NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A group of non-profits is suing the federal government, claiming they’re not protecting the habitat of endangered species in New Mexico.
The group said illegal cattle grazing in the Valles Caldera National Preserve is out of hand, and government agencies need to step in.
“You’ve been telling us and telling us you’re going to do something about these cows, we need you to show us,” said Arizona & New Mexico Director Cyndi Tuell with Western Watersheds Project.
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Environmental non-profits said they are noticing hundreds of cows trespassing into the habitats of endangered species within the Valles Caldera National Preserve, and it is becoming too common.
“Anywhere the cows are, they’re trampling species; they’re crushing grass. They’re eating grass, and they’re causing contamination of the water,” says Tuell.
The cows have been coming in from neighboring Forest Service grazing allotments, getting past broken or damaged fences. Tuell said federal government agencies should be keeping the cows out, but after years of seeing the problem persist, they’re now taking legal action.
In cooperation with New Mexico-based “Wildearth Guardians” and “Caldera Action,” the three non-profits filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife. The lawsuit claimed the Endangered Species Act requires endangered species be “afforded the highest of priorities.”
By not fixing the illegal cattle grazing, they said the feds are ignoring the well-being of endangered animals including, the Jemez Mountains Salamander, the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse, and the threatened Mexican Spotted Owl.
“We’ve asked them to consider reducing the number of cows that are authorized, and we’ve asked them to do a number of things, and they just don’t want to do it,” explained Tuell.
The non-profit sent the federal agencies a notice of intent to sue in October 2022 and again this February. However, they said more than 850 cows have been documented illegally trespassing in the Caldera last year.
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“We’re going to manage these places differently, and we’re all going to do that together, and we’re all going to respect the law. That’s basically what we’re asking, that’s the message we’re trying to get out to all of the agencies, and I don’t think it’s asking too much to ask for people to obey the law,” stated Caldera Action Executive Director Tom Ribe.
KRQE reached out to the U.S. Forest and Fish and Wildlife Services for comment, but due to their offices being closed on weekends, there was no response as of Sunday evening.
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