Press Releases
Jaguar photo by Tierra Curry/Center for Biological Diversity.
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Viewing recent news releases in the Southwest Region program.
Court-Ordered Monitoring Well in Arizona’s San Pedro Conservation Area Runs Dry
TUCSON, Ariz.— The groundwater level has run dry in one of the court-ordered monitoring wells that protect federal water rights for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in southern Arizona, according to new data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to End Widespread Cow Grazing Damage to Tonto National Forest’s Endangered Animals
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Bird Alliance today filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to end years of illegal cow grazing that damages critical habitat for the yellow-billed cuckoo and endangered species in the Tonto National Forest northeast of Phoenix.
Read more.Trump Administration Waives Dozens of Laws to Bulldoze Border Wall Through Texas National Wildlife Refuge
STARR COUNTY, Texas— The Trump administration today waived 31 environmental and public health laws to speed border wall construction through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
Read more.Federal Gunmen Shoot Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Pup, Target Second Wolf
SILVER CITY, N.M.— Newly released records reveal that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to kill two genetically valuable Mexican gray wolves. One of them — a 3-month-old female pup on the Gila National Forest in New Mexico — was shot from the air last week.
Read more.Federal Appeals Court Blocks Oak Flat Land Exchange in Arizona
PHOENIX— The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an emergency injunction today blocking the Trump administration from handing Oak Flat over to a private mining company while three lawsuits challenging the land exchange proceed. Without the injunction, the public lands about 40 miles east of Phoenix were expected to be transferred Tuesday to Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of multinational mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP.
Read more.Appeal Launched After Federal Judge Greenlights Oak Flat Land Exchange in Arizona
PHOENIX— Conservation groups appealed a federal judge’s ruling today denying their request to pause the Oak Flat land exchange in Arizona. Without an injunction from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the public lands about 40 miles east of Phoenix are expected to be handed over to a private mining company Aug. 19.
Read more.Endangered Species Protections Sought for Rare Desert Tiger Beetle in Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to protect the Willcox Playa tiger beetle under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Captured Mexican Gray Wolf Asha Released With Mate, Pups in New Mexico
SILVER CITY, N.M.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released into the wild an endangered Mexican gray wolf called Asha, along with her mate and pups. Asha was featured in National Geographic and other media for twice roaming north of Interstate 40 in New Mexico before being captured and kept in prolonged captivity for having strayed beyond the arbitrary northern boundary.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Arizona Water Agency for Rubberstamping Massive Benson Housing Development
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and the San Pedro 100 sued Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke today for failing to review and revoke the designation guaranteeing a 100-year water supply for the 28,000-home Villages of Vigneto development in Benson.
Read more.Judge to Consider Motions Wednesday to Block Oak Flat Land Exchange in Arizona
PHOENIX— A federal judge in Arizona will hear arguments Wednesday in two related cases on motions seeking to stop the Oak Flat land exchange until the lawsuits are resolved.
Read more.Endangered Species Protections Sought for Declining Southwestern Desert Thrasher
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to protect the LeConte’s thrasher under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Another Mexican Gray Wolf Crosses Interstate 40 in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Thirty-five conservation organizations today asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service not to recapture a Mexican gray wolf who crossed Interstate 40 in New Mexico over the weekend. The wolf has returned to the area around Mount Taylor where he had previously been trapped and removed in May.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s New Arizona Border Wall Waivers
TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today for unconstitutionally waiving dozens of environmental laws to speed border wall construction through the San Rafael Valley in Arizona’s Sky Island region, a biodiversity hotspot that includes the most significant wildlife corridor remaining along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Read more.Letter Demands Release of Mexican Wolf Asha, Her Family
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Thirty-six conservation groups representing millions of members and supporters from across the United States today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting the immediate release of Mexican gray wolf Asha, her mate and their five puppies. The wolf family was slated to be released on the Ladder Ranch in late June but their release has been delayed without explanation.
Read more.Court Orders Decision on Expanding Endangered Mount Graham Red Squirrel Habitat in Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz.— A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to make a long-overdue decision on whether to expand critical habitat for Arizona’s highly endangered Mount Graham red squirrels. The squirrels are the most endangered terrestrial animal in the United States.
Read more.Report: Trump’s Arizona Border Wall Construction Would Block Critical Jaguar Movement Corridor
TUCSON, Ariz.— A report published today by the Center for Biological Diversity exposes how the Trump administration’s plans for new border wall construction in southeast Arizona pose dire and immediate threats to the San Rafael Valley — one of the last remaining jaguar corridors between the U.S. and Mexico.
Read more.Bill Would Remove Federal Protections From Endangered Mexican Gray Wolves
TUCSON, Ariz.— U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation this week to remove the Mexican gray wolf from the endangered species list, which would effectively end recovery efforts for this unique, highly imperiled subspecies.
Read more.Conservationists, Sportsmen Protest Sage-Grouse Killing Transmission Line Along Nevada’s ‘Loneliest Road’
RENO, Nev.— Conservation and sportsmen’s groups have filed a formal protest against the federal government for moving forward on the Greenlink North energy transmission project, which would destroy tens of thousands of acres of greater sage-grouse habitat in central Nevada.
