Endangered Species

SACPA wants you to stay abreast of regulations that may threaten your cattle operation, the welfare of your cattle and even your own health. In some cases SACPA has submitted professional comments to agencies. It is important when an agency issues a call for public comments that you send your personal comments as well.  Putting your face and personal concerns in front of an agency can significantly impact the final decision. In addition, silence is taken as agreement. Should you ever need to sue an agency you will find yourself without the ability to do so if they received no comment from you or comment on your behalf when they issued the call.

The links below take you to some key issues that are current, as well as some convenient links to bookmark in your web browser for future use.

Endangered Species Act Implementation Regulations

Regulations  GoverningListing Petitions
Click here to view  SACPA’s September 15, 2015 comment submission in response to  the Proposed Revision to Regulations for Listing and Critical Habitat Petitions

 

Click the following links to read comments SACPA submitted and for more information concerning each species.

Chiricahua Leopard Frog

“Listing and Designation of Critical Habitat for the Chiricauhua Leopard Frog; Proposed Rule.” This rule recognizes that the Ramsey Canyon Leopard Frog is the same species as the Chiricauhua Leopard Frog, which requires re-listing the species as threatened. The rule also designates critical habitat.

Jaguar

On July 1, 2013 the US Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposal in the Federal Register  to designate 858,137 acres (1,341 square miles) in southern Arizona and New Mexico as Critical Habitat  for the Jaguar.  The Service also released an accompanying draft economic analysis and draft environmental assessment with the proposal. The Service opened a 30-day public comment period on these documents.  Click the Jaguar heading above for more information.

Mexican Wolf

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued two proposals to list the Mexican Wolf as an endangered subspecies and to expand the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population.

Click here or the Mexican Wolf title link above to view comments SACPA submitted.

Click here to view our News and Information pages on the Mexican wolf.

Sonoran Desert Tortoise

This began with a faux-scientific petition that accused cattle grazing as a key threat driving the species to extinction. As a result of SACPA’s professional comments and Walt Meyer’s 20-year study that was  introduced in subsequent coordination between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Winkelman Natural Resources Conservation District, the US Fish and Wildlife Service determined that cattle grazing in the USA does not adversely affect the Sonoran Desert Tortoise, which is now listed as a Threatened Species.

“Southwestern” Willow Flycatcher

Designation of Expanded Critical Habitat for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to designate up to more than 2,000 stream miles of critical habitat in 6 southwestern states, expanding critical habitat by anywhere from nearly double to nearly triple the then-currently designated stream miles. SACPA’s comments exposed numerous fatal scientific flaws including the fact that the “Southwestern” Willow Flycatcher is not recognized as a subspecies by the highest authority on bird taxonomy.

Spike Dace and Loach Minnow

The proposed rule dramatically expanded the stream miles of critical habitat, relisted both species from threatened to endangered, and falsely blamed cattle grazing along with most other human uses of land and water for the tragic decline of these species. The comments representing SACPA expose the fatally flawed “science” and misguided actions by the government that are not only doomed to fail, but are driving the species to extinction at an accelerated rate while exposing humans to deadly toxins linked with Parkinson’s disease.

Western Yellow-billed cuckoo

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) created a distinct population segment for the “Western” Yellow-billed cuckoo, and listed it as a threatened species. Click the heading to read SACPA’s comments in response to the proposed rule. The Service listed the species as threatened on October 14, 2014. Click here to view the rule documents. Click here to view SACPA’s comment submissions.