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Defenders News Briefs: Fall 2007
Mexican Wolf Victory
Defenders recently won a battle in Congress in the ongoing fight to recover Mexican wolves, the rarest wolf subspecies in the world with only 60 individuals left in the wild. Rep. Stephen Pearce (R-N.M.) had proposed an amendment to the FY 2008 Interior appropriations bill that would have terminated funding for the federal program to reintroduce these wolves in the Southwest. Defenders mounted an all-out effort to defeat the amendment, and it was resoundingly rejected by a 258-172 vote.
Supreme Court Rules Against Wildlife
In a narrow 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Defenders in June, allowing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to transfer to the state of Arizona authority to issue water pollution permits under the Clean Water Act without first considering the impact on endangered species. The ruling could result in more development, destroying habitat for species such as the desert tortoise and the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, and may lead to further efforts by the Bush administration to refuse to consider the impacts of federal actions on endangered species.
Defenders to Launch Conservation Registry
Defenders will soon launch a Web site that will provide information on conservation projects happening across the nation. The Conservation Registry will allow visitors to search for projects in specific locations and includes a mapping tool that displays watersheds, eco-regions and vegetative cover. The goal is to better coordinate conservation efforts among landowners, government agencies, organizations, volunteers and others in the conservation community. For more information, visit www.conservationregistry.org.
Defending Grizzlies in Canada
Canada Pacific Railway (CPR) announced in May its commitment to begin repairing 6,000 of their oldest and most leaky grain cars, which lure grizzly bears and other animals to their death on the tracks. But the work didn’t happen soon enough for a grizzly sow and her two cubs which were killed in June. For years, Defenders’ Canada office has been pressuring the railroad company to do more to ensure bears are not killed on tracks running through Banff National Park. At least 12 grizzlies have been killed or orphaned and then died due to CPR trains in the park since 2000. The park’s total population is estimated at 50 to 60 bears.
