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 Centers Pacific
fisher page
The Centers 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 militarys request for a kill
permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Navy continued to batter the
islands wildlife year-round with missiles, rockets, precision-guided munitions,
mines, deck-mounted guns, machine guns, and grenades.
The judge angrily rejected
the Navys 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 Americas
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 Services 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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