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FOREST SERVICE NEGLECTS LYNX IN NEW MEXICO Coalition Warns Forest Service to Assess Land Use Impacts to Lynx
For Immediate Release: October 30, 2003 Contacts: Nicole Rosmarino, Ph.D.,
Forest Guardians, 505-988-9126 x156
"The Forest Service must take a close look at which land uses on national forests may be harmful to the lynx," said Dr. Nicole Rosmarino, Endangered Species Director for Forest Guardians. "A broad coalition has come together to give this critically endangered wildcat a fighting chance. An essential step is to safeguard lynx habitat from reckless land uses on our national forests." While national forests in both Colorado and Wyoming have consulted with the Fish and Wildlife Service in assessing the impact of their land management operations on lynx in the Southern Rockies, New Mexico's national forests have not followed suit. It is especially important that New Mexico national forests do so because lynx have been documented recently in Taos, Rio Arriba, and San Juan Counties. With continued reintroductions in southwestern Colorado, lynx are migrating into northern New Mexico. Colorado's lynx release program began in 1999. This summer at least 16 wild lynx kittens were born in southwestern Colorado. Most of the lynx are inhabiting the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, but some have moved south into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico. More than 60 adult lynx are now roaming across western Colorado and northern New Mexico. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has documented lynx use of travel linkages extending into northern New Mexico. Twenty of the reintroduced lynx are considered missing, some of which may inhabit New Mexico. Over the last three years, at least four lynx have been killed in New Mexico. Current protections for lynx are based on the arbitrary state border between Colorado and New Mexico. "The Forest Service isn't doing its job to protect the lynx in New Mexico," states Matthew Bishop, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, representing the coalition. "The Forest Service seems to think that lynx recognize state borders -- they don't. Conservation measures for lynx should extend throughout the Southern Rockies -- from western Colorado into northern New Mexico." "Habitat protection is recognized as a vital part of lynx recovery and significant stretches of suitable lynx habitat in northern New Mexico are found on lands managed by the Carson and Santa Fe National Forests," said Wendy Keefover-Ring, Carnivore Protection Director of Sinapu. A 1999 assessment by the Forest Service found that Forest Plans in the Southern Rockies may adversely impact lynx and lynx habitat. To address impacts from activities such as logging, grazing, fire suppression, predator control, and recreation, the assessment recommended amending or revising all Forest Plans to incorporate conservation measures that would reduce or eliminate the adverse effects to lynx. The Carson and Santa Fe National Forests did not participate in the assessment of impacts to lynx or in a subsequent conservation agreement. "The fate of the lynx still hangs very much in the balance," explained Erin Robertson, Staff Biologist for Center for Native Ecosystems. "The Forest Service needs to step up and do its part to protect New Mexico lynx habitat." Today's notice follows on the heels of a complaint filed by the same coalition of groups earlier this month against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services over that agency's refusal to review the impacts of its lethal predator control programs on the lynx in northern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. Representing Forest Guardians (Santa Fe, NM), Center for Native Ecosystems (Paonia, Colorado), Sinapu (Boulder, Colorado), Animal Protection Institute (Sacramento, California), Animal Protection of New Mexico (Albuquerque), and Carson Forest Watch (Llano, New Mexico), the Western Environmental Law Center's Southwest Office (Taos, New Mexico) sent the notice of intent to sue. For more information about efforts to protect the lynx please visit http://www.fguardians.org/lynx.html. ### |
Sante
Fe, New Mexico -- A coalition of conservation and animal protection
groups notified the U.S. Forest Service today of their intent
to sue the agency over its failure to consult with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service to protect lynx in the Carson and Santa Fe
National Forests over harmful impacts from logging and other activities.
Consultation with Fish and Wildlife Service is required because
the lynx is listed as "threatened" under the Endangered
Species Act. This consultation would allow the Fish and Wildlife
Service to recommend measures designed to protect lynx from habitat
destruction or accidental killing.