{"id":15657,"date":"2012-07-27T13:42:53","date_gmt":"2012-07-27T18:42:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=15657"},"modified":"2012-07-27T13:42:56","modified_gmt":"2012-07-27T18:42:56","slug":"saving-the-salamanders-conservation-vs-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2012\/07\/27\/saving-the-salamanders-conservation-vs-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving the Salamanders: Conservation vs. Development"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image courtesy of USGS<\/p>

The Barton Springs Salamander is already on the endangered species list.<\/p><\/div>\n

Two Texas politicians have introduced legislation to block several species of salamanders in Central Texas from being recognized as endangered or threatened species.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service<\/a> (FWS) identified several salamanders (the Austin Blind<\/a>, Georgetown<\/a>, Jollyville Plateau<\/a> and Salado Springs<\/a>) as candidates to be listed as endangered or threatened species. Some of the species have been listed as candidates for over a decade. (A separate proposal to add the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard<\/a> in West Texas and New Mexico to the endangered species list was avoided las month after a conservation plan by drillers and ranchers<\/a> was accepted by Fish and Wildlife.)<\/p>\n

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)<\/a> and U.S. Representative John Carter (R-TX)<\/a> say classifying the amphibians as endangered could hinder area job growth and economic development. \u201cMy goal is to make sure the salamanders and people can peacefully co-exist,\u201d Cornyn says. \u201cAnd we can take care of the concerns about these species but also at the same time not stop the economic growth and job creation that comes along with the boom we are seeing here in Texas and in this part of the state, which has made us the envy of the rest of the country, if not the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

A similar creature, the Barton Springs Salamander<\/a>, is currently listed as endangered. Because of this, the city of Austin must follow a Habitat Conservation Plan approved by the FWS for its management of the salamander\u2019s habitat. Aptly named, the Barton Springs Salamander lives only in Barton Springs Pool<\/a> and the area immediately around it.<\/p>\n

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