CENTER WINS NATIONAL G.I.S. AWARD

AGREEMENT TO PROTECT MORE THAN 10,000 MILES OF WEST COAST RIVERS FOR 19 SALMON AND STEELHEAD TROUT

CENTER WINS NATIONAL G.I.S. AWARD

Center for Biological Diversity GIS Specialist Curt Bradley has won ESRI's 2003 'Special Achievement in GIS' award. The award is given each year to the organizations that have made important contributions in GIS to the global community. The Center for Biological Diversity was chosen from over 100,000 organizations worldwide that use GIS in business, government, and academics.

GIS is an acronym for Geographic Information Systems, a technology that links information and maps together. The Center uses GIS technology in its litigation, policy, and outreach efforts to protect imperiled species and their habitats. Maps have been used in a variety of projects including the successful litigation efforts to protect steelhead habitat in Northern California and the efforts to protect the San Pedro River from groundwater pumping in Southeastern Arizona. CBD maps have been featured in the New York Times, Backpacker magazine, and several scientific papers. In May, a CBD map was used to defend the Endangered Species Act on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives by dispelling misinformation about critical habitat areas in Southern California.

AGREEMENT TO PROTECT MORE THAN 10,000 MILES OF WEST COAST RIVERS FOR 19 SALMON AND STEELHEAD TROUT

On 9-3-03, the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice and a coalition of environmental and fishing groups reached a legal agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service that will ensure the designation and protection of “critical habitat” areas for 19 endangered Pacific Coast salmon and steelhead trout. The designation will cover more than 10,000 miles of rivers stretching from Southern California to Puget Sound and inland to Idaho. Under the legal agreement, proposed critical habitat designations must be issued by June 2004 and completed by January 2005.

In contrast to the claims of the Bush administration, data gathered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show that species with critical habitat are more likely to be declining than species without it.

The 19 trout and salmon species previously had critical habitat, but lost it April 2002 when the Bush administration refused to defend the Fisheries Service against a lawsuit brought by the National Association of Home Builders. Developers contributed heavily to the Bush election campaign and won big when the administration simply withdrew the habitat protections rather than defend its own wildlife agency against their charges.

The species to be protected are:

The coalition also included the Environmental Protection Information Center, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Oregon Natural Resources Council, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, and Pacific Rivers Council.

SUIT FILED TO PROTECT ENDANGERED LAKE TAHOE PLANT

The Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project, and Committee for the High Desert filed suit on 8-15-03 against the Bush administration for delaying Endangered Species Act protection for the imperiled Tahoe yellow cress, an imperiled mustard plant threatened by the continued development of the Lake Tahoe shoreline.

The Tahoe yellow cress (Rorippa subumbellata) grows within the seven-foot “tidal” zone that is pounded by boat wake, dock proliferation, housing sprawl, and poorly planned recreation. A proposal to raise water levels in the lake and rescind a moratorium on pier construction will likely drive the plant extinct if action is not take soon.

The Smithsonian Institution petitioned to list the yellow cress as an endangered species in 1975. In 1976 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a listing proposal, but did not finish it. In 1980 the plant was declared “critically endangered” by the state of Nevada and in 1982 it was declared “endangered” by the state of California. In 2000, the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Center for Biological Diversity repetitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service protect it.

In the 28 years since the Smithsonian Institution initiated the listing process for the yellow cress the species has continued to spiral toward extinction. 38 of 48 historically known populations have now disappeared. Nonetheless, the Bush administration has decided to continue delaying protection. It refuses to process the Center’s listing petition.

SUIT FILED TO PROTECT IMPERILED NEW MEXICO, TEXAS LIZARD

The Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project, and Committee for the High Desert filed suit on 8-15-03 against the Bush administration for delaying Endangered Species Act protection for the imperiled sand dune lizard. The species has the second smallest range of any lizard endemic to North America, only occurring in a narrow crescent-shaped area of southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. Within this range, the sand dune lizard only occurs on sand dune “blowouts” topped by the unusual shinnery oak. Such habitats occur in a highly fragmented distribution, increasing the sand dune lizard’s likelihood of extinction.

Under the Bush administration’s energy policy, already-rampant oil and gas development is rapidly increasing on federal lands, resulting in dramatic losses of sand dune lizard habitat. Scientific studies have determined that relatively small numbers of oil and gas wells can dramatically lower sand dune lizard populations.

The Center for Biological Diversity and Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Alliance petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May 2002 to list the lizard as an endangered species. The Bush administration has refused to process the petition.

For more information, click here.

SUIT FILED TO PROTECT IMPERILED IDAHO SQUIRREL

The Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project, and Committee for the High Desert filed suit on 8-15-03 against the Bush administration for delaying Endangered Species Act protection for the imperiled southern Idaho ground squirrel, which lives only in Gem, Payette and Washington counties in southwestern Idaho.

Southern Idaho ground squirrel populations have crashed from 40,000 individuals in1984 to only 4,000 today. The squirrel is threatened by shooting, trapping, poisoning, habitat loss due to livestock grazing, and the spread of exotic grasses and weeds. The Bush administration has refused to process a 1-26-01 petition to list it as an endangered species.

Click now and become a member of the Center for Biological Diversity, and ensure a future for wildlife and habitat.

This message was sent to [email]. Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from Center for Biological Diversity - Biodiversity Activist, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in the subject line).