Scientists at the University of Buffalo have shown that tarantula venom can prevent human cells against damage from stretching. Stretch-sensitive cells in the heart are attuned to blood pressure and begin to malfunction when the pressure is high, leading to cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. The scientists experimented with scorpions, centipedes and spiders before discovering the compound (GsMTx4) in the venom of the Chilean rose tarantula, a large, harmless species sold in the United States as a pet. GsMTx4 reduced the chance of atrial fibrillation in rabbits and muscular dystrophy in mice. The scientists hope GsMTx4 can lead to drug treatments for conditions as diverse as muscular dystrophy, urinary incontinence and cardiac arrhythmias.

A coalition of nine conservation and fishing groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will ensure that four west coast lamprey species receive prompt consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The agreement was the result of a lawsuit brought in May of 2004, after the Service failed to respond to a petition by conservation and fishing groups to list the Pacific lamprey, river lamprey, western brook lamprey and kern brook lamprey in January of 2003. The agreement requires the Service to make an initial decision on listing petition by December 20, 2004, and if the Service concludes that listing may be warranted, to make a twelve-month finding by November 15, 2005.

Pacific and river lamprey are born in Northwest streams and, similar to salmon, migrate to the sea and return to natal streams to spawn. Lamprey populations have been decimated by construction of dams and the degradation of their home streams by logging, agriculture, urban sprawl, mining, dredging, pollution and other factors. Healthy streams which still support lamprey are also prime habitat for salmon, as well as sources of clean drinking water for communities. Young lamprey, called ammocoetes, clean streams by filter feeding organic material and provide a food source for predator fish, including juvenile salmon. Although some lamprey feed on salmon in the ocean, they also benefit salmon populations by buffering migrating adult salmon from predation by marine mammals in estuaries.

In response to a settlement agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to designate and protect 8,273 acres of critical habitat for two southern California plants. 3,583 acres will be protected for the Coachella Valley milk-vetch in Riverside County where it is threatened by urban and suburban sprawl and livestock grazing. The species is dependent upon sands which are carried into the valley by winds and water from the San Bernardino, Little San Bernardino, San Jacinto mountains, and the Indio Hills.

4,690 acres will be protected for thread-leaved brodiaea in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego counties. A member of the lily family, the brodiaea is pollinated by tumbling flower beetles and sweat bees. It is threatened by urbanization, flood control, agribusiness, weed control, and exotic species.

On 12-08-04 the Center for Biological Diversity formally notified the City of Prescott that it will sue over the city's plans to dewater the Verde River in central Arizona. Prescott voted on 12-07-04 to purchase the JWK Ranch in the Big Chino Basin in order to pump 8,700 to 13,000 acre feet of water from the aquifer despite the fact that it contains 80% of the Upper Verde River's water supply. Downstream communities have protested the water diversion plan and warned of its impacts on the Verde River.

Center for Biological Diversity | PO Box 710 Tucson, AZ 85702 | 520-623-5252 | [email protected]

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