U.S. Asks Delay in Gnatcatcher Habitat Status

Federal officials are seeking a two-week extension on a court-ordered designation of 800,000 acres of critical habitat for the tiny California gnatcatcher.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had been ordered to designate the land by today but told a U.S. District Court judge on Friday that it needed at least two more weeks to review information collected in public hearings and to prepare maps and legal descriptions of the land.

The request, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, was submitted with the consent of environmentalists who have pressed the Fish and Wildlife Service in court to make the designation. Representatives on all sides of the issue said it was almost certain the judge would grant the request--a decision expected today--but U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Jane Hendron said the agency would act immediately if the decision were denied.

The designation could affect home developers and road builders, who insist that the zone should be almost five times smaller. Although developers had requested an extension, a representative said Friday that he held out little hope that the Fish and Wildlife Service would reduce the acreage.

“The good news is that [the agency is seeking] the extension, but the bad news is that they’re asking for all the wrong reasons,” said Laer Pearce of the Coalition for Habitat Conservation, a developer’s group. “I think they’re just using this time to shore up their legal justification for a designation.”

Environmentalists said they saw little significance in the agency’s request.

“The bottom-line effect of this is that they get two more weeks,” said Andrew Wetzler of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “This is simply a routine bureaucratic move. It’s not unusual at all in federal lawsuits.”