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.

The U.S. District Court order dismissed livestock industry arguments against the removals. The Center for Biological Diversity intervened in the industry’s lawsuit, which aimed to block the Gila National Forest’s cow removal plan, to support the U.S. Forest Service.

“This sensible ruling validates the Forest Service’s efforts to protect the Gila Wilderness and its remarkable biological diversity,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director at the Center. “It’s a victory for America’s first wilderness that will lead to a cleaner, healthier Gila River and restored wildlife habitat.”

Gila National Forest officials received more than 5,000 public comments that supported removing feral cattle from the wilderness, including using lethal means.

Feral, unbranded cattle have been destroying fish and wildlife habitat, overgrazing native vegetation, trampling stream banks and polluting critical water sources within the Gila Wilderness for decades. Recent Forest Service surveys have found little or no sign of feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness.

The area is critical habitat for several endangered and threatened species, including Mexican spotted owls, yellow-billed cuckoos, loach minnows, Chiricahua leopard frogs and narrow-headed garter snakes.

Years of roundup efforts and ecological monitoring have confirmed that the feral cows in the Gila Wilderness are unowned, unbranded, unauthorized animals that have been reproducing independently of any ranching operation. There are no ranches or active grazing allotments near areas where feral cattle have been found.

The Gila National Forest has full legal authority to remove unauthorized livestock from federal lands under its management.