Subject: FW: SW BIODIVERSITY ALTER #41

Subject: SW BIODIVERSITY ALTER #41

* ************* Southwest Biodiversity Alert #39 *****************
*        *****                 *****               *****         *   
*                               ***                              *
*                                *                               *
*            southwest center for biological diversity           *
*                      ksuckling@sw-center.org                   *
*             http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/sw-center           *
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>1. BALLOT INITIATIVE LAUNCHED TO SAVE BIG TREES AND WILD RIVERS
>
>2. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE PLEDGED AT BRIDGER SALVAGE SALE
>
>3. APPEALS COURT ALLOWS SOUTHWEST CENTER TO INTERVENE IN SPOTTED OWL
>   SUIT- CHARGES FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE WITH BETRAYING PUBLIC TRUST
>
>4. SIERRA CLUB NEEDS YOUR HELP TO STOP A BRIDGE THROUGH ARIZONA'S
>   MOST SCENIC RIVER
>
> ***   ***   ***   ***
>
>BALLOT INITIATIVE LAUNCHED TO SAVE BIG TREES AND WILD RIVERS
>
>The Southwest Center for Biological Diversity has announced a
>campaign to place two environmental initiatives on Arizona's 1998
>ballot. The Arizona Heritage Tree Initiative will make it official
>state of Arizona policy that no tree over 120 years old should be
>logged on State or Federal lands. The Arizona Rivers and Streams
>Initiative will designate approximately 2,000 of rivers and streams
>as federally protected Wild & Scenic Rivers.
>
>Pollsters at Arizona State University and the Behavior Research
>Center believe public opinion will initally be very supportive but
>could drop off in the face of a multi-millions dollar industry
>campaign.
>
>CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE PLEDGED AT BRIDGER SALVAGE SALE
>
>The Southwest Center has announced that it will conduct a civil
>disobedience campaign if necessary to stop the Kaibab National
>Forest from logging the Bridger Salvage Timber sale on the north
>Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The Southwest Center, the
>Sierra Club, and the Southwest Forest Alliance blasted the Forest
>Service's environmental assessment for exaggerating tree mortality
>within the burn area. The sale is within the Grand Canyon Game
>Preserve.
>
>APPEALS COURT ALLOWS SOUTHWEST CENTER TO INTERVENE IN SPOTTED OWL SUIT-
>CHARGES FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE WITH BETRAYING PUBLIC TRUST
>
>The 10th Circuit Court of appeal has overturned a lower court
>ruling barring Southwest Center Conservation Chair, Dr. Robin
>Silver, from intervening in a lawsuit to delist the Mexican spotted
>owl from the Endangered Species Act. The Arizona/New Mexico
>Coalition of Counties is suing the Fish & Wildlife Service over its
>decision to list the owl as threatened in 1993.
>
>The case should strengthen standing arguments for
>environmentalists since the appeals court found that "economic
>interest is not the sin qua non" of substantial interest. It declared
>that "Dr. Silver's involvement with the Owl in the wild and his
>persistent record of advocacy for its protection amounts to a direct
>and substantial interest." Dr. Silver petitioned to list the Mexican
>spotted owl as threatened in 1989, and was lead plaintiff in suits
>securing 4.8 million acres of critical habitat and halting all
>National Forest and Navajo Nation logging for the past 15 months.
>
>The appeals court rejected the Fish & Wildlife Service's argument
>that it is adequately representing the owl and the public as "all the
>more suspect by its reluctance in protecting the owl, doing so only
>after Dr. Silver threatened and eventually brought a law suit to
>force compliance with the" ESA.
>
>The Appeals Court also rejected the Coalition of Counties'
>argument that Dr. Silver  is attempting to "forum shop". The
>Appeals court declared that the only forum shopping  being done is
>by the Coalition of Counties since it opted to file its suit in the 10th
>Circuit (NM) rather than join existing litigation in the 9th Circuit
>(AZ) as it should have.
>
>SIERRA CLUB NEEDS YOUR HELP TO STOP A BRIDGE THROUGH ARIZONA'S
>MOST SCENIC RIVER
>
>Red Rock Crossing, on Oak Creek near Sedona, Arizona, is one of the
>defining symbols  of the American West.  It has appeared in hundreds
>of feature films and  documentaries....been displayed on thousands of
>post cards, posters,  calendars and billboards....attracted millions of
>tourists from around  the world.
>
>Now the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors wants to build a new
>bridge right at Red Rock Crossing.  This massive structure, and the
>vehicular  traffic it would bring, will gravely impact an area of
>exceptional  natural beauty and tranquility.
>
>Comments on the proposal are due by end of November. You can learn more
>about this project, and what you can do to help stop  it, by visiting
>
>    http:www//redrockxing.org  
>
>or contacting Bennie Blake (520) 282-6578 or Tom Slayback (520) 778-4233
>at Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, Red Rock Crossing Committee:
>Sierra Club, Sedona-Verde Valley Group, P. O. Box 3913, West Sedona, AZ
>86340
>