(map by Curt Bradley)

This was designated by the Bureau of Land Management because of the extraordinary biodiversity of that location. The highest number of lizard species for any comparably sized area in North America are found there. Working with New Mexico Wild we’ve submitted a letter of concern to the Las Cruces office of BLM to put them on notice that we expect:  

• the agency to uphold their RNA protections and to keep the extraordinary biological values of Antelope Pass a priority under their own Resource Management Plan  
• full disclosure of documents moving forward should Almadex apply for further hard rock exploration or file a Plan of Operations  
• BLM to facilitate a robust and comprehensive public involvement process, bringing all stakeholders to the table, if and when the NEPA process begins

Read our letter to the BLM

The post Opposition to Proposed Gold Mine at Antelope Pass appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

CRC has formally requested that the Arizona Game and Fish Department fulfill its legal obligation to protect this unique 560-acre enclave just a few miles from Portal. The May family had the foresight to create a wildlife sanctuary in the middle of Round Valley just off of Foothills Rd in 1941! Renowned game rangers Ralph Morrow and Kimrod Murphy were responsible for caretaking this property, but in recent times the department has shown little interest in maintaining the fences. As a result, cattle are damaging both the range and water source there.

Read our letter to the Director of AZGFD and State Attorney General     

The post Advocacy for the May Memorial Wildlife Area appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

Our organization has been engaged in active litigation to protect critical wildlife habitat within several canyon systems of the Chiricahua Mountains — an area that serves as important territory for jaguars, spotted owls, and other imperiled species.
At issue is a Forest Service project that would expand road access into three canyon areas: John Long Canyon, North Fork of Pinery Canyon, and Horseshoe Canyon. We believe this project poses unacceptable risks to sensitive wildlife, including potential disturbance to jaguar movement corridors and nesting birds, as well as increased fire risk.
We pursued settlement discussions with the Federal Defendants in good faith, proposing common sense measures such as seasonal road closures aligned with hunting seasons, fire risk protections, and stronger monitoring requirements tied to jaguar activity. Unfortunately, the agency rejected these proposals and indicated it does not see a path to settlement.
On a positive note, the Forest Service has agreed to install protective gates limiting vehicle access to part of the John Long Canyon road during the breeding season.

CRC will continue to provide updates on this ongoing legal effort to protect habitat where these extraordinary cats belong.

The post Protecting Jaguar Habitat in the Southwest: An Update on Our Legal Work appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

The post Peaceful Chiricahua Skies – Another EIS Delay appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

Delay in EIS release date

This week, Peaceful Chiricahua Skies was informed by the US Air Force (USAF) that the date for the release of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be moved out a year to the spring of 2026. When the final EIS is released, the USAF does not plan a comment period.

The post Delay in EIS release date appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

The Chiricahua Regional Council expresses profound concern over recent federal staffing reductions threatening our vital trail maintenance partnerships. Nationwide 3,400 workers have been abruptly fired. This represents 10% of US Forest Service personnel and the disturbing part is that the firings are disproportionately affecting Recreation staff. A troubling feature of the current Washington administration’s assault on the Forest Service is an instruction to staff that they may not even communicate with their partners. In other words a gag order.

A similar reduction of National Parks Service personnel (see attached article) has already led to access problems for the public. But that pales in comparison to what’s happening at the US Forest Service. It is our position that the manner in which this has been implemented is illicit and we are advocating for a reversal of these cuts.

The force reductions at the USFS are having a direct impact already. The Douglas District which administers the Coronado National Forests within the Chiricahua and Peloncillo mountains is down to a skeleton crew. Several planned projects representing years of collaborative work between our organization, the communities in the region, other nonprofits, and federal agencies have been postponed. These partnerships have been the most effective tool for maintaining access to the public land in our region. In fact all of Southeast Arizona is being affected. Our trail system will continue to degrade if this situation doesn’t improve.

We urge members to contact their representatives expressing support for the dedicated public servants who administer our public lands. These professionals are stewards of America’s natural heritage and deserve our advocacy during this challenging time. We urge immediate reconsideration of these cuts to preserve both our natural heritage and the community relationships that sustain it. Protect our public lands!

**Contact Information:**

Senator Ruben Gallego
Russell Senate Office Building
2 Constitution Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4521

Senator Mark Kelly
Russell Senate Office Building
2 Constitution Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2235

https://www.npca.org/articles/7076-parks-group-warns-of-dismantling-of-the-national-park-service

The post Forest Service Update appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

This is a very special place and the Center for Biological Diversity is taking the lead on a lawsuit to prevent an access road into John Long. The CRC is a co-plaintiff in this lawsuit together with some other organizations. Another aspect to John Long is the petition to the regional forester in Albuquerque to create a Zoological Botanical Area in the John Long Canyon drainage and to call it Izęę’ Bich’ilwozh `Medicine Canyon’. See more here: https://biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/pdfs/ZBA-Petition-Final-PDF.pdf

Let’s hope for the best on both initiatives!

The post John Long Canyon appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

The post Mexican Wolves appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

After the extended comment deadline of November 12, 2024, the process is now in a period of low activity while the USAF prepares the final EIS. That is expected to be released in the spring of 2025 with a final decision in the summer of 2025.

In the meantime, please keep submitting nuisance flight reports, as well writing to your elected officials and agency heads.

ACTION ALERT: In addition please write the new AZ Senator to let him know your thoughts.

Arizona has a new Senator, Ruben Gallego – and NOW is the time to contact him (even if you have already.)

When we had contacted him earlier, he declined to review the matter. We are hoping that now that he’s officially taken his Senate seat, we can all pressure him to respond. You can email him here and/or send a copy of your comments to Senator Ruben Gallego, 3333 East Camelback Road, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85018.

The post Update on opposition to Air Force proposal appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.

Today’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson, seeks to protect wildlife in sensitive and remote riparian habitat. Nearly 3 miles of proposed new roads would re-open access to about 20 miles of forest roads that are currently closed.

More here.

This concerns the USFS’s Chiricahua Access Project.

The post Lawsuit Targets New Forest Service Roads in Jaguar, Mexican Spotted Owl Habitat in Arizona appeared first on Chiricahua Regional Council.