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The Complaint, filed by WildEarth Guardians in federal district court, contends that the Forest Service is failing to comply with the Endangered Species Act by allowing continued livestock grazing in Mexican Spotted Owl habitat on the Sacramento Allotment According to the suit, the Forest Service has failed to uphold its commitment to insure that recovery efforts for the owl will be furthered on the allotment, which contains a large amount of critical habitat for the species. The Complaint describes how the Forest Service has refused to adequately monitor for or maintain healthy meadows and riparian areas on the Sacramento allotment. The allotment covers over 100,000 acres of public land, and supports more Mexican Spotted Owls than any other allotment on the Lincoln National Forest. The owl depends on healthy riparian areas and grassy meadows in order to live in the Sacramento Mountains. Healthy meadows are especially important to the owl because good grass cover creates habitat for the Mexican vole, a small rodent, which is an important part of the owl’s diet. When cattle forage on the meadow grasses, the voles disperse and the owls can go hungry. |
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