A lawsuit was recently filed against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The Center for Biological Diversity accused the agencies of failing to protect endangered and threatened species against illegal livestock grazing.
What's happening?
According to the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, the habitats for the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher, the threatened yellow-billed cuckoo, and the threatened northern Mexican garter snake are being destroyed. The alleged cause is illegal livestock grazing along miles of the Big Sandy River in western Arizona.
According to the CBD, neither agency has done enough to put a stop to it.
"Throughout the Southwest, the Bureau of Land Management's chronic failure to control illegal livestock grazing turns streams and stream side habitats into cesspools, pushing endangered species closer to extinction," said Chris Bugbee, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity.
"The Big Sandy River is just the latest example in a pattern of neglect. This lawsuit aims to force federal agencies to do their jobs, fix the problem, and save the ecosystem."
Why is the loss of habitat important?
A survey along several miles of the Big Sandy River found that 5.82 miles were significantly damaged, while 1.12 miles were moderately damaged. That damage included the destruction of streamside vegetation, the trampling of the river banks, and cattle feces in the river.
Situations like the one laid out in the lawsuit are made worse by the fact that in Arizona, roughly 75% of native animal species depend on habitats near water sources, which make up less than 1% of the state's land.
The protection of this habitat is especially important due to the fact that the American Southwest has been dealing with a years-long drought and dwindling water sources.
What's being done about illegal livestock grazing?
Court documents show that the BLM failed to consult with the USFWS concerning the impacts of grazing on the habitats of the wildlife named in the lawsuit before issuing grazing permits.
The lawsuit seeks to compel a judge to declare that the BLM and USFWS are violating the Endangered Species Act by not properly consulting before issuing permits and for the judge to order the completion of consultation by a certain date, then take whatever necessary action to prevent further loss of habitat.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a similar lawsuit in November 2023 concerning a similar situation along the Gila River in Arizona.
This effort may be helped along thanks to recent sweeping changes the Biden-Harris administration made to the Endangered Species Act, specifically the broadening of the definition of "habitat," which allows authorities to designate such areas in accordance with the best available science.
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