Lawsuit targets grazing in AZ national forest

The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Bird Alliance sued the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Feb. 3, alleging illegal cattle grazing in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest.

The groups filed suit after threatening a lawsuit in September. They claim the federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by failing to protect threatened and endangered plants and animals from cattle grazing in the forest.

“We won’t tolerate destruction of Arizona’s precious desert riparian habitats, so we’re going to court to protect them,” said Center for Biological Diversity co-founder and board member Robin Silver.

The groups allege that through surveys conducted by the Center for Biological Diversity,

damage was found from cattle grazing along 55% of 122 miles of waterways across 25 grazing allotments. As a result, the groups said, habitat has been damaged for yellow-billed cuckoos, southwestern willow flycatchers, Chiricahua leopard frogs, northern Mexican garter snakes, narrow-headed garter snakes, spikedace, razorback suckers and Gila chub.

The lawsuit asks a Phoenix, AZ, district court to find the federal agencies in violation of the ESA and Administrative Procedure Act and enjoin USFS from authorizing livestock grazing in occupied habitat for the aforementioned species. The suit also asks for all active USFS grazing authorizations in the Tonto National Forest that allow livestock grazing in occupied species habitats to be set aside.

Finally, the groups ask for the 2022 and 2025 biological opinions guiding grazing authorizations to be set aside, and for the impacts of grazing on the species to be reevaluated. — Anna Miller Fortozo, WLJ managing editor

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11 Comments

Lee Jones
February 17, 2026
So most of these species out of Mexico ? So are the endangered there ? Not likely Another chicken S__T environmental group costing the ranchers and the taxpayers that fund the forest service and game& fish depth our hard earned money. I have ridden all over the Tonto basin area off and on for 40 years and don't recall any of these species. Would offer the opportunity to invite them out on an outing to see these species . Any takers ?
Reply to Lee Jones
john gunn
February 17, 2026
well....well well...ohhh well... color me jaded, but im one who believed in cattle free by 93 ...it came & went ... more fences went up, more steers were put out on epemeral permits... blm & forest "service" (the ******** that cut down our trees & nuked the understory) ... So i dont hold my breath in the land of trumpistan ... nor should you. That said ... hope springs eternal global warming just might be the uppercut to knock out these welfare parasites & their federal conspirators ... lets hope the critters can get thru our malevolence.
Reply to john gunn
Wayne Bronec
February 17, 2026
There are studies that show the benefits of cattle grazing it helps many different wildlife. Cows are graders they can select what they graze like deer and other wildlife can with smaller mouths and teeth on upper and lower jaws. Cows take more broad bites and in doing so that gets plants to regrow more tender plants that animals love. Even sage grouse do better for that reason because baby chick can eat younger fresher plants. When you do not graze grasses and plants can get over grown and dead old grass deer elk and other animals avoid eating it. Cattle also improve carbon recycling but stepping in old plants causing them to break down and release nutrients back into the soil. In farming the fastest way to get old crops break down is to till the soil but we do not want it to break down to fast because it also protects the soil. But to slow can cause diseases and keep soil to wet. Reasonable grazing keeps things in a controllable balance I know some think the best thing we can do is never graze but that is not the best management we should maximize use and I do not mean for ranchers I mean for wildlife and ranchers because like I said grazing keeps the plants healthier and then plants are programed to grow more it extends the length of optimum growth till they make seed and then stop actively growing or even go dormant. Every thing will do better then grazing needs to be flexable to vary numbers as needed to many times government rules are to rigid when it comes to grazing and does not allow for change of times to graze or numbers some times more Cows need to graze and other less.
Reply to Wayne Bronec
Rebekah
February 17, 2026
No mention of the water tanks developed in the Tonto Nat’l Forest to serve cattle AND wildlife….or the ranchers HAULING water continually to said water tanks, installing solar powered pumps to keep them full?? Methinks there are more sides to this story.
Reply to Rebekah
Luanne Gegeanis
February 18, 2026
Kuddos for writing about this. People don't realize how destructive grazing is to the environment. The administration is lifting all protection to the land throughout the U.S. Local government needs to protect the environment habitat and wildlife that lives in these areas. It's not "birders" it's just common sense to save these habitats.
Reply to Luanne Gegeanis
1. Celene Jones
  February 20, 2026
  You don’t even know ke what you’re talking about! For one they keep fires down. Wild life lived for decades without harm of cattle grazing. You idiots will go eat a steak, but want to do away the steak. You talk out both sides of your mouths. Let me guess, you’re a Californian ?!
  Reply to Celene Jones
2. Brenda
  February 20, 2026
  Not true at all. They fertilize, mow, till the ground for the healthy grass to grow. They prevent wildfires!
  Reply to Brenda
Jim St Germain
February 18, 2026
That’s gonna happen when they have wildfires in the tunnel national Forest because of the lawsuit, prohibiting that gray prohibiting of them raised in the grass down so get rid of the fuel fires with a reimburse the forest service for having to replant everything because of their ignorance
Reply to Jim St Germain
J E Ted Thayer
February 18, 2026
If the Center for Biological Diversity is involved these days, it's because most of the stuff they've been ******** about have been litigated and they've run out of other causes that create sources of revenue. What's more, this outfit's track record stinks - in fact it wreaks of self-interest! The spotted owls, little cacti, Mexican wolves, and tiny lakeside-dwelling birds that the Center claimed were "endangered species" turned out to be not the case in every case! The fact is that endangered species are easily created by government application, not by actual documented unnatural endangerment! In addition, long-term experience in central Arizona shows that running cattle in the lowlands in the Winter and in the mountains in the Summer builds healthy cattle and healthy environments.
Reply to J E Ted Thayer
Brenda Mather
February 20, 2026
We need the cattle. They are good for the land, the grasses and fire prob.
Reply to Brenda Mather
Brenda Mather
February 20, 2026
Cattle are important for the environment and fire protection
Reply to Brenda Mather