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Conservationists gain the upper hand in rare salamander debate
Judge orders U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department to take another look at whether the old-growth species should be declared endangered
By Chris Conrad,
Mail Tribune
Jan 20, 2007
A federal judge in California ruled Friday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illegally dismissed a petition by conservation groups to place a threatened salamander on the endangered species list.
Judge William Alsup ruled that Fish and Wildlife officials ignored relevant information and relied on vague reasoning when it decided not to place the Scott Bar salamander, which lives in old-growth forests in Northern California and Southwest Oregon, on the endangered species list last spring.
"We are happy that we might be able to protect the salamander," said Joseph Vaile, campaign manager for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center in Ashland. "I think this proves the Fish and Wildlife Service was wrong in determining the salamander didn't deserve protection."
Alsup gave the agency until March 23 to decide whether to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the salamanders' status. The judge ordered the new finding must adhere to tougher scientific standards.
Brian Woodbridge, a Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, said the next finding will take into consideration the judge's recommendations.
"A problem we had was that there was a number of studies all stacked up saying different things," he said. "This is a case where the biological information is very equivocal. There are no clear areas."The salamander is unique in that it lives on land in old-growth forests. It needs old-growth canopy for protection and is extra sensitive to environmental change because it breathes through its skin.
The Fish and Wildlife Service cited a lack of evidence supporting the salamander was harmed by logging.
The judge, however, found that the conservationists presented ample information suggesting logging threatened the salamander.
"There is a lot of pressure by the Bush administration to get in and log old-growth forests," Vaile said. "It seems that politics is getting in the way, as the Bush administration is ignoring the recommendations of scientists."
Woodbridge dismissed the idea that the salamander is caught in the middle of a political tug-of-war.
"I will back whichever outcome the next finding supports," he said.
Despite the favorable ruling, Vaile acknowledges the fight is far from over.
"I don't think this is the end of the salamander saga," he said. "It's going to take 10 years of wrangling. Meanwhile, many of the salamander sites will remain at risk."
Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.