USSAF Renews Call to Protect Bighorn Sheep
4/14/10
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF) and a coalition of conservation groups sent a letter to the acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) asking for a response to a 2009 petition seeking protections for bighorn sheep in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. At stake is a significant precedent that the FWS must enact reasonable management plans when predators begin to destroy local populations of animals.
In September, 2009, the USSAF, Arizona Deer Association, Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation, Wild Sheep Foundation and the Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club petitioned the FWS to develop a management plan for mountain lions in Kofa due to the impact their presence is having on the sheep population.
The FWS acknowledged that they received the petition in November, 2009 and advised the coalition that it was completing an Environmental Assessment for limiting the mountain lion predation of bighorn sheep. However, the public comment period closed with no assessment completed.
The recent letter sent by the USSAF to acting FWS Director Rowan Gould, expresses concern over the long time frame for making a decision. The letter also advised FWS that if a decision is not reached soon, litigation could ensue in order to force the FWS to comply with its legal obligations to conserve the bighorn sheep population.
The desert bighorn sheep population on Kofa has declined over 50 percent in recent years. The dramatic decline began to occur after mountain lions first began appearing in the Refuge around 2001. DNA testing indicated that up to 13 different mountain lions had been in Kofa since 2006.
“According the federal law, FWS must take steps to manage predators in situations where those animals are decimating other wildlife populations,” said Rob Sexton, USSAF vice president for government affairs. “The USSAF is optimistic that no legal actions will be necessary to ensure compliance, however, we remain committed to protecting the precedent that reasonable management plans be implemented in situations like we find in Kofa.”
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