Free Republic

SIERRA VISTA — A lawsuit filed by the Maricopa Audobon Society and the Center for Biological Diversity not only demands movement on a determination on how Fort Huachuca’s water use impacts the San Pedro River, it asks a federal court to declare the post has failed to prevent harm to endangered species with habitat on the river. In support of such a determination, the lawsuit asserts that groundwater pumping tied to the presence of Fort Huachuca has caused a reduced flow in the river, when a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist reported to city and county officials last year that there...

PHOENIX — Calling for the closure of Fort Huachuca and personal penalties against generals, Robin Silver and environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court to force a determination on how the post is impacting the San Pedro River. “Ultimately, the question is, can we shut down Fort Huachuca?” Silver said in an interview with Capitol Media Services on Tuesday. Full text available to premium subscribers only.

By Mitch Tobin , ARIZONA DAILY STAR With pressure from the University of Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service has quietly begun pruning and cleaning the forest around the telescopes atop Mount Graham. The work, within critical habitat for an endangered squirrel, comes as UA officials worry about a catastrophic wildfire roaring through a $120 million telescope complex that environmentalists and some American Indians have fought for more than a decade. In 1996, flames from a 6,716-acre wildfire came within 200 yards of the telescopes. As the monsoon arrives, the top of the Pinaleno Mountains, 75 miles northeast of Tucson, is...