well, we'll always have sea monkeys...

February 28, 2002

Under pressure from the Bush administration, a federal judge

yesterday revoked the protected status of several hundred thousand

acres of Southern California land considered essential for the

survival of two imperiled species. U.S. District Judge Stephen

Wilson called on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to re-assess the

economic effects of protecting the land on behalf of the tiny

California gnatcatcher and the San Diego fairy shrimp. The move is

part of a sweeping reevaluation of millions of acres of land that

have been set aside as " critical habitat " for at-risk species. Real

estate developers, ranchers, and farmers have lobbied for an easing

of restrictions on use of critical habitat areas, and in many cases

have filed lawsuits challenging the government's financial

assessments of protection measures. Conservationists fear the ruling

presages dark times for the Endangered Species Act.

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Seema Mehta, 26 Feb 2002

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