Read more.Students Name Mexican Gray Wolf Pups Slated for Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Mexican gray wolf puppies born in captivity at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge received names this week taken from K-12 student submissions. The five pups — Kachina, Aspen, Sage, Kai and Aala — and their parents Asha and Arcadia are slated to be released in New Mexico.
Read more.Trump Administration Fast-Tracks Dangerous Utah Oil Shipments
SALT LAKE CITY— The Trump administration has launched a 14-day approval process to expand the Wildcat loadout, a fossil fuel facility near Price, Utah. The expansion would quintuple the volume of oil that can be loaded on trains headed along the Colorado River to Gulf Coast refineries.
Read more.Public Lands Lovers to Protest Interior Secretary Monday at Western Governors’ Meeting
SANTA FE, N.M.— Public lands supporters will protest Monday outside the Western Governors’ Association’s annual meeting, where Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is scheduled to give the keynote address. Burgum and congressional Republicans want to sell nearly 3 million acres of public lands to developers to build more urban sprawl.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Arizona Water Agency’s Faulty Designations for 55 Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista Area Subdivisions
PHOENIX— The Center for Biological Diversity and the San Pedro 100 sued Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke today for failing to review adequate water supply designations for 55 Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista-area subdivisions.
Read more.Federal Officials Propose Stripping Imperiled Southwest Fish of Endangered Species Protections
PHOENIX— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed stripping Endangered Species Act protections from the Gila chub, an imperiled Arizona fish. Gila chubs are currently protected as endangered and are severely threatened by competition and predation by nonnative fish and habitat loss due to water diversion and withdrawal, livestock grazing and climate change.
Read more.Judge Blocks Oak Flat Land Exchange While Lawsuit Proceeds
PHOENIX— A federal judge in Arizona temporarily halted the Oak Flat land exchange today while two lawsuits challenging the exchange proceed. Without today’s injunction, the public lands about 40 miles east of Phoenix would have been handed over to a private mining company as early as June 16.
Read more.Judge to Consider Motions to Block Oak Flat Land Exchange
PHOENIX— A federal judge in Arizona will hear arguments Friday on two motions for a preliminary injunction to stop the Oak Flat land exchange pending further consideration of the lawsuits’ merits.
Read more.EPA Rejects Air Pollution Permit for Mine in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains
WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected Arizona’s approval of an air pollution permit for a new mine in the Patagonia Mountains south of Tucson.
Read more.Endangered Species Protections Sought for Imperiled Desert Songbird
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to protect Bendire’s thrasher under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Dangerously Unrealistic Logging Plan Spurs Call for Immediate Fuels Reduction to Protect Sacramento Mountains
ALAMOGORDO, N.M.— Citing high costs, a decades-long timeframe, lack of implementation capacity and needless environmental damage, the Center for Biological Diversity today urged the U.S. Forest Service to immediately begin fuels reduction in New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains in lieu of a logging project that the agency says would take decades to implement.
Read more.Oak Flat Appraisals Reveal Sweetheart Deal to Resolution Copper
TUCSON— Two years after a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Forest Service this week released the appraisals for the proposed Oak Flat land exchange and mine project in Arizona.
Read more.Arizona Rejects Petition to Protect Endangered Jaguars, Ocelots From Hound Hunting
PHOENIX— The Arizona Game and Fish Commission denied a petition today from conservation groups seeking to prohibit the use of dog packs to hunt mountain lions, bears and other wildlife. The vote came despite dog packs’ widespread unlawful harassment of endangered jaguars and ocelots in Arizona.
Read more.Arizona Game and Fish Commission to Consider Ban on Dog Pack Hunting
PHOENIX— The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will consider a petition from conservation groups Friday that would ban the use of dog packs to hunt mountain lions, bears, bobcats, foxes and other wildlife. The petition calls on the commission to modernize Arizona’s regulations, as other states have done, to safeguard both wildlife and people.
Read more.Report: Groundwater Pumping at Arizona’s Fort Huachuca Driving San Pedro River Declines
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity released a new report today that links groundwater pumping at Fort Huachuca to reduced flows on the San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona.
Read more.Report: Arizona, New Mexico Surveys Show Chronic Livestock Damage to Endangered Species, Streams
PHOENIX— Federal land managers have allowed years of extensive damage from livestock grazing to streamside habitats vital for endangered plants and animals in Arizona and New Mexico, according to a report published today by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Court Rejects Forest Service’s Attempt to Hide Oak Flat Appraisal From Public
WASHINGTON— The federal court in the District of Columbia today found that the U.S. Forest Service violated the Freedom of Information Act by refusing to provide a crucial appraisal for the proposed Oak Flat land exchange to the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.Illegal Cattle Damage in Arizona’s Agua Fria National Monument Documented for Fifth Consecutive Year
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity today released documentation showing continued widespread damage to critical habitat for Gila chub and Western yellow-billed cuckoo from herds of unauthorized cattle in Arizona’s Agua Fria National Monument.
