Whitey Ford
07-02-2023, 07:09 PM
Rare lizard found only in major US oil patch proposed as endangered species
https://i.ibb.co/bmwyv3z/963363ca454729ab93f695333db70cc3c1721ac59429d669b0 8596075b3906c9.jpg
U.S. wildlife managers on Friday proposed federal protections for a rare lizard found only in parts of one of the world's most lucrative oil and natural gas basins.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the dunes sagebrush lizard should be listed as an endangered species due to the ongoing threats of energy development, mining and climate change in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The agency will be collecting public comments on the proposed listing through Sept. 1.
Environmentalists have been pushing for protections for the reptile for decades, resulting in petitions and lawsuits. There have also been conservation agreements, but some groups have criticized them for not doing enough to protect the lizard's habitat.
"The dunes sagebrush lizard is marvelously adapted for life in extreme environments but it needs our help to survive the oil and gas industry’s destruction," Michael Robinson, with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "The Service needs to move quickly to implement these long-overdue protections."
Biologists aren’t able to say how many lizards might exist because there are so few of them and they’re hard to detect, making precise counts very difficult. However, they note there are fewer lizards detected in areas where there are more oil and gas wells or areas where habitat has been disturbed.
Light brown and spiny, the lizard lives in sand dunes and among shinnery oak, where it feeds on insects and spiders and burrows into the sand for protection from extreme temperatures.
https://www.fox4news.com/news/rare-lizard-found-only-in-major-us-oil-patch-proposed-as-endangered-species
https://i.ibb.co/bmwyv3z/963363ca454729ab93f695333db70cc3c1721ac59429d669b0 8596075b3906c9.jpg
U.S. wildlife managers on Friday proposed federal protections for a rare lizard found only in parts of one of the world's most lucrative oil and natural gas basins.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the dunes sagebrush lizard should be listed as an endangered species due to the ongoing threats of energy development, mining and climate change in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The agency will be collecting public comments on the proposed listing through Sept. 1.
Environmentalists have been pushing for protections for the reptile for decades, resulting in petitions and lawsuits. There have also been conservation agreements, but some groups have criticized them for not doing enough to protect the lizard's habitat.
"The dunes sagebrush lizard is marvelously adapted for life in extreme environments but it needs our help to survive the oil and gas industry’s destruction," Michael Robinson, with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "The Service needs to move quickly to implement these long-overdue protections."
Biologists aren’t able to say how many lizards might exist because there are so few of them and they’re hard to detect, making precise counts very difficult. However, they note there are fewer lizards detected in areas where there are more oil and gas wells or areas where habitat has been disturbed.
Light brown and spiny, the lizard lives in sand dunes and among shinnery oak, where it feeds on insects and spiders and burrows into the sand for protection from extreme temperatures.
https://www.fox4news.com/news/rare-lizard-found-only-in-major-us-oil-patch-proposed-as-endangered-species