will end May 16,
2000 at 10am.

You've got to see the beautiful, inspired drawings. Here are quotes
from some of the "essays":

  "Wolves like to howl and tok to ech other"
       Rose, kindergarten, Castlehill Country Day School, Tucson

  "I think the wilderness needs wolves because they play an important
   role in the environment. They are part of the predator family in the
   food chain. Also they have a special role in many of the Native
   American tribes in the Southwest...I think the moon would be lonely
   without wolves howling at it....Mainly what I am saying is, without
   wolves in the wilderness it would be -- well -- empty."
        Katheryn, 4th grade, Montessori School, Flagstaff

   "Mexican wolves are important because they are a wonderful symbol
   to represent all of us Mexicans...God created animals, human, etc.
   to care, to love, to spend the beautiful time God gave us, together, as
   one whole family.
        Lisette, 7th grade, Our Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Middle
        School Nogales
     ______________________
  
SUIT CHALLENGES MASSIVE ARIZONA TIMBER SALE
On 5-10-00, the Center for Biological Diversity and Public Employees for
Environmental Responsibility (PEER) filed suit against the Sitgreaves
National Forest to halt the Baca Timber Sale.  Baca, which would log
up to 31 million board feet of ponderosa pine over a 12 square mile
area, is one of the largest timber sales offered by a southwestern
National Forest in the last ten years. Timber sales in the region
typically average 3 to 5 million board feet.

Long-term research indicates that the northern goshawk population on
the Sitgreaves is in serious decline and would be extirpated within 40
years if it was a closed population. Instead, the heavily logged
Sitgreaves is likely acting as a biological sink for goshawks from other
forests. Of the 42 remaining goshawk territories on the Sitgreaves, five
are contained within the Baca Timber Sale. Four of the territories would
be logged.

The Baca timber sale is the latest example of mis-management of the
Sitgreaves. In response to Forest Service employee complaints of
intimidation and hostility under Forest Supervisor John Bedell, PEER asked
Forest Service Chief Michael Dombeck to remove Bedell from the supervisor
position in December, 1999. 

The case is being argued Jay Tutchton of Earthlaw (Denver) and Cliff
Levenson (Phoenix).
          _____________________

SUIT FILED TO DOCUMENT ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION BY
SHADOWY BORDER MILITARY GROUP
On 4-27-00, the Center filed suit against the semi-covert military operation,
Joint Task Force 6 (JTF-6) and the Department of Defense for failure to
release information under the Freedom of Information Act. In the last ten
years, JTF-6 and the Border Patrol have conducted thousands of
environmentally destructive missions along the U.S.-Mexico border,
including extensive road-building, construction of border walls and fences,
and installation of high-powered lighting, in furtherance of the futile “War
on Drugs.”  The rapidly increasing militarization of the Southwestern border
endangers an incredible number of imperiled species—there are over 100
threatened, endangered, or special management species in the Arizona
border region alone. Tragically, the greatly increased Border Patrol and
JTF-6 presence is also pushing would be immigrants into the remotest
and hottest areas along the border. Many die during the crossing.

The case is being argued by Richard Mietz (Santa Fe).
          ________________________________

JOIN US FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL SAN PEDRO RIVER AWARENESS
WEEKEND AND RIVER CLEAN UP- MAY 20-21
Join us for a fabulous weekend which will include an incredible guided
nature hike, river bank clean up, trail clearance, BBQ and campfire
music. We will be camping along the San Pedro River at Grey Hawk Ranch.
We will prepare and serve the food, all you have to do is show up, do a
a little work and have lots of fun.  If you can make a $25.00 donation to help
cover food and facility expenses, wonderful, if not, we'd still love to see you. 
For more details, call Turtle at (520)623-5252 x303, or Shawn at
(602)828-3607. Rides are being organized from Tucson and Phoenix.

_____________________________________________________________

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
Science and Policy Director          520.623.5252 phone
Center for Biological Diversity        520.623.9797 fax
<www.biologicaldiversity.org>        POB 710, Tucson, AZ 85702-0710