Read more.Arizona Officials Back Bill to Undermine Wildlife Protections, Silence Public Input
PHOENIX— The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Game and Fish Commission are backing a bill to strip the state’s wildlife agency of its power to regulate the use of dog packs for hunting mountain lions, bears and other animals. The bill would also subvert state law by gutting the public’s right to petition on wildlife policy and hound hunting, while circumventing public hearings and internal reviews.
Read more.Trump’s Interior Order Threatens to Open Grand Canyon National Monument to New Uranium Mining
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.— Tribes, conservation organizations and community groups today defended Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which could be at risk under Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s Monday order to review national monuments and mineral withdrawals.
Read more.Appeal Challenges Arizona’s Approval of Dangerous Air Pollution from Copper World Mine
TUCSON, Ariz.— Environmental and community groups have appealed the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to grant an air pollution permit to the Copper World mine, the final permit required to begin mining operations in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson.
Read more.Court Backs Removal of Illegal Feral Cattle From Gila Wilderness
ALBUQUERQUE— A federal judge today upheld efforts by the U.S. Forest Service to remove feral cattle from the Gila Wilderness, America’s first designated wilderness and one of the Southwest’s largest ecologically intact tracts of public land.
Read more.Lawsuit Forces Agencies to Halt Arizona Highway Plan Threatening Monuments, Endangered Species
TUCSON, Ariz.— In response to a lawsuit from conservation groups, the Federal Highway Administration and Arizona Department of Transportation have agreed to halt planning activities and reevaluate their approval of Interstate 11. As a result, a court stayed the case today until the reevaluation is completed. The proposed 280-mile highway between Nogales and Wickenburg, Arizona, would pose significant threats to endangered species, public lands, water and the climate.
Read more.New Border Wall in Arizona Catastrophic for Imperiled Desert Fish
TUCSON, Ariz.— A newly built segment of border wall and paved road across Arizona’s California Gulch is blocking streamflow critical to the survival of one of only two U.S. populations of Sonora chub. The rare desert fish is protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.On Anniversary of Reintroduction, Colorado Urged to Proceed with 2025 Wolf Releases
DENVER— Delaying the release of gray wolves into Colorado would be disastrous for the state’s wolf reintroduction program and could violate state law, conservation groups said in a letter today to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. The groups urged the commission to reject a petition from the livestock industry seeking to pause the historic effort to re-establish gray wolves in the state.
Read more.New Court-Ordered Monitoring Gauges at Arizona’s San Pedro Conservation Area Already Below Required Levels
TUCSON, Ariz.— Three of four monitoring gauges added by a judge last week to track the health of the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area in southeastern Arizona are already below court-ordered levels, violating federal water rights.
Read more.New Mexico Chipmunk Protected by Endangered Species Act
SILVER CITY, N.M.— Following a decade of advocacy from the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today added the Peñasco least chipmunk of southeastern New Mexico to the list of endangered species. The Service also designated 4,386 acres on the Lincoln National Forest as critical habitat for the chipmunks.
Read more.Petition Aims to Ban Dog Pack Hunting in Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservation groups today petitioned the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to ban the use of dog packs to hunt mountain lions, bears, bobcats, foxes and other wildlife. The petition calls on the commission to modernize Arizona’s regulations, as other states have done, to safeguard both wildlife and the public.
Read more.$100,000 Reward Offered for Info on Arizona Death of Mexican Wolf
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department today announced that Hope, a Mexican gray wolf living west of Flagstaff since at least June, was found dead on Nov. 7 in the vicinity of Forest Service Road 2058 and East Spring Valley Road. Agencies and nonprofits are offering a combined $103,500 in rewards for information leading to a conviction in the case.
Read more.Lawsuit Forces Arizona Governor to Reevaluate Water Supply Adequacy for Largest Sierra Vista Housing Development
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz.— As a direct result of a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity and the San Pedro 100, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs will conduct a review to determine if the designation guaranteeing a 100-year water supply for developer Castle & Cooke’s 7,000-home Sierra Vista development should be revoked because of a lack of water.
Read more.Arizona Governor Sides With Developers on Denying Protection to Imperiled San Pedro River
TUCSON, Ariz.― Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has asked the Superior Court to dismiss a lawsuit conservation groups brought against her for failing to designate the Upper San Pedro Basin in the Sierra Vista and Benson area an Active Management Area. The designation would curtail rampant groundwater pumping, which threatens the survival of the last free-flowing river in the Southwest.
Read more.Flagstaff Wolf Removal Violates Endangered Species Act, Conservationists Warn
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—Three conservation groups today notified state and federal agencies that ongoing efforts to trap and relocate Mexican gray wolves west of Flagstaff violate the Endangered Species Act. The wolves, known as the Kendrick Peak pack, have been thriving in this area near the Grand Canyon since at least June.
Read more.Endangered Ocelot Appears on Trail Camera in New Arizona Location
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity released stunning new video footage today of a rare wild ocelot in a Sky Island mountain range in Arizona, within the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
Read more.EPA Urged to Block Air Pollution Permit for Heavy Metals Mine in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains
PATAGONIA, Ariz.— Health and environmental groups are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to overturn the state of Arizona’s approval of an air pollution permit for the Hermosa heavy metals mine in the Patagonia Mountains south of Tucson.
