The Dusky Gopher Frog; Hopping Into Federal Court

Edward Poitevent II, an irate property owner
who stands to lose millions of dollars.

The dusky gopher frog (Rana sevosa) has recently found new friends, as two environmental groups ready themselves for federal court. These environmental groups are beginning to intervene in several federal lawsuits in which property owners are challenging government restrictions on 1,500 acres designated as dusky gopher frog habitat. The 1,500 acres in question have been proposed as “critical habitat” in St. Tammany Parish, and is part of approximately 6,000 acres being protected in Louisiana and Mississippi for the dusky gopher frog. Property owners in St. Tammany Parish have filed this lawsuit because they stand to lose millions of dollars if this land becomes protected. Property owners are angry because none of these frogs have been sighted in the area since 1965, but the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service stress it is not only important to protect areas where these frogs live but also areas where they could live. The area is considered important in helping this endangered species to recover. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service states that in 2001 only 100 dusky gopher frogs were recorded living in Harrison County, Mississippi. If these proposed areas become protected then future development will be prohibited in these areas.

            The article appears to show bias towards the property owners. The author accomplishes this by detailing several of the lawsuits and introducing the readers to some of the property owners. The author shies away from any scientific data which could be used to support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s decision. The positioning of this article within the political section of the paper instead of the science section, possible means this article could have been meant for wealthy individuals  who have little interest in scientific matters. These individual readers would be more likely to side with the property owners. 

Area to be protected along with current and past  habitat range

few this artical at: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/environmental_groups_want_to_i.html