WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, April 26, 2006
New Sighting Of Rare Falcon On Otero Mesa

Growing List of Falcon Sightings on Eve of Federal Plan to Strip Falcons of Protections
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

Santa Fe, NM - A juvenile Aplomado falcon was sighted on Otero Mesa on April 12, near an area slated for oil and gas drilling, less than two miles away from where a pair of falcons was spotted last August. The bird was observed for 45 minutes and photographed by an environmental consultant contracted to conduct falcon surveys. The sighting is the eighth to occur over the past eight months.

Given the rise in sightings, conservation groups are calling on the US Fish and Wildlife Service to hold off on a reintroduction plan that would remove habitat protections for wild falcons across New Mexico and Arizona. Wild falcons have been recorded in southwestern New Mexico from 2000-2005 and are increasingly being sighted on Otero Mesa. Under the Endangered Species Act, the Service can only reduce habitat protections where a wild falcon population does not currently exist.

"We are now seeing Aplomado falcons year-round in New Mexico, yet the Fish and Wildlife Service is determined to strip away the vital safety net the Endangered Species Act provides these rare raptors," stated Dr. Nicole Rosmarino of WildEarth Guardians. Rosmarino stated, "We need to welcome falcons back to New Mexico’s skies by protecting their habitat on the ground."

In a last ditch effort to protect the wild birds, WildEarth Guardians, the Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Alliance, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility filed a lawsuit in late March against the Service for failing to issue a finding on the groups’ petition to designate critical habitat for the falcon. The groups plan to challenge the reintroduction proposal that is expected to be finalized by the Service by mid-May. Captive-bred birds may be released as early as June 1.

"Rushing ahead isn’t the answer, and if the Service chooses to release any falcons, we will push very hard for both wild and released falcons to be considered fully endangered under the Endangered Species Act," stated Rosmarino. "While the Service and The Peregrine Fund are trying to strip away legal habitat protections for falcons, their plan may backfire."

Several of the sightings have occurred on Otero Mesa, calling into question the Bureau of Land Management’s controversial plan to allow drilling in much of Sierra and Otero Counties and the Department of Defense’s plan to greatly increase overflights on Otero Mesa and off-road maneuvering on Fort Bliss. The Bureau of Land Management is currently a defendant in litigation brought by the state of New Mexico and conservationists challenging their oil and gas drilling plan. A hearing will be held on May 17 in that case to discuss the presence of falcons on Otero Mesa.

The Service has long considered habitat destruction to be a primary threat to aplomado falcons. A recent article in The Journal of Raptor Research, partially funded by the Service, concluded that "Grassland conservation is paramount in conserving Aplomado Falcons and other grassland birds in the Chihuahuan Desert." Currently, federal agencies must ensure that their actions, such as permitting oil and gas drilling and livestock grazing, not harm falcons or destroy their habitat. These protections would be eliminated by the reintroduction proposal.

For more background information, including the list of the eight sightings that have occurred in 2005 and 2006, contact Nicole Rosmarino at nrosmarino@fguardians.org