WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Group Challenges Extensive Herbicide Spraying in Southeast New Mexico

Three Federal Projects Cover More Than 700,000 Acres
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

ROSWELL, N.M. - WildEarth Guardians filed formal appeals last week of three separate projects proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conduct extensive herbicide spraying in southeastern New Mexico. The three projects target native shrubs and trees and cover more than 700,000 acres, all in the Roswell Field Office of the BLM.

WildEarth Guardians appealed the three projects (named the “Macho Draw,” “North Lincoln,” and “West Chaves” plans) because they entail extensive use of toxic herbicides to kill acacia, creosote, and mesquite. The group argues that the BLM failed to disclose to the public the risks posed by these chemicals to the environment and people’s health.

“We’re urging the BLM to end its addiction to toxic herbicides. These proposals involve the use of dangerous chemicals that can harm wildlife, drinking water, and people’s health,” stated Dr. Nicole Rosmarino of WildEarth Guardians.

WildEarth Guardians advocates putting people to work as a better way to restore ecosystems. At WildEarth Guardians river preserves in New Mexico and Arizona, through the Stream Team initiative, the group has relied on people power to pull out exotic plants and shrubs and replant those areas with now-flourishing stands of native cottonwood and willow.

According to the group, foremost in restoring land health is removing the disturbances that cause non-native weeds to proliferate: livestock grazing, oil and gas drilling, and off-road vehicles, to name a few. By allowing public lands to be destroyed by destructive land uses and compounding that damage with widespread herbicide use, BLM both introduces the added damage of toxic chemicals and treats the symptoms, not the root causes, of weeds spreading across public lands.

Livestock grazing, particularly during drought, is a leading cause of brush encroachment in southwestern grasslands. The Macho Draw, North Lincoln, and West Chaves plans entail a rest period from livestock grazing of only two years, although the damaged rangelands in the Roswell Field Office will likely require decades of rest to recover from the impacts of livestock. The plans set no limits on other highly disturbing activities such as oil and gas drilling and off-road vehicle use.

Other plants targeted in the three native plant vegetation control plans are juniper and cholla, which would be treated using mechanical means and prescribed burns. WildEarth Guardians urges the BLM to use these means, as well as hand-pulling, to restore native ecosystems.

The challenge of the Macho Draw, North Lincoln, and West Chaves projects comes on the heels of the BLM’s withdrawal of a project that would have allowed herbicide spraying of non-native weeds anywhere throughout the 1.5 million acre Roswell Field Office. WildEarth Guardians and the Center for Biological Diversity had appealed that plan and applauded the withdrawal of the proposal.