Read more.Arizona Nonprofit’s Mining Forum Condemned for Greenwashing Industry, Excluding Tribes
TUCSON, Ariz.— Arizona residents, environmental groups and the San Carlos Apache Tribe today condemned a forum celebrating “eco-friendly” mining that will showcase Resolution Copper, the company behind a controversial plan to build a massive open-pit copper mine at Oak Flat, a sacred site of the Western Apache in central Arizona. Today’s forum at Tucson’s Arizona Inn is being hosted by Arizona Forward, a longtime nonprofit organization claiming to support a balanced approach to environmental protection and economic development.
Read more.Report: Illegal Livestock Grazing Pushing Threatened Southwestern Snakes Toward Extinction
TUCSON, Ariz.— Cattle grazing has damaged nearly 60% of threatened northern Mexican garter snake critical habitat on public lands in Arizona and New Mexico, according to a report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.$15,000 Reward Offered for Info on Endangered Condor Killed in Colorado
CORTEZ, Colo.— The Center for Biological Diversity today announced a reward of $15,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the March 2024 shooting death of a California condor in southwestern Colorado. Condors are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Read more.Federal Plan for Public Lands Solar Development Opens 31 Million Acres in 11 Western States
TUCSON, Ariz.— The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its Western Solar Plan today, proposing to open more than 31 million acres of public lands across 11 Western states to industrial-scale solar energy development, a 40% increase over the agency’s draft plan.
Read more.More Wells Fall Below Court-Mandated Minimums in Arizona’s San Pedro Conservation Area
TUCSON, Ariz.— Four of nine monitoring wells in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area have fallen below court-mandated levels in violation of federal water rights, according to new data from the United States Geological Survey. Water levels in a fifth well are on a downward trend and edging closer to a violation.
Read more.Protests Against Grand Canyon Uranium Mine to Continue Saturday
GRAND CANYON, Ariz.— Conservation advocates will join Tribal leaders and members Saturday, Aug. 24, to demand the closure of the Pinyon Plain uranium mine that threatens the waters of the Grand Canyon and the Havasupai Tribe.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets New Forest Service Roads in Jaguar, Mexican Spotted Owl Habitat in Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz.— Environmental groups filed a lawsuit today challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s plan to build new roads and allow increased motorized access through three sensitive canyons in the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. Roads in these remote canyons would put endangered wildlife at risk from noise and other harassment, increase the risk of fire and pollute clean water.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Arizona Governor, Water Agency for Failure to Protect San Pedro River, Future Homeowners
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and the San Pedro 100 sued Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke today for failing to review and revoke the designation guaranteeing a 100-year water supply for developer Castle & Cooke’s 7,000-home Sierra Vista development.
Read more.Lawsuit Aims to Protect Endangered Species, Streamside Habitat in New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to protect riparian areas and meadows from cattle in New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains. The areas are critical habitat for endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mice, whose survival is tied to the health of upper-elevation streams and meadows.
Read more.Wolf Supporters to Rally Friday at Arizona Game Commission Meeting in Flagstaff
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Wolf supporters will rally Friday morning before the Arizona Game and Fish Commission’s regular meeting in Flagstaff to show their support for endangered Mexican gray wolves and urge the commission to reverse a plan to remove a wolf family from an area near Grand Canyon National Park.
Read more.Letter Urges Agencies to Keep Mexican Wolves in Grand Canyon Ecosystem
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Twenty-three wildlife conservation groups today urged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department not to remove a family of endangered Mexican gray wolves from just south of the Grand Canyon National Park. The agencies have announced they intended to capture and re-release the pack elsewhere.
Read more.Mexican Gray Wolf Asha Denied Freedom
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that Asha, the young female Mexican gray wolf who twice traveled into northern New Mexico, would not be released back into the wild this year.
Read more.UNESCO alerta sobre daños en Reserva El Pinacate por muro fronterizo y exige acciones a EE. UU. y México
NUEVA DELHI— El Comité del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO instó hoy a Estados Unidos y México a tomar acciones concretas para evaluar y mitigar los daños causados por el muro fronterizo en las comunidades de mamíferos del desierto de Sonora.
Read more.World Heritage Committee Urges U.S., Mexican Action to Protect Site from Border Wall Damage
NEW DELHI— The UNESCO World Heritage Committee today called on the United States and Mexico to assess and mitigate the harms of the border wall — particularly its effects on the mammal communities of the Sonoran Desert.
Read more.Mining Ban Renewed for Arizona’s Oak Creek Canyon, Endangered Species Habitat
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— The U.S Bureau of Land Management reinstated a mining ban today that had been allowed to expire across 10,000 acres of the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona’s Oak Creek Canyon.
