TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -
Conservationists are having a mixed reaction to a proposal from federal wildlife officials to protect critical habitats of endangered garter snakes in Arizona and New Mexico.
The Center for Biological Diversity said Monday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposition is somewhat of a relief. However, Jenny Loda, the group’s attorney, says the number of acres that would receive protection is far less than previously stated.
Under the proposal, more than 18,700 acres of critical habitat for narrow-headed garter snakes and nearly 27,800 acres for the northern Mexican garter snake would be safeguarded across both states.
According to Loda, both snake species have been on the brink of extinction for years. They live on riverbanks.
This proposal is a culmination of a failed attempt by U.S. Fish and Wildlife to finalize a proposal in 2013 that would have protected more than 420,000 acres . The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit last year. This resulting agreement calls for the proposal to be finalized by April 13, 2021.
Conservationists say the snakes now live only in small, isolated populations across the Southwest.
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