Federal agencies have filed opinions for national forests in New Mexico and Arizona and have asked a judge to dismiss the court's previous ruling on timber management activities on Mexican spotted owl habitat land. The Albuquerque Journal reported Friday that a U.S. district court in Arizona imposed a forest use injunction limiting timber activities such as tree-cutting, gathering fuel wood and controlled burns until effects on the threatened spotted owl species were determined. Officials say the opinions claim the conditions that necessitated the injunction are no longer present. An environmental group that sued federal agencies for failure to monitor the bird populations says they are opposed to the motion.
Feds: Ruling To Protect Mexican Spotted Owl Should Be Dismissed; Conditions Have Changed
