Subject: SW biodiversity alert #7
*** *** SOUTHWEST
BIODIVERSITY ALERT #7 *** ***
Southwest Center for
Biological Diversity
pob 17839, tucson, az
85731
520.733.1391
swcbd@igc.apc.org
ALLOTMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN
APPEALED
The Southwest Center has appealed
the Walnut Allotment Management
Plan on the Coronado National
Forest. The Forest Service proposed to
change grazing on the
sprawling allotment in the Peloncillo Mountains of
southern New
Mexico and Arizona, from 3 months/year to year-round. They
also
proposed to allow grazing in the currently ungrazed Whitmire
Canyon
which is in a Wilderness Study Area. The allotment contains
the
best riparian and aquatic habitat in this very arid region,
including
Skeleton Canyon (where Geronimo last surrendered) and Pine
Canyon. It
also contains two active goshawk territories.
STUDY BLASTS FRAUDULENT
FOREST SERVICE "FOREST HEALTH" REPORT
On behalf of the Southwest Forest
Alliance, the Southwest Center has
issued a study entitled "Forest Health and
Forest Fraud: U.S. Forest
Service Report Hides the Disappearance of Old
Growth in the
Southwest." The study shows that the Forest Service
intentionally
misrepresented its own data in order claim 1) there has been
little
of no decline in "large" trees, 2) that endangered
species
protection has caused forest health problems, and 3) that
increased
logging, including clearcutting, is necessary.
The
Forest Service's own data, however, indicates that large trees
in the SW have
declined by 48% in the last 20 years alone. The
Forest Service came to
its unlikely conclusion by redefining a
"large" tree to be 17 inches dbh,
when the *average* tree size in
the SW historically was 19 inches dbh for
pines and 24 inches dbh
for firs! The Forest Service's claim that
protection for the
Mexican spotted owl has caused thickets to take over the
forests, is
absurd since their report considered only the years prior to
owl
conservation measures. Lastly, the report misrepresented its
own
data in order to hide the documented ill effects of overgrazing
on
forest health.
For a copy of the report, contact
swcbd@igc.apc.org.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY URGES CRITICAL HABITAT FOR
ENDANGERED
SOUTHWESTERN WILLOW FLYCATCHER
The Cooper Ornithological
Society has passed a resolution
calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
to finalize
designation of critical habitat for the Southwestern
willow
flycatcher. As usual, bad people at the FWS have refused to do
so
are currently being sued by the Southwest Center. The
flycatcher
has delined to about 500 pairs in southern CA, AZ and NM due
to
destruction of riparian forests by overgrazing, dam construction,
and
water pumping. To more info on the flycatcher, check out
http://www.nbs.nau.edu/FNF/PIF/wiflhome.html.
The
Society also passed resolutions opposing riders and legislation
weakening the
ESA, and the Salvage Rider.
CONDOR REINTRODUCTION NEEDS HELP
The Fish
and Wildlife Service is
proposing to reintroduce the condor (as experimental,
non-essential
of course) to its ancient habitat in Northern Arizona near the
Grand
Canyon. Public hearings have generally been supportive, but could
be
held up by small group of ranchers claiming the reintroduction may
harm
their public and private grazing operations. This claim
is
non-sensical, but could delay or cancel the reintroduction. Or
it
could result a special rule guaranteeing ranchers that at no time
will
condor protection efforts affect their land uses- a further
degradation of
the ESA.
A small group of ranchers can not be allowed to hold as
important
and popular program as condor reintroduction. There are too
few
birds left for them to be classed as experimental,
non-essential.
Please contact: Sam Spiller, USFWS, 2321 W. Royal Palm Rd.
Suite
103, Phoenix, AZ 85021 (602.640.2720).
BOGUS GAO
INVESTIGATION
At the request of Republican congressmen, the
GAO is
conducting an investigation into 1) the inability of the
Service to project
future timber harvests due to environmental laws,
2) to the cost and
complexity of NEPA implementaion, and 3)
conflicting environmental
laws. The obvious intent is to justify
the dismantle "conflicting and
counterproductive" environmental
laws.
Call Chester Joy at the GAO
(202/512-8157). Tell him that 1)
environmental laws are not
contradictory, 2) the environmental and
economic cost of implementing NEPA is
far higher than not
implementing it, and 3) the Forest Service's inability to
adequately
project timber volumes is based on their refusal to use
rational
models based including environmental
safeguards.