The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared last week that it would not add any animals or plants to the endangered species list until next fall because it is so busy trying to cope with lawsuits filed against the agency by environmentalists pushing for stronger species protections. Enviros criticized the decision. “Fish and Wildlife is playing serious politics, and the loser is America’s endangered wildlife,” said David Hogan of the Center for Biological Diversity, which has filed several lawsuits against the agency. Enviros are also unhappy with a federal government decision to drop more than 60 species from the list of forest life that biologists must search for before trees can be cut down in old-growth forests in the Northwest. Activists say the decision will lead to increased logging in the region, and they may challenge it in federal court.