Read more.Fish and Wildlife Service to Delay Crucial New Protections for Imperiled Desert Fish
TUCSON, Ariz.— Responding to a formal notice of intent to sue from the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it will grant expanded critical habitat designations for the Sonora chub, a small desert fish facing multiple major threats — but the agency will delay that action until at least 2027.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets Illegal Grazing Damage to Endangered Species Habitat Along Arizona’s Big Sandy River
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to protect the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher, threatened northern Mexican garter snake and threatened western yellow-billed cuckoo from illegal livestock grazing along the Big Sandy River in western Arizona.
Read more.Livestock Industry Causing Widespread Damage to Critical Habitat for Threatened Migratory Birds in Arizona, New Mexico
TUCSON, Ariz.— Grazing by the livestock industry has damaged at least 57% of the critical habitat of western yellow-billed cuckoos in public grazing allotments in Arizona and New Mexico, according to a report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more.17,000 Petition Signatures Delivered to Gov. Hobbs Urging Her to Shut Down Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine
PHOENIX— Local and national public-interest groups, as well as Havasupai Tribe members, delivered more than 17,000 petition signatures to Gov. Katie Hobbs today urging her to use her authority to close the Pinyon Plain uranium mine that threatens the waters of the Grand Canyon and the Havasupai Tribe.
Read more.Letter Urges Mexican Gray Wolves to Be Released as Families
SILVER CITY, N.M.— A coalition of conservation organizations today requested that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resume releasing captive-born Mexican gray wolf pairs together with their pups into Arizona and New Mexico. Releases of wolf families that survive and breed would diversify the wild population’s depleted gene pool.
Read more.Arizona Governor, Water Regulator Sued for Failure to Protect San Pedro River
TUCSON, Ariz.― Conservationists today sued Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona Department of Water for Resources Director Tom Buschatzke for failing to protect the imperiled San Pedro River.
Read more.Petition Seeks New Federal Protections for Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains
TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservation groups petitioned the U.S. Forest Service today to designate a 5,500-acre swath of the western Chiricahua Mountains as the Izęę’ Bich’ilwozh (Medicine Canyon) Zoological-Botanical Area.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Records on Military Airspace Expansion in Arizona, New Mexico
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Air Force today under the Freedom of Information Act for failing to release public records about a proposed expansion of military flights over millions of acres of the Gila Wilderness and other public lands in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched to Protect Endangered Jumping Mouse, Streamside Habitat in New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect riparian areas and meadows in New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains from cattle. The areas are critical habitat for the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse and Mexican spotted owl.
Read more.Colorado to Reintroduce Wolverines
DENVER, Colo.— Colorado Gov. Jared Polis will sign into law today a bill to reintroduce wolverines to the state and allocate $750,000 from the Species Conservation Trust Fund for the task. Wolverines are native to Colorado but they were wiped out in the state in the early 1900s by trapping and poisoning.
Read more.Tohono O’odham Students, Elders Name Arizona’s Newest Wild Jaguar
SAN XAVIER, Tohono O’odham Nation— Students from schools on the Tohono O’odham Nation, as well as groups of elders and nearly 1,000 Tribal members, have voted to name the newest detected wild jaguar to enter the United States from Mexico. The name chosen is O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam, which means “Jaguar Protector” in the O’odham language.
Read more.Federal Agency Rejects Arizona Pumped Storage Project Threatening Humpback Chub, Little Colorado River
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Responding to opposition from the Navajo Nation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday denied a preliminary permit application for the Big Canyon pumped storage project on the Little Colorado River near Grand Canyon National Park.
Read more.Conservation Groups Defend Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument, Antiquities Act
PHOENIX— Conservation groups filed a motion to intervene today in defense of President Biden’s designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. The Arizona legislature and others filed lawsuits in February attempting to overturn the monument designation and attacking the Antiquities Act as unlawful.
Read more.D.C. Circuit Petitioned to Review Certificate Extension for North Carolina Methane Gas Pipeline
WASHINGTON— Conservation groups have filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision to extend the certificate of public convenience and necessity for Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate Project.
Read more.Wolf Supporters to Rally at New Mexico Game Commission Meeting in Silver City
SILVER CITY, N.M.— A colorful rally in support of endangered Mexican gray wolves will begin at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, April 19, outside the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Conference Center, 3031 Highway 180 East, in Silver City. The demonstration will include a person wearing an exquisitely designed costume of a Mexican wolf.
Read more.Arizona Mine Warned of Likely Endangered Species Act Violations
PRESCOTT, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity today notified several foreign-owned mining businesses that their mining operations in the Bradshaw Mountains south of Prescott are potentially occurring in violation of the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Federal Court to Hear Arguments Monday on Mining Exploration in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains
TUCSON, Ariz.— Attorneys for conservation advocates will present oral arguments Monday to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Pasadena requesting a preliminary injunction to stop two mineral exploration projects in southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains. In June the groups sued the U.S. Forest Service for approving the projects, which could result in around-the-clock drilling in the biologically sensitive habitat for up to seven years.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Long-Delayed Habitat Expansion for Endangered Mount Graham Red Squirrels in Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to protect habitat essential to the survival and recovery of southeast Arizona’s Mount Graham red squirrels. These squirrels are the most endangered terrestrial animal in the United States.
