Sonoran Desert Tortoise involved in new federal legislation.
The United States house has attached an amendment to the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which would prohibit the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) from listing the Sonoran Desert Tortoise on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). There is a lot of good background information in this release which should be read before jumping on either side of the issue.
“The Sonoran Desert Tortoise is part of a growing problem involving large settlements with environmental groups who sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for regulatory protection of a large number of different wildlife and plant species. These multi-district litigation settlements force the Service to make listing decisions on several hundred species, often with little or no scientific data supporting these listings and without public input in this process. This possible listing is a result of a lawsuit filed by a few special interest groups aimed at stifling development and has little to nothing to do with the tortoise.
“Allowing the Sonoran Desert Tortoise to be listed as an Endangered Species would be game over for Arizona. Tying up 15 million acres, 4.5 million acres of which are State Trust land, with new regulations and red tape would cause considerable damage to education, grazing, agriculture, energy and housing interests as well as exacerbate wildfire mitigation challenges. The House took bold action today to protect Arizona’s economy and for that I am grateful.”
At first glance, this quote makes it sound like the biggest concern is the state economy. However, wildfire management would also take a hit if this species would be listed. It is also important to note that in 2010 the state began important conservation efforts for the Sonoran Desert Tortoise and another agreement was recently signed by 15 agencies to work together to conserve this tortoise. There is reason to believe these conservation efforts may be more successful than anything outlined by the oft-criticized Endangered Species Act, which in many cases, has not contributed to the resurgence of wild numbers of freshwater turtle and tortoise species listed.
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Did You Know…
To read more about the Endangered Species Act, check out this article, which includes some links to further reading, including articles in support of and against the ESA.
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