Lizard Meeting Draws Hundreds to Midland for Comments on Possible Endangered Species Listing

Hundreds of people including politicians, workers and local leaders believe that your livelihood is at stake because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service might name the sand dune lizard as endangered. The story has gone national with FOX News filming Tuesday and Wednesday in Midland. There’s so much anxiety about the upcoming lizard decision around West Texas that it drew hundreds to speak to the wildlife service for the first time Wednesday night. It’s abundantly clear that most West Texans oppose the listing, but as one oil driller said, it may come down to a compromise. "I request that you repeal the endangered species act and I request that you totally defund the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as hundreds of millions of dollars are being wasted", said Karl Gulick. He drew overwhelming applause when he called the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard meeting "a farce" and said President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar were secretly conspiring to take down the US oil and gas industry by using the lizard issue as a guise. Monahans Mayor David Cutbirth said he wants his city to be known as the home of the Dune Lizard, but not the "doomsday lizard"...more