<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<style type="text/css" style="display:none;"> P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;} </style>
</head>
<body dir="ltr">
<div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;margin-bottom:0in">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Scott Streater, E&E News, October 7, 2021</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;"><o:p style=""><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></span><br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;margin-bottom:0in">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;margin-bottom:0in">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">Summary:</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;background:white">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">Environmental groups are suing the Bureau of Land Management for failing to protect an endangered plant from being trampled by grazing livestock inside
Arizona's San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0.9375rem 0px 0px;line-height:107%;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white;box-sizing:border-box" data-v-040bbb1c="">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">The </span><span style="color:black"><a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/plants/Huachuca_water_umbel/pdfs/San_Pedro_RNCA_water_umbel_lawsuit_100621.pdf" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;transition:all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;touch-action:manipulation"><span style="color: rgb(0, 123, 199); font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">lawsuit</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">,
filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, claims BLM is violating the Endangered Species Act by not using its designated authority as manager of the San Pedro Riparian NCA to conserve the Huachuca water umbel, described in the
lawsuit as "a highly endangered plant species."</span><span style="color:black"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<section data-v-2291cc77="" data-v-040bbb1c="" class="ad" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;margin-top:0.9375rem;font-family:din-2014, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)"></section>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;margin-bottom:0in;background:white;box-sizing:border-box" data-v-040bbb1c="">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">The San Pedro Riparian NCA "is home to the largest remaining population" of the semiaquatic plant, as well as "the majority of its designated critical
habitat," according to the complaint filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Maricopa Audubon Society.</span><span style="color:black"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0.9375rem 0px 0px;line-height:107%;font-size:1.125rem;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white;box-sizing:border-box" data-v-040bbb1c="">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">But the critical habitat for the plant "is regularly subject to depredations by trespass cattle, which enter the area through a dilapidated boundary
fence that BLM has failed to maintain in working order," the complaint says. "Because BLM fails to conserve the Umbel by protecting the species and its habitat from trespass cattle, which is a significant threat to the survival and recovery of the species,
BLM is in ongoing violation of the ESA."</span><span style="color:black"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;margin-bottom:0in">
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;margin-bottom:0in">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;">Link to article: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2021/10/07/lawsuit-blm-failing-to-protect-endangered-plant-from-grazing-281705</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>