• Bird listing concerns voiced

    Roswell — Landowners across eastern New Mexico want to know in the eyes of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if the life of a bird is more valuable than their right to provide for their family

    Those who fear their jobs and liberties were on the line united at Eastern New Mexico University’s campus in Roswell to speak out against the possible listing of the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened on the federal register, saying its listing could possibly result in the downfall of the local economy.

    “The U.S. government is going to pay attention to the jobs that matter,” demanded U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who was the first of about 30 to address USFWS officials on the stage of the Performing Arts Center auditorium.

    Pearce said he did not want a repeat of what happened when the northern spotted owl was listed as endangered, claiming the listing caused 123 logging mills to shut down in New Mexico.

     

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    Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune
    A crowd of nearly 200 from eastern New Mexico, including landowners, municipal and county leaders, and representatives of the oil and gas industry, attended the lesser prairie-chicken hearing held by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tuesday night at Eastern New Mexico University's Roswell campus.


     

     

    He said the agency’s decision to list the owl has hurt the economy and 20 years after it was listed, the USFWS acknowledges the mills were not the problem.

    He refuses to see the same thing happen with the lesser prairie-chicken.

    To view the full online article visit PNTonline http://pntonline.com/news/birdlistingconcernsvoiced.html

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