Case Filed in Arizona to Protect Highly Imperiled Squirrel

On behalf of our clients—the Center for Biological Diversity, the Maricopa Audubon Society, and the Mount Graham Coalition—we filed a complaint challenging the U.S. Forest Service (“USFS”) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (“FWS”) failure to adequately protect and conserve the critically endangered Mount Graham red squirrel on the Coronado National Forest. By any metric, the Mount Graham red squirrel is teetering on the brink of extinction and now bears the somber distinction of being one of the most endangered mammals on Earth. Weathering persistent threats to its continued existence, including three decades worth of federally sanctioned human development, wildfires, and insect infestations, the Mount Graham red squirrel has continued to survive entirely within the confines of the Coronado National Forest. However, a 2017 wildfire on the Coronado National Forest killed roughly 75% of the species’ entire population. Less than 80 individuals remain in the wild. Notwithstanding this near-total collapse of the Mount Graham red squirrel’s population, USFS and FWS continue to sanction activities that will, by the agencies’ own admission, cause further declines the Mount Graham red squirrel’s population. Our complaint, therefore, seeks to ensure the red squirrel’s continued survival by forcing USFS and FWS to comply with their respective duties under the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531–1544, and USFS’s own regulations governing the administration of the Coronado National Forest. A copy of the complaint can be found here.