YOUR LETTERS NEEDED
TO PROTECT 12,000 ACRES FOR RIVERSIDE FAIRY SHRIMP
Your
letters are needed in support and expansion of a proposal by the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect over 12,060 acres of
critical habitat for the endangered Riverside fairy shrimp.
The Riverside
fairy shrimp was listed as an endangered species on 8-3-1993. Critical
habitat will expand Endangered Species Act protections to important
Riverside shrimp vernal pool habitat in Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles,
Ventura, and San Diego counties.
Vernal pools
are seasonal wetlands that fill with water during fall and winter
rains. They are home to many plants and animals that in turn form
a valuable part of the food chain for a wide array of animals, including
birds of prey, shorebirds, migratory waterfowl, frogs, toads, salamanders
and pollinating insects. Vernal pools have been destroyed and degraded
by urban sprawl, agribusiness, offroad vehicles, livestock grazing,
and wetland draining. Riverside shrimp habitat has been reduced
to just 25 vernal pool complexes in coastal southern California.
A large portion
of remaining southern California pools exist on Marine Corps bases
at Miramar and Camp Pendleton. The marines have successfully lobbied
for critical habitat exemptions for the Arroyo southwestern toad,
California gnatcatcher, San Diego fairy shrimp and are now lobbying
fr a similar exemption for the Riverside shrimp. While this battle
is raging, the Fish & Wildlife Service plans to exempt state
and private lands which are already involved in so called "habitat
conservation plans." The plans are actually permits allowing
developers to kill endangered species and destroy their habitat
in return for inadequate, often already committed, mitigation lands.
The Center opposes the exemption of both the Marine bases and developer
parcels.
Please send a letter to the Service no later than March 30 covering
the following points:
- Support
designation of critical habitat for the Riverside fairy shrimp.
- Expand the
proposal to include all Riverside shrimp vernal pool habitat included
in the Service’s Recovery Plan for Vernal Pools of Southern
California.
- Expand the
proposal to include all Riverside shrimp vernal pool habitat located
within the boundaries of existing so called “Habitat Conservation
Plans.”
- Support
designation of Riverside shrimp critical habitat on Marine Corps
bases Camp Pendleton and Miramar.
Please send your letter to:
Mr. Ken
Berg, Field Supervisor
Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2730 Loker Avenue West
Carlsbad CA 92008
|