Read more.Vanishing South Texas Flower Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protections
SAN ANTONIO— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the bushy whitlow-wort as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and designate nearly 42 acres of critical habitat. The bushy whitlow-wort is a flowering plant that lives in just two places in Jim Hogg County in South Texas.
Read more.Agency Cancels Plan to Spray Toxic Insecticide in Three National Monuments Near Grand Canyon
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.— The federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has cancelled plans to spray toxic insecticides to kill native grasshoppers within treasured and significant landscapes of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona.
Read more.Biden Administration Sued Over Destructive Cattle Grazing in Arizona National Monument
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon Society sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to protect the endangered Gila chub and threatened Western yellow-billed cuckoo from chronic unauthorized cattle grazing in Arizona’s Agua Fria National Monument.
Read more.Survey Finds 257 Mexican Gray Wolves Living in U.S. Southwest
SILVER CITY, N.M.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the number of endangered Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest grew by 15 last year — from 242 in 2022 to 257 in 2023. Of those 257 wolves, 144 were observed or tracked in western New Mexico and 113 in eastern Arizona.
Read more.Federal Officials Reject Three Huge Arizona Pump Storage Projects Targeting Black Mesa
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Heeding widespread community and Tribal opposition, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denied preliminary permit applications today for three proposed hydropower projects southeast of Kayenta on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. In denying the applications, commissioners announced a new policy of not issuing permits for projects on Tribal lands without Tribal support.
Read more.80 Groups, Scientists Urge Arizona Governor to Close Uranium Mine in Newly Designated Grand Canyon National Monument
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.— Echoing pleas from the Havasupai Tribe, Navajo Nation and other Tribes, scientists and Indigenous, faith, recreation and conservation organizations today called on Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to close the Pinyon Plain uranium mine, which is located in the country’s newest national monument near the Grand Canyon. Closing the mine will safeguard Tribal cultural heritage and prevent permanent damage to the Grand Canyon’s aquifers and springs.
Read more.Federal Agency Proposes Spraying Toxic Insecticides Across Three National Monuments Near Grand Canyon
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.— The federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to spray toxic insecticides within treasured and significant landscapes of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona to kill native grasshoppers.
Read more.Federal Officials Deny Proposal for Jaguar Reintroduction in Southwest
SILVER CITY, N.M.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rejected a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to reintroduce jaguars to the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. The largest cat in the Americas was first protected by the Endangered Species Act more than 50 years ago, but due to federal inaction only eight individual jaguars have been documented in the United States in nearly three decades.
Read more.Southern Arizona Jaguar Video Confirms New Cat
TUCSON, Ariz.— A wild jaguar shown in a recent trail camera video from southern Arizona is a new jaguar not previously identified in the state. The images captured last month by a wildlife enthusiast and analyzed by the Center for Biological Diversity confirm the eighth jaguar documented in the U.S. Southwest in the past three decades.
Read more.Interior Department Urged to Pull Plug on Lake Powell Pipeline
PAGE, Ariz.— Conservation groups across the Colorado River Basin called on the U.S. Interior Department today to cancel environmental reviews and scrap plans for the controversial Lake Powell Pipeline. The Bureau of Reclamation is reviewing the planned pipeline, which would divert water from the shrinking Colorado River to Utah, as water cuts are being proposed downstream in three states.
Read more.Agreement Reached to Set Pollution Limits on Arizona Creek Threatened by Copper Mine
PHOENIX— A federal judge approved an agreement today between conservation groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that requires the EPA to set pollution limits for Queen Creek unless Arizona does so first. Today’s agreement is the result of a September 2022 lawsuit filed by the conservation groups.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Federal Officials for Failing to Protect Endangered Species Along Proposed Arizona Interstate
TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservation groups filed new legal challenges against the Federal Highway Administration today for failing to consider harms to threatened and endangered species, including the newly listed cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, from the proposed Interstate 11 in Arizona.
Read more.Appeals Court Throws Out Arizona Fort’s Groundwater Pumping Credits Threatening San Pedro River
TUCSON, Ariz.— A federal appeals court today sided with conservation groups in their challenge to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granting fake groundwater credits to the U.S. Army’s Fort Huachuca that fail to return water to the imperiled San Pedro River in Arizona.
Read more.Biden Administration Faces New Legal Action Over Chronic Cattle Damage in Arizona National Monument
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon Society filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue the Biden administration for failing to stop severe damage from cattle grazing to protected habitat for endangered Gila chub and Western yellow-billed cuckoo in Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets Cattle Grazing Damage to Endangered Wildlife Habitat on Arizona’s Gila River
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon Society sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to protect habitat for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and western yellow-billed cuckoo from cattle grazing damage along Arizona’s Gila River.
Read more.Rare Alabama Snail Proposed for Endangered Species Protections
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Following seven years of advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the oblong rocksnail as endangered. The rocksnail was previously considered extinct until 2011, and today only one small population in Alabama remains.
