Related: CONGRESSMAN PEARCE TO ATTEND LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKEN RALLY IN ROSWELL
Roswell, NM (January 31, 2013) - Congressman Steve Pearce will attend a rally in Roswell, New Mexico, to oppose the listing of the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act. The rally will be held on Tuesday, February 12th at 4:30 PM at the AVFlight Hangar (Formerly the Great Southwest Aviation Hangar). Immediately following the rally, Pearce will join the hundreds of concerned New Mexicans expected to attend the Fish and Wildlife public hearing at the ENMU Performing Arts Center at 6:30.
“Our jobs and our way of life in southern New Mexico are under attack,” said Pearce. “The prairie chicken is yet another example of federal species regulation not based on science, but rather driven by lawyers for extreme interest groups. I encourage New Mexicans to join me in Roswell on February 12 to make our voices heard, and hold Washington accountable for the policies and regulations that will affect our lives. Only if we speak up and stand together can we protect our jobs and our communities.”
The BLM, NM department of Game and Fish, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and private entities, including the oil and gas industry, have been working together on the issue of protecting the lesser prairie chicken. Despite the success of these efforts, the Fish and Wildlife Service began working to list the chicken as threatened late last year due to legal pressure from extreme interest groups. Listing the species has the potential to jeopardize energy, farming, and ranching jobs in Southeast New Mexico, threaten future development of farm and ranch lands, and endanger alternative energy development in Eastern New Mexico, especially wind energy.
The environ feds have been milking this lessor species prairie chicken thing for 25 years. Every time there is a drought the numbers of fowl decline and the feds blame livestock grazing and anything else that would apply to people making a living in this wonderful state. Couple of years of good rain and the numbers will be right back. The BLM and Forest Service should be evicted from the West.