Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Thursday, December 7, 2006
Group Sues Forest Service to Protect Spotted Owl Habitat

Forest managers have allowed cattle to destroy grass that harbors rodents crucial for the survival of Mexican spotted owls
Contact: Leslie Linthicum Albuquerque Journal

An environmental group sued the U.S. Forest Service in federal court Wednesday, alleging that forest managers have allowed cattle to destroy grass that is crucial for the survival of Mexican spotted owls in a large tract of the Lincoln National Forest.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, WildEarth Guardians says the Forest Service is supposed to protect the owls under the Endangered Species Act and instead has allowed ranchers with grazing privileges in prime spotted owl habitat to eat down grassy meadows that sustain rodents the owls prey on.

The lawsuit asks that the Forest Service stop allowing cattle to use the 100,000-acre Sacramento allotment in southern New Mexico- at least for now. A spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service said Wednesday that the agency could not comment on a pending lawsuit.

The backdrop to the lawsuit involves a scientific opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that has governed grazing on the Sacramento allotment since 2004. Fish and Wildlife scientists determined that cattle grazing should be controlled to ensure that at least four inches of ground cover remains.

The agreement between the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife to allow grazing- as many as 412 head of cattle are allowed at any time- required the Forest Service to perform specific grass inventories.

The lawsuit asks a judge to halt cattle grazing while Forest Service officials consult with Fish and Wildlife Service officials to ensure adequate grass cover.

Grass cover is crucial to the survival of the owls, according to the lawsuit, because the Mexican vole, the owls’ main prey, cannot live in less than four inches of grass.

Forest Guardian attorney Melissa Hailey said Wednesday that a review of Forest Service reports showed the agency was not counting bare ground in its grass inventories and was not conducting random surveys.

“They’re measuring where they want to, and they’re looking for grassy areas,” she said.

Copyright 2006 Albuquerque Journal – Reprinted with permission