Re: NANFA-- Alabama sturgeon (was environment and the presidency)

Dave Neely (rheopresbe_at_hotmail.com)
Sun, 20 Feb 2000 19:10:43 CST

>Really? They pulled out? That's not the way I've read it. Shelby et >al
>have argued that the sturgeon shouldn't be listed because the >monies are
>in place, but were afraid that ESA listing would take the >monies away.

Last time around the Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers Coalition had promised USFWS a
set amount of financial support in exchange for not listing the sturgeon. As
soon as it became clear that USFWS was not going to pursue a listing, they
bailed, and current operations have been paid for by USFWS, USACE, AL Dept
of F&G, etc.

What's going to stop them from pulling the same stunt this time?
Check out the official document on the issue-

http://endangered.fws.gov/frpubs/s000216.pdf (postscript file)

http://endangered.fws.gov/frpubs/s000216.htm (summary only)

>It'a always amused me that they deny it's a species, but went to >Congress
>anyway to get pork barrel money to "protect" it.

The new material reads like a recovery plan. This is new, when has the USFWS
ever started writing recovery plans BEFORE they listed something... makes me
really wary of what's going on.

>Have you read lawyer Ray Vaughan's article on Alabama sturgeon and >the
>ESA? He says they're not fighting the listing because of the >sturgeon.
>Instead, they're using the sturgeon to help discredit the >ESA while it's
>up fro reauthorization.

Ray's too ugly to live in the State of Alabama... ;)

>>Also, the USFWS biologist who has been leading the sturgeon >>campaign
>>justhad his house burn to the ground.

>Was this Paul Hartfield? My god, that's horrible!!! Please keep me
> >informed.

Will do. All sturgeon comments are now going through Mitch King, in the
Atlanta office... who is a couple levels higher in FWS than Paul.

cheers,
Dave

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