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U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation asks Secretary of Interior to protect desert wildlife (9/26/2003) The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation, in cooperation with the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society and several other conservation partners, is appealing to Interior Secretary Gale Norton to help protect bighorn sheep and other wildlife at the Sonoran Desert National Monument in Arizona. The animals are threatened by a pending lawsuit, filed by animal rights and environmental activists, that prevents the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) from maintaining and redeveloping existing wildlife water devices in the monument. Wildlife depends on the waterers, also called guzzlers, for survival. Animal rights and environmental groups were granted a stay by an Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) Administrative Law Judge to stop any work on the guzzlers. The judge ruled that the maintenance effort would irreparably harm the aesthetic interests of plaintiffs. The group includes the Arizona Zoological Society, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of Cabeza Prieta, Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter and the Wilderness Society. The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation and Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society have joined forces with the Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club, Inc., the Arizona Deer Association and the Arizona Chapter of Safari Club International to urge Secretary Norton to assume jurisdiction over the pending case. The coalition wants her to dissolve the stay that is adversely impacting the wildlife resources at the monument. The coalition has shown that the impact of the stay is contrary to the purpose of the monument and to the provisions of the BLM's Interim Management Policy for Newly Created National Monuments. "We are seeking your assistance in reversing and dissolving the IBLA stay as quickly as possible," said William P. Horn, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation legal counsel. "The subject water catchments will remain largely non-functional as a result of the stay and wildlife dependent upon these watering devices cannot wait for a lengthy resolution. In fact, their very survival depends upon prompt resolution of this matter." The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation protects and defends America's wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits - hunting, fishing and trapping - that generate the money to pay for them. The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org. The mission of the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society is to promote
the management of bighorn sheep and increase their population in the
state of Arizona. The Society's ultimate goal is to establish viable,
self-sustaining bighorn sheep populations throughout all suitable
portions of their historic range in the state. For more information
about the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society and its work, call
480-854-8950 or visit its website at CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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