Read more.Arizona Water Authority Must Reduce Groundwater Use to Protect San Pedro River, Conservation Area
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity called on the Arizona Department of Water Resources today to reduce groundwater use in the Upper San Pedro River Basin in order to accommodate newly established federal water rights for the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area.
Read more.Biden Administration Urged to Cancel Border Wall Environmental Waivers
WASHINGTON— More than 100 groups urged the Biden administration to reverse its decision to cast aside legal protections for border communities and wildlife to fast-track border wall construction in Texas.
Read more.Biden Administration Waives Laws to Rush Border Wall Construction Through Texas Wildlands
STARR COUNTY, Texas — The Biden administration announced today that for the first time it will waive environmental, public health and cultural resource protection laws to fast-track construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Texas. The administration says it will take “immediate action to construct barriers and roads” along the border, including through fragile habitat near the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
Read more.New Red Wolf Recovery Plan Calls for More Reintroductions, Fewer Killings
RALEIGH, N.C.— In response to a legal victory by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a new recovery plan for the red wolf, the world’s most endangered canid.
Read more.Jaguar Caught on Camera in Southern Arizona’s Huachuca Mountains
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz.— A wild jaguar has been photographed by federally run trail cameras in southern Arizona’s Huachuca Mountains at least twice this year. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service database that tracks jaguar detections lists two photos in March and May 2023.
Read more.Petition Seeks Groundwater Protections for Arizona’s Upper San Pedro Basin
TUCSON, Ariz.― Conservationists filed a petition late Wednesday with the Arizona Department of Water Resources that seeks to curtail rampant groundwater depletion in southeastern Arizona’s Upper San Pedro Basin.
Read more.El Comité del Patrimonio Mundial insta a Estados Unidos a proteger sitio mexicano del muro fronterizo
RIAD, Arabia Saudita— El Comité del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO solicitó hoy que Estados Unidos restablezca la conectividad ecológica del sitio de patrimonio mundial Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar, dañado por el muro fronterizo estadounidense. El muro impide el paso de vida silvestre, como el berrendo sonorense, entre Estados Unidos y Mexico.
Read more.World Heritage Committee Urges U.S. to Protect Mexican Site From Border Wall
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia— The UNESCO World Heritage Committee requested today that the United States restore ecological connectivity to a Mexican World Heritage site harmed by the U.S. border wall. The wall impedes wildlife passage, including for the Sonoran pronghorn, between the United States and the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.
Read more.Rare Arizona Springsnail Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection
AJO, Ariz.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the Quitobaquito tryonia, a tiny springsnail found only at a single spring in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Mexican Gray Wolves Receive More Protections From Government Killings
TUCSON, Ariz.— Wildlife Services, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has released a new set of standards it will use to determine the cause of livestock deaths in Arizona and New Mexico. Conservation groups have sought such changes to ensure Mexican gray wolves aren’t unfairly blamed for livestock deaths.
Read more.Court Petition Seeks Reversal of Water Diversion Threatening Utah’s Green River
DENVER— Conservation groups asked a federal appeals court today to reconsider a decision allowing Utah to divert tens of thousands of additional acre-feet of water each year from the Upper Colorado River Basin at the Green River below Utah’s Flaming Gorge Dam.
Read more.Federal Judge to Hear Arguments Thursday on Mining Exploration in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains
TUCSON, Ariz.— A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday on conservation groups’ request for a preliminary injunction to stop two mineral exploration projects in southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains. In June the groups filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s approval of the projects, which could result in around-the-clock drilling in the biologically sensitive habitat for up to seven years.
Read more.Only Four Collared Wild Mexican Gray Wolves Survive in Mexico
TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservationists sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today warning about the severely low numbers of Mexican gray wolves in Mexico. The agency relies on the Mexican population of wolves as a buttress against extinction in the United States.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges Massive Habitat Reduction for Endangered Snakes in Arizona, New Mexico
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for reducing critical habitat for two endangered snakes in Arizona and New Mexico by more than 90% from its original proposal.
Read more.Bass Population Doubles Below Glen Canyon Dam, Worsening Extinction Risk for Rare Grand Canyon Fish
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.— Federal researchers reported Wednesday that despite last fall’s eradication efforts the number of invasive smallmouth bass more than doubled in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam since last year, imperiling the already threatened native humpback chub.
Read more.Texas Kangaroo Rats Proposed for Endangered Species Protection
WICHITA FALLS, Texas— Responding to a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the Texas kangaroo rat as an endangered species. The agency also proposed protecting 597,069 acres in Childress, Cottle, Hardeman, Wichita and Wilbarger counties in North Texas as critical habitat for the animals.
Read more.Court Dismisses Utah Suits, Upholds Presidential Authority to Establish National Monuments
SALT LAKE CITY— A federal judge today dismissed two lawsuits filed by the state of Utah that attempted to undo President Biden’s restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments and attacked the Antiquities Act as unlawful.
Read more.Habitat Protections Proposed for Endangered New Mexico Butterfly
CLOUDCROFT, N.M.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed designating nine areas in New Mexico, totaling 1,637 acres, as critical habitat for the endangered Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly.
