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For Immediate Release
Bush Administration Seeks To Remove Arizona Pygmy Owl From Endangered Species List
Administration Sides with Developers in Court Case, Move Will Likely Eradicate Pygmy Owls in Arizona
PHOENIX, AZ -- The Bush administration yesterday filed papers seeking to remove Arizona’s pygmy owl from the list of endangered species, this despite the fact that recent surveys have detected only 18 adult owls remaining in the state. The administration’s filing echoes a similar request made by developers who have been seeking to build on land critical to the owls’ recovery.
"This comes as no surprise. The Bush administration has a long history of siding with corporate special interests at the expense of wildlife and our environment," said Jenny Neeley, Program Associate with Arizona Defenders of Wildlife. "Recent surveys have found only 18 adult pygmy owls in the state of Arizona. Thanks to the President, that number will soon be zero. We must now all watch as the President’s policies literally destroy an entire species in the state of Arizona."
"Since assuming office, the Bush administration has ignored its responsibility to protect our natural heritage," continued Neeley. "It is engaged in a concerted effort to remove federal protections for endangered species and open up huge tracts of protected land for use by corporate special interests. Today, it is the greedy development industry that benefits from the President’s policies."
Defenders of Wildlife recently released a report entitled “Sabotaging the Endangered Species Act,” which chronicles the Bush administration’s abuse of the judicial system with regard to the Endangered Species Act. Among other attacks, the report cites the fact that the administration has not voluntarily listed a single species as endangered; all their listing have come as a result of court order. But the administration has set the record for the most de-listings as a result of industry request or lawsuit as they have today.
Last August, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a suit filed by the Homebuilders Association that the owls’ designation as endangered had not been properly executed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Court did not strip the owl of its endangered status, nor did it question the science behind the owls’ listing; it merely ruled on the FWS’ administrative handling of the original listing petition. But instead of simply addressing the court’s concerns and reaffirming the owl’s legal status as an endangered species, the administration has jumped at the chance to delist the owl for the benefit of developers.
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Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 450,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat. To learn more about Defenders of Wildlife, please visit www.defenders.org.
