Soaptree grasslands, Arizona. skyislandalliance.org

For Immediate Release, April 15, 2010
Contact: Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, (928) 310-6713 TUCSON, Ariz.— The U.S. Forest Service has proposed a draft land and resource management plan for the Coronado National Forest that includes sweeping rollbacks for wildlife protection. The plan, which would govern all land management on the Sky Island forest for up to 15 years, would eliminate requirements in the current plan to maintain viable populations of wildlife species and would curtail or eliminate forest-wide restrictions on logging, livestock grazing, mining, road construction, and other industrial uses. With the Coronado acting as one of the first of the southwestern region’s 11 national forests to begin updating its forest plan, this marks a first step in the Forest Service’s efforts to roll back critical wildlife protections in all Arizona and New Mexico national forests. “What the Coronado National Forest has proposed is a step backward for Sky Island forests and wildlife,” said Taylor McKinnon with the Center for Biological Diversity. “While a new plan should provide a framework for conserving biodiversity in the face of climate change, this plan would replace current protections with dangerous doses of bureaucratic discretion. “What the Forest Service seeks – which is freedom from both public accountability and requirements to protect wildlife and their habitat – has nothing to do with the actual needs of Sky Island biodiversity,” McKinnon continued. … The Coronado National Forest is among the most biologically diverse national forests in the United States. Some of the more than 576 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians that call the forest home are found on no other national forest. There are 175 threatened, endangered, or sensitive species in the Coronado National Forest. Of those, 28 are listed or proposed for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. They include jaguar, Mexican gray wolf, Mexican spotted owl, cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, southwestern willow flycatcher, and desert pupfish. One hundred forty-seven species are designated as sensitive. Despite this diversity of imperiled species, the Coronado’s draft plan eliminates enforceable wildlife standards or replaces them with unenforceable guidelines or aspirational goals. …

Sweeping Forest Service Rollbacks Threaten Sky Island Biodiversity: Agency Seeks Massive Rollbacks for Protection of Arizona, New Mexico Wildlife