FWS Admits Flawed FL Panther Data, Fires Veteran Biologist Anyway

[hatrack]

"Last May BushGreenwatch reported that a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had filed a legal complaint against the agency, charging that agency officials deliberately used flawed scientific data in setting policy for protecting the Florida panther, an endangered species with only 60-80 animals remaining in the wild. <1>

Now Fish and Wildlife officials have notified the agency employee, biologist Andrew Eller, that they intend to fire him for "unacceptable" performance. Eller has spent the last 10 years working in the Florida panther recovery program.

EDIT

Specifically, the agency assumes in its population estimates that all known panthers are breeding adults, and that the population includes no juveniles or aged animals. The agency further minimized habitat needs by considering only daytime habitat, when the panthers are at rest, and not nighttime habitat needs, when they are active. <2>

On July 7, the Fish and Wildlife Service replied to the Eller's challenge and admitted using flawed data, stating: "We acknowledge that despite being published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, some of the information you are challenging has, over time, been determined to have limitations..." Nevertheless, FWS asserted that it would continue using the inaccurate data until 2006, by which time several huge developments in Southwest Florida, within shrinking panther habitat, may be approved. According to PEER, Fish and Wildlife is under enormous political pressure to approve the developments. <3> Commenting on Eller's firing, PEER executive director Jeff Ruch told BushGreenwatch, "When it comes to intimidating its own scientists, the Fish and Wildlife Service is about as subtle as a Mack truck. The Fish and Wildlife Service is signaling that under the Bush administration scientists who won’t play ball will be blackballed." <4>

EDIT

http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/

[lukasahero]

1. This is truly disturbing

Yeah so what if we lie about the data? We will fire you and keep using bad info until we get what we need. F' the panther in the process.

Thanks for posting/finding this.

[blindpig]

2. Jeb has no intertion of saving the panther

Real estate rules, same as most everywhere else, these bu$hes are just more wreckless and ruthless than we are accustomed to.
Where is Skink when you need him? We're waiting for orders, Captain!