Subject: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#59
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SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#59
3/25/97
SOUTHWEST CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
silver city, tucson, phoenix, san
diego
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1.
JUDGE ORDERS ESA PROTECTION FOR FIVE SPECIES-
1,000 MILES OF
RIPARIAN AREAS AND WETLANDS IN CA, AZ, AND NM
TO BE
PROTECTED
2. SENATOR McCAIN WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED FOR NAFTA IF HE KNEW
IT
INCLUDED ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FOR U.S.
RIVERS
*** *** *** ***
JUDGE
ORDERS ESA PROTECTION FOR FIVE SPECIES-
1,000 MILES OF RIPARIAN AREAS AND
WETLANDS IN CA, AZ, AND NM TO
BE PROTECTED
In a historic ruling to
protect riparian areas and rivers in CA, AZ,
and NM, a Federal Judge has
ruled in favor of four simultaneous
lawsuits by the Southwest Center for
Biological Diversity. On
March 19, 1996, Judge Roger Strand ordered to the
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to list the Jaguar as an endangered
species
within 120 days, and to designate critical habitat for
the
Southwestern willow flycatcher, Cactus Ferruginous pygmy owl,
Huachuca
water umbel, and Sonoran tiger salamander.
The SW Center expects
about 1,000 miles of rivers and wetlands to be
protected as critical habitat,
including large portions of the
Colorado, Rio Grande, Gila, San Francisco,
Verde, San Pedro, Santa
Cruz, Salt, Santa Margarita, and San Louis Rey
rivers.
The Center was represented in all four suits by Matt Kenna
and
Geoff Hickcox of Kenna & Associates.
SENATOR McCAIN WOULD
NOT HAVE VOTED FOR NAFTA IF HE KNEW IT INCLUDED
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FOR
AMERICAN RIVERS
Commenting on Southwest Center petitions under NAFTA
for
international review of the destruction of the San Pedro River by
the
Army's Fort Huachuca, Senator John McCain expressed dismay that
NAFTA's
environmental stipulations could be used to protect rivers
in America: "If I
knew they would use NAFTA for that, I wouldn't
have voted for the damn
thing," McCain told the Sierra Vista Herald.
Represented by Earth Law,
the Southwest Center has petitioned NAFTA's
Secretariet on the Environment to
investigate Fort Huachuca's
violations of American environmental laws, and
the general impacts of
development and mining on the San Pedro river which
flows northward
from Mexico into the Gila River in the
U.S.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Kieran
Suckling
ksuckling@sw-center.org
Executive
Director
phone: 520-733-1391
Southwest Center for Biological
Diversity fax:
520-733-1404
POB 17839, Tucson, AZ
85731
www.envirolink.org/orgs/sw-center