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CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
<www.sw-center.org>
6-15-00
#240
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§
CHIRICAHUA LEOPARD FROG PROPOSED AS ENDANGERED
SPECIES IN
NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, AND MEXICO
§ CRITICAL HABITAT ORDERED FOR FOUR HAWAIIN
SPECIES
§ SUIT FILED TO HALT MASSIVE CALIFORNIA DEVELOPMENT
§ 500,000
ACRES TO BE PROTECTED FOR IMPERILED TOAD
CHIRICAHUA LEOPARD FROG PROPOSED
AS ENDANGERED SPECIES
IN NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, AND MEXICO
In response to a
multi-year campaign of scientific petitions and lawsuits,
the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service proposed to list the Chiricahua leopard frog
as an
endangered species on 6-14-00. Once found in over 400 populations
along
streams and wetlands in southern New Mexico, southern Arizona and
northern
Mexico, the Chiricahua leopard frog has been reduced to just 79
marginal
populations in the U.S. Despite recovery efforts (including an
innovative
high school program in Douglas, Arizona), overgrazing of
streamsides,
draining of wetlands, urban sprawl and introduction of exotic
species
including bullfrogs, fish, game fish crawfish, and fungi are pushing
the
leopard frog and other amphibians toward extinction.
In addition to
filing a scientific petition to list the leopard frog as
endangered
in
1998, the Center has petitioned to protect the Sonora tiger
salamander,
Yosemite toad, and the Sierra Nevada population of the Mountain
yellow-
legged frog, filed suit to list the Oregon spotted frog and the
California
tiger
salamander, and sought critical habitat for the Arroyo
southwestern toad
and the California red-legged frog. It has filed numerous
suits and appeals
challenging amphibian habitat destruction on private and
public lands. A
series
of suits filed with Forest Guardians to stop
overgrazing on millions of
acres of
the Gila River Basin resulted in
removal of cattle from 300 miles of streams
and increases in Chiricahua
leopard frog populations on the San Francisco
River in New
Mexico.
____________________________
CRITICAL HABITAT ORDERED FOR FOUR HAWAIIN
SPECIES
On 6-2-00, federal judge Susan Oki Mollway ordered the U.S. Fish
&
Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat for the
endangered
Blackburn's Sphinx Moth, Kaua`i Cave Wolf Spider, Newcomb's
Snail
and Kaua`i Cave Amphipod. Under a settlement in a previous suit,
the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife listed all four species under the ESA, but
refused
to also protect their habitat, even though all four have declined due
to
habitat loss. Going back to court, the Center obtained a court
order
requiring the Fish & Wildlife Service to map out and protect
specific
habitat areas for the species by 2-1-2002.
Hawaii supports
more species of plants and animals than any other
U.S. state. Like most of
the Pacific Islands, however, it has suffered
a wave of extinctions
unparalleled on the mainland. Over one hundred
species of birds, mammals,
plants, and insects have been driven to
extinction by hunting, habitat loss,
and exotic species introductions.
The Center's pacific islands and marine
programs are working to
stem the tide of extinction and restore habitat for
imperiled species.
Blackburn's sphinx moth is the largest of Hawaii's
10,000 native insects.
It was considered extinct until rediscovered on Maui
in 1984. It is
threatened by urban sprawl, agricultural expansion, and
introduction of
exotic species. Its number are currently so low that it could
be driven
extinct by extreme weather fluctuations. Newcomb's snail is
restricted
to six streams on the Hawaiian island of Kaua`i. It has declined
by 60%
since 1925. The two Kaua`i cave species are now limited to four
square
miles of habitat. Most of their historic habitat has already been
modified
by development projects, with an estimated 75 percent
rendered
uninhabitable.
The Center was represented by David Henkin and
Kapua Sproat of
the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund
(Honolulu).
_________________________
SUIT FILED TO HALT MASSIVE CALIFORNIA
DEVELOPMENT
On 6-2-00, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Santa
Clarita
Organization for Planning the Environment (SCOPE) filed suit
against
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) and
Newhall
Corporation to stop the massive Westridge development project
in
the Santa Clara River valley, approximately 30 miles north of
Los
Angeles.
The Army Corps illegally granted Newhall permission to
construct the
development under controversial nationwide permit. Such permits
are
only supposed to be granted if the project will have negligible
effects,
yet the Army Corps routinely rubber stamps even massive
sprawl
projects such as Westridge which would build 1,712 houses, and
18
hole golf course, and a 41,000 square foot commercial center.
Herbicide
and pesticide runoff from the golf course and pollution from storm
drains
will degrade habitat for the only remaining genetically pure
population of
the unarmored threespine stickleback, an extremely rare and
imperiled
fish which was once widely distributed throughout the Los Angeles
area.
The Corps also refused to submit the development permit for review
to
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service even though in addition to the
stickleback,
the development will harm the Arroyo southwestern toad, the San
Fernando
Valley spineflower and other endangered species.
The Santa
Clara River valley is currently under assault from development
pressures.
Nearly 100,000 development units have been approved in the
valley in the past
10 years with tens of thousands more coming for the
permit approval in the
near future. The Santa Clara River system is the
most intact river system
remaining in the greater LA area and provides
habitat for dozens of imperiled
species including the stickleback, arroyo
southwestern toad, southwestern
willow flycatcher, Least Bell's vireo and
the California red-legged frog.
Much of the headwaters of the river system
emanates from the Los Padres and
Angeles National Forests. Tributaries
include Sespe Creek and Piru Creek two
designated Wild and Scenic River
and San Francisquito Canyon.
The case
is being argued by Babak Naficy and John
Fritschie.
____________________________
500,000 ACRES TO BE PROTECTED FOR IMPERILED
TOAD
On 6-8-00, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service implemented a legal
settlement
with the Center for Biological Diversity and Christians Caring for
Creation
by proposing to designate and protect 500,000 acres of "critical
habitat" for
the Arroyo southwestern toad. When finalized, the designation
will require
sweeping reforms in land management by the U.S. Forest Service
and the
military in Monterey, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside,
San
Bernardino, Orange and San Diego counties. It will also effect plans to
extend
urban sprawl into the canyons and streams of southern
California.
Arroyo toads were historically widely distributed along the
length of
drainages in southern California from Monterey to Baja California,
but now
survive only in small, isolated headwaters. Urban sprawl, dams,
cattle
grazing, mining and off-road vehicle use have all contributed to
the
decline of the species to a point where Fish and Wildlife now considers
the
species "on the brink of
extinction."
_____________________________________________________________
PLEASE
NOTE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org
Kierán
Suckling
ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.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
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