TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for delaying critically needed Endangered Species Act protections for the Clover’s cactus and the Rio Grande shiner.

“These beautiful cactuses and river-dwelling fish needed endangered species protections yesterday, but instead they got years of delay,” said Drew Baloga, a legal fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity. “New Mexico’s imperiled plants and animals don’t have time to wait while the Fish and Wildlife Service drags its feet.”

Clover’s cactuses are found only in northwestern New Mexico where they bloom vibrant purple flowers. They’re threatened by energy extraction, off-road vehicles and livestock grazing.

Rio Grande shiners are tiny, palm-sized fish. They’ve lost most of their historic range in New Mexico, Texas and Mexico to dams, rerouted rivers, water pollution and sprawl development.

“The Rio Grande shiner’s decline reflects the serious stressors impacting the Rio Grande watershed and the communities that rely on it,” said Joanna Zhang, endangered species advocate with WildEarth Guardians. “Archaic water law, diversions, and climate change continue to threaten the river's health, and the shiner’s protection should be a key part of efforts to restore and maintain a resilient ecosystem.”

The Service first identified the shiner as needing Endangered Species Act protection in 1982. Both species were petitioned for protection by WildEarth Guardians in 2020, starting the clock on a one-year deadline for the agency to determine whether protection is warranted. Today’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson, says the Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act by missing that deadline.

Unfortunately, such delays are common. A recent study found that since 1990, it has taken the Service an average of nine years to list species in response to petitions even though by law it is supposed to take no more than two years.