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On February 5, 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a 12-month finding regarding the petition to list the Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) as a threatened or endangered species. In its determination, the FWS found that the species was not endangered or threatened throughout all of its range. It also found, however, that the portion of the current range of the species in central and south-central Colorado and north-central New Mexico represents a significant portion of the range where the species warrants listing, but that listing is precluded by higher priority actions. Thus, the FWS found that listing is not warranted in the “prairie” range of the species and is warranted but precluded in the “montane” portion of its range.
On March 24, 2009, WildEarth Guardians filed suit challenging FWS’s listing determination. Specifically, WildEarth Guardians challenged the FWS’s decision to limit listing to only the montane portion of the Gunnison’s prairie dog’s range and the FWS’s “warranted but precluded” finding with respect to the montane portion of the species’ range. As in other cases, the FWS relied heavily upon a 2007 Solicitor’s Opinion that authorizes the FWS to list a species in only that portion of its range in which protections are necessary.
On October 9, 2009, MSLF filed its motion to intervene on behalf of the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association and New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association. That motion was denied on November 25, 2009. On November 25, 2009, the Court granted the Cattle Growers' Associations permission to file an amicus brief.
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