No. 299, April 29, 2002


  • MASSIVE TIMBER SALE STRUCK DOWN TO PROTECT ENDANGERED TROUT AND SALMON
  • NAVY FOUND GUILTY OF ILLEGALLY BOMBING MIGRATORY BIRDS
  • DEPT. OF DEFENSE SEEKS EXEMPTIONS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
  • SUIT FILED TO SAVE FROGS FROM PESTICIDE POISONING
  • PETITION FILED TO LIST ARIZONA SNAIL AS ENDANGERED
  • BONNIE RAITT CONCERT TO BENEFIT CENTER

MASSIVE TIMBER SALE STRUCK DOWN TO PROTECT ENDANGERED TROUT AND SALMON

On 4-17-02, a federal judge struck down the Big Bar timber sale on the western boundary of the Trinity Alps Wilderness area. The sale would have logged 20 million board feet of trees on 1,050 acres of the Six Rivers National Forest in northwest California, and undermined tens of millions of dollars of watershed restoration work done to restore populations of endangered steelhead trout and salmon. It included 300 acres of logging in roadless areas, the first proposed since the Clinton Administration issued its roadless area conservation plan in January 2001.

The timber sale would also have destroyed important old growth habitats for the northern goshawk and Pacific fisher. The Center for Biological Diversity is attempting to protect both species under the Endangered Species Act.

The lawsuit was filed by EPIC, the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, California Wilderness Coalition, Klamath Forest Alliance, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center and the Forest Conservation Council. It was argued by Marc Fink of the Western Environmental Law Center (Eugene).

The Center’s Pacific fisher page

The Center’s northern goshawk page

The Western Native Trout Campaign


NAVY FOUND GUILTY OF ILLEGALLY BOMBING MIGRATORY BIRDS

In response to a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit, a federal judge ruled on 3-13-02 that the U.S. Navy is illegally killing songbirds by indiscriminately practice-bombing Farallon de Medinilla, a small Pacific island north of Guam. The island is home to two dozen species of birds, including great frigatebirds, masked boobies, red and white-tailed tropicbirds, white terns, and sooty terns. It is also home to the endangered Mariana fruit bat and Micronesian megapode. Though the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service rejected the military’s request for a kill permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Navy continued to batter the island’s wildlife year-round with missiles, rockets, precision-guided munitions, mines, deck-mounted guns, machine guns, and grenades.

The judge angrily rejected the Navy’s arguments that killing songbirds is good for birders since birds become more interesting to watch as they become rarer, and that citizens do not have the right to enforce violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The court has not yet determined what alterations to the bombing are necessary. The Center was represented by Earthjustice (Honolulu).

For more information, click here


DEPT. OF DEFENSE SEEKS EXEMPTIONS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

Under pressure over its killing of dolphins in the Bahamas, songbirds in the Pacific Islands, and desert tortoises in California; its draining of the San Pedro River in Arizona; and its pollution of groundwater across the U.S., the Department of Defense (DOD) is exploiting concern over terrorism to make itself congressionally exempt from environmental and human safety laws. Without public notice it added a last-minute provision to the Defense Authorization Bill exempting it from complying with critical aspects of the Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Superfund, the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Marine Mammal Protection Act. The exemption is particularly egregious since these laws already contain waivers for national security situations.

The rider puts America’s air, water, wildlife, and human health at risk. The Center for Biological Diversity and 20 other groups have asked Congress to oppose the rider.

For more information, click here.


SUIT FILED TO SAVE FROGS FROM PESTICIDE POISONING

The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 4-02-02 for refusing to determine the effects of pesticides on the endangered California red-legged frog and its critical habitat or to submit its pesticide regulation program to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for review. The impact of pesticides on endangered species, especially amphibians, is enormous. In California alone, 200 million pounds of pesticides are used each year. At least 150 different pesticides and herbicides are used within a mile of red-legged frog habitat.

Formerly so abundant it was a major food supply, the California red-legged frog has declined by 90% and has been extirpated from 70% of its range. Exposure to pesticides, herbicides and other industrial chemicals can cause amphibian deformities, disease, immune system dysfunction, and death.

For more information: Press release, Red-legged frog web page.


PETITION FILED TO LIST ARIZONA SNAIL AS ENDANGERED

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on 4-12-02 to emergency list the Page springsnail as an endangered species. It lives in just one to six springs in the Verde River Valley near Cottonwood, AZ. All of the springs have already been modified, degraded or destroyed. They continue to be threatened by unsustainable groundwater pumping and an exotic hatchery program maintained by Arizona Game and Fish.

The Page springsnail has been on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s candidate list for ESA protection since 1989.


BONNIE RAITT CONCERT TO BENEFIT CENTER

Bonnie Raitt holds the respectable claim of being the only woman in mainstream rock to be recognized as a guitar virtuoso. The singer uses her exceptionally strong voice and emotive songwriting skills to pump out a bluesy mix of hard rock that has made her an international success.

Bonnie also supports the Center for Biological Diversity. On June 7th, 8PM, she will be donating part of the proceeds of her concert in Phoenix, AZ to the Center.

To find out more, visit our web site or email Michelle Harrington.


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