US Army project foiled by Ivory-billed woodpecker.
31/03/2007 00:00:00(July 2006) – A Judge in the USA has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop the construction of a $319 million Irrigation schemet on grounds that it might endanger the ivory-bill woodpecker. Judge Wilson ordered the Corps to restart consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to see if the scheme threatens the Ivory-bill or its habitat.
‘Judge Wilson has told the Corps that they cannot leap before they look when imperilled wildlife is involved,’ said Randy Sargent, the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Conservation legal adviser. ‘Everyone knows that wildlife needs a home. In this case, we need to look twice before destroying the home of this critically endangered bird.’
‘The pumping station for the project is less than 20 miles from an Ivory-bill sighting,’ said David Carruth of the National Wildlife Federation. ‘It was reckless and irresponsible for the Corps to begin construction without knowing the impacts the project might have on the bird and its habitat.’
‘Judge Wilson has told the Corps that they cannot leap before they look when imperilled wildlife is involved,’ said Randy Sargent, the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Conservation legal adviser. ‘Everyone knows that wildlife needs a home. In this case, we need to look twice before destroying the home of this critically endangered bird.’
‘The pumping station for the project is less than 20 miles from an Ivory-bill sighting,’ said David Carruth of the National Wildlife Federation. ‘It was reckless and irresponsible for the Corps to begin construction without knowing the impacts the project might have on the bird and its habitat.’
‘The law is very clear on this issue,’ says Carruth. ‘If you are going to build a project that pumps 158 billion gallons of water from an endangered species habitat each year, you have to do the proper scientific research to ensure it will not harm that species.’
In April 2005, an Ivory-billed woodpecker was seen in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, the first sighting in nearly 60 years, albeit a disputed one. Based on recent sound recordings, the Ivory-bill is also thought to be present in the White River National Wildlife Refuge. According to Judge Wilson, ‘the area is renowned for its fish and wildlife, and is the last known North American refuge’ of the Ivory-bill. The White River is also home to ducks, bear, deer, turkey, neotropical songbirds, alligators and more than 100 species of fish. More mallards winter there than any place in the world.
‘The Ivory-bill depends on these forested wetlands for survival,’ says Sargent. ‘The Grand Prairie Project would cause irreversible damage to this ecosystem which is already threatened by a changing climate. Future generations depend on us to make sure this home for wildlife stays healthy and unharmed.’
Courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation of America
In April 2005, an Ivory-billed woodpecker was seen in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, the first sighting in nearly 60 years, albeit a disputed one. Based on recent sound recordings, the Ivory-bill is also thought to be present in the White River National Wildlife Refuge. According to Judge Wilson, ‘the area is renowned for its fish and wildlife, and is the last known North American refuge’ of the Ivory-bill. The White River is also home to ducks, bear, deer, turkey, neotropical songbirds, alligators and more than 100 species of fish. More mallards winter there than any place in the world.
‘The Ivory-bill depends on these forested wetlands for survival,’ says Sargent. ‘The Grand Prairie Project would cause irreversible damage to this ecosystem which is already threatened by a changing climate. Future generations depend on us to make sure this home for wildlife stays healthy and unharmed.’
Courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation of America
