Red Lodge Clearinghouse

FWS spokeswoman Jane Hedron said the new boundaries of critical habitat, which are being redrawn as part of a settlement of a lawsuit filed against FWS by a portion of the Cahuilla Indian tribe, are enough to support a sustainable sheep population, and that the secretary of the Interior has the right to exclude land that would have significant negative economic impacts.

Conservation groups and state wildlife officials say the changes threaten to undo a decade of progress and are a political concession to industry groups, including mining and building organizations. "The recovery plan ... has been working," said Mark Jorgensen, supervisor of California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. "Why take out 500,000 acres of [habitat] and say that it's not a big deal? And that it's based on science? Why not come out and say that it's just politics?"

Bighorn sheep are threatened by habitat loss through development and by disease from contact with humans or domesticated animals.

As part of the Endangered Species Act, before modifying land that has been declared critical habitat, an agency or individual must demonstrate the project will not adversely affect that habitat's ability to support its resident endangered species (Leslie Carlson, Los Angeles Times, Sept. 2). -- PR

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