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For Immediate Release
Suit Settled to Protect Wildlife Along US-Mexico Border
In response to a legal settlement today that should prevent irresponsible management of endangered habitat along the Rio Grande River, Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen said, "Our legal pressure has proven worthwhile and may now provide a fighting chance for ocelots and jaguarundis to survive, among other endangered and threatened species in south Texas."
Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and the Frontera Audubon Society reached the settlement today with the U.S. Department of Justice that should prevent further damage by Operation Rio Grande, a project of the U.S. Border Patrol that would destroy rare habitat along roughly 50 miles of the Rio Grande River in Texas in an effort to better monitor illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
The groups filed suit in 1999 against the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and others to cease destructive activities in the region until further assessment of the implications on jaguarundi and ocelots, two endangered cats, could be done. As a result of today’s action, the U.S. Border Patrol will now complete an Environmental Impact Statement and will consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act for impacts specifically on the two wild cats. The agreement also lists a number of interim activities that the Border Patrol can still conduct.
"The cats and their habitat will now be considered before Operation Rio Grande – an endeavor that includes resurfacing roads, clearing vegetation, constructing fences, lighting systems, and boat ramps – can continue," said Schlickeisen.
The lower Rio Grande Valley – which includes Starr, Hildago, and Cameron counties – where the project has already begun, is home to more than 2,200 species of plants and animals, making it one of the most biologically diverse regions in the United States. The valley also serves as a temporary home to thousands of migratory birds each season. Only five percent of the valley’s historic habitat remains today, most of it lost to human encroachment. Fifteen endangered species call the valley home, including ocelots and jaguarundis which are on the brink of extinction.
"Rare border cats such as the ocelot and jaguarundi, as well as the jaguar further west, don’t recognize arbitrary border lines," said Bill Snape, vice president for law at Defenders of Wildlife. "They need to be able to roam freely in what little habitat is left for them. We think the Border Patrol can protect American citizens without destroying important ecological values in the process."
Snape said that this settlement proves that border enforcement and wildlife conservation are not necessarily incompatible goals. "If this settlement means that the INS Border Patrol is beginning to take environmental enforcement seriously, other border wildlife challenges – such as the Sonoran pronghorn, jaguar and Mexican wolf – may be similarly solved."
Defenders of Wildlife and the other plaintiffs were represented in the case by the Washington, D.C., law firm Meyer and Glitzenstein.
Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation’s most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 400,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.
