SAVING THE SAND DUNE LIZARD

Appearances can be deceiving. At first glance, you’d never think the rolling white sand dunes of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas held the largest stand of oak in the country. The region’s shinnery oaks are only four or five feet high, but they provide food, shade, and a breeding ground for the small, brown sand dune lizard, highly specialized to its habitat. Under the shade of these oak trees, the sand dune lizard buries itself in the cool, white sand, avoiding predators and regulating its body temperature. But when it comes to oil and gas development and livestock grazing, there’s nowhere for the lizard to hide.

Controlled studies have found that relatively small numbers of oil and gas wells have dramatically lowered sand dune lizard populations. Under President Bush's energy policy, oil and gas development rapidly increased on federal lands, resulting in dramatic losses of sand dune lizard habitat. This habitat loss is compounded by efforts of ranchers to remove shinnery oak — which is toxic to cattle — by using an herbicide spray.

Refusing to let the sand dune lizard be another casualty of cattle grazing and former President Bush's energy policy, the Center petitioned for the animal to be listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2002. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the sand dune lizard a candidate for listing, thereby avoiding a grant of full protection.