Tucson — Eight years after the Center for Biological Diversity brought a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife over the habitat of the red squirrel on Mount Graham, a U.S. District Court judge has set a deadline for a determination.
In his July 7 ruling, Arizona District Court Judge Raner C. Collins set a deadline of Jan. 30, 2027, for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to either have a proposed rule change to red squirrel habitat or deny that a change is needed.
In 2017, Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon Society sued to expand the red squirrel habitat to lower elevations of Mount Graham, citing loss of habitat at higher elevations due to development of the Mount Graham International Observatory, as well as insect outbreaks and the Frye fire.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did complete a 12-month finding, which is required before a Species Special Assessment and a Revised Recovery Plan can be initiated; however, both reports were drafted but never finalized and now must be re-done.
In January, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish and Coronado National Forest reported that the red squirrel population was at an estimated 233 squirrels, up from the 144 squirrels estimated in 2023.
The endangered Mount Graham red squirrel is a subspecies of squirrel found only in the Pinaleño Mountains of southeastern Arizona, due to its primary food source being conifer seeds.
It was first designated as endangered in 1987 and achieved a peak population of 550 in the late 1990s. However, its population decreased significantly — down to an estimated 35 — following the Frye fire’s destruction of the squirrel’s habitat in 2017.