Read more.Biden Designates Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz.— President Biden used the Antiquities Act today to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in northern Arizona, permanently protecting nearly 1 million acres of public land surrounding the iconic national park. Proposed to the Biden administration by the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, Baaj Nwaavjo means “where tribes roam” for the Havasupai Tribe, and I’tah Kukveni means “our ancestral footprints” in Hopi.
Read more.Lawsuit Challenges National Forest Policies Favoring Cows Over Endangered Species in Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon sued the U.S. Forest Service today to challenge policies that protect cattle grazing at the expense of endangered species and native wildlife dependent on fragile streams in the Coronado National Forest in Arizona.
Read more.Key Private Property in Bears Ears National Monument to Be Protected Forever
BLUFF, Utah— After a 16-month effort, the most important parcel of private land surrounded by Bears Ears National Monument has been permanently protected by The Wildlands Conservancy. The conservancy owns and manages the largest nonprofit nature preserve system on the West Coast.
Read more.Lawsuit Launched Over Critical Habitat Delay for Endangered Arizona Squirrels
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today of their intent to sue the agency for its delay in protecting habitat essential to the survival and recovery of southeast Arizona’s highly endangered Mount Graham red squirrels.
Read more.Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Again Protected Under Endangered Species Act
TUCSON, Ariz.— Following multiple petitions and lawsuits, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today again protected the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl as threatened under the Endangered Species Act after it lost protections 17 years ago.
Read more.Center for Biological Diversity Rallies for Tribes’ Grand Canyon National Monument Proposal
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Center for Biological Diversity members are traveling from across Arizona today to support the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition’s proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument at a federal listening session in Flagstaff. Baaj Nwaavjo means “where tribes roam” for the Havasupai Tribe, and I’tah Kukveni means “our ancestral footprints” for the Hopi Tribe.
Read more.Court Order Sought to Block Mining Exploration in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains
TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservation groups asked a federal judge today for a preliminary injunction to stop the launch of two mineral exploration projects in southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains. Today’s move comes after the groups filed a lawsuit in June challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s approval of the drilling projects, which could result in around-the-clock drilling in the biologically sensitive habitat for up to seven years.
Read more.18 Navajo Chapters Oppose Huge Pumped Storage Projects Threatening Arizona’s Black Mesa
BLACK MESA, Ariz.— Tó Nizhóní Ání, Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment and the Center for Biological Diversity submitted resolutions to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today from Navajo chapters and agencies opposing three pumped storage projects on the Navajo Nation’s Black Mesa, southeast of Kayenta. A total of 18 chapters and agencies have passed resolutions opposing the projects.
Read more.Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Proposed for Endangered Species Protection
SILVER CITY, N.M.— In response to more than 20 years of advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the dunes sagebrush lizard is endangered and warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.Lawsuit Seeks Endangered Species Protections for New Mexico Chipmunk, Six Texas Mussels
SILVER CITY, N.M.— The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit today against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to finalize Endangered Species Act protections for the Peñasco least chipmunk, which lives in New Mexico, and six Texas mussel species suffering from habitat destruction and pollution.
Read more.Biden Administration Should Remove Border Walls, Keep Wildlife Corridors Open Along U.S.-Mexico Border
TUCSON, Ariz.— The Biden administration should remove border walls in six locations along the U.S.-Mexico border, abandon plans to build new sections of wall and remove stadium lighting from conservation lands, the Center for Biological Diversity said in comments submitted today to Customs and Border Protection. The comments are in response to the agency’s request for input on proposed remediation projects in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Read more.Lawsuit Targets Mineral Exploration Threatening Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains, Endangered Species
TUCSON, Ariz.— Conservation groups sued the U.S. Forest Service today to challenge its authorization of two mineral exploration projects in Arizona’s rugged and biologically diverse Patagonia Mountains, just north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The federal agency’s recent approval means drilling operations could begin immediately and continue around-the-clock for seven years.
Read more.Wandering Mexican Wolf Asha Returned to Wild After Capture
PHOENIX— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it returned Asha, a well-known Mexican gray wolf, to the wilds of Arizona. She was captured last January for wandering outside of an arbitrary management zone and heading north into the southern Rocky Mountains of New Mexico. Her journey last winter broke new ground and sent her east of Interstate 25, across Interstate 40, and up near Taos.
Read more.Rare New Mexico Plant Proposed for Endangered Species Protections
SILVER CITY, N.M.— Following a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to protect the swale paintbrush as an endangered species. The 19-inch-tall, yellowish-reddish flower is known to exist in only a single location in southwestern New Mexico’s bootheel.
Read more.Legal Intervention Defends Protections for Lesser Prairie Chickens
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity and Texas Campaign for the Environment moved today to intervene in a lawsuit to defend the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to protect lesser prairie chickens under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more.New Mexico Creates School Health Buffer to Protect Against Oil, Gas Pollution
SANTA FE, N.M.— New Mexico Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced an executive order today that bans new oil and gas leasing on state lands within one mile of schools and other educational facilities.
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