ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is planning to take a closer look at two rare plants found only in northwestern New Mexico to see if they warrant protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Environmentalists are pointing to the small cactus and the flowering herb as more reasons oil and gas development should be limited in the San Juan Basin. They say federal land managers aren't doing enough to preserve the plants.
The fight over drilling in the region has been ongoing for decades, with the driving force being protection of areas beyond Chaco Culture National Historical Park that are considered significant to Native American tribes.