Enviros threaten squirrely lawsuit

Three environmental groups have threatened to sue the U.S. Forest Service unless the agency seeks a new federal Endangered Species Act evaluation on the impact of the Mount Graham International Observatory on endangered squirrels. The Center for Biological Diversity, Maricopa Audubon Society and the Mount Graham Coalition put the Forest Service on notice Dec. 22, saying unless a new ESA evaluation of the telescope project is sought from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Feb. 22, 2011, a lawsuit will be filed. The Endangered Species Act requires all federal agencies consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if their actions jeopardize an endangered species. The U.S. Forest Service manages the land occupied by the University of Arizona's telescopes on Mount Graham, a news release from the Center of Biological Diversity states. The university has been in the process of renewing its 20-year permit for the telescope project, but the process has been delayed by several hurdles, including the threatened lawsuit. "The effects of this (telescope) project have gone far beyond what they were supposed to be," said Dr. Robin Silver, the center's founder. "We are not going to let the Mount Graham red squirrel be pushed over the brink of extinction."...more