Conservation Groups Ask Court To Re-Examine Lynx Decision

Six conservation groups ask the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to re-examine a decision it made last month over the Canada lynx in the Carson and Santa Fe national forests

Santa Fe, NM - Six conservation groups on Thursday asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to re-examine a decision it made last month over the lynx.

A three-judge panel of the court ruled in February that the Forest Service doesn't have to review the impact of forest management plans on the lynx in the Carson and Santa Fe national forests.

The panel ruled that ongoing implementation of forest plans in the northern New Mexico forests does not trigger the Forest Service's obligation to consult with Fish and Wildlife over impacts on the lynx.

However, the conservation groups argued that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service both have determined that forest plans which that fail to include conservation measures for the animal constitute the chief threat to the lynx in the southern Rockies.

"It's hard to reconcile this determination with the court's decision,'' said Western Environmental Law Center attorney Matthew Bishop, who filed the request with the 10th Circuit on behalf of Santa Fe-based WildEarth Guardians and the other groups.

The groups argue that the decision conflicts with previous decisions regarding the lynx. The previous court rulings, they said, recognize that forest plans have an ongoing and long-lasting effect.

The rare animal, which previous disappeared from the southern Rockies, is being reintroduced into the region.

The conservation groups also said that forests in Colorado and Wyoming have consulted Fish and Wildlife to assess the impact of their land management operations on the lynx.

They argued that consultation by New Mexico forests is especially important because of their proximity to the core lynx release area in Colorado. The groups said the animal has been documented in recent years in Taos, Rio Arriba and San Juan counties in northern New Mexico.

The other five groups seeking a rehearing were Carson Forest Watch, Center for Native Ecosystems, Sinapu, Animal Protection of New Mexico and Animal Protection Institute.

Copyright 2007 Albuquerque Journal - Reprinted with permission


 

All active news articles