The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Maricopa Audubon Society intervened in a lawsuit brought by the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association (NMCGA) against the Biden administration’s listing of the southwestern willow flycatcher under the Endangered Species Act.
NMCGA brought the suit on behalf of its members, stating the listing caused harm to their members’ property values and livelihoods.
“This lawsuit is yet another flawed attempt to sideline science and advance an anti-wildlife agenda by undermining the Endangered Species Act,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at CBD. “All the science supports the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision that the southwestern willow flycatcher is a valid subspecies that desperately needs continued protection.”
The groups contend the flycatcher population has declined by 90 percent due to “livestock grazing, dams, water withdrawal and sprawl.” The southwestern willow flycatcher was listed as an endangered species in 1995.
