05/22/2024

Rare Lizard Gets Federal Protections

The protection order has sparked criticism from the oil and gas industry

For decades, environmentalists and researchers have rallied for the federal government to protect the dunes sagebrush lizard, the small reptile that makes its home across West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is declaring the lizard an endangered species, a process that will provide the tiny creature with protections under the Endangered Species Act.

“This lizard is getting closer and closer to extinction,” said Michael Robinson, a spokesperson for the Center For Biological Diversity, a group that has long advocated for listing the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species.

Increased drilling in the Permian Basin over the past 15 years, along with the advent of sand mining, are the factors Robinson says are driving the lizard’s disappearance.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Marfa Public Radio.