WildEarth Guardians

Friday, March 24, 2006
Environmental Group Files Suit Over Endangered Pecos Bluntnose Shiner

The lawsuit claims that the segments of the Pecos River controlled by the two federal agencies contain the only remaining populations of the Pecos bluntnose shiner - The agencies' actions have adversely modified and destroyed designated critical habitat
Contact: Albuquerque Journal

An environmental group has sued two federal agencies, alleging they have failed to adequately protect the endangered Pecos bluntnose shiner.

The Santa Fe-based WildEarth Guardians sued the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers earlier this week.

The lawsuit alleges the agencies violated the Endangered Species Act by not using their full discretionary powers to provide adequate river flows for the endangered fish. WildEarth Guardians' executive director John Horning said his group believes the species could be on the brink of extinction.

The lawsuit claims that the segments of the Pecos River controlled by the two federal agencies contain the only remaining populations of the Pecos bluntnose, a species listed as endangered in 1987. The agencies' actions have jeopardized the existence of the shiner and adversely modified and destroyed its designated critical habitat, according to the suit.

The group says the shiner's population has dramatically declined during the past four years.

Mary Perea Carlson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said her office had received a copy of the lawsuit, but that she hadn't had a chance to review it. She also noted that she could not comment on pending litigation.

Copyright 2006 Albuquerque Journal - Reprinted with permission