Posted on 01/20/2007 7:39:58 AM PST by sasquatch
Conservationists gain the upper hand in rare salamander debate Judge orders U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department to take another look at whether the old-growth species should be declared endangered
By chris conrad
Mail Tribune
A federal judge in California ruled Friday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illegally dismissed a petition by conservation groups to place a threatened salamander on the endangered species list.
Judge William Alsup ruled that Fish and Wildlife officials ignored relevant information and relied on vague reasoning when it decided not to place the Scott Bar salamander, which lives in old-growth forests in Northern California and Southwest Oregon, on the endangered species list last spring.
"We are happy that we might be able to protect the salamander," said Joseph Vaile, campaign manager for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center in Ashland. "I think this proves the Fish and Wildlife Service was wrong in determining the salamander didn't deserve protection."
Alsup gave the agency until March 23 to decide whether to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the salamanders' status. The judge ordered the new finding must adhere to tougher scientific standards.
Brian Woodbridge, a Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, said the next finding will take into consideration the judge's recommendations.
"A problem we had was that there was a number of studies all stacked up saying different things," he said. "This is a case where the biological information is very equivocal. There are no clear areas."
The salamander is unique in that it lives on land in old-growth forests. It needs old-growth canopy for protection and is extra sensitive to environmental change because it breathes through its skin.
The Fish and Wildlife Service cited a lack of evidence supporting the salamander was harmed by logging.
The judge, however, found that the conservationists presented ample information suggesting logging threatened the salamander.
"There is a lot of pressure by the Bush administration to get in and log old-growth forests," Vaile said. "It seems that politics is getting in the way, as the Bush administration is ignoring the recommendations of scientists."
Woodbridge dismissed the idea that the salamander is caught in the middle of a political tug-of-war.
"I will back whichever outcome the next finding supports," he said.
Despite the favorable ruling, Vaile acknowledges the fight is far from over.
"I don't think this is the end of the salamander saga," he said. "It's going to take 10 years of wrangling. Meanwhile, many of the salamander sites will remain at risk."
Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.
Morning.
Spotted owl alert, yawn.
I like mine well done.
The hysterical concern for these obscure species is a pretext that our courts either can't seem to see through, or they're willing participants in the hoax.
I don't think pretext is the right word -- the environmentalists want to prevent development on open land, and as it stands, the only mechanism for them doing so is to clamor about endangered species that may or may not live on the land, because the Endangered Species Act is in many cases the only federal legislation that can prohibit development. Ultimately you're right -- that the issue is more about development than it is about endangered species -- but that's really a function of what federal legislation happens to say.
My understanding is that this particular critter actually
does better in areas that have been cut.
Forester should have some insite; stand by.
William Alsup
Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Date of Birth: June 27, 1945
Appointed: August 1999, by President Bill Clinton
Pacific Lumber Co. files for bankruptcy
The timber giant on California's North Coast says environmental limits have kept it from making a profit.
The very idea that the species is specifically dependent upon the age of the trees is ludicrous on the face of it.
The late dead Tim McKay told my son years ago that the Spotted owl was a throw away species and that the salamander was the Holey Grail of anarchy...
Alsup is an extremely biased nut case.
There never was any question of how he would rule, as an earth worshipper.
It's the latter, without question. This salamander is not a separate species.
Yep and there is no way they can preserve that forest for that lizard. If man doesn't haverst the timber in many areas nature will harvest it for him instead.
Harvesting the timber, and thinning the shoots is the best way to preserve it. 36" to 60" timber has been falling around our place every time the wind blows. Big waste.
So is a forest fire fueled from dead fallen limbs, leaves etc. that could take the trees anyway. Some of the conservationist are good and do have common sense some don't the same with loggers.
All out clear cutting should be banned especially on steep terrain. That is where equipment is brought in and every tree standing is taken out. It can literally wipe out everything the first good downpour afterward. I've seen three foot deep walls of water come down ridges and springs boil up mud from poor timbering practices.
Leave some cover behind to protect the soil. Leave enough smaller to medium tree's so recovery comes along faster and so does another harvest.
I thought salamanders preffered "talus" (?) rock outcroppings. They go underground for most of the year, which makes them ideal for enviros as you can't manage timber if you don't know where they are.
You can always tell where a writer stands on an issue by the way he/she ends the story. It is clear, for example, that the writer of this piece, Chris Conrad, is a liberal scumbag.
BTTT
Earth worshipers should be sent to Mars.
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