WildEarth Guardians Appeals Sacramento Grazing Allotment Plan - Grazing Harms Mexican Spotted Owl and Two Endangered Plants

Plan would continue to pollute and degrade streams and wetlands and further imperil the endangered Mexican spotted owl and two rare plants, the Sacramento Mountain thistle and the Sacramento prickly poppy.

Santa Fe, NM - September 7. WildEarth Guardians has appealed a U.S. Forest Service decision to allow continued cattle grazing in the Lincoln National Forest's Sacramento and Dry Canyon Grazing Allotments, claiming a new plan would continue to pollute and degrade streams and wetlands and further imperil the endangered Mexican spotted owl and two rare plants, the Sacramento Mountain thistle and the Sacramento prickly poppy.

The appeal, filed on September 7th, is the latest salvo in an ongoing battle between environmental groups and ranchers that first began in 2000 when WildEarth Guardians filed a federal lawsuit challenging grazing the Sacramento allotment as well another dozen grazing allotments in the Lincoln national forest.

"The Sacramento grazing plan ignores the deplorable environmental degradation that has occurred for decades," said Billy Stern, grazing program coordinator for WildEarth Guardians. Both the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service admit that grazing has violated mandatory standards on numerous occasions and in multiple locations every year for the last decade. "Even though the Forest Service reduced cattle numbers four years ago, the environmental damage and violations just continue to mount," added Stern. "It's time to stop playing a numbers game and allow this degraded landscape to heal by stopping cattle grazing entirely."

WildEarth Guardians also claims the proposed plan fails to ensure any recovery, much less a prompt one, of degraded streams and wetlands. According to the Forest Service proposal, "less than 10% of the riparian areas associated with the 40 miles of perennial streams are in satisfactory condition based on USDA Forest Service Region 3 Standards and Guidelines." The Forest Service plan also candidly admits the grazing will continue to damage native riparian vegetation, cause stream bank trampling and leave most streams with unstable banks.

In addition to damage to streams and wetlands, the appeal claims that livestock grazing will further endanger two rare plants, the Sacramento mountain thistle and the Sacramento prickly-poppy, each of which exist almost exclusively on this allotment. The Mexican spotted owl, a rare forest dwelling bird, also would continue to be harmed by the grazing plan as its prey, its roosting habitat and healthy fire regimes would all be damaged or disrupted by livestock grazing.

The appeal asks that the decision to allow grazing on these allotments be overturned and the "no grazing alternative" be chosen instead. The appeals also asks the Forest Service to reconsult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that no "adverse modification of critical habitat" would result from cattle grazing in the habitat of Mexican spotted owls.

"We have a responsibility to protect public lands and waters and the rare creatures that live here," said John Horning, director of WildEarth Guardians. "Federal officials under the Bush administration are ignoring the mandate to protect our land and wildlife and instead allowing ranchers to run roughshod over our environmental safeguards."

Read the Appeal 7/28/04 (PDF)


 

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