WildEarth Guardians

Friday, June 21, 2013
WildEarth Guardians Calls for Alternatives to Toxic Poisons Plan on Federal Lands

Forest Service Aims to Use Toxins to Benefit Grazing at Cost to Groundwater and Imperiled Species
Contact: Bryan Bird 505 501-4488

Santa Fe, NM - WildEarth Guardians filed an administrative appeal with the U.S. Forest Service for its failure, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to consider water quality and the safety of plant and animal life in the Carson National Forest.  The Canjilon Range Improvements Project is a group of water developments, fence reconstruction, and sagebrush treatment projects across 11 grazing allotments. 

“Its bad enough we prop up the grazing industry on public lands with subsidies, now the government wants to poison thousands of acres of sagebrush and grasslands to reverse poor grazing practices,” said Bryan Bird, WildEarth Guardians Wild Places Program Director.”

At issue is the Forest Service’s failure to fully and appropriately consider alternatives to its proposal that do not involve use of a toxic herbicide, Tebuthiuron. The Forest Service proposed use of Tebuthiuron across approximately 12,000 acres of grassland, five grazing allotments, and four separate watersheds to accommodate unsustainable grazing practices.

The EPA recognizes that Tebuthiuron presents a significant risk to off site, threatened or endangered species of plants due to leaching of tebuthiuron into groundwater. As tebuthiuron has an “extremely long” half-life, these hazards compound with each use. See http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/0054fact.pdf.

“Very early in the process Guardians requested a non-toxic alternative including lowering cattle numbers and using fire to control sagebrush,” Said Bird. “Our suggestion to protect precious groundwater resources, proven to work elsewhere, was simply ignored, violating public trust and the law.”

Guardians’ objection of the Forest Service’s failure to comply with its statutory and self-imposed mandates urges the agency to recognize evidence demonstrating non-toxic alternatives are just as, if not more, effective at achieving the project’s goal. The requirement that the Forest Service take a hard look at alternatives to its proposed action is a basic one, essential to ensuring that the environment is given adequate consideration before the agency commits to a course of action.